John Otis

Even though COVID-19 deaths are spiking and the country is climbing out of a deep economic downturn, the president has proposed new taxes. Colombians are defying restrictions by protesting.

Protesters are taking to the streets of Colombia demonstrating against the government's mishandling of the pandemic, and its proposal to raise taxes at a time of deep economic pain.

"We want to demonstrate that although we're not a rich country, we can do something that is humanitarian ... but at the same time is an intelligent and sound migration policy," Iván Duque tells NPR.

More than 5 million Venezuelans have fled their country, many of them to neighboring Colombia, whose president is winning praise for his open-door policy toward Venezuelans.

Colombia's president has unveiled a program to let undocumented Venezuelan migrants live and work legally in the country for up to 10 years. Nearly a million Venezuelans in Colombia lack legal status.

More than 5 million Venezuelans have fled their country, many of them to neighboring Colombia, whose president is winning praise for his open-door policy toward Venezuelans.

The country is the top flower exporter to the U.S. When the pandemic hit, farmers feared they'd have to destroy flower beds and lay off thousands of workers. Here's why that didn't happen.

Human rights activists have reported a sharp increase in sexual assaults and human trafficking involving Venezuelan women and girls trying to reach Colombia since the border closed amid the pandemic.

About 2 million Venezuelans have settled in Colombia in recent years amid their country's deep economic crisis. Some of the migrants are shocked by their neighbors' anti-Venezuelan attitudes.

The latest target was a statue of Sebastián de Belalcázar, a Spanish conquistador who founded two Colombian cities and led a military campaign that killed and enslaved thousands of Indigenous people.

Motorists near Colombia's border with Venezuela used to opt for cheaper, smuggled gas from the neighboring country. Now the tables have turned.

Thousands of Venezuelans are trying to make their way back to the country they fled. They left because of the economic crisis to look for work elsewhere, but the pandemic has cost them those jobs.

The Supreme Court orders house arrest as it investigates whether he had a role in a scheme to bribe witnesses in a case involving right-wing paramilitary death squads.

Former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe is to be held under house arrest while he is investigated for allegedly bribing witnesses in a case against him.

Nicolás Maduro has remained in control despite international pressure and attempts to remove him, while opposition leaders weaken.

With Venezuela's opposition weakened and in disarray, chances that U.S-backed Juan Guaido will unseat strongman Nicolás Maduro appear to be dimming.

The most dramatic case occurred earlier this month when a scramble to steal gasoline ended in a hellish fireball. Other recent incidents involved residents pilfering a humanitarian aid vehicle.

Seeking ways to boost to its economy, Colombia has set aside three tax-free shopping days this summer. Critics fear they could become super spreader events for the coronavirus.

The governor of Amazonas, Colombia, says it was impossible to cut the area off from Brazil, even as the virus spiked. Now the Colombian border town of Leticia is a coronavirus hot spot.

"It's not just city hall that has to act. You have to promote solidarity among neighbors," says a mayor who encourages residents sheltering in place to hang red rags so others will know to help them.