Colombia

One person died and four others were injured Thursday when a bomb detonated at a hotel in the west-central Colombian city of Cajamarca, authorities said. The explosive device was planted by a man who had just checked out after a three-day stay at the Hotel Nevada, the secretary of the Tolima provincial government, Disraeli Labrador Forero, told Efe. Though he did not disclose the name of the man who placed the bomb, Labrador attributed the attack to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of...Read Full Story

London School of Business and Finance, in another step to strengthen its position as a global provider for world class education, has signed a historic agreement with the Colombian NGO to promote accessibility to British education to the best Colombian scholars and the most promising future business leaders. The agreement was signed at an education event hosted at the British Council, in London, where the President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos met with UK Secretary of State for...Read Full Story

7 December 2011  |   Filed under: Latin America News , News of the Year 2011 , South America News   |   Posted by: XinhuaNET.COM Thousands of people, including President Juan Manuel Santos, marched in Colombia’s main cities Tuesday to demand the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia ( FARC ) guerrilla group free all its hostages and make peace. Organized by social groups and the hostages’ relatives, the rallies began at 10:00 a.m. (1500 GMT) in more than 50 cities across the nation...Read Full Story

Four security force members held by the FARC guerrilla group were killed by their captors during a military operation in the southern province of Caqueta, Colombian Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said Saturday. Pinzon said that three of the men, some of whom had been held for more than 12 years, “were killed mercilessly with coups de grace” and at the place their bodies were found there were also chains such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, habitually uses to...Read Full Story

Over the past 10 years, Colombia has enjoyed a huge change in fortunes. The economy is humming, drug-related violence is down and security forces have corralled the rebel FARC guerillas. From infrastructure to corruption, however, some serious problems persist. by: admin Cartagena, Colombia (szeke) By Yves Bourdillon LES ÉCHOS /Worldcrunch BOGOTA — What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, Colombia was the Greece of Latin America in the eyes of investors. Young people were...Read Full Story

Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Xstrata confirmed to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos their plans to invest $1.3 billion to expand the Cerrejon coal mine. The investment program was ratified by senior executives of the three global mining giants during a meeting here Thursday with Santos at the presidential palace. The multinational firms had initially announced their plans to expand Cerrejon, which is located in northern Colombia and considered the world’s largest open-pit coal...Read Full Story

Tuesday, November 29th 2011 – 06:10 UTC Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and his visiting Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos subscribed Monday a trade understanding covering 3.500 items, based on the most exchanged products in recent years, and agreed on an ambitious energy projects that include neighbouring Ecuador and Panama. Santos and Chavez celebrate the new relations (Photo AP) “I am very pleased with the signing of these agreements, which I’m convinced will bring...Read Full Story

BOGOTA ( Reuters ) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos warned the new FARC rebel chief to reconsider waging war or risk the same fate as his predecessor, who was shot dead by special forces this month. The naming of hard-liner Timoleon Jimenez as leader of the drug-funded guerrilla group has dampened hopes the killing of the former commander, Alfonso Cano , could herald the beginning of the end of nearly five decades of war. "I want to take this opportunity to tell the new number one of...Read Full Story

Colombian military forces have killed the top leader of the country’s main leftist rebel group. Alfonso Cano, the top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, was killed Friday during a military raid in the southwestern Cauca region. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said in a televised address Cano’s death is the “biggest blow” against FARC in its entire history.  He urged the FARC guerrillas to “demobilize” now that their leader is dead.  The president said...Read Full Story

BOGOTA ( Reuters ) - Colombia's FARC guerrilla leader Timoleon Jimenez , known as Timochenko, is considered a reserved and quiet rebel, seen more as a military strategist than the politically-minded ex-leader whom he replaced. Trained in irregular warfare in Cuba and politics in Russia in the 1980s, Timochenko took over as head of the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, after Colombian forces killed boss Alfonso Cano this month. The 52-year-old was born Rodrigo Londono in...Read Full Story