Botched rescue
The week's news at a glance.
Brasília
France botched an attempt to rescue Ingrid Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate kidnapped in February 2002 by leftist rebels, Brazilian officials said this week. The Brazilian magazine Carta Capital reported that a French plane carrying a team of commandos landed in Brazil near the Colombian border on July 9. The plan quickly went awry when police detained members of the French team, thinking they were drug traffickers. Brazilian officials then became furious because they had not been consulted, and demanded an apology. France’s foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, said he had merely sent a plane to pick up Betancourt—who has dual Colombian-French citizenship—after reports surfaced that she was to be released. “Unfortunately,” he said, “it’s all a case of rumors.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 18, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - a rocky road, innovative legislation, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 arguably hilarious cartoons about the 2024 presidential debate
Cartoons Artists take on the candidates' age gap, sleepyheads, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: a solid summer blockbuster
The Week Recommends The big-money movie might be 'a bit silly' but the effects are excellent
By The Week UK Published