BOGOTA

Paraguay’s prosecutor of organized crime and drug trafficking cases has been slain in Colombia apparently by gunmen on a jet ski as he honeymooned with his new wife

An immense layer of toxic foam has spilled and blown from a contaminated river into the Colombian city of Mosquera

Colombians will soon be going to movie theaters without having to wear face masks. Mexico's president has declared the pandemic over. The region has been hit hard by the pandemic, with nations like Brazil and Peru registering some of the world’s highest death tolls.

Colombian presidential frontrunner Gustavo Petro pledged that he will not nationalize private property if he wins the nation’s presidency this year as critics in the South American country accuse the leftist candidate of wanting to make radical changes to the country’s free market economy.

The Bogota municipal government issued a statement Saturday with new details on the death investigation.

The Bogota municipal government issued a statement Saturday with new details on the death investigation.

Taylor Hawkins, the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, has died aged 50 as police say the cause of his death may be related to drugs.

Colombians have voted for a new congress and also cast ballots in presidential primaries to choose party candidates for the May presidential contest.

For most of Colombia’s history, the far left has been associated with the civil war and guerrilla groups. But now that that war is mostly over, the left-wing could be on the verge of an historic, political victory.

Colombia has become the latest country in Latin America to expand access to abortion, with the nation’s Constitutional Court voting to legalize the procedure until the 24th week of pregnancy.

For decades renowned Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez kept the public from knowing about an intimate aspect of his life: He had a daughter with a Mexican writer, with whom he had an extramarital affair in the early 1990s. The closely guarded secret was published by Colombian newspaper El Universal on Sunday and confirmed to the Associated Press by two relatives of the Nobel Prize-winning author, who is famous for novels like One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. Márquez died in Mexico City in 2014, where thousands of his readers lined up to see his casket in a concert hall.

Colombian police killed at least 11 people during protests that broke out in September of last year, following the death of a taxi driver who was beaten to death while in police custody, a report backed by the United Nations found.

A proposal to grant early release from prison to one of the world's most prolific serial killers has raised outrage in Colombia and a denunciation on Monday from President Iván Duque. Luis Alfredo Garavito confessed to killing about 190 children, most aged 8 to 16 and received more than 50 long sentences. Prosecutors said sometimes posed as a beggar or a monk and lured poor children with money and soft drinks.

Colombian security forces have captured the country’s most wanted drug trafficker, a rural warlord who stayed on the run for more than a decade by corrupting state officials and aligning himself with combatants on the left and right. President Iván Duque likened the arrest Saturday of Dairo Antonio Úsuga to the capture three decades ago of Pablo Escobar. Colombia's military presented Úsuga to the media in handcuffs and wearing rubber boots preferred by rural farmers.

At least 13 people were injured following an explosion at a police station near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, officials in the city of Cucuta said.

The Venezuelan government and the opposition came together for the fourth dialogue since 2012, in Mexico earlier this month. Norway mediated the discussions between the two countries, yet expectations among most Venezuelans remain low.

Milton Pinzón held up a sign during a protest Tuesday against Colombian President Iván Duque’s tax reform in Bogotá.

Protests against poverty and inequality resumed on Colombia's independence day Tuesday as President Ivan Duque presented a $4 billion tax plan aimed at helping the government pay for social programs and pandemic-related expenses. Thousands joined in marches in Colombia’s main cities while Duque outlined to congress his government’s achievements and presented a tax plan for financing subsidies to low income families that have been out of work during the pandemic.

Colombian President Ivan Duque has announced reforms to the nation’s police forces that are meant to improve accountability and decrease human rights abuses, following weeks of protests in which officers were accused of killing at least two dozen demonstrators.

Three days of conflicts between Nicolas Maduro’s regime and gangs have led to 26 deaths in Venezuela, sparking crackdowns in the country.

Three members of Fuerza y Fé, a Venezuelan nonprofit organization, said they are hiking with undocumented migrants to help give others perspective about the ongoing diaspora.

Alejandro Werner suggested to the Financial Times that an "underused" property tax on the richest citizens could help equalize wealth.

I was all set to fly home when a maintenance issue canceled my flight and I was left stranded in the international transit area of Bogotá airport.

Nicola Mendelsohn, head of the EMEA region for Facebook's Global Business Group, will fill in as interim leader.

Deadly protests against President Iván Duque’s policies continue in Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá, which is still reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the rising need for paramedics and doctors, city officials are concerned about attacks on ambulances.

Protests have been going on for more than a month now.

Adolescentes indígenas empobrecidos que dejaron atrás a sus familias para obtener una educación universitaria en Bogotá, se han sumado a las protestas de reforma tributaria. Algunos de ellos decidieron marchar contra la brutalidad policial. Otros exigen una reforma sanitaria y un aumento del salario mínimo mensual de $285.

Impoverished indigenous teenagers who left their families behind to get a college education in Bogotá have joined the tax reform protests. Some of them decided to march against police brutality. Others are demanding health reform and an increase of the $285 monthly minimum wage.

Se registra una alta ocupación de Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos en el centro y oriente de Colombia, causados principalmente por las aglomeraciones presentadas durante las protestas contra el gobierno.

Leopoldo López, un activista prominente de la oposición venezolana, dijo el miércoles que la reciente oferta de negociación hecha por su movimiento al gobierno del presidente Nicolás Maduro fue motivada por la crisis humanitaria en el país y el prolongado estancamiento político.

Forty-two people have died during anti-government protests that began two weeks ago amid discontent fueled by growing poverty and inequality during the pandemic, Colombia's human rights ombudsman said Tuesday. The new figures from the ombudsman are similar to those recorded by Temblores, a non-governmental group that tracks police violence. Temblores said Tuesday that 40 people had been killed during the protests in incidents related to police violence while one policeman was stabbed to death while trying to stop a riot.

A Colombian rebel group that has been fighting against the Venezuelan army since March, said in a letter addressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross that it has captured eight Venezuelan soldiers and is trying to find a way to hand them over to human rights groups. The Red Cross confirmed on Tuesday that it had received the letter, but said it cannot comment further because that would compromise its humanitarian work. In the letter – which was also published online by Fundaredes, a Venezuelan human rights organization -- the group known as the Martin Villa 10th Front said that it captured the soldiers on April 23 during a battle in Venezuela's Apure state.

Protesters marched against tax reform for eight days in Colombia’s biggest cities. The demonstrations turned deadly before the president promised to find other ways to address the economic crisis.

The ongoing nationwide protests in Colombia against proposed tax reform continued on Wednesday.

A Texas lawyer convicted of swindling Colombian cocaine traffickers is going to prison, officials say.

A Texas lawyer convicted of swindling Colombian cocaine traffickers is going to prison, officials say.

A Texas lawyer convicted of swindling Colombian cocaine traffickers is going to prison, officials say.

The United Nations human rights office said it was “deeply alarmed” over violence against protesters in the Colombian city of Cali, where “police opened fire on demonstrators” and allegedly killed and injured several people Monday night. The statement from the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights comes as antigovernment protests sparked by proposed tax increase enter their sixth day and show few signs of stopping. According to Colombia’s Human Rights Ombudsman, 16 protesters and one policeman have been killed in the demonstrations since last Wednesday.

Colombia’s finance minister resigned on Monday following five days of protests over a tax reform proposal that left at least 17 dead. Alberto Carrasquilla’s resignation comes a day after President Iván Duque withdrew the tax plan from congress in response to the protests, which have included riots and violent clashes with police. According to Colombia’s Human Rights Ombudsman, 16 protesters have been killed since Wednesday as well as a policeman who was stabbed to death.

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is hurting the most vulnerable in Venezuela and Colombia where the vaccination campaigns are progressing at a painfully slow pace and officials are implementing lockdown measures.

El embajador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, vicerepresentante de asuntos políticos especiales para la misión de Estados Unidos ante Naciones Unidas, dijo durante una reunión del Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU que a su país también le preocupan los asesinatos de excombatientes de las antiguas Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC).

BOGOTA, Colombia – A group of activists recently met to protest a xenophobic backlash that Venezuelans are facing in Bogotá, Colombia. The March 10 shooting in Bogotá happened after Caro and another police officer performed a traffic stop and a search. We need guarantees for Colombians.”Edmundo López, a Colombian lawyer and activist in Bogotá's Chapinero neighborhood, participated in the meeting against xenophobia. This wasn’t the first time anti-xenophobia activists were concerned about López’s statements about Venezuelans and crime in Bogotá. The U.N. refugee agency has reported Venezuelans have faced issues with xenophobia and discrimination in Colombia and Peru.

Hernández, 26, remembers fondly how hundreds of green-clad women celebrated in Argentina late last year after winning their fight to legalize abortion. AdThe OAS also reported the situation of healthcare for pregnant women, was likely boosting their migration to neighboring countries. Mónica Tamarones started the independent station, which has a YouTube channel, an Instagram page, and a community on Whatsapp. “This is another silent pandemic.”More facts about femicides in Latin AmericaAbout 4,555 women were victims in 15 Latin American countries and four Caribbean countries in 2019. In Latin America, the highest rates of femicide were in Honduras, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Bolivia.

JUST IN: Part of an airplane engine flew into a warehouse in Bogota, Colombia early Thursday morning. The Airbus A300 cargo plane was taking off, heading to Venezuela, when the incident happened. It returned to the Bogota airport safely. (📷: @AlejoSilva0) pic.twitter.com/WOCgUJJ5cU

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia, the second most biodiverse country in the world, set a new example of wildlife conservation to commemorate World Wildlife Day on March 3. “It is very important to remind Bogota’s citizens that all wildlife is better ‘free and at home’,” said Carolina Urrutia, secretary, ministry of environment. Its territory is rich in wetlands, rivers, streams, mountain parks, eastern Hills, and ponds, which make the city an ideal place for wildlife. As of December 2019, the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List included more than 330 animal species in Colombia categorized as vulnerable. The outbreak of wildfires has affected the flora and fauna of Colombia.

BOGOTA, Colombia – Members of the Venezuelan opposition continued to send messages of gratitude on Tuesday to President Joe Biden for granting Temporary Protected Status to undocumented Venezuelans in the United States. Opposition leader Juan Guaidó released a statement in Spanish saying that the TPS reaffirms the U.S. is in favor of democracy in Venezuela and it sends a message to the international community. The protection of Venezuelan migrants in the U.S. follows a similar measure implemented by Colombia last month to receive legal status. Carlos Vecchio, Guaidó's envoy in Washington, D.C., said the Biden administration has recognized Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela. https://t.co/udhKPOJuJf — Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) March 8, 2021MORE ON TPSThe designation of Venezuela for TPS and the 180-day registration period begins on Tuesday.

A Venezuelan-American family hasn’t been able to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve together for three Decembers now. Gabriel Villar recently celebrated his 11th birthday in Orlando with his grandmother and older brother. His parents, Maria and Asdrubal Villar, wished him well on a video call from Bogotá. AdEvery day, sometimes two times a day, Gabriel kneels in front of a small Catholic altar. It’s horrible,” Maria Villar said through tears.

LONDON — Public health officials and civil liberty organizations are urging policymakers to resist calls for coronavirus vaccine passports, at a time when many countries are in the process of reviewing whether to introduce digital passes. The U.S., U.K. and European Union are among those considering whether to introduce a digital passport that will allow citizens to show they have been vaccinated against Covid-19. It is thought a digital passport could help stimulate an economic recovery as countries prepare to relax public health measures over the coming weeks. The ailing airline industry, hit particularly hard by the spread of the virus last year, is among those calling for governments to usher in legislation that supports Covid vaccine passports. Dr. Deepti Gurdasani, clinical epidemiologist at Queen Mary University of London, told CNBC via telephone that vaccine passports could inadvertently be used to provide "false assurances" to holidaymakers.

According to the U.N. report, at least 133 human rights defenders were murdered in Colombia in 2020, a 23% increase from 2019. The United Nations also registered 76 massacres across the country last year, which are defined as events in which three or more civilians are executed at once. AdThe report will be presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. The United Nations urged Colombia’s government to increase its presence in these areas to protect civilians and bring down violence. Critics of his government have said that it has been slow at implementing some aspects of the peace deal, including the coca substitution projects.

BOGOTA, Colombia – More than 56,000 people in Colombia have died of COVID-19 during the pandemic. Colombian President Ivan Duque’s goal is to inoculate about 35 million people this year. Yellow DHL planes have been delivering COVID-19 vaccines to Bogota since last week. The COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access program, also known as COVAX, is also allowing Colombia to have access to the British–Swedish AstraZeneca vaccine. Venezuela also began the COVID-19 vaccine campaign last week after receiving a delivery of 100,000 doses of the Sputnik V from Russia.

BOGOTA, Colombia – Valentine’s Day romantics in the United States are giving hope to workers at flower farms in Colombia during the coronavirus pandemicDiana Puentes, a mother of two, said she was able to work overtime this season. American Airlines’ Boeing 777-200 were scheduled to fly from Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport to Miami International Airport to help deliver some of the 700 million flowers Colombia is exporting. Florverde Sustainable Flowers, an organization that certifies industry standards, listed Publix, Whole Foods, and 1-800-Flowers as some of the retailers selling Colombian flowers in the U.S. The Colombian flower industry bloomed when the U.S. Congress passed a law eliminating tariffs in the 1990s. Asocolflores, the Colombian Association of Flower Exporters, reported buyers canceled more than 50% of scheduled sales late last year.

BOGOTA, Colombia – Estefania Gonzalez is among the undocumented Venezuelan refugees who are panhandling in the streets of Bogota during the coronavirus pandemic. Gonzalez and Carlos Amayo said the crisis in Venezuela forced them to move to Colombia about two years ago. Immigration authorities estimate there are about 1.825 million Venezuelans living in the country and about 40% of them live in Bogota, Cucuta, Barranquilla, Medellin and Cali. Gonzalez said that without the proper documentation Venezuelan refugees can’t have access to public services. According to the United Nations, there are 5.4 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela worldwide.

FILE - In this April 14, 2019 file photo, Venezuelans cross illegally into Colombia near the Simon Bolivar International Bridge, seen from La Parada near Cucuta, Colombia. President Ivan Duque said that through a new temporary protection statute, Venezuelan migrants who are in the country illegally will be eligible for 10-year residence permits, while migrants who are currently on temporary residence will be able to extend their stay. The new measure could benefit up to one million Venezuelan citizens who are currently living in Colombia without proper papers, as well as hundreds of thousands who need to extend temporary visas. Other popular destinations for Venezuelan migrants include Panama and Chile, which have imposed visa requirements that make it harder for Venezuelans to move to those countries. AdAccording to the United Nations, there are 4.7 million Venezuelan migrants and other refugees in other Latin American countries after fleeing the economic collapse and political divide in their homeland.

BOGOTA, Colombia – Claudia Rivas has been showing up to work every day. She is grateful to still work at a restaurant’s kitchen in Bogota, the gastronomic capital of Colombia. Before the economic crisis, there were more than 90,000 restaurants that supported 1,500,000 families nationwide, according to The Colombian Association of the Gastronomic Industry, or ACODRES. Only about 42,000 of those restaurants have survived the lockdowns that allow authorities to keep hospital capacity under control and save lives. ACODRES estimates the restaurants’ closures left about 720,000 unemployed, including 230,000 restaurant workers and 490,000 who had indirect jobs.

Community journalists are relying on loudspeakers to deliver local news that the neighborhood can use. Chacon and Figuera have been doing community service for more than a year. Most recently, his administration ordered VPItv, a Miami-based digital news service, to cease operations in Venezuela where the correspondents operate. The few reporters who are left in Venezuela regularly self-censor to avoid the government’s “administrative measures” through the feared Telecommunications National Commission, or CONATEL. The Bus TV network started to use word of mouth in public transportation and has expanded to other public areas.

(AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)BOGOTA – Colombian officials say that they are ready to distribute millions of COVID-19 vaccines, once the shots arrive in the South American country. On Tuesday, officials from the Ministry of Health took journalists through a temperature-controlled warehouse in Bogota that can house up to 50 million vaccines. The freezers, which are about the size of a kitchen fridge, can hold up to 200,000 vaccines each, officials said. But vaccines have been slow to arrive in Colombia, which still hasn’t administered a single shot. Colombia has reported 1.75 million cases since the pandemic began, and 49,000 deaths.

Santana, who runs an organization that helps community leaders fleeing violence to settle in Bogota, is one of the thousands of activists assigned some sort of government protection. The Afro-Colombian community leader sometimes she uses a hat or a turban for disguise. Last year 120 community leaders were murdered in Colombia according to the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, up from 107 a year earlier. Now 46, he's spent half of his life promoting human rights and fighting against illegal mining and corruption in his province. The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, recently urged the government to increase protection for activists in rural areas.

BOGOTA, Colombia – A new rise in coronavirus cases is challenging hospital capacity and prompting officials in Bogota, Colombia to enforce drastic measures. Health officials reported more than 1.8 million coronavirus infections and 46,451 COVID-19 deaths in Colombia. Hospital capacity in Bogota at intensive care units for COVID-19 patients was at 91.5% on Monday. For instance, Suba, Usaquen, and Engativa will be on lockdown until Jan. 18 and Teusaquillo, Kennedy, and Fontibon until Jan. 22. In some cases, it causes myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and blood clots, so with the rise in COVID-19 cases, comes the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

BOGOTA, Colombia – A new rise in coronavirus cases is challenging hospital capacity and prompting officials in Bogota, Colombia to enforce drastic measures. Hospital capacity in Bogota at intensive care units for COVID-19 patients was at 91.5% on Monday. For instance, Suba, Usaquen, and Engativa will be on lockdown until Jan. 18 and Teusaquillo, Kennedy, and Fontibon until Jan. 22. Despite all of the measures, Dr. Rodolfo Dennis, an internal medicine specialist a the Fundacion Cardioinfantil, is still expecting the rise in cases to continue. In some cases, it causes myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and blood clots, so with the rise in COVID-19 cases, comes the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

BOGOTA, Colombia – Nicolas Maduro’s allies took over Venezuela’s National Assembly on Tuesday, as part of a consolidation of power that increases the vulnerability of his opponents. Diosdado Cabello, the vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, leads the ruling party bloc. Jose Gregorio Correa, an outgoing legislator, delivered a speech in the National Assembly chambers. There are 253 members — including 219 members of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela — who belong to a left-wing electoral alliance. (Content for Local 10 News)Luz Marina Guzman was among the dozens of people who Maduro mobilized to stand outside of the National Assembly to celebrate with flags and signs.

A healthcare worker collects a nasal swab sample to test for COVID-19, in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. Colombia's capital city is reimposing lockdown measures on Tuesday as new coronavirus infections rise around the country. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)BOGOTA – As the holiday season winds down, Colombia is experiencing a sharp rise in coronavirus infections that has prompted several cities to impose curfews and stay at home measures that had not been implemented for months. Officials said the measures are being taken to control a growing number of infections and stabilize hospitalization rates. The death rate from the virus in Colombia however, is lower than in Mexico, Argentina or Peru.

Nutritionist Beatriz Millan, center right, of the Renal Dialysis Unit and her dialysis patients harvest lettuce and chard during an agro-therapy session at El Tunal Hospital in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. Doctors at El Tunal are hoping that gardening can have a positive effect on kidney patients, who must visit the hospital three or four times a week to have their blood cleansed by dialysis machines. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)BOGOTA – For the past seven years, Lionel Cifuentes has been coming to Bogota’s El Tunal Hospital three times a week to get treatment for his dysfunctional kidneys. Now doctors at the El Tunal hospital in Colombia’s capital are hoping that gardening can have a positive effect on kidney patients, who must visit the hospital three or four times a week to have their blood cleansed by dialysis machines. El Tunal's gardening project began about a month ago, Millan said, after patients were given potted onion plants to take home.

BOGOTA – Nicolas Maduro’s opposition reported 6.5 million Venezuelans around the world participated in a symbolic referendum to express their desire to oust Maduro and accept international aid. The referendum included the use of a mobile phone app and makeshift polling stations. It was a response to Venezuela’s recent National Assembly elections, which the opposition boycotted and had a reported turnout of more than 3.4 million voters. Guaido’s immunity as the leader of the National Assembly ends on Jan. 5. While Guaido has had the backing of the U.S., Maduro continues to have the support of China, Russia, Turkey, Iran and Cuba.

BOGOTA – The political impasse in Venezuela now includes an effort to give the millions of refugees and exiles around the world a voice with a new app. Guaido’s new app includes a ballot asking Venezuelans if they want new presidential elections and if they support humanitarian aid and support from the international community. From exile, Leopoldo Lopez, Guaido’s mentor, talked to reporters in Bogota this week about the referendum. The app to participate in the referendum has been available since Monday and voting will close on Saturday. President Donald Trump’s administration is offering a $15 million reward for Maduro’s arrest on narcotrafficking charges.

BOGOTA, Colombia – In Colombia, the holiday season officially begins Monday night. The centuries-old lighting of the candle’s tradition brought much-needed hope to many during what has been a tough year for the region. On store fronts, homes or gathered in the country’s main squares, candles and lanterns are put on display. It’s a tradition dating back to 1850, officially to honor the Virgin Mary on the eve of the immaculate conception. On Monday, however, the family tradition provided familiar and inexpensive comfort for many in uncertain times.

BOGOTA, Col. – During a speech about Sunday’s midterm elections, Nicolas Maduro’s right-hand man, Diosdado Cabello, used the government’s monthly food handout as a threat. Cabello delivered his speech during a socialist party rally in an effort to raise voter turnout among Venezuelans who are already dealing with worsening scarcity during the coronavirus pandemic. Guaido’s supporters say their participation is a ploy to increase voter turnout and create the impression that candidates are not running unopposed and the election isn’t rigged. Although he was asking Mile to vote for him, he admitted the election wasn’t legitimate. “We must take our rights by force and not stand idly by.”Amid doubts of a free and fair election, experts predict Sunday’s voter turnout will be about 30%.

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – A handful of Colombian politicians openly supported President Trump ahead of the 2020 Presidential Election. He openly supported the president on social media. That, and online campaigning from several other Colombian politicians, sparked a rare rebuke from the U.S. Ambassador in Colombia a week before the election, who urged Colombian politicians to avoid getting involved. “It puts Colombia’s history of bipartisanship in danger in the United States,” said Guzman.

Across Latin America, the COVID-19 crisis has yielded a rare bright spot: Millions of people who were long excluded from traditional banking have joined the financial system using digital banking services. Across Latin America, the COVID-19 crisis has yielded a rare bright spot: Millions of people like Fierro who were long excluded from traditional banking have joined the financial system using digital banking services. Before the pandemic, she did not have a bank account and would have to go in person to pay bills with cash. The nation is also home to numerous virtual banking options. Brazil has also seen historically high levels of citizens signing up for banking services to access pandemic assistance.

Marlene Alfonso, a 69-year-old Venezuelan grandmother who goes by Toothless Cindy, sings about Venezuelan migrants' lives in hopes of tips from commuters on the Transmilenio, the crowded and crime-ridden public bus system in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)BOGOTA – With her pink cardigan and thick glasses, “Toothless Cindy” is becoming a musical sensation on Colombian public transport. “I’m trying to make something of myself,” she sings while riding on a bus packed with commuters heading into downtown. Two years ago, she moved to Colombia because rapping in Venezuela’s subways no longer helped her to make ends meet. This growing recognition comes as some Venezuelan migrants also make headlines in Colombia for committing crimes that include robberies on public buses.

A men waits for a transmilenio bus using a Colombian soceer team t-shirt during the sectorized lockdowns, on August 21, 2020, in Bogota, Colombia. LONDON — It is time for investors to position for a year-end rally in emerging market currencies and sovereign credit, Morgan Stanley analysts have said, citing less time for surprises ahead of the U.S. presidential election and supportive seasonal factors. It comes with little over a week before the U.S. vote, with some market participants increasingly pricing in the prospect of a Democratic president. "The market appears to be underpricing the possibility of a Blue sweep," analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a research note on Friday, referring to the possibility that the Democratic Party wins the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. In credit, Morgan Stanley said it had boosted exposure to South Africa, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, Ukraine and Mexico's Pemex.

(AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)BOGOTA – Colombia reached 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday, becoming the second country in Latin America to report that number in less than a week. The nation of 50 million saw cases peak in August and has seen a decline since but still continues to register around 8,000 new infections a day. Argentina hit 1 million confirmed cases on Monday and Peru and Mexico are expected to reach the grim marker in the weeks ahead. Brazil ranks third worldwide in the number of virus cases and passed 1 million infections back in June. Colombia has become the eighth country to hit 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases.

A group of Indigenous march during a national strike in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. Workers' unions, university students, human rights defenders, and Indigenous communities have gathered for a day of protest in conjunction with a national strike across Colombia. Though President Iván Duque’s approval rating has improved during the pandemic, the country remains divided on a host of issues. Indigenous protesters participated in the gathering Wednesday, joining a chorus of complaints and requests that Duque set up negotiations. Though Chile has seen recent protests, other Latin American nations that saw unrest last year have not, suggesting the pandemic has hampered demonstrations.

BOGOTA – Powerful ex-Colombia President Álvaro Uribe was ordered freed from house arrest Saturday while he is investigated for possible witness tampering, the latest chapter in a case that has revealed lingering tensions over the country's peace process. The nation's Supreme Court had ordered Uribe detained in August during the probe, shocking Colombians and unleashing protests in favor and against the decision. He was the first president in Colombia’s recent history to be ordered placed on house arrest. His supporters contended the house arrest decision was unfair because ex-guerrillas have been allowed to remain free while they testify about war crimes. “That’s what Uribismo did not do when the Supreme Court ordered Uribe’s detention,” he said.

Venezuelan migrants walk to Bogota as they pass through Tunja, Colombia, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. Thousands of Venezuelans are heading to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru in search of work as these countries reopen their economies following months of lockdowns. Before the pandemic, over 5 million Venezuelans had left their country, according to the United Nations. Over 100,000 Venezuelans returned to their country, where at least they’d have a roof over their heads. Further complicating matters, more than half of all Venezuelans in Colombia have no legal status.

Colombian human rights activists have called for the release of some inmates from overcrowded prisons after weekend rioting linked to fears of the coronavirus left 23 prisoners dead and scores injured. A relative of an inmate cries outside the Modelo prison after a riot in Bogota, Colombia, on March 22, 2020. (Daniel Munoz / AFP/Getty Images)AdvertisementDisturbances were also reported at 12 other jails across Colombia, which has a prison population of 121,000. Inmates relatives, journalists and Colombian riot police gather outside as smoke rises from the Modelo prison in Bogota during a riot on March 22, 2020. Logically, we just cant release violators of sexual crimes [just because they] are older than 60 years, Cabello said.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a visit to the office of Colombia's anti-narcotics police, in Bogota, Colombia January 21, 2020. REUTERS/Luisa GonzalezKINGSTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday he would be ready to testify in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial if legally obliged to, as political squabbles over the process intensified in Washington. If I am legally required to testify, as Ive said before, Ill be happy to do it, Pompeo told reporters in Jamaica. Pompeo said he had not been tracking the impeachment proceedings while on a Western Hemisphere tour this week. The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate voted early on Wednesday on party lines to approve the rules for Trumps impeachment trial, rejecting Democratic efforts to obtain evidence and ensure witnesses are heard.

REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) on Tuesday said it is testing a feature that allows some drivers in California to set their own fares, hoping the change will help it show that its drivers are independent contractors rather than employees under state law. Uber drivers ferrying passengers from airports in Santa Barbara, Palm Springs and Sacramento can now charge up to five times the fare set by the company, Uber said. Were now doing an initial test of additional changes which would give drivers more control over the rates they charge riders, Uber said. Drivers at the three airports will be able to set a fare multiple of up to five times Ubers base rates. Starting next week, drivers will also be able to charge less than Ubers rates if the company surges prices at times of high demand.

People react after an earthquake in Bogota, Colombia December 24, 2019. REUTERS/Luisa GonzalezBOGOTA (Reuters) - Two strong earthquakes, of magnitude 6.2 and magnitude 5.7, struck central Colombia on Tuesday, the Colombian Geological Service said, but there were no immediate reports of any injuries or major damage. The epicenters were located about 150 km (93 miles) south of the capital Bogota in the central province of Meta, and were very shallow, which would have amplified their effects. A quake of magnitude 6.2 is considered strong and is capable of causing severe damage however the area is not densely populated. The tremors were felt in several cities in the center and southwest of the country, including Bogota.

People react after an earthquake in Bogota, Colombia December 24, 2019. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez(Reuters) - Two strong quakes, of magnitude 6.0 and magnitude 5.8, struck central Colombia on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quakes epicenters were very close to each other, about 150 km (93 miles) south of the capital Bogota, and were very shallow, which would have amplified their effects. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake is considered strong and is capable of causing severe damage however the area is not densely populated.

FILE PHOTO: Uber's logo is pictured at its office in Bogota, Colombia, December 12, 2019. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez(Reuters) - A New York state judge on Monday ruled in favor of Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) in a lawsuit against New York City, striking down a new rule limiting how much time drivers for ride-hailing services can spend cruising streets in busy areas of Manhattan without passengers. Judge Lyle Frank of the Supreme Court of State of New York in his decision called the citys cruising cap arbitrary and capricious.

Wall Street analysts are breathing a sigh of relief after Netflix earnings beat the street on Wednesday after the bell. In fact, expectations remain high for Netflix going forward and rightly so according to analysts. Domestic subscriptions came in below estimates and competition looms from Disney and Apple though the company largely said it welcomed it. Shares of the company are up over 6% in early trading. Here's what else analysts are saying about Netflix's earnings report:

HandoutA Colombian man was arrested at Barcelona airport with about a pound of cocaine hidden under his toupee, Spanish police said Tuesday. The man attracted officers' attention because he was "considerably nervous" and his wig was of "disproportionate size," police said in a statement. In what police dubbed "Operation Toupee," the man was arrested at Barcelona's El Prat airport, Spain's second busiest, after arriving on a flight from Bogota at the end of June. Spain, with its historic and linguistic links to South America, is an important gateway for cocaine to Europe, mainly from Colombia. Smugglers often resort to creative methods to get drugs past Spanish customs.