Medellin

Group of people at night sitting on motorized wheelchairs

Wheelchair tours show Colombia’s Medellín from a different perspective

In Colombia, one company is introducing visitors to the city of Medellín by taking them around on wheelchairs that are pulled by electric handbikes and can reach speeds of about 25 mph. The tours are led by people with disabilities and are part of a broader effort to make the city more accessible to all, led by a very persistent businessman. Manuel Rueda reports.

Wheelchair tours show Colombia’s Medellín from a different perspective
Tourists stroll down a street that is packed with bars and restaurants, in Medellin's Provenza neighborhood.

Medellín was one of the world’s most dangerous cities. Now, it's trying to grapple with an influx of tourists.

Medellín was one of the world’s most dangerous cities. Now, it's trying to grapple with an influx of tourists.
Veronica Gomez, who was traveling with her partner and her son, receives backpacks from a humanitarian worker on Oct 1. The backpacks included energy bars, toiletries and ski masks, for the cold weather.

Amid pandemic, Venezuelans hit the road again in search of work

Amid pandemic, Venezuelans hit the road again in search of work
A man wearing a face mask carries a mattress at a makeshift camp

Options dwindle for Venezuelan migrants across Latin America during the pandemic

Options dwindle for Venezuelan migrants across Latin America during the pandemic
An aerial view shows Colombian airline Avianca's planes parked at El Dorado International Airport amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bogota, Colombia, April 7, 2020.

Colombian airlines face controversy over loans to survive pandemic crisis

Colombian airlines face controversy over loans to survive pandemic crisis
Colombian singer Juanes, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Medellín

Colombian rock star Juanes just wants to keep it positive right now

Juanes has a new album called "Mis Planes Son Amarte" and it's his answer to all the bad news out there

Colombian rock star Juanes just wants to keep it positive right now
Puerto Candelaria

If you set magical realism to music, it might sound like this

If Gabriel Garcia Marquez had a soundtrack to his stories, the music would come from the Colombian band Puerto Candelaria.

If you set magical realism to music, it might sound like this
Wetlands and woods are saturated with oil, north of Lake Pontchartrain, after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

How crises can strengthen cities that make the right choices

The natural environment might seem like a city’s natural enemy. But using it to a city's advantage can help counteract the more violent side of Mother Nature.

How crises can strengthen cities that make the right choices
John Jairo Velásquez — commonly known as "Popeye" — gives his testimony against fellow Colombian drug cartel members in 2006.

The release of 'Popeye,' a trusted assassin for Pablo Escobar, enrages many Colombians

Cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar was killed more than two decades ago, but one of the last surviving members of Escobar’s ultra-violent Medellin cartel just became a free man. The release of John Jairo Velásquez, who left prison on August 19, has sparked controversy in Colombia.

The release of 'Popeye,' a trusted assassin for Pablo Escobar, enrages many Colombians
Colombian newspapers and magazines from December 1993 on the death of druglord Pablo Escobar. Yolanda Perdomo saved them from that time.

In the land of Capone, Colombian immigrants struggle to imagine kingpin Pablo Escobar as a tourist draw

Al Capone is a big tourist attraction in Chicago. He's on tours, trinkets and t-shirts. So what do Colombian immigrants make of the prospect of their public enemy number one, Pablo Escobar, becoming a tourist industry?

In the land of Capone, Colombian immigrants struggle to imagine kingpin Pablo Escobar as a tourist draw

Medellín's Makeover

In the past few years, Medellin, Colombia has seemingly been transformed from a blighted haven for drug trafficking to an award-winning place of smart urban design. The man who gets a lot of the credit for that is the former mayor, Sergio Fajardo.

Medellín's Makeover

200 Arrested in Raid on Latin American Wood Mafia

An Interpol operation has led to the arrest of nearly 200 people in one of the biggest raids on suspected illegal timber operations ever undertaken in Latin America.

200 Arrested in Raid on Latin American Wood Mafia
The World

Medellín's Outdoor Escalator Part of Plan to Remake City

The Colombian city of Medellin was once the murder capital of the world and ground zero for Pablo Escobar's cocaine cartel. But Medellin has lately emerged as a hotspot for urban planning and innovative mass transit. John Otis reports.

Medellín's Outdoor Escalator Part of Plan to Remake City

Amidst Colombian violence, arts forge an alternative path

Colombia was wracked with violence during the era of the Escobar drug cartel. And while the cartel has been curtailed, regular street violence persists. Now, arts groups are trying to give youth an alternative path to the future.

Amidst Colombian violence, arts forge an alternative path
The World

Art & Music as Alternatives to Violence in Medellín, Colombia

Colombia's second largest city was once dominated by the drug cartel of Pablo Escobar. Crime remains high. Which is why several groups in the city are determined to provide peaceful alternatives for young people through art and music.

Art & Music as Alternatives to Violence in Medellín, Colombia