After almost 2 years of negotiations there is a free trade agreement ready for congress. (Original Story).
WASHINGTON — The United States and Colombia reached a free-trade agreement Monday after resolving difficult farm issues that kept negotiations going for nearly two years, both countries said.
The deal provides Colombia with duty-free access to the U.S. market for almost all of its industrial goods, the Colombian government said. In turn, Bogota would immediately eliminate tariffs on nearly 82% of U.S. industrial goods and reduce duties in the petrochemical sector over seven years.
In the United States most people understand what credit means, Colombia is new to that concept as far as the general population is concerned. While this credit rating is a completely different things it is still somewhat related. In the end I think Colombia is taking a lot of steps in the right direction economically. (Original Story)
Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) — Colombia’s credit rating may be raised by Standard & Poor’s as growing investment and a surge in exports boosts the country’s ability to pay back its debts.
S&P raised the outlook on Colombia’s foreign currency government bonds to positive from stable. S&P rates Colombia’s foreign debt BB, two levels below investment grade and in line with neighboring Peru and Panama.
Colombians are becoming a bigger market for the Auto Industry. Lets see if someone in Detroit is listening 
(Original Story)
Colombian vehicle sales reached 12,293 in January 2006, compared to 9,284 units for the same month of 2005, according to consultancy Econometria, cited by the Latin America News Digest.
Even thought there is controversy about the current peace process in Colombia, I think money talks… and well, Colombia is doing good there. (Original Story from Bloomberg)
Colombia’s IGBC rose the most among the world’s biggest equity indexes as an economic growth forecast and a government plan to prepay debt restored investor confidence.
Colombians gathered in a caravan to try to break a Guinness world record. (Original Story)
The Andes mountains of Colombia may seem a strange place to find so many U.S.-built Willys. But the vehicle found a loving home in this South American country _ especially its mountainous coffee-growing region _ ever since Willys began arriving from an Ohio factory in the 1950s.
Tens of thousands of the aging vehicles are reportedly still alive and kicking in Colombia, and local company Willys of Colombia even produced new vehicles based on one of the most storied names in four-wheel-drive history.
The vintage jeeps are collectors items in the United States and other developed countries. But in Colombia, most of them are still workhorses, hauling thousands of pounds of coffee beans to market each day or being used as taxis _ up to 23 passengers at a time _ that traverse the country’s high mountains.
Standing next to his topless, cherry-red Willys prior to the event, Jose Alvaro Bonilla proudly expressed an undying devotion to his 1950 American original.
Colombian artist Juanes continues to fill up venues and defends his position of now crossing over (releasing an English Language Album) by saying that he still thinks, dreams and writes music in Spanish. (Full Story)
“I’m still thinking in Espanol, I still dream in Espanol, and I write my music in Espanol,” he says. “I don’t see why I need to change.”
The second leg of Juanes’ Mi Sangre tour began January 28 near Fort Lauderdale. While southern Florida is a given for any Latin act touring the States, Juanes is also playing such markets as Portland, Ore.; Milwaukee; Cleveland; Newark, N.J.; and Des Moines, Iowa; as well as cities across Europe.
Disarmament is one way to assure peace, but without dealing with all the socio-economic problems that have created the problems in the first place can it really be accomplished?
I guess for now we will take what we can. (Original Story from the Washington Post)
BOGOTA, Colombia — Thousands of right-wing paramilitary fighters accused of drug trafficking by the United States turned over more than 1,000 weapons Tuesday in one of the largest disarmament ceremonies to date.