America Colombia Russian professor Mikhail Krasnov surprised in Colombia's local elections, winning the race for mayor in Tunja city, with over 27.000 votes; being the only Russian resident in the city, Krasnov's victory is seen as a challenge to traditional politics
America Colombia Colombia has shifted its drug policy by revoking fines for personal drug use; the move aligns with President Gustavo Petro's call to avoid criminalizing drug consumers, emphasizing the pursuit of drug traffickers instead
America Colombia Colombia's House of Representatives approved President Gustavo Petro's Health Reform, which seeks to help marginalised areas to have easier access to healthcare
America Colombia The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) has introduced a new version of animal welfare assessment methodologies, ensuring compliance with standards and emphasising measurable indicators for well-being diagnostics for animals
America Colombia Tentative projections in Colombia suggest a 9% to 12% net increase in the minimum wage for 2024, following a 16% rise in late 2022, potentially bringing the net salary to around 1,3 Colombian million pesos per month, around €300
America Colombia Authorities will launch a comprehensive management plan to control the population of hippos introduced to the country by the late drug lord Pablo Escobar; by sterilising them, the state plans to stop their negative impact on the local ecosystem
America Colombia Israel's vital security partnership with Colombia is at risk due to tensions following President Gustavo Petro's comparisons of Israel's actions to Nazis; Israel has suspended security exports, impacting existing multi-million-dollar agreements
America Colombia The "Zonas Comunitarias para la Paz" program has been launched; it provides free Internet to 162 municipalities affected by violence and it aims at establishing 1.180 Wi-Fi zones in rural educational institutions
America Colombia To boost community tourism and protect cultural heritage, Colombia and the UNWTO launched the 'Community Tourism Innovation Challenge’, aiming at promoting innovation, improve locals' quality of life, and foster responsible tourism
America Colombia Deputy Minister Elizabeth Taylor Jay, during the P4G summit in Bogotá, announced Colombia's commitment to present the Darién Biosphere for UNESCO approval, with the aim of fostering sustainable development and conserving biodiversity in this region
America Colombia A massive cyberattack has affected hundreds of websites in the country, disabling state portals for public health and justice services; with more than 700 companies impacted, authorities are still working on resolving the issue
America Colombia Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace has charged former army commander Mario Montoya with war crimes and crimes against humanity, marking the first time a former Colombian army commander has been charged by the peace justice system
America Colombia Part of the country’s deforestation decrease has been allegedly attributed to armed rebel groups banning illegal logging as a means to strengthen their position during peace negotiations with the state, posing risks if not regulated according to experts