Colombia

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3 FARC Hostages Rescued in Colombian Raid

(Newser) - Colombian security forces have rescued two senior police officers and a soldier who had been held hostage by Marxist rebels for almost 12 years. Gen. Luis Mendieta, Col. Enrique Murillo and Sgt. Arbey Delgado were freed from a guerrilla camp in Guaviare in a raid by some 300 troops. Patrols...

Alzheimer's Plagues Generations of Extended Clan

Their plight might yield a breakthrough

(Newser) - A large extended family in the mountains of Colombia has the misfortune of a genetic mutation that makes members prone to early onset Alzheimer's in their 40s. The New York Times pays a visit and explains how scientists have begun what could be a groundbreaking study to see whether providing...

Colombian Narco-Beauty Queen Busted

Cops: Model was ringleader of drug trafficking gang

(Newser) - Colombia's one-time Coffee Queen became queen bee of a gang that recruited models to smuggle cocaine from South America to Europe, police say. Angie Sanclemente Valencia was busted in Argentina yesterday after being on the run for 5 months, the BBC reports. Valencia, 30, was stripped of her title in...

Chocolate-Lover Busted for Cocaine-Filled Truffles

Turns out the guy had more than a sweet tooth

(Newser) - Guess it looked like a sweet deal to Robert Lopera. That is, before customs officials stopped the American at JFK Airport and took a close look at the heavy bags of chocolate truffles and pistachios he was toting on his return from Colombia. Turns out the truffles were cocaine balls...

Bogota Tanks Move on Rioting Metallica Fans

160 busted after ticketless fans swarm concert

(Newser) - It took four tanks and 1,500 riot police armed with water cannons and tear gas to quell rioting heavy metal fans outside a Metallica concert in the Colombian capital. Somne 160 people were busted and 8 injured after hundreds of ticketless fans tried to crash the concert, the Herald ...

'Dead' Woman Wakes Up at Funeral Home

Colombian, 45, moves arm just before being embalmed

(Newser) - A Colombian woman declared dead of a heart attack moved one of her arms just as an undertaker was about to embalm her, doctors said today. Noelia Serna, 45, was rushed to a hospital in the city of Cali, where she was in critical condition in an intensive care unit....

Colombian Rebels Kill Governor

Kidnap victim Cuellar found with throat cut

(Newser) - A Colombian provincial governor snatched from his home Monday has been found dumped dead on a country road. Police believe leftist guerrillas cut Luis Francisco Cuellar's throat as they fled from security forces. Rebels dressed in military uniforms killed one policeman and wounded two others when they seized Cuellar from...

Chavez Masses Troops at Colombia Border

Leader warns Venezuelans to 'prepare for war'

(Newser) - Hugo Chavez has told the Venezuelan people to "prepare for war" and ordered 15,000 troops to the Colombian border. The leader told his soldiers to "defend this sacred nation called Venezuela," and accused Colombia of conspiring with the US to invade and grab the country's oil...

US Cops Nab International Chameleon Conman

Smooth-talking Colombian scammed luxury hotels in many countries

(Newser) - A Colombian fraudster wanted in seven countries has been arrested after entering the US from Canada on a phony passport. Juan Carlos Guzman-Betancourt, known to have at least 10 aliases, made his living scamming luxury hotels, often pretending to be a guest who had forgotten the combination to his safe...

Hippo Hunt Divides Colombia
 Hippo Hunt Divides Colombia 
Sep 11, 2009 10:59 AM CDT

Hippo Hunt Divides Colombia

Animal rights groups decry containment plan

(Newser) - Pepe the Hippo has become a divisive figure in Colombia. When the animal escaped from his birthplace near Pablo Escobar’s pleasure palace, the government and some environmentalists organized an intense hunt that eventually ended when a team of more than a dozen soldiers killed the runaway beast. But some...

Colombian Prez Comes Down With Swine Flu

(Newser) - President Alvaro Uribe has the swine flu and officials are contacting other South American governments whose leaders attended a recent summit along with the Colombia leader, authorities said today. The 57-year-old Uribe began feeling symptoms Friday, the same day as a meeting of South American presidents in Bariloche, Argentina, and...

Colombia Gunmen Slaughter 12 on Indian Reservation

(Newser) - Hooded men killed 12 indigenous victims this morning in a Colombian region notorious for coca plantations and armed rebel activity, BBC reports. At least four children were among family members killed in a dawn raid on an Awa tribal reservation, where both Marxist and right-wing rebels are active. The gunmen...

Venezuela Arming FARC Rebels: Stolen Emails

(Newser) - Despite frequent denials by President Hugo Chavez, it seems Venezuela is still arming Colombian rebels on the sly, the New York Times reports. Computer files captured from FARC rebels reveal Venezuela's efforts to get them missiles, sniper rifles, radios, and Venezuelan identity cards. This after Chavez froze relations with Colombia...

Five Leaders Who Liked Bush Better
Five Leaders Who Liked Bush Better
analysis
Jul 11, 2009 5:12 AM CDT

Five Leaders Who Liked Bush Better

(Newser) - Not all foreign leaders prefer Barack Obama to George W. Bush. Joshua Keating of Foreign Policy lists five heads of state who probably miss Dubya:
  • Silvio Berlusconi. "The conservative Christian from Texas and the lecherous billionaire" were good buddies; Bush hosted the Italian president often at his ranch
...

As Guerrillas Flee, Bird Watchers Flock to Colombia

(Newser) - Colombia’s guerrilla forces have suffered major setbacks in recent years, and bird lovers are singing a happy tune, the Wall Street Journal reports. Last month saw the return of Steven Hilty, the man who literally wrote the book on Colombian bird watching, after a more than 20-year absence. Another...

Drug-Smuggling Subs Go High-Tech

(Newser) - It's not a lark anymore: Miniature submarines now carry about a third of the cocaine smuggled into the US. With the numbers up, the Washington Post takes a look at how these so-called semi-submersibles have gotten more and more high-tech over the last 2 years. Authorities say sub builders are...

FARC Captive Recalls Horror of Jungle Birth

Rojas gave birth in captivity, then had son taken away

(Newser) - Clara Rojas was one of many prisoners who endured the misery of the Colombian jungle during her 6 years as a hostage of the FARC. But in 2003 her ordeal became almost unbearable: She discovered she was pregnant by one of her captors. "I knew I could die,"...

Colombia Nabs Top Drug Lord
 Colombia Nabs Top Drug Lord 
Apr 15, 2009 2:44 PM CDT

Colombia Nabs Top Drug Lord

US will seek to extradite Daniel Rendon

(Newser) - Colombian police nabbed their nation's top drug lord today, and the country's president "is breathing easy," a rep told AFP. Daniel Rendon, 43, alias Don Mario, had a $2 million price on his head after allegedly swapping drugs for weapons from leftist FARC rebels. Now that he's in...

For Afghan Success, Look to Colombia
 For Afghan Success, 
 Look to Colombia 
OPINION
Apr 5, 2009 11:11 AM CDT

For Afghan Success, Look to Colombia

Countries face similar troubles—and Colombians know how to fix them

(Newser) - When President Obama reviewed US strategy in Afghanistan, the lessons of Iraq were key. But a better comparison might be Colombia, where parallels abound—and where the government has handled insurgents with a fair bit of success, writes Scott Wilson in the Washington Post. Both Afghanistan and Colombia have faced...

García Márquez Finished With Writing: Agent

Giant of Latin American literature's oeuvre is complete

(Newser) - The world has probably already seen the complete work of Gabriel García Márquez, the Guardian reports. Friend and fellow author Plinion Apuleyo Mendoza said last year that the creator of magical realism was working on a new novel, but his agent recently quashed that rumor. "I don't...

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