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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

General Francis Donovan, commander of US Southern Command. Photo: EPA

Americas and the Caribbean

US strikes vessel in eastern Pacific, killing 2 people in first attack in months

Forces ‘executed a lethal kinetic strike’ on a vessel ‘operating along established narcotrafficking routes’, said US Southern Command.

25 Aug 2026 - 1:19AM

Earthquakes

Colombian minister’s Caribbean holiday amid quake crisis stokes fury

18 Aug 2026 - 9:17AMvideocam

Natural disasters

Colombia leader asks Trump to suspend tariffs after deadly quake

16 Aug 2026 - 7:43AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

US accuses 9 Latin American countries of helping China avoid Trump’s tariffs

More than 40 countries targeted for helping Beijing illegally avoid tariffs by rerouting trade via nations with lower American import duties.

14 Aug 2026 - 7:34AMvideocam

Chinese container ship Cosco Shipping Rose docks at the Panama Canal’s Cocoli locks in Panama City. The White House has accused nine Latin American economies of helping Beijing illegally evade US tariffs by rerouting trade through countries with lower US import duties. Photo: AP

Natural disasters

Colombia quake death toll hits 265, as rescuers race against the clock

As many as thousands of people are still missing, with the first 48 to 72 hours being crucial for retrieving survivors.

13 Aug 2026 - 2:26PMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

China offers Colombia quake aid as new government pivots towards US

Beijing pledges help after the magnitude 7.4 earthquake, but its ambassador’s request for a coordinator remains unanswered.

13 Aug 2026 - 6:15AMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

Video | Colombia races to find survivors after deadly quake

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and said rescuing people ‌trapped under the rubble is the priority.

12 Aug 2026 - 3:17PM

01:49

Earthquakes

Colombian woman pulled alive from rubble as quake death toll tops 200

The quake also strained parts of the healthcare system, turning the rescue effort into one of Colombia’s largest disaster responses in years.

12 Aug 2026 - 3:39PMvideocam

Earthquakes

Video | Colombia ravaged by 7.4 magnitude earthquake

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and said rescuing people ‌trapped under the rubble is the priority.

11 Aug 2026 - 5:22PM

Earthquakes

Video | Powerful quake in Colombia kills over 100

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and said rescuing people ‌trapped under the rubble is the priority.

11 Aug 2026 - 10:14AM

A rescue worker raises his fists to call for silence to locate victims under the rubble at the site of a collapsed building following an earthquake, in Cali, Colombia, August 10, 2026. REUTERS/Sergio Acero

01:00

Americas and the Caribbean

Colombia hunts for survivors after powerful earthquake kills at least 181

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and said rescuing people ‌trapped under the rubble is the priority.

11 Aug 2026 - 10:04PM

Rescuers work at the site of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Cali, Colombia, on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump ally Abelardo de la Espriella sworn in as Colombia president

The right-wing ex-lawyer who calls himself ‘The Tiger’ vowed to bomb cocaine labs, build mega prisons and usher in closer ties with the US.

8 Aug 2026 - 2:39PM

Hong Kong economy

Food Expo vendors hoping for tasty profits with items such as caviar sake gelato

Abalone for HK$1, handcrafted caviar mooncakes and discounted coffee and milk tea packs among products at next week’s Food Expo.

5 Aug 2026 - 11:33PM

China-Latin America relations

Bachelet-led panel urges Latin America not to choose sides in US-China rivalry

ECLAC commission says the region should leverage critical minerals but recognises limits imposed by US security dominance.

5 Aug 2026 - 5:56AMvideocam

From left, former Colombian president Ivan Duque, former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and ECLAC executive secretary Jose Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs present the commission’s report in Santiago. Photo: ECLAC

China-Latin America relations

Chinese executive filmed taking cash on Colombia metro project

Subcontractor accuses China Harbour managers of demanding cash to release payments on Bogota metro project.

5 Aug 2026 - 5:30AM

The first line of the Bogota Metro is expected to begin commercial operations in 2028 after decades of planning and political debate. Photo: Handout

Crime

Colombia bombing near police station wounds 14 ahead of president’s inauguration

Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez blamed the National Liberation Army rebel group for the attack and offered a US$64,000 reward for information.

2 Aug 2026 - 6:08AM

Fame and celebrity

Meet Douglas Chabbott, Sofia Vergara’s much younger boyfriend

The Modern Family star’s businessman beau is 14 years younger than her and hangs out with celebrities like Dakota Johnson and Orlando Bloom.

17 Jul 2026 - 6:00PM

Gun violence in the US

Trump lashes out at ICE decision to pause traffic stops after fatal shootings

A driver was killed by an agent in Maine just six days after another man was shot to death in Texas.

15 Jul 2026 - 9:42PM

Blood at the scene of the fatal shooting involving ICE in Biddeford, Maine. Photo: AP

Americas and the Caribbean

Colombia’s president-elect halts transition, accuses Petro of planning coup

President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella calls on the military to ‘protect’ the country’s democracy after outgoing leader alleges election fraud.

8 Jul 2026 - 10:33AM

China-Latin America relations

Aid for Venezuela, China-Colombia ties: 7 Latin America relations reads

From Argentina’s move towards Beijing to Lula’s beef deal, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in June 2026.

2 Jul 2026 - 10:30PM

Crime

UK man arrested after woman’s body found in suitcase in Colombia

He is suspected of beating a woman to death before placing her body in a suitcase, trying to conceal what happened and fleeing the scene.

28 Jun 2026 - 8:29PM

A view of Bogota, Colombia. Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith is alleged to have caused the death of 36-year-old Natalia Villalba in an apartment in the Chico neighbourhood of Bogota, Colombia, on June 18, local authorities said. Photo: Shutterstock

Venezuela

Venezuela earthquakes draw aid from governments that cut ties with Caracas

Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador and other governments that suspended relations with the country offer rescue teams and humanitarian aid.

26 Jun 2026 - 8:52PMvideocam

Neighbours carry a man from the rubble of a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela. Photo: AP

China-Latin America relations

China extends hand to Colombia’s Trump-backed president-elect

Beijing offers to work with de la Espriella in spite of his firm’s legal clash over the metro with a Chinese group and his US realignment vow.

23 Jun 2026 - 6:00AMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump-backed ‘El Tigre’ wins Colombia presidential election

Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly secures a hard-right victory, promising an ‘iron fist’ security campaign against cartels.

22 Jun 2026 - 3:33PM

Americas and the Caribbean

Colombians vote for president amid corruption fears, polarisation

Conservative businessman Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist senator and heir to the outgoing president Iván Cepeda have traded insults and accusations of election fraud.

21 Jun 2026 - 6:02PM

Colombia’s presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the ultraconservative ‘Defenders of the Homeland’ movement raises his fist as he leaves a meeting outside the Cubo de Cristal building in Barranquilla, on Saturday. Photo: AFP

China-Latin America relations

China says US ‘invented’ terrorism charges to justify Cuba blockade

Foreign ministry rebutted Marco Rubio’s claim that Cuba sponsors terrorism and demanded an end to US sanctions on the island.

5 Jun 2026 - 10:03AMvideocam

A portrait of former Cuban leader Raul Castro is seen in Havana, as Cuba grapples with economic hardship and renewed pressure from Washington. Photo: Reuters

Americas and the Caribbean

Behind bulletproof glass: pro-Trump showman has edge in Colombia presidential race

Abelardo de la Espriella to face Ivan Cepeda in June 21 run-off following a violent and highly polarised first-round.

1 Jun 2026 - 1:47PM

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

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Colombia

US strikes vessel in eastern Pacific, killing 2 people in first attack in months

Forces ‘executed a lethal kinetic strike’ on a vessel ‘operating along established narcotrafficking routes’, said US Southern Command.

Colombian minister’s Caribbean holiday amid quake crisis stokes fury

Colombia leader asks Trump to suspend tariffs after deadly quake

US accuses 9 Latin American countries of helping China avoid Trump’s tariffs

More than 40 countries targeted for helping Beijing illegally avoid tariffs by rerouting trade via nations with lower American import duties.

Colombia quake death toll hits 265, as rescuers race against the clock

As many as thousands of people are still missing, with the first 48 to 72 hours being crucial for retrieving survivors.

China offers Colombia quake aid as new government pivots towards US

Beijing pledges help after the magnitude 7.4 earthquake, but its ambassador’s request for a coordinator remains unanswered.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Video | Colombia races to find survivors after deadly quake

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and said rescuing people ‌trapped under the rubble is the priority.

Colombian woman pulled alive from rubble as quake death toll tops 200

The quake also strained parts of the healthcare system, turning the rescue effort into one of Colombia’s largest disaster responses in years.

Video | Colombia ravaged by 7.4 magnitude earthquake

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and said rescuing people ‌trapped under the rubble is the priority.

Video | Powerful quake in Colombia kills over 100

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and said rescuing people ‌trapped under the rubble is the priority.

Colombia hunts for survivors after powerful earthquake kills at least 181

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and said rescuing people ‌trapped under the rubble is the priority.

Trump ally Abelardo de la Espriella sworn in as Colombia president

The right-wing ex-lawyer who calls himself ‘The Tiger’ vowed to bomb cocaine labs, build mega prisons and usher in closer ties with the US.

Food Expo vendors hoping for tasty profits with items such as caviar sake gelato

Abalone for HK$1, handcrafted caviar mooncakes and discounted coffee and milk tea packs among products at next week’s Food Expo.

Bachelet-led panel urges Latin America not to choose sides in US-China rivalry

ECLAC commission says the region should leverage critical minerals but recognises limits imposed by US security dominance.

Chinese executive filmed taking cash on Colombia metro project

Subcontractor accuses China Harbour managers of demanding cash to release payments on Bogota metro project.

Colombia bombing near police station wounds 14 ahead of president’s inauguration

Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez blamed the National Liberation Army rebel group for the attack and offered a US$64,000 reward for information.

Meet Douglas Chabbott, Sofia Vergara’s much younger boyfriend

The Modern Family star’s businessman beau is 14 years younger than her and hangs out with celebrities like Dakota Johnson and Orlando Bloom.

Trump lashes out at ICE decision to pause traffic stops after fatal shootings

A driver was killed by an agent in Maine just six days after another man was shot to death in Texas.

Colombia’s president-elect halts transition, accuses Petro of planning coup

President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella calls on the military to ‘protect’ the country’s democracy after outgoing leader alleges election fraud.

Aid for Venezuela, China-Colombia ties: 7 Latin America relations reads

From Argentina’s move towards Beijing to Lula’s beef deal, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in June 2026.

UK man arrested after woman’s body found in suitcase in Colombia

He is suspected of beating a woman to death before placing her body in a suitcase, trying to conceal what happened and fleeing the scene.

Venezuela earthquakes draw aid from governments that cut ties with Caracas

Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador and other governments that suspended relations with the country offer rescue teams and humanitarian aid.

China extends hand to Colombia’s Trump-backed president-elect

Beijing offers to work with de la Espriella in spite of his firm’s legal clash over the metro with a Chinese group and his US realignment vow.

Trump-backed ‘El Tigre’ wins Colombia presidential election

Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly secures a hard-right victory, promising an ‘iron fist’ security campaign against cartels.

Colombians vote for president amid corruption fears, polarisation

Conservative businessman Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist senator and heir to the outgoing president Iván Cepeda have traded insults and accusations of election fraud.

China says US ‘invented’ terrorism charges to justify Cuba blockade

Foreign ministry rebutted Marco Rubio’s claim that Cuba sponsors terrorism and demanded an end to US sanctions on the island.

Behind bulletproof glass: pro-Trump showman has edge in Colombia presidential race

Abelardo de la Espriella to face Ivan Cepeda in June 21 run-off following a violent and highly polarised first-round.

‘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.

Video | Colombia races to find survivors after deadly quake