Health & Insurance.

Coomeva, U.S.-Based Christus Charting New Course for Medical Insurance, Coverage

Medellin Herald October 25, 2016

On the heels of finalizing a US$50 million strategic investment deal with U.S.-based Christus Health last month, Colombian health insurer and clinic operator Coomeva is moving to rationalize its service network and shore-up its financially troubled “Coomeva EPS” subsidiary. On a related front,

Tourism

Copa’s Low-Cost ‘Wingo’ Subsidiary Launches Medellin-Panama Service December 2

Medellin Herald October 22, 2016

The new “Wingo” subsidiary of Copa Airlines announced October 20 that on December 2 it will launch four-times-a-week, non-stop service from Medellin’s international airport (MDE) to Panama Pacifico airport. The only other “low-cost” airline flying from MDE to Panama Pacifico — a former U.S. Air Force Base in the Panama Canal zone — is Medellin-based […]

General News

Medellin Moves Closer to Atlantic with Highway Expansions, Proposed Rail Link

Medellin Herald October 13, 2016

Colombia’s Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura (ANI, the infrastructure development agency) announced October 12 the opening of another 12.1-kilometers stretch of four-lane divided highway linking Medellin northward to Barbosa, Pradera and other Antioquian towns. The COP$438 billion (US$149 million) project, first launched in 2013, will link to new Atlantic-coast routes

Culture

Medellin’s Philharmonic Orchestra Nominated for Latin Grammy

Medellin Herald September 23, 2016

Medellin’s Philharmonic Orchestra (“Filarmed”) announced September 22 that it has been nominated for a Latin Grammy award for “Best Tango Album” for its live recorded performance last year of the iconic ballads that made Carlos Gardel the world’s most-famous tango singer. The Filarmed recorded the ballads during Medellin’s annual Tango Festival along with Argentinian tango

General News

USAID Projects Boost Ecological Mining, Honey Incomes for Antioquia Families

Medellin Herald September 21, 2016

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced September 16 that its “Oro Legal” (legal gold mining) project has been expanded to include aid to 15 apiculture (honey producing) cooperatives in the Bajo Cauca gold-mining region in Antioquia. According to the agency, the apiculture project initially identified 56 possible candidate organizations in five

Congresses & Conferences

Medellin’s ‘Expo Agrofuturo’ Generates US$250 Milllion in Deals, 18,000 Visitors

Medellin Herald September 13, 2016

Medellin’s annual “Expo Agrofuturo” show this month generated US$250 million in business deals and attracted 18,000 visitors – including 1,300 internationals — to the Plaza Mayor convention center, according to show organizers. Show visitors, investors and speakers came from 18 countries including the USA, Israel, Chile, UK, Mexico and Brazil, according to

General News

Medellin’s International Airport Adds Evening Flights to Pereira, Bucaramanga, Monteria

Medellin Herald September 13, 2016

Thanks in part to relentless population shifts into the “oriente” region east of Medellin, Colombian short-haul airline EasyFly this month launches new service between Rionegro (Medellin’s international airport) and the cities of Pereira, Bucaramanga and Monteria. According to the Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura (ANI, Colombia’s national infrastructure agency), the

General News

Antioquia’s ‘Pacifico 2’ Highway Project Reaches Financial Close

Medellin Herald September 12, 2016

Colombian construction giants Odinsa and Construcciones El Condor and Colombia’s infrastructure financial agency (Financiera de Desarrollo Nacional, FDN) jointly announced September 9 that financial close has finally been achieved for the “Pacifico 2” highway projects in Antioquia, part of the massive “fourth generation” (4G) highway projects. One portion of “Pacifico 2”

Schools

Medellin Bilingual Student Wins Cambridge University’s ‘Top in the World’ Award — for English

Medellin Herald September 7, 2016

Medellin eleventh-grade student Veronica Escobar Mesa won Cambridge University’s “Top in the World” award for English proficiency in the “International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)” examinations recently. Escobar — a student at Medellin’s Colegio Marymount all-girls’ school (one of the top bilingual prep-schools in metro Medellin) – received the

Culture

Medellin International Jazz Festival Launches September 15 to October 8

Medellin Herald September 7, 2016

Medellin’s 20th annual International Jazz Festival launches September 15 featuring top artists including Cuco Valoy, Bobby Valentin, Havana D’Primera and many others. According to festival organizer MedeJazz (see: http://www.festivalmedejazz.com/public_html/), musicians from Italy, Cuba, Dominican Republic, USA, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Brazil and Colombia will take