Colombia – News Stories About Colombia - Page 15

Feb 5, 2008 3:19 AM CST

Thousands Protest Colombia Rebels

Movement harnesses Facebook in mass rally

(Newser) - In a mammoth Facebook-inspired protest, as many as 2 million demonstrators flooded the streets of Bogota yesterday, and thousands more marched in other parts of Colombia and nearly 100 cities worldwide as people called for an end to Colombia's guerrilla group FARC. "No more kidnapping, no more lies, no...

Chavez Linked to Columbian Drug Trade

Feb 3, 2008 2:19 PM CST

Chavez Linked to Columbian Drug Trade

FARC guerrillas run cocaine through Venezuela

(Newser) - Hugo Chavez recently grabbed headlines by brokering the release of two women held hostage by FARC, Colombia's guerrilla rebels. But Chavez was no neutral mediator: FARC operates openly in Venezuela, and even hand-in-hand with government agencies, both to wage war in Colombia and smuggle Colombian cocaine into Europe, the Guardian ...

Colombia's FARC to Free 3 More Hostages

Feb 3, 2008 1:00 PM CST

Colombia's FARC to Free 3 More Hostages

Health reasons, Chavez's diplomatic role cited in release

(Newser) - Colombia’s FARC rebel group will release three lawmakers for health reasons after more than 6 years in captivity, the BBC reports. Taking a pointed side in the dispute between Hugo Chavez and Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, the rebels said in a statement to local media that they were releasing...

Bush: Trade Key to US Recovery

Jan 31, 2008 11:21 AM CST

Bush: Trade Key to US Recovery

Prez urges quick action on international deals, offers help to affected workers

(Newser) - Saying "free trade means good-paying jobs for Americans," President Bush yesterday urged Congress to approve proposed deals with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, the core of a trade agenda he feels can revitalize a shaky US economy. Bush also offered to help lawmakers reshape benefits for workers who...

Village Flees Colombia Volcano

Jan 18, 2008 8:52 AM CST

Village Flees Colombia Volcano

About 8,000 village residents evacuate; no injuries reported

(Newser) - A volcano erupted in southwestern Colombia last night, lighting up the night sky with lava and throwing volcanic ash miles into the sky. The mayor ordered the evacuation of the 8,000 or so people who live near Mount Galeras, but one seismologist said that most of the city is...

Letters Bare Misery of Colombian Captives

Jan 17, 2008 9:53 AM CST

Letters Bare Misery of Colombian Captives

Remaining hostages reveal life chained by neck and suffering from jungle fevers

(Newser) - Eight captives left behind with Colombian rebels describe a miserable existence chained by the neck and suffering excruciating diseases in letters carried out last week by two freed hostages. One weakened captive, a police officer, describes "dragging myself " through the jungle "with only my arms because I...

Colombian Hostage Reunited
With Son

Jan 14, 2008 4:50 AM CST

Colombian Hostage Reunited With Son

Rojas meets child rebels took from her

(Newser) - A Colombian woman held captive for nearly six years by rebels was reunited yesterday with the son she had as a hostage. Clara Rojas' baby, Emmanuel, fathered by one of the rebels, was taken from her when he was just eight months old, suffering from a broken arm and a...

Colombian Hostages
Joyfully Return to Families

UPDATED

Jan 10, 2008 9:25 PM CST

Colombian Hostages Joyfully Return to Families

Chavez receives pair at presidential palace

(Newser) - Two freed hostages are back with their families tonight after years of captivity in the Colombian jungle, CNN reports. "We are being reborn!" said Clara Rojas as she was reunited with her elderly mother in Venezuela. "This is like living again," said her fellow former hostage,...

Director Rips Bush in Colombia Hostage Drama

Jan 7, 2008 3:40 AM CST

Director Rips Bush in Colombia Hostage Drama

Rescue undermined by US, says Stone

(Newser) - Maverick Hollywood director Oliver Stone had a front-row seat on the scene of the failed hostage rescue mission in Colombia last month—and has returned blaming that nation's government and President Bush. "Shame on Bush,” Stone told the Guardian. Colombian rebels reneged on a deal to free two...

Rebels Admit They Don't Have Hostage Boy

Jan 5, 2008 6:45 AM CST

Rebels Admit They Don't Have Hostage Boy

Farc captive to have been freed in deal was in Bogota foster home

(Newser) - Rebels in Colombia have acknowledged that the 3-year-old boy in foster care in Bogota is Emmanuel, the son of one of the hostages they are holding and the focus of a much-publicized release that fell through last week. Farc rebels had announced the release of Emmanuel, his mother Clara Rojas,...

DNA Tests
Show Rebels Don't Have Colombian Boy

Jan 4, 2008 4:36 PM CST

DNA Tests Show Rebels Don't Have Colombian Boy

Alleged hostage is actually in foster care

(Newser) - DNA tests all but confirmed today that a 3-year-old boy Colombian rebels had pledged to include in a hostage-release deal has actually been in foster care since 2005. The group FARC negotiated the release of Emmanuel Rojas—born to a female hostage and her rebel captor—with Hugo Chavez; the...

Colombia Prez: Rebels Don't Have Hostage's Love Child

Jan 2, 2008 10:29 AM CST

Colombia Prez: Rebels Don't Have Hostage's Love Child

DNA to determine if boy is orphan in custody

(Newser) - Relatives of FARC hostage Clara Rojas yesterday underwent DNA testing to determine whether a boy surrendered to a Bogota orphanage 2 years ago is her 3-year-old son, as Colombian president Alvaro Uribe contends. Uribe yesterday said FARC rebels couldn't release Emmanuel Rojas, along with his mother and another hostage, as...

Colombian Rescue Deal Collapses

Jan 1, 2008 4:18 AM CST

Colombian Rescue Deal Collapses

Hostages stuck in jungle; guerrillas, army blame each other

(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...

Colombia Hostage
Rescue Stalls

Dec 30, 2007 7:00 AM CST

Colombia Hostage Rescue Stalls

Director Oliver Stone joins operation in push for freedom

(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...

Mission Begins to Rescue Hostages
in Colombia

Dec 29, 2007 9:52 AM CST

Mission Begins to Rescue Hostages in Colombia

Chavez sends choppers into jungle

(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...

Italian Syndicate Quietly Rules Europe's Cocaine Trade

Dec 27, 2007 4:44 PM CST

Italian Syndicate Quietly Rules Europe's Cocaine Trade

US market tumbles as mobsters flourish

(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...

Hostages Could Be Free in Hours: Chávez

Dec 27, 2007 5:30 AM CST

Hostages Could Be Free in Hours: Chávez

Ready to get Colombian captives, including boy born in jungle

(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...

Venezuela
To Pick Up Hostages
in Colombia

Dec 26, 2007 5:48 PM CST

Venezuela To Pick Up Hostages in Colombia

Guerrillas will release under Chavez plan

(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...

Yank Hostages Still Alive Years After Kidnap
in Colombia

Nov 30, 2007 4:39 AM CST

Yank Hostages Still Alive Years After Kidnap in Colombia

Seized tapes shows Americans & French pol

(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...

Chavez Freezes Out Colombia

Nov 26, 2007 4:56 AM CST

Chavez Freezes Out Colombia

Puts brakes on bilateral ties over talks with rebels

(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...