A 5.7 magnitude earthquake damaged some 200 homes in the southwest of Colombia on Sunday. No injuries have been reported but buildings in Morales, the closest town to the epicenter of the quake, did suffer. The local church and 200 homes in the town and nearby rural areas were damaged. The quake originated at 7.56AM at a depth of 145.7 kilometers, 39 kilometers from Popayan, the capital of the Cauca state, and caused a seismic wave that swept much of western Colombia. The quake was felt in Popayan and Cali. The list of the townships and villages that suffered damage includes El Porvenir, Danubio, La Estrella, La Estacion, San Isidro, El Rosario y Los Cafes. In El Carpintero, a key bridge on the main road to Morales suffered considerable...

Colombia will delay spending $2.44 billion (6 trillion pesos), some 3% of its national budget, due to a sharp fall in oil revenue, the government said on Saturday. The cutbacks, consisting of $1.95 billion (4.8 trillion pesos) in investments and $488 million (1.2 trillion) in administrative costs, were approved by the cabinet, the government said in a statement. The move takes into account “new macroeconomic and fiscal conditions, associated primarily with the fall in international oil prices,” the statement said. The $1.95 billion investment cut represents 9.7% of the country’s allotted budget for general costs, including much-needed infrastructure improvements. The government will now invest a total of $18 billion (44.7 trillion...