TOPIC

/ location

Colombia

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Colombia. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Bogotá

Head of State

President Gustavo Petro

Head of Government

President Gustavo Petro

Colombian singer Shakira performing in 2025. Photo: AFP

Spain

‘8-year-ordeal’: Spanish court acquits pop star Shakira of tax fraud

Money the Colombian singer paid in fines - plus interest - will be paid back to her after a lengthy dispute over residency.

18 May 2026 - 8:55PM

Science

Global food and water supplies on thin ice as Argentina opens glaciers to mining

10 May 2026 - 6:00AMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

Birthday girl among 3 crushed to death by monster truck in Colombia

5 May 2026 - 11:35AM

Climate change

Tropical forest loss still 11 football fields a minute – or Denmark per year

Researchers warn that fires fuelled by climate change are a dangerous new normal and could reverse gains made in tackling deforestation.

29 Apr 2026 - 9:35PMvideocam

An aerial picture shows iron ore mines at the foot of Mount Leuser National Park - a cornerstone of rainforest - in Aceh, Indonesia on April 9. Photo: EPA

US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Trump’s oil crisis is accelerating the end of the fossil fuel era

Ironically for president ‘drill, baby, drill’, this crisis may prove an irreversible tipping point for clean energy.

26 Apr 2026 - 3:00PM

Americas and the Caribbean

Explosive device kills 20 and injures 36 on bus in Colombia

At least 26 such incidents have taken place in the last two days, amid a wave of violence linked to drug-trafficking.

27 Apr 2026 - 7:27AM

Hong Kong society

New York’s Met to debut glittering global jewellery exhibition in Hong Kong

From golden headdresses to diamond brooches, the Hong Kong Palace Museum will showcase some 200 pieces spanning 4,000 years and five continents.

14 Apr 2026 - 7:03PM

Jewellery masterpieces from across civilisations meet in a cross-cultural showcase at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. Photo: Karma Lo

Americas and the Caribbean

Peru presidential run-off looms as Fujimori leads troubled vote

Daughter of former strongman is ahead in the race, but logistical issues have forced a one-day voting extension for tens of thousands.

13 Apr 2026 - 6:18PMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

Peru set to choose from a bewildering array of 35 presidential hopefuls

Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori holds first place ⁠in the polls ⁠one week before Peru’s presidential election.

8 Apr 2026 - 5:00PM

US-Venezuela conflict

US reopens embassy in Venezuela months after military operation to remove Maduro

The State Department said normal operations had resumed at the Caracas embassy after a 7-year closure that began during Trump’s first term.

31 Mar 2026 - 3:45AM

The US embassy in Caracas, Venezuela on Monday. The State Department said Washington had officially resumed operations at the embassy. Photo: EPA

Aviation accidents

At least 66 dead as Colombia military plane crashes after take-off

Death toll rises from a Hercules C-130 transport plane crash deep in Colombia’s southern Amazon region.

24 Mar 2026 - 1:46PM

Members of the military at the crash site. Photo: La Voz de Amazonia via Reuters

Middle East

Letters | As the US attacks Iran, the ancient Battle of Carrhae offers lessons

Readers discuss the war in the Middle East, the opportunity for Colombians in Hong Kong to vote, the importance of teacher well-being, and the poon choi tradition.

6 Mar 2026 - 11:30AM

Americas and the Caribbean

Colombia’s president says he escaped assassination attempt while in helicopter

Gustavo Petro says his helicopter had to evade people who ‘were going to shoot’ at it, forcing him to fly over open sea for hours.

11 Feb 2026 - 1:13PM

China’s private sector

Luckin’s 30,000th store milestone adds buzz to China’s brewing coffee battle

Xiamen-headquartered chain pushes to integrate supply network worldwide and accelerate growth in markets from Asia to the US.

9 Feb 2026 - 7:04PM

Luckin Coffee’s store network spans more than 300 cities across mainland China. Photo: Handout

Donald Trump

Trump and Colombia’s Petro appear to bury hatchet after months of tensions

US president calls Gustavo Petro ‘terrific’ after their first face-to-face encounter, following months of trading barbs.

4 Feb 2026 - 12:16PM

Colombian President Gustavo Petro meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday. Photo: Colombia Presidency via dpa

Aviation accidents

Plane crash in Colombia kills 15, including politician

A Colombian lawmaker and a legislative candidate were on the twin-propeller plane that crashed in a mountainous region.

29 Jan 2026 - 11:17AM

Spain

Spain busts cocaine trafficking ring that used ‘floating bases’ at sea

Spain seizes 10 tonnes of drugs and arrests 105 suspects, while Portugal intercepts a record haul from a ‘narco-sub’.

27 Jan 2026 - 1:17PM

Crime

Ex-Olympian pleads not guilty to running billion-dollar drug empire

Lawyer for FBI ‘most wanted’ fugitive denies alleged kingpin turned himself in at the US embassy in Mexico.

27 Jan 2026 - 10:55AM

Ryan Wedding being is escorted off a plane by the FBI in Ontario, California on Friday. Photo: FBI via AP

Commodities

Gold surge has analysts eyeing new highs after US$5,100 record

Safe-haven demand spikes amid de-dollarisation fears and supply-chain tensions, as gold buyers seek stability against growing macro uncertainties.

26 Jan 2026 - 3:07PMvideocam

United States

Who is Ryan Wedding? Ex-Olympian accused of running global drug empire arrested

Fugitive Canadian snowboarder from the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics is linked to cartels and faces murder and drug charges.

24 Jan 2026 - 12:00AM

United States

Opinion | From Venezuela to Greenland, Trump is using US power to rewrite the rules

What troubles many is the inconsistency emanating from Washington. When power underwrites rules, principles become negotiable.

23 Jan 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

Donald Trump

Diversify or die: Asian firms face trade uncertainty amid Trump’s Mexico threats

The president’s call for strikes against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia will add to the cost of trading with the US, analysts say.

20 Jan 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam

Mexico’s Manzanillo seaport, a critical gateway for trade between Asia and the Americas, is seen in May last year after its expansion. Photo: Reuters

United States

US’ FAA warns airlines to ‘potential risks’ in Mexican, South American airspace

The warnings come a month after a JetBlue passenger jet almost collided with a US Air Force tanker plane near Venezuela ‌.

17 Jan 2026 - 12:34PMvideocam

Ethnic minorities in Hong Kong

Letters | South Asians have a unique place in Hong Kong

Readers discuss early settlers in Hong Kong, small businesses in Venezuela, and Donald Trump’s ‘morality’.

17 Jan 2026 - 11:30AM

US-China relations

Opinion | How Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’ is escalating US-China rivalry

Maduro’s capture not only challenges China’s influence in Latin America but also signals a bolder US security posture that could reshuffle great-power competition.

11 Jan 2026 - 9:25PMvideocam

Donald Trump

Trump says Colombia’s Petro to visit US, in U-turn from threats to diplomacy

Just days ago, Trump had issued a warning to the South American leader for criticising the US attack that removed Venezuela’s Maduro.

10 Jan 2026 - 3:59AM

US President Donald Trump (right) spoke with Colombian President Gustavo Petro over the phone on Wednesday. Photos: AFP

North Korea nuclear crisis

Opinion | Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

It confirms Pyongyang’s belief that leaders seen as thorns in the US side who lack nuclear weapons ultimately fall victim to US intervention.

9 Jan 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

Trump invites Colombia’s president to White House after threat of military strike

Invitation comes days after Trump accused Colombia’s Gustavo Petro of ‘making cocaine’ and warning of US intervention.

8 Jan 2026 - 10:45AMvideocam

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Colombia

‘8-year-ordeal’: Spanish court acquits pop star Shakira of tax fraud

Money the Colombian singer paid in fines - plus interest - will be paid back to her after a lengthy dispute over residency.

Global food and water supplies on thin ice as Argentina opens glaciers to mining

Birthday girl among 3 crushed to death by monster truck in Colombia

Tropical forest loss still 11 football fields a minute – or Denmark per year

Researchers warn that fires fuelled by climate change are a dangerous new normal and could reverse gains made in tackling deforestation.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Trump’s oil crisis is accelerating the end of the fossil fuel era

Ironically for president ‘drill, baby, drill’, this crisis may prove an irreversible tipping point for clean energy.

Explosive device kills 20 and injures 36 on bus in Colombia

At least 26 such incidents have taken place in the last two days, amid a wave of violence linked to drug-trafficking.

New York’s Met to debut glittering global jewellery exhibition in Hong Kong

From golden headdresses to diamond brooches, the Hong Kong Palace Museum will showcase some 200 pieces spanning 4,000 years and five continents.

Peru presidential run-off looms as Fujimori leads troubled vote

Daughter of former strongman is ahead in the race, but logistical issues have forced a one-day voting extension for tens of thousands.

Peru set to choose from a bewildering array of 35 presidential hopefuls

Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori holds first place ⁠in the polls ⁠one week before Peru’s presidential election.

US reopens embassy in Venezuela months after military operation to remove Maduro

The State Department said normal operations had resumed at the Caracas embassy after a 7-year closure that began during Trump’s first term.

At least 66 dead as Colombia military plane crashes after take-off

Death toll rises from a Hercules C-130 transport plane crash deep in Colombia’s southern Amazon region.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | As the US attacks Iran, the ancient Battle of Carrhae offers lessons

Readers discuss the war in the Middle East, the opportunity for Colombians in Hong Kong to vote, the importance of teacher well-being, and the poon choi tradition.

Colombia’s president says he escaped assassination attempt while in helicopter

Gustavo Petro says his helicopter had to evade people who ‘were going to shoot’ at it, forcing him to fly over open sea for hours.

Luckin’s 30,000th store milestone adds buzz to China’s brewing coffee battle

Xiamen-headquartered chain pushes to integrate supply network worldwide and accelerate growth in markets from Asia to the US.

Trump and Colombia’s Petro appear to bury hatchet after months of tensions

US president calls Gustavo Petro ‘terrific’ after their first face-to-face encounter, following months of trading barbs.

Plane crash in Colombia kills 15, including politician

A Colombian lawmaker and a legislative candidate were on the twin-propeller plane that crashed in a mountainous region.

Spain busts cocaine trafficking ring that used ‘floating bases’ at sea

Spain seizes 10 tonnes of drugs and arrests 105 suspects, while Portugal intercepts a record haul from a ‘narco-sub’.

Ex-Olympian pleads not guilty to running billion-dollar drug empire

Lawyer for FBI ‘most wanted’ fugitive denies alleged kingpin turned himself in at the US embassy in Mexico.

Gold surge has analysts eyeing new highs after US$5,100 record

Safe-haven demand spikes amid de-dollarisation fears and supply-chain tensions, as gold buyers seek stability against growing macro uncertainties.

Who is Ryan Wedding? Ex-Olympian accused of running global drug empire arrested

Fugitive Canadian snowboarder from the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics is linked to cartels and faces murder and drug charges.

Opinion | From Venezuela to Greenland, Trump is using US power to rewrite the rules

What troubles many is the inconsistency emanating from Washington. When power underwrites rules, principles become negotiable.

Diversify or die: Asian firms face trade uncertainty amid Trump’s Mexico threats

The president’s call for strikes against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia will add to the cost of trading with the US, analysts say.

US’ FAA warns airlines to ‘potential risks’ in Mexican, South American airspace

The warnings come a month after a JetBlue passenger jet almost collided with a US Air Force tanker plane near Venezuela ‌.

Letters | South Asians have a unique place in Hong Kong

Readers discuss early settlers in Hong Kong, small businesses in Venezuela, and Donald Trump’s ‘morality’.

Opinion | How Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’ is escalating US-China rivalry

Maduro’s capture not only challenges China’s influence in Latin America but also signals a bolder US security posture that could reshuffle great-power competition.

Trump says Colombia’s Petro to visit US, in U-turn from threats to diplomacy

Just days ago, Trump had issued a warning to the South American leader for criticising the US attack that removed Venezuela’s Maduro.

Opinion | Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

It confirms Pyongyang’s belief that leaders seen as thorns in the US side who lack nuclear weapons ultimately fall victim to US intervention.

Trump invites Colombia’s president to White House after threat of military strike

Invitation comes days after Trump accused Colombia’s Gustavo Petro of ‘making cocaine’ and warning of US intervention.

Opinion | Trump’s oil crisis is accelerating the end of the fossil fuel era

Letters | As the US attacks Iran, the ancient Battle of Carrhae offers lessons