John Otis

FARC rebels used to chain their kidnap victims in the jungle until they received ransom. Now tourists pay ex-guerrillas hundreds of dollars to take them hiking and whitewater rafting there.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.