Colombia's capital announces new measures to cut water consumption as dry weather persists
The mayor of Colombiaโs capital has announced new measures to reduce water consumption in the city of eight million people, where a drought associated with the El Niรฑo weather pattern has already prompted officials to ration water in most neighborhoods and ask residents to change their showering habits.
Colombian judge orders prison for 2 suspects in the kidnapping of parents of Liverpool soccer player
Two suspects in the kidnapping of the parents of Liverpool soccer player Luis Dรญaz were ordered sent to prison by a judge, according to Colombiaโs Prosecutorโs Office, which accused one of the men of being the link to a person close to the family who provided information about the victims.
UN rights experts report a rise of efforts in Venezuela to squelch democracy ahead of 2024 election
A U.N.-backed panel investigating human rights violations in Venezuela says the South American countryโs government has intensified efforts to curtail democratic freedoms with use of threats, surveillance and harassment as President Nicolรกs Maduro faces a re-election contest next year.
Thousands take to Colombiaโs streets to protest 50% increase in gasoline prices
Thousands of protesters on cars and motorbikes have taken to the streets of Colombiaโs main cities to reject recent hikes in gasoline prices that have drastically increased the price of fuel in the South American country.
Panama launches operation in Darien jungle targeting organized crime and migrant smugglers
Panama has launched a security operation along its shared border with Colombia to combat organized crime groups and migrant smugglers involved in record-setting migration through the perilous Darien Gap this year.
Colombia 1st in Americas to get vaccines from UN program
AdThe organization said in a news release Monday that 36 countries in the region will receive vaccines through the initiative. Of those, 26 will do so through their own funds while 10 will receive the vaccines for free. Its government expects to get 20 million doses of vaccines through the COVAX initiative this year. In addition, Peru, El Salvador and Bolivia will also receive Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines soon once administrative, legal and regulatory requirements are met. Last week, Ghana was the first country in the world to receive vaccines through the COVAX initiative.
The Latest: Brazil health officials urge lockdowns, curfews
It plans to bring about 280 million doses to the Americas and the Caribbean by the end of the year. As of Monday, nearly 4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered, including to some 1.4 million people who have received a second dose. The country has fully vaccinated 1.2 million people while 2.6 million have received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. ___BRATISLAVA, Slovakia โ Hard-hit Slovakia has signed a deal to acquire 2 million doses of Russiaโs Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. He said he understood the โconundrumโ faced by developing countries as they wait for vital supplies of coronavirus vaccine.
British queenโs husband, 99-year-old Prince Philip, admitted to hospital
Buckingham Palace says 99-year-old Prince Philip has been admitted to a London hospital after feeling unwell. The palace says the husband of Queen Elizabeth II was admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital on the evening of Tuesday Feb. 16, 2021. (Adrian Dennis/Pool via AP, File)Britain's 99-year-old Prince Philip has been admitted to a London hospital after feeling unwell, Buckingham Palace said Wednesday. The palace said the husband of Queen Elizabeth II was admitted to the private King Edward VII Hospital on Tuesday evening. In 2017, he spent two nights in the King Edward VII hospital and was hospitalized for 10 days in 2018 for a hip replacement.
Migration through Panama resumes after pandemic lockdown
Haitian migrants cross the Tuquesa river after a trip on foot through the jungle to Bajo Chiquito, Darien province, Panama, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. But on Jan. 29, Panama announced it was reopening its land borders, setting off a surge of migration through the dense jungle covering the Colombia-Panama border. They started to walk into the jungle in Colombia on Friday, emerging in Panama five days later. He then took a bus to Colombia near the Panama border, joined other Haitian migrants and crossed the jungle into Panama in three days. Unlike Saenz, Olly said it took his family two weeks to cross the Darien jungle.
Colombia will legalize undocumented Venezuelan migrants
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.
Queen Elizabeth II and husband receive COVID-19 vaccinations
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016 file photo, Britain's Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II bid farewell to Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos, and his wife Maria Clemencia de Santos, following their state visit, at Buckingham Palace in London. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband have received their COVID-19 vaccinations. (Stefan Wermuth/Pool Photo via AP, File)LONDON โ Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, have received their COVID-19 vaccinations, royal officials said Saturday. The injections were administered at Windsor Castle, where the queen and her husband have been spending their time during the lockdown in England. The queen โdecided that she would let it be known she has had the vaccination,โ the palace statement said.
Colombia brings back lockdowns as coronavirus cases rise
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 โ 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.
The Latest: Coronavirus cases keep rising in South Korea
(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)SEOUL, South Korea โ South Korea has added 1,092 new coronavirus cases in a resurgence that is erasing hard-won epidemiological gains and eroding public confidence in the governmentโs ability to handle the outbreak. It would deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and resources to vaccinate a nation confronting a frightening surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths. Preliminary data on U.S. deaths show the coronavirus pandemic contributing to a 15% or more increase in deaths over last year. ___MEXICO CITY โ Mexican officials have reported a new daily high in confirmed coronavirus cases as the country awaits its first shipment of vaccine. ___WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. โ The Navajo Nation is reporting 151 new coronavirus cases and seven more deaths related to COVID-19.
Colombia reaches 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases
(AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)BOGOTA โ 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.
Protesters in Colombia decry government pandemic response
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 Ivรกn Duqueโs 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.
Argentina passes 1 million cases as virus hits Latin America
Argentina reached 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020, according to the Ministry of Health. But as Argentina passed 1 million virus cases Monday, it is now smaller cities like Ushuaia that are seeing some of the most notable upticks. Argentina has seen cases spiral despite instituting one of the worldโs longest lockdowns. โWe had a plateau.โThroughout the region, testing remains a hurdle. Brazil reached 1 million cases in June and now is up to 5.2 million for the pandemic.
Argentina hits 1 million cases as virus slams Latin America
Argentina reached 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020, according to the Ministry of Health. But as Argentina passed 1 million virus cases Monday, it is now smaller cities like Ushuaia that are seeing some of the most notable upticks. Argentina has seen cases spiral despite instituting one of the worldโs longest lockdowns. โWe had a plateau.โThroughout the region, testing remains a hurdle. Brazil reached 1 million cases in June and now is up to 5.2 million for the pandemic.
American poet Louise Glรผck wins Nobel Prize in Literature
American poet Louise Gluck speaks with the media, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, outside her home in Cambridge, Mass. Gluck, a professor of English at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., won the 2020 Nobel Prize for literature "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal." (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)STOCKHOLM โ Louise Glรผck, an American poet long revered for the power, inventiveness and concision of her work and for her generosity to younger writers, has won the Nobel Prize in Literature. โAs one of our most celebrated American poets, we are thrilled that Louise Glรผck has received this yearโs Nobel Prize in Literature," Michael Jacobs, chairman of the Academy of American Poets, said in a statement. In 2018, the award was postponed after sex abuse allegations rocked the Swedish Academy, which names the Nobel literature committee, and sparked a mass exodus of members.
Cรฉsar Garcia, AP Colombia reporter, dies after illness at 61
BOGOTA โ Cรฉsar Garcรญa, a veteran reporter for The Associated Press who ventured across Colombia to tell the story of the nationโs armed conflict, has died. As a young adult, he helped his mother make ends meet in part by selling bonsai trees. While at UPI, he caught the eye of a journalist who, noting his affable demeanor, encouraged him to pursue reporting, said his daughter, Amelia Garcรญa. โHis work as a reporter was essential to the success of our Colombia coverage,โ he said. Over the next two decades, he fully immersed himself in a job known for ruining any attempt at scheduled plans.
Defending champion Egan Bernal withdraws from Tour de France
Colombia's Egan Bernal and Slovakia's Peter Sagan ride at the end of the 16th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 164 kilometers from La Tour-du-Pin to Villard-de-Lans Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)GRENOBLE โ Defending Tour de France champion Egan Bernal has pulled out of the race ahead of a mammoth stage in the Alps, his Ineos Grenadiers team said Wednesday. Bernal was in 16th place overall, 19 minutes and fours seconds behind race leader Primoz Roglic. โThis is obviously not how I wanted my Tour de France to end, but I agree that it is the right decision for me in the circumstances," Bernal said. ___More Tour de France coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/TourdeFrance and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
PREMIER LEAGUE 2020-21: Rodriguez, Havertz among signings
James Rodriguez joined Premier League club Everton on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020 in an attempt to revive a career that faltered at Real Madrid. Now, they are both at Everton, a team without a trophy since 1995 and living in the shadow of neighbour Liverpool, the recently crowned Premier League champion. KAI HAVERTZ (Chelsea)The most expensive signing of the offseason at a fee rising to $92 million, Havertz might also be the most interesting. Havertz is the youngest player to reach 100 Bundesliga appearances and scored 36 goals in four seasons with Bayer Leverkusen in the German league. With Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech making up Chelsea's likely attack, Havertz won't be short of quality around him.
Labrador helps Colombian store to keep distancing measures
The eight-year-old chocolate Labrador remembers the names of customers who have previously rewarded him with treats, and with some practice, he has learned to go to their houses on his own. He helps us to maintain social distancing, said Eros owner Maria Natividad Botero, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The chocolate Labrador retriever is paid with treats and massages of his furry head. He helps us to maintain social distancing says Eros owner Maria Natividad Botero. He knows the names of five or six of our customers Botero said.
AP Sources: Alleged Maduro co-conspirator is in DEA custody
Cliver Alcalรก has been an outspoken critic of Maduro for years. The Justice Department had offered a $10 million reward for Alcalรก's arrest. The DEA referred requests for comment to the Justice Department. Nicole Navas, a Justice Department spokesperson, declined to comment. Moments before his surrender, Alcalรก published a video on social media bidding farewell to his family.
10 Things to Know for Today
A doctor takes a swab from a woman to test for the COVID-19 virus at a fever clinic in Yinan county in eastern China's Shandong province on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. (Chinatopix Via AP)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. CHINA VIRUS TOTALS SPIKE China reports 254 new daily deaths and an increase in new daily virus cases of 15,152 after new methodology was applied in the hardest-hit province of Hubei as to how cases are categorized. BUFFETT'S DRUG WAR Howard Buffett, the eldest son of the billionaire investor, is spending $200 million to help Colombia kick its cocaine curse. ROENICK OUT AT NBC SPORTS The NHL analyst won't return to the network after he was suspended for making sexually suggestive comments about his co-workers during a podcast.