Colombia, ELN rebels to begin peace talks in Ecuador - Reuters

The Colombian government will begin formal peace talks with leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, moving the country a step closer to ending its five-decade-old conflict, the two sides said in joint statement on Wednesday.

The Ecuador-based negotiations, which were announced by the leaders of the peace delegations in Caracas, Venezuela, will begin within two months.

Colombia and the ELN, the Andean nation's second-largest guerrilla group, have been in preliminary talks for over two years. The group recently freed two hostages, which President Juan Manuel Santos had demanded as a condition for the start of formal talks.

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Colombia doctor reports first case of Zika-linked microcephaly - Reuters

The first case of birth defect microcephaly linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus has appeared in Colombia, a doctor said on Friday, although the national health institute said it had no information on the case and could not confirm it.

Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly, a condition defined by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems.

Colombia, seen as a key test case of the impact of the virus, has 42,706 cases of Zika, including 7,653 pregnant women.

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What's a river worth? - World Wildlife magazine

Early in the morning, the Orinoco River looks more like a mirror than a bustling lifeline. Soft pinks and purples hang from wispy clouds, turning two boats’ joint wake into a riffling painter’s palette. The expedition members—which include a local boat captain, a Colombian conservationist, a US-based academic, and a water resources engineer from WWF—cling to the metal rims of their vessels, staring intensely at the horizon.

Pffft! A soft mist spurts into the air, as a pinkish-gray river dolphin surfaces, poking its elongated snout and smooth head out of the water. Appraising its surroundings with beady black eyes, it takes in the human visitors floating nearby before disappearing back beneath the opaque waters. Several tail fins follow, slapping the river’s surface with a splash.

“They’re hunting,” says Sindy Martinez Callejas, the conservationist guiding the boats on behalf of the Omacha Foundation, an environmental nonprofit working throughout Colombia. She points to one with notches in its fin. “That one was caught in a boat motor, which gave him those unique scars.”

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Colombia's forecast on Zika-linked birth defect may be too high says health minister - Reuters

Colombia, seen as a key test case for the impacts of a Zika outbreak, is reconsidering its own forecast of babies likely to be born with a rare birth defect linked to the mosquito-borne virus, indicating that it may be too high.

In an interview, Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria suggested the Andean nation may revise downward its projection of 500 to 600 cases of Zika-linked microcephaly, as the condition, marked by an abnormally small head, has not yet shown up in fetal ultrasounds.

That forecast would represent a fivefold spike in the number of Colombian microcephaly cases seen on average each year.

"We're doubting that figure. We're analyzing what's happening in Brazil, but between when we released the estimate and now we haven't found a single case of microcephaly," Gaviria said. "The extrapolation of Brazil's figures to Colombia, which is how we got the projection, now doesn't seem reasonable."

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Zika virus sparks abortion debate in Latin America - KPCC Los Angeles

The spread of the Zika virus has prompted an urgent debate about abortion in Latin America. The region has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, leaving women with few options if they wish to terminate a pregnancy.

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