Shakira sings for hostages' freedom

Shakira led the way for her compatriots as Colombians came out to demonstrate for the freedom of the remaining hostages held by leftist rebels. Well over a million Colombians, clad in white and shouting 'No more kidnapping', marked their independence day with marches and concerts demanding freedom for the remaining detainees.

Demonstrators chanted Libertad! - the Spanish word for freedom - in rallies across the Andean nation and in some 40 cities abroad, including Paris, London, Miami, Beijing, Sydney and New York. It was the second nationwide mobilisation this year against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

In the jungle border city of Leticia, native daughter Shakira performed after singing the national anthem at a military parade presided over by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, with the presidents of Brazil and Peru attending.

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Shakira meets Betancourt in Paris

Shakira is currently recording her new album in London and Betancourt is in Paris recovering after being held in the Colombian jungle by the FARC for six years.

Both women will be involved coming Sunday in a worldwide protest against the FARC. Betancourt, together with Colombian pop star Juanes, will head the march held in Paris. Shakira will hold a concert on the Colombian border with Peru and Brazil.

news source : http://colombiareports.com/

Shakira, other Latin pop stars vow to fight on for hostages

Shakira, other Latin pop stars vow to fight on for hostages BOGOTA (AFP) — Colombian singing sensation Shakira and nine other Latin music stars vowed Monday to keep fighting for the release of hostages held by Colombian rebels after 15 captives were freed last week.

The musicians, from Spanish singers Alejandro Sanz and Miguel Bose to Colombian pop stars Juanes and Carlos Vives, made their pledge in a letter to the 15 ex-hostages, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt. "We will continue until we see all of them free," the letter says. "Our eyes and lips will not rest until we see and kiss those who remain captives of those without conscience."

The letter is also signed by David Bisbal, Juan Fernando Velasco, Ricardo Montaner, Paulina Rubio and Juan Luis Guerra. The same group of artists had promoted a peace concert at the Colombian-Venezuelan in March amid fears of a regional conflict pitting Colombia against Venezuela and Ecuador. Last Wednesday, the Colombian military rescued Betancourt, three US nationals and 11 Colombians who had been held hostages by the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for years.

The guerrilla group still holds an estimated 700 hostages for ransom as well as 24 high-profile captives whom the FARC considers "political prisoners," a group that Betancourt and the Americans used to belong to.

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Vedder to play Massey Hall

Eddie Vedder, the lead singer for Pearl Jam, will be at Toronto's Massey Hall on Aug. 12 and 13 and in Montreal on Aug. 9 for the second leg of his solo tour. Tickets, from $75, go on sale July 11 through Ticketmaster. The '70s rock troupe Bad Company will reunite for a one-off show on Aug. 8 at the Seminole Hard Rock & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., the group's first performance since 1999. Shakira is joining Madonna and others in signing a contract with promotion giant Live Nation, worth an estimated $70 million to $100 million.

Sacha Baron Cohen will star as Sherlock Holmes and Will Ferrell as his assistant Watson in a film comedy inspired by tales of the fictional English sleuth, Columbia Pictures said. Actor Wesley Snipes will be allowed to leave the U.S. for London and Bangkok to work on two movies while his lawyers appeal his tax convictions, a judge ruled yesterday. Rap star DMX was arrested for failing to appear in court, failure to pay fines and driving without a licence at a Phoenix airport yesterday, adding to legal woes that include drug possession and animal cruelty charges. The show will go on. The Actors' Equity Association and the Broadway League, which represents New York producers and theatre owners, reached a tentative agreement yesterday, averting the possibility of a strike. The 39-month contract would increase compensation for actors by 11 1/4 per cent.

news source : http://www.thestar.com/