Shakira
John Vizcaino/Reuters/Landov
Cries of "Libertad!" ( the Spanish word for freedom ) resonated at demonstrations in more than 40 cities – including London, Paris, Beijing, Miami, Sydney and New York – the AFP news agency reports.
After singing the national anthem at a parade presided over by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Shakira marked the nation's independence day by performing a set in the city of Leticia, bordering the jungle.
The guerilla cadre Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has kidnapped an estimated 700 hostages; as many as 2,000 more are thought to be held by the National Liberation Army, another leftist group.
