The Andes

Colombia: ex-senator sentenced in Uribe bribery scheme

Former Colombian Senator Teodolindo Avendaño was sentenced to eight years house arrest for not voting on the measure that allowed the 2006 re-election of President Alvaro Uribe in exchange for favors.

The Andes

Colombian para operative sentenced in Texas

Colombian paramilitary operative Diego Alberto RuĂ­z was sentenced in Houston, TX, for trying to acquire anti-aircraft missiles and other powerful weapons for $25 million worth of cocaine.

The Andes

Venezuela: oil slump stalls economic growth

Venezuela’s economic growth is at a virtual stand-still, as the price of oil has dropped from an average of $87 per barrel last year to an average $42 per barrel so far in 2009.

The Andes

Colombia: pyramid victims kidnap nine

A total of nine people have been kidnapped in Colombia by victims of pyramid schemes trying to recoup their losses. Kidnappings rose in Colombia in the second half of 2008, as the pyramids collapsed.