Hostages stuck in jungle; guerrillas, army blame each other
Reuters Jan 1, 08 4:18 AM CST
(Newser)
-
A Venezuela-brokered deal to rescue three hostages from Colombian rebels has fallen apart, Reuters reports. The leftist FARC rebels blamed the deal's failure on stepped-up Colombian army operations in the area and refused to relinquish hostages "due to fear for their safety and the safety of members involved in the operation," said a statement by the guerrillas.
More »
Director Oliver Stone joins operation
in push for freedom
CNN Dec 30, 07 7:00 AM CST
(Newser)
-
An expected hostage release negotiated by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez with Colombian leftist rebels failed to materialize yesterday, setting the stage for a more dramatic event today as Latin American politicians and diplomats—and Hollywood film director Oliver Stone—joined rescuers and officials waiting for the rebels' next move, reports CNN.
More »
Chavez sends choppers into jungle
BBC Dec 29, 07 9:52 AM CST
(Newser)
-
Helicopters sent by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez to rescue hostages from Colombian rebels have landed at the edge of a Colombian wilderness and are awaiting a go-ahead from the rebels, the BBC reports. Guerrillas plan to release two women, seized more than five years ago, and a young boy fathered in captivity. International observers shadowing the operation include filmmaker Oliver Stone.
More »
US market tumbles as mobsters flourish
Los Angeles Times Dec 27, 07 4:44 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Europe is gaining a foothold in the world’s cocaine trade, elbowing out the US as the largest market thanks to the bravado of one Italian crime syndicate. The ‘Ndrangheta mafia, based in the hills of southern Italy, has won prominence by dealing directly with Colombian kingpins and shunning the spotlight, the LA Times reports. The syndicate of 155 families has assets totaling $50 billion.
More »
Ready to get Colombian captives, including boy born in jungle
CNN Dec 27, 07 5:30 AM CST
(Newser)
-
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said today that three of the hostages being held by the Colombian rebel group FARC could be freed within hours. Chávez has received permission from the Colombian government to enter its airspace and retrieve the captives. The captives who might be freed will not include the high-profile Ingrid Betancourt, the French-Colombian former presidential candidate.
More »
Guerrillas will release under Chavez plan
Reuters Dec 26, 07 5:48 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Three hostages held for more than five years by Marxist guerrillas will soon go free after Colombia agreed today to a handover plan engineered by Hugo Chavez, Reuters reports. Venezuelan planes and helicopters will pick up Clara Rojas, a former vice presidential candidate kidnapped in 2002; the young son she had in captivity; and a former lawmaker.
More »
Seized tapes shows Americans & French pol
Associated Press Nov 30, 07 4:39 AM CST
(Newser)
-
American hostages and a French-Colombian politician are apparently still alive in South America years after they were kidnapped by Marxist rebels, according to dramatic tapes just released by the Colombian government. Three American security contractors whose plane went down in 2003 are seen looking haggard against a jungle backdrop. Politician Ingrid Betancourt appears gaunt and apparently in chains.
More »
Puts brakes on bilateral ties over talks with rebels
BBC Nov 26, 07 4:56 AM CST
(Newser)
-
Venezuela's volatile President Hugo Chavez says he is freezing ties with neighboring Colombia, insulted by Bogota's decision to ditch Chavez as a negotiator with Marxist guerrillas who have been holding hostages for years. Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe accused Chavez of favoring the rebels and overstepping his authority. Chavez called the move "a spit in the face" and labeled Uribe a liar, the BBC reports.
More »
Colombian prez says
he overstepped boundaries
Reuters Nov 22, 07 7:32 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Colombia ended Hugo Chavez's try at freeing 45 hostages from Marxist rebels today, Reuters reports. The Venezuelan prez had been brokering their release for weeks when he apparently breached protocol by talking to a Colombian general. "Can you imagine (Russia's president) calling the chairman of the U.S. chiefs of staff and asking about things?" said one analyst. "That is jumping chains of command."
More »
Online VBS.tv sticks with mag’s ‘raw’ aesthetic, is a training ground for TV content
New York Times Nov 19, 07 3:22 PM CST
(Newser)
-
MTV has put its hippest foot forward with VBS.tv, the online video channel run by Vice magazine’s editors. The web presence, originally pitched as “‘60 Minutes’ meets ‘Jackass,’” is a toehold in youth web programming, the Times reports. “Our aesthetic is raw,” said a VBS editor. “If they’re hung over, it’s part of the shoot.”
More »
Suit charges produce giant helped arm paramilitary 'terrorists'
CNN Nov 15, 07 5:42 AM CST
(Newser)
-
American produce giant Chiquita Brands is being sued by almost 400 Colombian families charging "torture and murder" of their loved ones on the company's watch, reports CNN. Earlier this year the company pleaded guilty to aiding a Colombian paramilitary group considered a terrorist organization by the US. The $7.86 billion lawsuit, filed yesterday in New York, alleges that the company actually facilitated arms shipments to the group.
More »
Slams executive compensation as 'unfair'
Wall Street Journal Oct 12, 07 6:20 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
President Bush believes many Americans have lost confidence that they can compete in the world economy and he plans to champion his free trade agenda in the final months of his presidency, he told the Wall Street Journal . Bush also criticized excessive executive compensation, saying some salaries "send a signal of unfairness" and add to worries about the economy.
More »
Mistrial declared in
US drug-trafficking case against FARC leader
Reuters Oct 5, 07 3:35 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The US Justice Department was unable to gain a conviction against Colombian rebel leader Ricardo Palmera, Reuters reports, with a judge declaring a mistrial yesterday after jurors deadlocked on a drug-trafficking charge. Palmera, captured in Colombia in 2004, was convicted in July in a 2003 kidnapping of American contractors, but jurors could not reach a verdict on four other counts.
More »
Aid package would signal new level of cooperation
Washington Post Aug 8, 07 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Bush administration will send hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Mexico to combat drug cartels in a deal that's on the verge of approval, the Washington Post reports. The package, which would include equipment and training for anti-drug teams, represents a new level of cooperation. "The days of the finger-pointing are over," says a senior Republican aide.
More »