Reporter assassinated in Colombia

Hooded gunmen have assassinated a Colombian newspaper and radio reporter while he and his family were watching a soccer game on TV.

Heriberto Cardenas, 52, was shot in the Pacific port of Buenaventura.

A nephew also died in a hail of gunfire from the four assassins who burst into the journalist's home. One of Cardenas' brothers was seriously wounded.

Police said they did not know who was behind the attack. No arrests have been made.

Cardenas was a radio reporter and correspondent for Colombia's two main newspapers, El Tiempo and El Espectador. But he had largely withdrawn from journalism one year ago, contributing only occasionally

Violence has spiraled in Buenaventura, Colombia's largest port, with the arrival of a right-wing paramilitary group battling leftist guerrillas in Colombia's 37-year war. Attacks by insurgents and drug traffickers have made the South American country one of the world's most dangerous places for journalists.

Four journalists from the southern state of Narino were placed in a federal protection program this week after receiving death threats from paramilitaries.