BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Forty-six days after leaving his native Pasto, Gustavo Moncayo arrived in Bogotá with nothing more than a white t-shirt bearing a picture of his son, a metal chain draped across his chest and a walking stick. Together with his two daughters, Moncayo walked over 1,000 kilometers to raise awareness and pressure the Colombian government and the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to negotiate the release of his son and hundreds of other victims kidnapped by the guerrillas. Many FARC hostages have been held for years, including former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. [...]
Before the United States and India can consummate their nuclear pact, a major hurdle remains: The guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) prohibit nuclear export to countries that, like India, lack full-scope safeguards. Many expected that, at Washington’s behest, the NSG would rubber stamp an exception for India — until Beijing hinted again this week that it might block such a rules change. The Nuclear Suppliers Group, a cartel of 45 nuclear fuel producing countries that coordinate export controls to non-nuclear-weapon states, is little known outside of nonproliferation circles but plays a critical role in limiting access to uranium [...]
WASHINGTON – Eight leaky patrol boats are at the heart of a bitter dispute between the Coast Guard and its former partners in the defense industry as the nation’s smallest military service struggles to update an antiquated fleet on a tight budget. In April, Adm. Thad Allen, Coast Guard commandant, announced at a press briefing that the service would decommission the eight patrol boats, worth around $100 million combined, just months after the first emerged from extensive work at a Northrop Grumman shipyard that included lengthening the hull by 13 feet. The lead vessel’s hull buckled on its maiden voyage, [...]
