Colombian NewsHow do you stay on top of Colombian news stories? For me, it was particularly difficult to understand what was going on in Colombia for a number of years due to the lack of English news that was not simply sensationalist or concerned with a handful of issues that hit the major press such as the rescue of Ingrid Betancourt, FARC kidnappings, major elections etc. One of the best resources for news in English that I've found online is over at Colombia Reports. From Uribe to SantosAn important progression of events is from the almost-legendary former president Manuel Uribem constantly at the forefront of Colombian news, to the present Juan Manuel Santos.Things have improved and changed since the president Pastrana during a time when security was still a major issue here in Colombia. Things are far from perfect to this day, but there's no question that it's safer to live and travel here. Santos has left much less of an impression on me than Uribe did, but he is very popular and maintains a 71% approval rating. He is regarded as more diplomatic than Uribe who was a tough and hard-hitting leader. Santos is actively fighting corruption that seems to lie at the heart of almost everything political here. It is so ingrained in the way of things and cause of so much waste and bloodshed. If Santos is successful in his campaigning, this would be an important further step forward for Colombia. Economically, the growth rate stands at 2.1% and is re-building from the damage caused by the extensive flooding from the previous year. Return on exports are up due to high commodity prices from which Colombia benefits. Politically, FARC and ELN conflicts are still a fact but seem steady for now. However, there seems to be a rise in local crime related to gang criminality once again, that is not felt by me personally living in Medellin, but something you hear about. FTA - Free Trade AgreementColombia applies tariffs on imports ranging from 5-35% which explains why imported cars, clothing and food are particularly expensive here and in many ways, has impacted our cost of living here because naturally, we want to buy cars, branded clothing and so on.The endless debate around the final approval and implementation of the Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the U.S., Colombia's biggest trade partner, is having negative effects on the Colombian economy, currency and as stated earlier, costs of living. Getting rid of the trade tariffs would lower the price of imports and thus, increase expenditure which would have the effect of stabilizing the strengthening Colombian Peso that has until recently, been rising so much against the USD that it harms exports from Colombia. Also, higher prices domestically, do have an impact on consumption which is suppressing standards of living in material terms. Would be nice to get this thing out of the way and move on. News by regionBelow is a list of websites for regional newspapers around Colombia:Bogota: El Tiempo (This is the nations leading newspaper) El Espectador Semana (A weekly magazine dedicated to finance and economics Medellin: El Colombiano Cali: El Pais New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
