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Colombia on Edge as Trump’s Post‑Venezuela Threats Stir Regional Anxiety

Colombian military patrol the Simón Bolívar International Bridge in Cúcuta on Tuesday. After the U.S. seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, members of powerful armed groups started arriving in Colombia from neighbouring Venezuela. Tensions in Colombia have intensified following President Donald Trump’s forceful remarks in the wake of the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The comments have revived long‑standing fears about regional instability and raised questions about the future of U.S.–Colombia relations. Rising Tensions After the Venezuela Strike In the aftermath of the Venezuela attack, Trump issued sharp warnings toward Colombia, accusing President Gustavo Petro of enabling drug production and trafficking. He suggested that Petro’s government “would not be doing it for long,” a statement widely interpreted as a threat of potential intervention. The remarks came amid a broader pattern of aggressive rhetoric toward several countries, s...

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Small Businesses in Canada Face Bankruptcy Risk Amidst Pandemic-Era Support Withdrawal

 


According to a recent report, thousands of small businesses in Canada are at risk of bankruptcy after the government ended pandemic-era support last month with the economy slowing at a time of high interest rates. 

Small firms that employ fewer than 100 people are critical to the Canadian economy as they give jobs to almost two-thirds of the country’s 12 million private workers. A spike in bankruptcies, which jumped 38% in the first 11 months of 2023, would weigh on economic growth, lobby groups and economists warn. 

Last month, small businesses faced a deadline to repay interest-free loans of C$60,000 ($44,676) made available to each of them during the pandemic. Of the 900,000 who had taken the government support, a fifth have not yet repaid their loans, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Monday. Katherine Cuplinskas, a spokesperson for the Finance Minister said in an emailed response that the Department of Finance did not expect there will be a negative impact on the economy on account of repayment of the loans given as support during the pandemic. She said loan recipients have long had full information on timelines and have been able to plan accordingly.


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