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☆ Magnitude 6.3 quake shakes Colombian capital, buildings evacuated
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] People stand on a street after a strong earthquake shook Colombian capital Bogota, prompting evacuations of offices and restaurants, in Bogota, Colombia, August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Aug 17 (Reuters) - A strong earthquake struck the Colombian capital Bogota on Thursday, reaching a 6.3 magnitude according to the U.S. Geological Survey, prompting frightened residents to flee homes, offices and restaurants. The initial quake was followed by aftershocks minutes later as people crowded the city's streets. Colombia's national geological service estimated the second quake at a 5.6 magnitude, with the following aftershock measured at 4.8. Colombia's civil defense agency noted residents had been evacuated in the entire municipality of Calvario, in Meta, southeast of the high-altitude capital.

Persons: Luisa Gonzalez, Adrian Alarcon, Julia Symmes Cobb, Oliver Griffin, Sarah Morland, David Alire Garcia, Alistair Bell Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, . Geological Survey, Windows, Thomson Locations: Colombian, Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA, Calvario, Meta, Villavicencio

BELEM, Brazil, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Amazon rainforest nations emerged from a summit this week with a stronger hand to play at upcoming United Nations climate talks, despite the meeting's lackluster final agreement, according to environmental groups. Lula will take that message on the road this year at the G20, United Nations General Assembly and U.N. COP28 climate summit. But he also applauded the symbolism of the eight Amazon countries meeting together for the first time in 14 years and joining their voices with the world's other major rainforests. STRONGER VOICERainforest nations have a stronger unified voice after the meeting, at least on paper, said Luis Roman, a representative of nonprofit WWF Peru. Rainforest nations thus far have focused on past funding commitments.

Persons: It's, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, André Guimarães, Marcio Astrini, Astrini, Luis Roman, Susana Muhamad, Jake Spring, Oliver Griffin, Brad Haynes, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Democratic, United Nations General Assembly, Amazon Environmental Research Institute, Observatory, WWF, Colombia's, Thomson Locations: BELEM, Brazil, Nations, Indonesia, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Venezuela, Lula, Bolivia, WWF Peru, European, Belem, Bogota

☆ Explainer: Why has Ecuador become so violent?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A view of the rally site where Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was killed at a campaign event in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Toro/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - Ecuador was reeling on Thursday from the slaying of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio the night before, less than two weeks before elections were to take place. The killing of Villavicencio, a vocal critic of corruption and drug crime that have beset Ecuador, underlines a deteriorating security situation in much of South America. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SECURITY IN ECUADOR? Verisk Maplecroft similarly attributed an "unprecedented surge in brutal criminality" to growing " trans-national drug-trafficking organizations and violent street gangs."

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Karen Toro, Villavicencio, Verisk Maplecroft, Guyaquil, Guillermo Lasso, Villavicencio's, Lasso, Luis Donaldo Colosio, Colombia's, Luis Carlos Galan, Cristina Fernandez De Kirchner, Jair Bolsonaro, Oliver Griffin, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Colombia's Liberal, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, South America, ECUADOR, Colombia, Europe, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay, Argentine

☆ Dead suspect, six detained in killing of Ecuador presidential candidate are Colombian-Ecuador police
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaks during a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Toro/File PhotoBOGOTA, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The six foreign nationals detained for their involvement in the assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio are Colombian, Ecuadorean police confirmed on Thursday. A seventh suspect who died on Wednesday from wounds sustained in a shootout with police was also Colombian. The involvement of Colombian nationals in the murder is reminiscent of the 2021 killing of Haiti's deceased President Jovenel Moise, who was assassinated in his home by a group which included 26 Colombians and two Haitian-Americans. (This story has been corrected to say 'Thursday' instead of 'Wednesday' in paragraph 1)Reporting by Oliver GriffinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Karen Toro, Ecuadorean, Haiti's, Jovenel Moise, Oliver Griffin Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, BOGOTA, Colombian

[1/3] A general view shows the water conditions of the Piraiba river before a summit of Amazon rainforest nations, in Belem, Para state, Brazil August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Ueslei MarcelinoSAO PAULO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Eight Amazon rainforest nations are expected to face divisions over proposals to block new oil drilling and end deforestation when they meet on Tuesday for their first summit in 14 years. But at a pre-summit meeting last month, Colombian President Gustavo Petro pushed his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to block all new oil development in the Amazon. Brazil is weighing whether to develop a potentially huge offshore oil find near the mouth of the Amazon River. "Are we going to let hydrocarbons be explored in the Amazon rainforest?

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino, Gustavo Petro, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Petro, Lula, Jake Spring, Oliver Griffin, Lucinda Elliott, Brad Haynes, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Ueslei, Ueslei Marcelino SAO PAULO, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Brazilian, Miami Herald, Global Forest Watch, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, Belem, Amazon, Lula's, Leticia, Bolivian, Bogota, Montevideo

Their data showed mercury contamination from informal gold mining making its way into the biodiversity hotspot's mammals — from rodents to ocelots to titi monkeys. Leaders from the eight countries around the Amazon meeting in Brazil next week will discuss how to end illegal gold mining. While the scientists began testing for mercury at Los Amigos in 2021, some of the samples were gathered as early as 2018. During Reuters' visit to Los Amigos, scientists caught rodents in metal traps baited with peanut butter and snagged birds and a bat in mist nets floating through the forest. In 2021, mining arrived on Los Amigos' doorstep.

Persons: Conservación Amazônica, Mrinalini Erkenswick, Erkenswick Watsa, biogeochemist Jacqueline Gerson, there's, it's, Gideon Erkenswick, Jorge Luis Mendoza Silva, Caroline Moore, Moore, Chris Sayers, Jake Spring, Gloria Dickie, Marco Aquino, Oliver Griffin, Katy Daigle, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Los, Biological, Amigos, Reuters, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Projects International, Los Amigos, University of Colorado, REUTERS, Gold Council, USAID, Peruvian, Nature Communications, San Diego Zoo Wildlife, University of California, Thomson Locations: Peru, Peruvian, Peru's, de Dios, Madre de Dios, Brazil, Colombia, California, University of Colorado Boulder, Los Amigos, Dios, Latin America, Congo, Indonesia, University of California Los Angeles, London, Lima, Bogota

☆ Colombia's central bank cuts 2023 forecasts for inflation, growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Luisa GonzalezBOGOTA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The technical team of Colombia's central bank on Wednesday lowered its outlook for inflation in 2023 to 9%, from 9.5% previously, and cut its forecast growth for Latin America's fourth-largest economy to 0.9%. The technical team previously forecast Colombia's economic growth at 1% for this year. Colombia's 12-month inflation through June 30 hit 12.13%, slightly below the 12.2% expected by analysts who were consulted for a Reuters poll. The technical team forecast that inflation would end 2024 at 3.5%, close to the bank's long-term target of 3%, but above a previous forecast of 3.4%. The current economic context suggests the board should maintain a contractive stance on monetary policy to bring inflation towards the target, the report added.

Persons: Luisa Gonzalez BOGOTA, Ricardo Bonilla, Gustavo Petro, Nelson Bocanegra, Oliver Griffin, Leslie Adler, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia

☆ Colombia's central bank cuts 2023 inflation forecast to 9%
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Luisa GonzalezBOGOTA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The technical team of Colombia's central bank on Wednesday lowered its outlook for inflation in 2023 to 9%, from 9.5% previously, citing a recent slowing of consumer price growth. The team also now expects Latin America's fourth largest economy to post growth of 0.9% this year, compared with a previous forecast of 1%. Colombia's 12-month inflation through June 30 hit 12.13%, slightly below the 12.2% expected by analysts who were consulted for a Reuters poll. The technical team forecast that inflation would end 2024 at 3.5%, close to the bank's long-term target of 3%, but above a previous forecast of 3.4%. Reporting by Oliver Griffin and Nelson Bocanegra; Editing by Sandra Maler and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luisa Gonzalez BOGOTA, Ricardo Bonilla, Gustavo Petro, Oliver Griffin, Nelson Bocanegra, Sandra Maler, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia

☆ Colombia, ELN rebels start six-month ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Luis Jaime Acosta | Thomson Reuters | Luis Jaime Has Worked At Reuters For More Than Years. While He Chiefly Covers Colombia'S Armed Conflict | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] An attendee looks on during an event with peace negotiators of Colombia's government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, in Bogota, Colombia August 3, 2023. "Welcome to peace," Petro told the inauguration of a committee meant to ensure civil society participation in the talks. The government's high peace commissioner, Danilo Rueda, had said on Tuesday the ceasefire would safeguard civilians and protect them from crimes like kidnapping. The United Nations Secretary-General congratulated the two sides on the ceasefire in a statement on Thursday, hailing its potential to reduce civilian suffering. The U.N. Verification Mission in Colombia will monitor the effort under a mandate form the Security Council.

Persons: Vannessa Jimenez, Gustavo Petro's, Petro, Eliecer Herlinto Chamorro, guerre Antonio Garcia, Danilo Rueda, Aureliano Carbonell, Carbonell, del, Rueda, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Leslie Adler Organizations: National Liberation Army, REUTERS, United Nations, Security Council, Force, Clan, Reuters, Congress, Estado Mayor Central, Revolutionary Armed Forces, Segunda, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Vannessa Jimenez BOGOTA, Petro

☆ Colombia hopes Amazon summit will be deforestation 'turning point'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Colombia's government is hopeful that an upcoming regional summit in Brazil will represent a turning point in the deterioration of the Amazon, Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said on Thursday. The eight countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), which include Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru, will meet Aug. 7-8 in the Brazilian city of Belem at the mouth of the Amazon River. The summit - which follows a meeting in Colombia's Amazon city of Leticia a month ago - is aimed at finding ways to prevent further degradation of the Amazon rainforest, the preservation of which scientists say is vital for curbing the effects of climate change. Talks will also include the complicated issue of hydrocarbon exploration, Muhamad said. While Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has voiced concern over oil and gas exploration in the Amazon, Muhamad said the situation was "much more complex" than other topics.

Persons: Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro, Oliver Griffin, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Amazon, Colombian, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazilian, Belem, Amazon, Leticia, Bogota

☆ Son of Colombia's president admits illegal money entered election campaign -prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Carlos Vargas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nicolas Petro, son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, speaks at the Atlantic Assembly in Barranquilla, Colombia on March 14, 2023, in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Asamblea del Atlantico / Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoBOGOTA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Nicolas Petro, the eldest son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, on Thursday admitted that illegal money entered his father's election campaign last year, the prosecutor handling the case said on Thursday. The president insisted he will remain in office until 2026, citing the mandate of his election victory. "No one but the people can end this government," Petro said during a speech in Sincelejo, in Colombia's Sucre province. According to the charges, Nicolas Petro, a lawmaker in Atlantico province, received money from accused drug traffickers in exchange for including them in the president's peace plans.

Persons: Nicolas Petro, Gustavo Petro, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, Mr, Nicolas Fernando Petro Burgos, Gustavo Petro Urrego, Mario Burgos, Vasquez, Petro, Carlos Vargas, Nelson Bocanegra, Julia Symmes Cobb, Oliver Griffin, Gerry Doyle, Leslie Adler Organizations: Atlantic Assembly, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Barranquilla, Colombia, del Atlantico, Handout, BOGOTA, Burgos, Sincelejo, Colombia's Sucre, Atlantico province

☆ Son of Colombia's president pleads not guilty to money laundering charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nicolas Petro, son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, speaks at the Atlantic Assembly in Barranquilla, Colombia on March 14, 2023, in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Asamblea del Atlantico / Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoBOGOTA, Aug 1 (Reuters) - The eldest son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Nicolas Petro, on Tuesday pled not guilty to charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment at a court in Bogota, the capital. By denying the charges, Nicolas Petro lost the chance to secure a 50% reduction of any sentence if convicted. The president's son could receive a sentence of between 12 and 20 years if found guilty during a trial, according to lawyers. Vasquez also denied the charges of money laundering and violating data protection laws.

Persons: Nicolas Petro, Gustavo Petro, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, Vasquez, Petro, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Leslie Adler Organizations: Atlantic Assembly, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Barranquilla, Colombia, del Atlantico, Handout, BOGOTA, Bogota, Atlantico province

☆ Colombia proposes 502.6 trillion pesos 2024 budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, July 29 (Reuters) - Colombia's government on Saturday presented a budget proposal worth 502.6 trillion pesos ($127.8 billion) for 2024 to Congress, 19% greater than this year, the Finance Ministry said, an amount that would be the country's highest if approved. The proposal includes spending 94.52 trillion pesos for servicing debt, and 97.75 trillion pesos for investment. "The 2024 budget is realistic," the finance ministry said in a statement. Government ministers worked through Thursday night to finish the proposal, President Gustavo Petro said on Friday in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The proposed budget earmarks 70.5 trillion pesos for education, health, drinking water and other general purposes, and some 57.4 trillion pesos would fund the state pension system.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Colombia's, Nelson Bocanegra, Julia Cobb Symmes, Oliver Griffin, Sandra Maler Organizations: Finance Ministry, Twitter, Congress, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA

BOGOTA, July 27 (Reuters) - Colombian police have seized property and bank accounts worth 1.3 trillion pesos ($329 million), proceeds from the sale and export of stolen crude oil, officials said on Thursday. To sell the stolen oil, criminal groups mixed it with legally-bought crude so it could be exported via front companies, police said. Colombia's majority state-owned oil company Ecopetrol (ECO.CN) was the main victim of the scheme, costing it 60 billion pesos, police added. The gangs stole crude from Colombia's Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline which runs parallel to the border with Venezuela. Furthermore, "large quantities" of light Venezuelan crude were brought into Colombia before being mixed with Colombian oil and exported via the Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline, the statement said.

Persons: Cano, Katherine Casas, Cano Limon, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Grant McCool Organizations: Colombian, Interpol, Reuters, National Liberation Army, Police, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Narino province, Venezuela, Pacific, Buenaventura, Colombia

☆ Death toll from violent incidents in Ecuador's prisons hits 18
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Clashes between organized criminal gangs have taken place since Saturday at the prison, one of the most dangerous in Ecuador. In other prisons, inmates took nearly 100 guards hostage and prisoners in some jails began hunger strikes, without explaining why. Ecuador has long been plagued by prison violence. Military intervention in Ecuador's prisons will continue until control has been retaken and there is no threat to prisoners or officials, the government said. Lasso has regularly declared states of emergency in the country's prisons as he tries to tackle violence that has surged since 2021, claiming the lives of hundreds of prisoners.

Persons: Guillermo Lasso, Karen Toro, Lasso, Los Rios, Agustin Intriago, Alexandra Valencia, Oliver Griffin, Valentine Hilaire, William Maclean, Bill Berkrot Organizations: National Assembly, REUTERS, Ecuador, Duran, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, QUITO, Guayaquil, Manabi, Los, Manta

☆ El Salvador arrests more than 100 Colombians in financial scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Nelson Renteria | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAN SALVADOR, July 17 (Reuters) - Salvadoran police arrested more than a hundred Colombians for their alleged involvement in operating a microfinancing scheme that laundered money from drug running and gang activities, security officials said on Monday. The criminal group reportedly made loans, using funds obtained illegally, to individuals and small businesses with 20% interest, according to the officials. Some $20 million in money linked to drug trafficking gangs is estimated to have been sent to Colombia since 2021 under the scheme, added Delgado. Colombia's foreign ministry said it was in talks with its embassy and consulate in El Salvador over the arrests, but did not offer further comment on the accusations facing the Colombian nationals. Reporting by Nelson Renteria in San Salvador; Additional reporting by Oliver Griffin in Bogota Writing by Kylie Madry Editing by David Alire Garcia and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nayib Bukele, Rodolfo Delgado, Delgado, Bukele, Nelson Renteria, Oliver Griffin, Kylie Madry, David Alire Garcia, Matthew Lewis Organizations: SALVADOR, Salvadoran, Twitter, Colombian, Thomson Locations: Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemalan, Argentine, San Salvador, Bogota

CARACAS, July 17 (Reuters) - The families of Venezuelan migrants lost in the Caribbean sea are demanding their government investigate the disappearance of their loved ones after years of stasis. In Aruba, migrants must scale rocky outcrops of up to four meters high and many fail, drowning as a result they said, though bodies have not been found. There are no investigations in Aruba or Curacao into the whereabouts of Venezuelan migrants missing during sea crossings, an official with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. "We went to Caracas to look for answers," said Ana Arias, a 43-year-old housewife whose daughter Luisannys Betancourt went missing on a boat journey in April 2019. Reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas, Tibisay Romero in Valencia and Mircely Guanipa in Maracay Writing by Oliver GriffinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jhonny Romero, Romero, Jhonny de Jesus, Shalick Clement, Ana Arias, Luisannys Betancourt, Luisannys, Carolina Bastardo, Ana Maria, We've, Vivian Sequera, Tibisay Romero, Mircely, Oliver Griffin Organizations: United Nations, International Organization for Migration, UN, Reuters, Boat, Caribbean Coast Guard, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, Venezuela's, Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curacao, Caracas, Africa, Europe, Colombia, Panama, Venezuelan, Grenada, Valencia

BOGOTA, July 14 (Reuters) - A crash in the price of coca, the chief ingredient in cocaine, is contributing to food insecurity in Colombia and causing displacement, as people leave areas that depend on the illicit crop, according to an internal United Nations presentation seen by Reuters. Historically coca crops have provided better incomes than legal alternatives for thousands of rural Colombian families, with drug-trafficking groups often footing the costs of transport, fertilizers and other supplies. "There is no cash to buy food and the inflation of (food prices) is rising," the presentation, dated June, said. Oversupply of coca - including more productive plants and record crops - is contributing to the crash, along with slow growth of trafficking routes and new coca cultivation in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, the presentation said. Other reasons for falling coca prices include territorial disputes between trafficking groups and imports of synthetic opioid fentanyl to the United States, a major cocaine consumer, it added.

Persons: Valerin Saurith, It's, Saurith, Elizabeth Dickinson, Dickinson, Oliver Griffin, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Reuters, United Nations, Food Programme, WFP, Norte de Santander, International Crisis, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Nations, Colombian, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, United States, Narino, Putumayo, Norte

BOGOTA, July 12 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Colombia fell 29.1% in 2022 versus the previous year spurred by sharp decreases in the country's Amazon region, the government said on Wednesday, marking the lowest level since 2013. Nationally, deforestation fell by just over 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) last year to just over 1,235 square kilometers (477 square miles). That is down from 1,741 square kilometers in 2021 and surpassed the government's target of cutting the rate to 1,400 square kilometers a year by 2026. Deforestation in Amazon provinces, where a majority of the activity occurs, fell significantly, the environment ministry said in its report, with a 50% decrease in Caqueta province alone. Despite smashing the deforestation reduction target, both the government and Botero cautioned against declaring victory.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Rodrigo Botero, Botero, audios, Oliver Griffin, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Foundation for Conservation, Sustainable Development, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Bogota, Brazil, Amazon, Caqueta

☆ Colombia gov't risks incompliance with fiscal rule - committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, July 10 (Reuters) - Colombia risks falling out of compliance with its fiscal rule through greater spending proposed for 2024 and the financial impact of reforms being debated in Congress, an independent committee warned on Monday. Finance Minister Ricardo Bonilla has said the government would respect the 2011 rule which imposes constraints on fiscal policy to block deterioration of public finances. The finance ministry in June presented its medium-term fiscal framework (MFMP), noting that the deficit could increase to 4.5% of Gross Domestic Product in 2024. It revised its debt targets upwards and adjusted its fiscal deficit forecast for 2023 up to 4.3% of GDP from 3.8% originally. The expert Autonomous Fiscal Rule Committee (CARF) said spending increases planned for this year and next could put greater pressure on Colombia's finances and reverse success in reducing the deficit following the coronavirus pandemic.

Persons: Ricardo Bonilla, Gustavo Petro, Nelson Bocanegra, Oliver Griffin, Richard Chang Organizations: . Finance, Gross, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia

☆ Top FARC dissident leader Ivan Marquez dead - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Luis Jaime Acosta | Thomson Reuters | Luis Jaime Has Worked At Reuters For More Than Years. While He Chiefly Covers Colombia'S Armed Conflict | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BOGOTA, July 6 (Reuters) - Ivan Marquez, the well-known leader of a faction of former FARC rebels who returned to arms after a peace deal with Colombia's government, has died in Venezuela, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. The attack against Marquez, whose real name was Luciano Marín Arango, may have been led by Ivan Mordisco, leader of a rival FARC dissident group, according to security sources. Colombia's Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez told journalists there was still no official information on Marquez's death. Marquez later emerged as the leader of the so-called Segunda Marquetalia, a group of former FARC who took up arms anew. Petro reopened diplomatic and trade relations with Venezuela and Venezuela is a guarantor at Colombia's peace talks with the National Liberation Army rebels.

Persons: Ivan Marquez, Marquez, Luciano Marín Arango, Ivan Mordisco, Ivan Velasquez, Gustavo Petro, Miguel Botache Santillana, Gentil Duarte, Seuxis Hernandez, Hernan Dario Velasquez, Jesus Santrich, El Paisa, Nicolas Maduro, Petro, Luis Jaime Acosta, Vivian Sequera, Oliver Griffin, Julia Symmes Cobb, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, Revolutionary Armed Forces, Segunda, Colombia's, Venezuela's Ministry, Information, National Liberation Army, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Venezuela, Colombia, Caracas, Venezuela's, United States, Colombian

☆ Top FARC dissident leader Ivan Marquez dead, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Luis Jaime Acosta | Thomson Reuters | Luis Jaime Has Worked At Reuters For More Than Years. While He Chiefly Covers Colombia'S Armed Conflict | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The attack against Marquez, whose real name was Luciano Marín Arango, may have been led by Ivan Mordisco, leader of a rival FARC dissident group, according to security sources. Colombia's Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez told journalists there was still no official information on Marquez's death. Marquez later emerged as the leader of the so-called Segunda Marquetalia, a group of former FARC who took up arms anew. Marquez died in Venezuela the two people familiar with the matter told Reuters, which also included an intelligence source. Petro reopened diplomatic and trade relations with Venezuela and Venezuela is a guarantor at Colombia's peace talks with the National Liberation Army rebels.

☆ Colombia senate votes down recreational marijuana bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] People demonstrate in front of the Colombian Congress, in favor of the regulation of marijuana for adult use in Bogota, Colombia June 20, 2023. Uruguay, Canada and some states in the U.S. allow the sale of recreational marijuana. Backers including Interior Minister Luis Fernando Velasco said recreational marijuana's continued illegality only benefits criminals. "From the government we will insist on this issue," Velasco said in quotes shared by the Senate on Twitter. We have majorities, we lacked seven votes," he tweeted after the vote on the bill, which needed 54 votes in favor and won 47, with 43 against.

Persons: Luisa Gonzalez BOGOTA, Gustavo Petro, Luis Fernando Velasco, Velasco, Juan Carlos Losada, Oliver Griffin, Carlos Vargas, Julia Symmes Cobb, Alexander Smith Organizations: Colombian, REUTERS, Colombia's, Senate, Twitter, Liberal Party, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Uruguay, Canada, U.S

☆ Ecuador authorities confiscate pigs, fighting cocks from prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Members of Ecuador's security forces confiscate pigs in a high security jail, in Santo Domingo, Ecuador in this image released June 16, 2023 and obtained from social media. Fuerzas Armadas del Ecuador via Twitter/via REUTERSJune 16 (Reuters) - Ecuadorean security forces have confiscated pigs, fighting cocks and more than two dozen bladed weapons, among other items, from a high-security wing of Bellavista prison in the city of Santo Domingo, the country's military said on Friday. Police and operatives of the SNAI prison authority were shown wheeling out two pigs from the prison in images shared by Ecuador's military in a message posted on Twitter. The authorities also removed 12 fighting cocks, 26 bladed weapons, 16 electrical items, and other objects, they tweeted, without saying how the animals ended up there. Ecuador's prisons are plagued by poor conditions and violence, the latter leading to the deaths of hundreds of inmates.

Persons: Oliver Griffin, Richard Chang Organizations: Twitter, REUTERS, . Police, Thomson Locations: Santo Domingo, Ecuador, del Ecuador

☆ Child plane crash survivors get medical care in Bogota after weeks in jungle
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Luis Jaime Acosta | Thomson Reuters | Luis Jaime Has Worked At Reuters For More Than Years. While He Chiefly Covers Colombia'S Armed Conflict | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view of ambulances and a plane from San Jose del Guaviare bringing in child survivors from a Cessna 206 plane that crashed in thick jungle, at the CATAM military airbase, in Bogota, Colombia, June 10, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa GonzalezBOGOTA, June 10 (Reuters) - Four Indigenous children who were missing for more than five weeks in a jungle in Colombia's south following a deadly plane crash arrived in the capital Bogota early on Saturday for medical treatment. In photos shared by Colombia's military, the four children - three girls and a boy - appeared gaunt as they were being cared for by rescuers. After the plane carrying the children landed in Bogota, four ambulances were waiting at to collect them and take them to a military hospital for specialist medical care. Three adults, including the pilot and the children's mother, died in the crash and their bodies were found inside the plane.

Persons: San Jose del Guaviare, Luisa Gonzalez BOGOTA, Hope, Pedro Sanchez, gaunt, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Jamie Freed Organizations: Cessna, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: San Jose, Bogota, Colombia, Colombia's, Colombia's Caqueta, Araracuara, Caqueta, Guaviare

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