Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, pose for a photo at Centro Nacional de las Artes Delia Zapata in Bogotá on Aug. 15.Diego Cuevas/Getty Images
Harry y Meghan. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle traveled to Colombia last week, meeting with Vice President Francia Márquez in Bogotá, Cartagena, and Cali, a stop that included salsa dancing.
Although the couple have officially stepped back from royal duties, the trip had a diplomatic tinge: They were invited to the country by Márquez and attended meetings about women’s rights and cyberbullying as representatives of their charity foundation. They also traveled with a media entourage, and Meghan wore multiple outfits by Colombian designers.
The high-profile visit also demonstrated Colombia’s growing appeal as a tourist destination. Colombian politicians have long touted the country’s potential to become a major hub for international visitors. Although violence continues in some regions of the country, the overall number of homicides has vastly dropped in recent decades.
In 2023, Colombia was among the five Latin American and Caribbean countries that received the most tourists, according to the United Nations.
Around how many foreign tourists visited Colombia in 2023?
8.6 million
7.6 million
6.6 million
5.6 million
According to the U.N. World Tourism Organization, Colombia ranked fifth, behind Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, and Brazil.
Judicial branch workers on strike sing the national anthem around a coffin wrapped with a Mexican national flag in front of the Federal Judicial Branch building in Zapopan, Mexico, on Aug. 19.
Judicial branch workers on strike sing the national anthem around a coffin wrapped with a Mexican national flag in front of the Federal Judicial Branch building in Zapopan, Mexico, on Aug. 19.Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images
Thousands of judges and court workers went on strike in Mexico this week to protest López Obrador’s proposed overhaul of the country’s justice system. The issue has drawn opposition from international investors, local economists, and the Mexican human rights community, among others.
On Sept. 1, legislators who were elected in June will take office, giving López Obrador’s party a larger congressional majority than during most of his six-year term. His successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, will be inaugurated on Oct. 1. That gives López Obrador one month in which he has pledged to enact a version of a reform package that Congress rejected in the past.
One of the most controversial proposals is a judicial reform that would see magistrates, including those on the Supreme Court, elected by popular vote. The plan would also downgrade the role of professional exams and increase politicians’ power to select judicial candidates before the election.
López Obrador said the process would reduce corruption, but critics say it could install judges favorable to the ruling party. Some U.S. states allow for direct election of some judges, but worldwide, only Bolivia directly elects Supreme Court justices, the Washington-based Federal Justice Center said.
The prospect of diminished judicial independence now looms in Mexico. Morgan Stanley downgraded its investment outlook for the country this week due to the proposed reforms, while U.S. business groups said in a joint letter that the proposal could violate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
Human rights groups also voiced concern. Mexico’s “proposed judicial reform would lead to the continuation and deepening of patterns of impunity and abuse against the population,” wrote Stephanie Brewer of the Washington Office on Latin America.
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Publish date : 2024-08-22 21:00:00
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