About 300 troops have been sent to the northern city of Fortaleza to tackle a surge in criminal violence, authorities said. Soldiers will patrol there and across the state of Ceará in a bid to halt attacks on shops, banks and buses. The justice ministry ordered the special deployment after dozens of attacks this week. […]

Tales of the tower of skulls which struck fear into the hearts of Spanish conquistadors have been passed down through the generations in Mexico. Said to be the heads of defeated warriors, contemporary accounts describe tens of thousands of skulls looming over the soldiers – a reminder of what would happen if they did not […]

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he is “deeply concerned” about the increased production of coca leaf, the raw material for cocaine, in Colombia. At a meeting with Colombian President Ivan Duque, Mr Pompeo said the two countries would try to reduce coca production by 50% by 2023. Colombia has already vowed to step […]

The United Nations says 85 former Farc rebels have been killed in Colombia since the group signed a peace accord with the government two years ago. Most of the murders were by illegal armed groups and drug gangs fighting over former Farc territories, UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a report. Mr Guterres urged Colombian […]

Ever since Reddy Guaygua was a boy, he dreamt of discovering hidden ruins. Born in Mapiri, 130km (80 miles) north of La Paz in Bolivia, he was the only person from his small town to study archaeology. “My goal was to work in the villages, visit their archaeological sites and work in them,” he says. […]

The main target in the operation was Oscar Perez, who stole a helicopter and attacked government buildings in June. Venezuelan officials say several people have been killed in a police operation to arrest a fugitive ex-officer who stole a police helicopter and attacked government buildings six months ago. A former elite police officer and a […]

Peace talks with the armed group in trouble as government orders back negotiators following a series of attacks. Colombia has withdrawn negotiators from Ecuador, bringing an abrupt end to year-long peace talks between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN). The move follows a series of attacks on government targets on Wednesday just […]

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol confirmed Oscar Perez was killed together with six of his accomplices. Venezuelan police have killed a former police officer who had been on the run after stealing a helicopter and attacking government buildings six months ago, according to officials. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol confirmed on Twitter on Tuesday that Oscar Perez […]

Many activists vanished during the 1970s and their remains were never found. Chile is due to open its first memorial to the members of the Mapuche indigenous minority, killed during the country’s period of military dictatorship. Many activists vanished during the 1970s and their remains were never found. Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman reports from Temuco […]

Venezuela’s economy is in freefall. Hyperinflation, power cuts, and food and medicine shortages are driving millions of Venezuelans out of the country. Many are blaming President Nicolás Maduro and his government for the dire state the nation is in. Here, BBC News takes a closer look at how Venezuela’s economy descended into its current crisis. […]