Stories from Colombia

President Gustavo Petro ordered the prioritization of debt payments over the intake of new cancer patients. The debt owed to the Nueva EPS exceeds 146 billion pesos.

A candidate from the Centro Democrático party stated she would be the one to appoint ministers and lead the presidency. She told the country to get used to her leadership during a recent political development.

Atlas Intel polling indicates Iván Cepeda would lose in a second-round runoff. The survey shows a 10-point difference between candidates. This contrasts with previous Invamer polling where Cepeda was close to a first-round victory with 37 percent.

Approximately 200 government officials were unable to leave a ministry headquarters following an attack on Senator Miguel Uribe in central Bogota. The incident has caused tension between Colombian and Ecuadorian authorities. Relations between President Gustavo Petro and President Daniel Noboa are described as highly unstable following the event. An armed attack occurred inside a residence in the Rafa del Rangel neighborhood of Comuna 6 in Bogota. Preliminary information indicates two minors and one woman, also believed to be a minor, were injured. The injured woman was transported to a medical center. Local residents reported hearing several motorcycles pass by followed by multiple gunshots. Authorities are conducting operations in the area to locate the perpetrators. The attack was recorded inside a home, according to Caracol Radio.

An explosion in the Venus parish of Kevedo destroyed four houses and left three people dead, including a 13-year-old child. Four other individuals were reported injured in the incident.

The government of Daniel Nuñez has received a second-hand military vessel from South Korea to strengthen naval operations. This acquisition follows cooperation with Washington to combat drug trafficking gangs like the Tigueronesques on the coast and in the Pacific Ocean.

Police units from the Gaula division in Huila captured two suspected extortionists in a central road in Pitalito. The suspects were apprehended while receiving 300 million pesos from a local merchant.

The Colombian Ministry of the Interior reported that three Colombian citizens are being held by Israel after their vessels were seized in international waters. The detainees were identified as Andrés Leonardo Castelblanc Cajeme, Daniela Lisette Castillo Mogollón, and Estefania Gutiérrez Castañeda. The Colombian government stated the seizure of the maritime vessels was illegal. The Ministry of Finance also noted it does not intend to sell Republic assets. President Gustavo Petro confirmed that three Colombian activists, Andrés Leonardo Castelblanco Jaime, Daniela Liset Castillo Mogollón, and Estefania Gutiérrez Castañeda, were among those detained. The activists were being transferred to Israel following the interception of 58 vessels in international waters. Petro described the detention of the activists as an act of Zionist piracy.

Police arrested a manager after a human skeleton was discovered in an office. The skeleton was found by a woman who noticed a nauseating odor coming from a suitcase. The deceased woman was found in the same office with a paper written in plasma in her hand. Authorities were notified immediately following the discovery.

Jefferson Mena, central midfielder and captain of Atletico Bucaramanga, has said goodbye to the fans for the first half of 2026. Mena is one of several players whose contracts will expire at the end of the current season.