Saturday, January 8, 2011

Colombia extends state of emergency due to rains - AlertNet

Colombia extends state of emergency due to rains - AlertNet: "BOGOTA, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Thursday that the government had extended a temporary state of emergency for an additional 20 days due to heavy rains that have battered the Andean nation.

Downpours and floods in Colombia have caused up to $5.2 billion in damages and the government plans to raise additional money by modifying some taxes and selling shares in state firms among other measures."