BOGOTA, May 13 (Reuters) – Colombia’s FARC guerrilla group
has decided to free a French reporter they kidnapped two weeks
ago, although they have not given a date for his release, a Red
Cross official said on Sunday citing a statement from the
rebels.

Heavily armed members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia kidnapped Romeo Langlois, a reporter for France 24,
during a firefight with troops carrying out an anti-drug raid in
Caqueta, a rebel-stronghold in the south.

BOGOTA, May 11 (Reuters) – Colombia central bank board
members said inflation in the South American country shows signs
of easing even though consumer credit is strong, according to
minutes published on Friday.

The seven-member board decided unanimously to keep the
lending rate at 5.25 percent in the past two policy meetings
following a year-long, 225-basis-point rise that has helped cool
inflation in one of Latin America’s fastest-growing economies.

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia on Tuesday rejected a call by FARC rebels to debate freedom of information and news media bias as a condition for the release of a French reporter they hold hostage.

Heavily armed members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia kidnapped Romeo Langlois, a reporter for France 24, during a clash with troops carrying out an anti-drug raid in Caqueta, a rebel-stronghold in the south.

BOGOTA, May 7 (Reuters) – Colombia’s leftist FARC rebels
accused the government of manipulating journalists and demanded
a debate on freedom of information Monday as a step that may
lead to the release of a French reporter kidnapped nine days
ago.

Romeo Langlois, a reporter for news channel France 24, was
embedded with government troops carrying out an anti-drug raid
when a firefight broke out with members of the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia, who later took him hostage.

BOGOTA, May 6 (Reuters) – Colombia’s drug-funded FARC rebel
group on Sunday confirmed it is holding a French journalist and
said minor injuries he sustained when he was captured are not
life threatening.

Romeo Langlois, a freelance reporter for news channel France
24, went missing last week after being caught in crossfire
between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and
government troops carrying out an anti-drug raid in Caqueta, a
jungle region in the South.

BOGOTA, April 30 (Reuters) – Colombia’s central bank held
borrowing costs steady for a second straight month on Monday, a
sign policy makers feel a year-long cycle of hikes in the
benchmark interest rate has helped ease inflation even as
consumer credit remains strong.

After almost six hours of discussion, the seven-member board
decided unanimously to keep the lending rate at 5.25 percent,
meeting the forecasts of all 30 analysts surveyed in a Reuters
poll.

QUITO (Reuters) – Peppered with parks and crafts markets, Quito’s status as a UNESCO world heritage site and its sweeping Andean panoramas have made this highland city an up-and-coming tourist destination.

The main attractions of Quito, which caters for all tastes, are its colonial centre, magnificent churches, cobblestone streets and quaint squares.

QUITO, April 13 (Reuters) – Peppered with parks and crafts
markets, Quito’s status as a UNESCO world heritage site and its
sweeping Andean panoramas have made this highland city an
up-and-coming tourist destination.

The main attractions of Quito, which caters for all tastes,
are its colonial center, magnificent churches, cobblestone
streets and quaint squares.

QUITO, March 21 (Reuters) – Ecuador’s President Rafael
Correa insisted on Thursday he will push ahead with plans to
develop large-scale mining, seeking to ride out the arrival in
Quito of ind igenous de monstrators who fear their lands will be
wrecked.

Indigenous protesters have been marching for weeks to reach
the capital, where thousands took over streets waving flags and
shouting slogans. Some had their faces painted black and held
wooden spears, while others wore the colorful ponchos typical of
the Andean highlands.

QUITO, March 21 (Reuters) – An anti-mining indigenous march
neared Ecuador’s capital Quito on Wednesday, underlining the
threat protests could pose to President Rafael Correa’s plans to
develop large-scale mining with foreign investors.

Organizers say thousands of protesters have joined the march
on-and-off – some wearing feathered headpieces, others carrying
wooden spears – since it began from the Amazon region two weeks.