Barranquilla

The Municipality of Athens has won a prestigious award in the field of international tourism. Athens has been named the World’s Leading Cultural Destination at the renowned World Travel Awards 2024.

Left-wing candidates lost in a slew of local elections in Colombia on Sunday, the electoral authority reported, in what analysts described as a rebuke to the government of President Gustavo Petro.

With almost 55 percent turnout, the elections in the cities of Bogota, Medellin, Cali and Barranquilla were seen as a pushback against Petro's administration, analysts told AFP.

BARRANQUILLA, Colombia - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has suspended the ongoing peace talks between his government and the Army of National Liberation (ELN) after a faction of the rebel group claimed responsibility for several attacks that left seven policemen dead in the northern coastal region of the country.

A concert featuring Orquesta La 33 (popularly known as La 33), a Colombian salsa music band, will be held in August at EXPO 2016 in the southern resort of Antalya, Colombian Ambassador to Turkey Juan Alfredo Pinto has said.

According to Pinto, Columbia's La 33 is the best salsa orchestra in the southern hemisphere.

A judge has ordered house arrest for the Chinese captain of a freighter Colombia stopped in port for carrying unregistered Cuba-bound weapons and materiel, a prosecutor said on March 8.
      
Wu Hong will remain in Cartagena, monitored by authorities, while waiting for the investigation into the cargo to be completed, the prosecutor said.
      

Beijing on March 4 defended a Chinese cargo ship detained by Colombia, arguing that the freighter was carrying "ordinary military supplies" to Cuba.
      
The comments by China's foreign ministry came one day after Colombian authorities announced that they had detained the captain of the Hong Kong-registered Da Dan Xia and would charge him with weapons trafficking.

Colombia's Paulina Vega was crowned Miss Universe Sunday, beating out contenders from the United States, Ukraine, Jamaica and The Netherlands at the world's top beauty pageant in Florida.

The 22-year-old model and business student triumphed over 87 other women from around the world, and is only the second beauty queen from Colombia to take home the prize.