By W.T. WHITNEY Jr. -Negotiations between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to end fifty years of war have been ongoing in Cuba for a year. Agreements on agrarian rights and recently political participation have boosted peace hopes. But whatever the outcome of...
Almost half of all Colombian councilors have reported threats over the course of the year, revealing the extremely fragile nature of Colombia’s supposedly strong democracy. Edgar Polo Devia, executive director of the National Councilors Federation (Fenacon), announced that 5,300 of Colombia’s 12,243 councilors had received threats in 2013, reported El Colombiano. Of those, just 2,800...
Is Colombia Still a Major Player in the US Heroin Market?
EU President to visit Colombia for 1st time
EU pledges $410,000 for biodiversity project promoting Colombia’s “natural treasure”
Lack of ‘truth commission’ threaten Colombia’s peace talks’ progress: FARC
(Bloomberg) Colombia held borrowing costs at the lowest level in Latin America for an eighth straight month as consumer spending growth cooled and inflation unexpectedly slowed below the lower band of its target range. Banco de la Republica, led by Governor Jose Dario Uribe, left its policy rate at 3.25 percent, as forecast by 28 of 29 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The other analyst expected a quarter-point cut to 3 percent, matching the record low held between April 2010 and February 2011. The decision was unanimous. “Consumer inflation had a sharp and unexpected drop in October, explained...
Colombia will be the leading team in Group C of the 2014 FIFA World Cup that’s kicking off in Brazil on June 12. Colombia matches June 14 | Colombia – Greece June 19 | Colombia – Ivory Coast June 26 | Japan – Colombia The South American country was dealt the C group in a draw defining which teams playing which in one of the most important sporting events of the year. Because Colombia...
WASHINGTON — President Obama told Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos on Tuesday that he supports new peace talks with rebel forces in Colombia. While “it is not easy,” Obama said that Santos is doing the right thing in seeking “a lasting and just peace” with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). “Obviously, there are going to be some very challenging questions moving...
WASHINGTON (IPS) – Despite looming differences over Colombia’s drug policy, President Barack Obama renewed his support for a peaceful settlement to the civil war that has plagued the country for over half a century in a meeting with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Tuesday. The White House visit came as the Colombian government is engaged in the third stage of negotiations with the Revolutionary...
An historic Colombian hotel in the countryside outside of Bogota recently reopened its doors as an ecological museum and has now received $410,000 from the Europen Union to further develop biodiversity programs. The transformation of the Tequendama Falls Hotel in the central Colombian state of Cundinamarca into the Tequendama Falls Museum of Biodiversity and Culture began in 2011. The surrounding...
Juan Carlos Pinzón, ministro de Defense (blue shirt), visited on Saturday night the barrios of El Vallado and Desepaz, on Cali’s east side. Colombia’s Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon announced Sunday that 500 soldiers will be patrolling the most dangerous neighborhoods in Cali to combat violence. “Five hundred men from Security Forces will be patrolling four districts with the aim to...
Medellin, Colombia’s second largest city, was named one of 33 of the world’s most resilient cities by the Rockefeller Foundation on Tuesday. The city was chosen from 400 urban centers that vied to become part of the 100 Resilient Cities Network. In applying for the 100 Resilient Cities Challenge, cities were required to submit their visions, needs and plans to build “resilience” in a way...
The church is the most prominent building in the main square of Villa de Leyva. Photo: Mark Stachiew, Postmedia News Colombia is perceived by some as an unsafe place to visit, but considering that cruise ships have been stopping there for several years now, it’s clear that plenty of people believe otherwise and now a growing number of curious travellers are heading further inland to discover...
During its ice bottle giveaway in Colombia earlier this year, Coca-Cola gave away an average of 265 frozen bottles an hour, the company says. Here’s how they did it: “Micro-filtered water” is poured into silicone molds, then frozen to -13°F. The ice bottles are shipped empty; servers fill them with soda right before handing them over. (So in fact it’s more like a bottle-shaped glass.) To...
