South America
Why would you go to Colombia?
IT’S a dangerous country where people can be kidnapped if they flag a taxi. So why would you go to Colombia for a holiday? This is why.
‘We went in posing as surfing mates’
IT’S a dangerous and desperate country hostile to the media. So Eric Campbell was forced to go undercover to find out how bad things are getting in Venezuela.
Win the dream for just $29
THIS Australian and Kiwi couple has spent the past 10 years building their idyllic home and business from scratch, and now they’re selling it all in a raffle.
Special Features
‘Gringo’ trap: Perils of Bogota
I WAS a naive 23-year-old in Bogota, just a year older than accused drug mule Cassie Sainsbury. I would have smiled, too. Now I look back and shiver.
Rape ‘common’ in Cassie’s jail
WOMAN-on-woman rape and drug-taking is rife inside the squalid jail where Cassie Sainsbury is being held.
Imprisoned Cassie’s sign from behind bars
ACCUSED drug mule Cassie Sainsbury has appeared outside her Colombian jail cell for the first time - along with a sign written in Spanish.
How cops knew Cassie was coming
IN AN explosive revelation, Colombian police have detailed more information about the tip-off that led to Cassie’s arrest.
Protester lit up in fireball
SHOCKING images out of Venezuela show a young protester on fire during anti-government protests that have claimed at least 35 lives in a month.
‘50 days’: Cassie’s cryptic post
ACCUSED cocaine smuggler Cassie Sainsbury made a prophetic Instagram post before embarking on her ill-fated world trip.
Cassie ‘was globetrotting before arrest’
CASSANDRA Sainsbury was reportedly at the end of an international trip that included five countries in six months when she was arrested in Colombia.
‘Her explanation is not credible’
A TOP Colombian cop and an expert in the South American drug trade have cast doubt on Cassie Sainsbury’s story, saying it’s unlikely she didn’t know about the cocaine in her luggage.
‘I don’t think she’s a drug mule’
THE father of a young Australian arrested on drugs charges in Colombia says he does not believe his daughter is guilty.
‘She’s the talk of the town at the moment’
LOCALS in the small town where Cassandra Sainsbury went to school have had plenty to talk about since her arrest in Colombia on drug charges.
Was Cassie’s suitcase a decoy?
AS CASSANDRA Sainsbury’s family defends her against doubters, an expert says she may have been used as a decoy.
Powerful earthquake rattles Chile
A MAJOR earthquake of magnitude 7.1 has struck off the west coast of Chile, rocking the capital Santiago and generating at least two significant aftershocks.
Socialist government seizes factories
GM has became the latest corporation to have a factory or other asset seized by the socialist government of Venezuela.
US preparing arrest charges for Assange
US authorities are reportedly preparing charges seeking the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Code names of crooked politicians
“VIAGRA”, “BMW”, “Dracula”. These politicians are so corrupt, one company set up an entire department to handle their bribes.
Ecuador’s warning to Julian Assange
A CHEEKY taunt to a politician who promised to expel the WikiLeaks founder from Ecuador has caused its incoming president to deliver a strong rebuke.
Assange taunts ‘losing’ politician
IT seems Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will stay in the Ecuador’s embassy in London after the politician who wanted him booted likely lost the country’s election.
‘There was no time for anything’
RESCUERS are racing against the clock to find missing people after mudslides kiilled more than 200 people in Colombia as they slept.
Cargo ship mysteriously vanishes
A CARGO ship carrying 22 people has disappeared in the South Atlantic, with two crew members found floating on a life raft.
Venezuela leader abandons power grab
VENEZUELA’S president and Supreme Court have abandoned plans to strip congress of its powers, which sparked fears the country was no longer a democracy.
Peru plane crash leaves trail of fire
INCREDIBLE vision has emerged of a passenger plane just moments after it crashed and burst into flames in Peru today.
Brazil’s stomach-churning scandal
THE world’s largest meat exporter has been hit with stomach-churning allegations inspectors were bribed to overlook the sale of rotten meat.
Killer goalie signs new soccer deal
A GOALIE who ordered the murder of his ex and that she be fed to his dogs has signed a two-year soccer deal just a month after leaving prison early.
Transgender woman begs for life
HARROWING footage has emerged of a transgender woman pleading for her life moments before she was beaten to death. WARNING: Graphic images
Man wins bet, dies minutes later
HE WON $630 in a nightclub tequila chugging game, but just minutes later, 23-year-old Kelvin Meja paid the ultimate price.
The man who killed 3000
AUSTRALIAN Rusty Young tracked down a man he calls a “psychopathic mass murderer”. Before they met in person, he had to ask one important question.
Pele’s son given lengthy jail time
THE son of one of the greatest footballers of all time will spend the next 13 years behind bars after being convicted of serious crimes in Brazil.
Trump’s war on anonymous sources
US President Donald Trump doesn’t like the media — especially its use of anonymous sources — and he’s vowed to do something about it.
Assange’s Ecuador asylum appears safe
THE future of Australia’s Julian Assange appeared to be safe in Ecuador, where the President’s hand-picked candidate was headed to victory.
Cop killed in anti-bullfight protest
A BLAST near a bullring in the Colombian capital of Bogota has left one cop dead and 30 people injured ahead of anti-bullfighting protests.
Ecuador candidate wants Assange out
ECUADOR’S lead opposition candidate is vowing to remove Wikileaks founder Julian Assange from the nation’s London embassy.
Gunship kills Mexican cartel leader
MEXICO has taken a literal approach to its war on drugs, killing a major cartel leader — and 11 henchmen — in a helicopter gunship attack.
Anarchy in streets as police go on strike
THE murder rate has soared in this city in the space of days and lawlessness officially rules the streets after police walked off the job.
The nation of broke millionaires
VENEZUELA may now be the country in the world with the most millionaires. Unfortunately, that money isn’t worth much anywhere else in the world.
Cancer kids ‘given water, not chemo’
IN WHAT he described as a ‘brutal sin’, a Mexican Governor has accused state-run hospitals of giving gave sick children water instead of chemotherapy treatments.
Three inmates beheaded in jail riot
A HORRIFIC bout of violence blamed on gang rivalries has led to the deaths of 27 inmates at a Brazilian prison.
Assassination attempt caught on film
THIS is the chilling moment a would-be killer wearing a wig and disguise calmly fires at a US consular official in Mexico.
Another 33 prisoners killed in riot
DAYS after 60 inmates were killed at two Brazilian prison come reports of another 33 deaths at a facility in the country’s north.
Woman killed by ants after mob justice
A BOLIVIAN woman has died after she was tied to a tree infested with poisonous ants by an angry mob accusing her of theft.
Inmate taunts cops with selfies
A PRISONER on the run after a prison riot in Brazil, in which at least 60 inmates were killed, has been taunting police with selfies on Facebook.
‘It was a crime of passion’
GREECE’S ambassador to Brazil was murdered in a secret plot hatched by his wife and her police officer lover, who confessed.
Tinder date woman’s horrific end
A WOMAN, who met a man on Tinder, was killed after she allegedly refused to have sex. Her accused killer tried to make her vanish.
Strong earthquake hits Chile
A MAGNITUDE 7.7 earthquake has struck southern Chile, ripping up roads and bridges, however there have been no reports of any injuries or deaths.
Five dead as plane misses takeoff
DRAMATIC footage shows the moment a cargo plane crashed in north-east Colombia shortly after take-off, killing five people.
Horror bungee death captured on video
A BRAZILIAN man has plunged to his death when a seemingly normal bungee jump went horribly wrong. WARNING: Graphic video
Ecuador rocked by deadly earthquake
A 5.7 MAGNITUDE earthquake followed by 37 aftershocks rattled Ecuador’s Pacific coast before dawn, causing three deaths and heavy damage.
Cash crackdown ‘a triumph’
VENEZUELA’S president said Sunday that the sudden decision to scrap the country’s most-used currency bill was an economic triumph.
Drug raid ‘Santa’ video goes viral
AN UNDERCOVER police officer dressed up as Santa has been filmed raiding traffickers and dealers in the Peruvian capital of Lima.
Socialist Santa seizes sackful of gifts
WELCOME to Venezuela, where a basket of groceries costs a month’s wages and the government confiscates millions of toys to play Santa at Christmas.
Colombia’s president accepts Nobel prize
COLOMBIAN President Juan Manuel Santos has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the 52-year conflict with left-wing rebels.
Woman at centre of plane crash twist
A WOMAN accused of approving the doomed flight that killed 71 on board has fled to Brazil as the investigation takes a surprising turn.
Airline too broke to be flying
A JET which crashed in the Andes last week, wiping out a Brazilian football team, had a dark economic past which is only now being fully understood.
Brazil mourns lost football team
THE bodies of players from a Brazilian football team killed in a plane crash have arrived home for a massive funeral.
Did search for video game cause plane crash?
THE plane that crashed in Colombia ran out of fuel because it was delayed searching for a passenger’s video game.
Colombia crash airline shut down
THE Bolivian airline behind the Colombia crash that killed 71 people including a top Brazilian football team has lost its permit.
Tragic video reveals pilot’s pride
HEARTBREAKING video shows the rookie co-pilot’s excitement just hours before the plane crash that killed 71 people.
What it was like taking down Pablo
PABLO Escobar trafficked bulks of cocaine into the US and now the man who took him down reveals his biggest fear when hunting the drug kingpin.
Fans mourn: ‘The city is devastated’
THOUSANDS of fans, and players who were not on a flight that crashed killing their teammates, have gathered at the Chapecoense football stadium to grieve the dead.
Comedian under fire for crash ‘joke’
AN AUSTRALIAN comedian has been forced to apologise after he tweeted an off-colour joke about a plane crash that killed 71 people.
Footballer was going to be a dad
MOVING video has emerged from a week ago of the moment a Brazilian footballer killed in the Colombian plane crash found out he was to become a dad.
Goalie died ‘after call to wife’
A GOALIE who initially survived the plane crash that killed 71 people called his wife from the hospital, only to die moments later.
‘We hope they bring us good luck’
STAFF of the Brazilian football club wiped out in a deadly crash previously praised the airline, saying it brought them good fortune when it flew them last month.
Inside Castro’s monumental lies
CUBANS were sold an incredible story about their famously frugal dictator. But while they starved, Castro hid his secret.
Fidel Castro dead at 90
CUBA’S former leader Fidel Castro is dead at the 90, according to the country’s state-run broadcaster.
An arachnophobe’s worst nightmare
THIS is the skin-crawling moment a spider as big as a turtle terrified a group of tourists as it scurried out of a bush and straight towards them.
El Chapo’s ‘lovemaking time’ slashed
ADVOCATES for drug kingpin Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman say he is living in ‘constant anguish’ in his Mexican jail cell after his conjugal visits were cut.
New virus mutates for urban life
ZIKA. Chikungunya. We’d never heard of these just a few years ago. Now another nasty virus is escaping the jungles — mayaro — and it’s already infected 100,000.
Mass jailbreak’s mastermind caught
HAITI police have caught a dozen inmates who broke out of a prison in a violent confrontation but are still searching for another 160 men who remain at large.
Women strike after teen raped, impaled
ARGENTINE women walked off the job to protest the brutal rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl, the latest incident of gender violence to shock the country.
Great white gets stuck in cage
ANOTHER video has emerged of a Great White Shark in Mexico that bit an air hose before it swam into a cage with divers inside.
Owner slammed for tattooing dog
SHOCKING pictures of a dog with five tattoos have outraged social media users, who have accused the artist owner of animal cruelty.
Great white breaks into diving cage
INCREDIBLE footage has emerged of a great white apparently breaking into a diving cage in Mexico. WARNING: Jaws has nothing on this beast.
Colombian leader wins Nobel Peace Prize
COLOMBIAN president Juan Manuel Santos is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in bringing peace to the war-torn country.
A truly knockout wedding proposal
IT was to be a wedding proposal that Germán Benítez Giles wanted to always remember. In fact it was a knockout - and there’s video to prove it.
Baby born with DNA from three people
SCIENTISTS say the first baby has been born from a controversial new technique that combines DNA from three people: the mother, the father and an egg donor.
400kg anaconda found at work
INCREDIBLE video shows construction workers trying to move a 10-metre-long snake they discovered near a building site.
Brazil’s former president faces trial
BRAZIL’S former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva must stand trial for corruption, accused of receiving $1.1 million of bribes, a judge has ruled.
Airport shut after volcano erupts
SPECTACULAR vision has emerged of the moment a volcano exploded, sending ash into the air and disrupting flights.
Most dangerous stretch of land
WELCOME to the jungle. If you don’t fall victim to the drug runners or rebels, then a deadly snake could lead to your demise.
Soap star drowns in off-set accident
ONE of Brazil’s most loved stars, whose character escaped death in a recent episode, has drowned after his cries for help were mistaken for acting.
Date set for Assange interview
WIKILEAKS founder Julian Assange will be questioned in Ecuador next month over rape allegations stemming from his visit to Sweden in 2010.
Most of the world’s wilderness lost
RESEARCHERS have warned there may be no unspoilt land left within a century as a report shows an area twice the size of Alaska has been lost since the 1990s.
What a million people looks like
INCREDIBLE footage has emerged of reportedly more than one million people taking to the streets in a “historic march” to bring down their government.
Brazil’s Rousseff kicked out of office
BRAZIL’S Dilma Rousseff has been stripped of the presidency in an impeachment vote and Michel Temer has been sworn in.
Minister ‘beaten to death by miners’
BOLIVIA’S Deputy Interior Minister has reportedly been killed by striking mineworkers after being kidnapped.
Lochte’s nightmare just got worse
THINGS were bad when Ryan Lochte was summoned to give testimony over his alleged robbery in Rio, but now they’ve just got worse.
Best images from Rio 2016
AS THE drama draws to a close, revisit the highs, the lows and the iconic images that will make this Olympic Games go down in history.
Codex hides advanced Mayan astronomy
STEP aside, Nicolaus Copernicus. New clues point to an ancient Mayan astronomer figuring out the planets revolve around the Sun some 700 years before the famous Renaissance mathematician.
El Chapo’s son kidnapped by gang
A GROUP of armed men have kidnapped the son of drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman from an upscale bar in Mexico.
Olympic coach dies in tragic crash
A GERMAN canoe slalom coach has died after he suffered serious head injuries in a taxi accident at the Rio Olympics.
Zookeeper saved by hero tiger
DRAMATIC footage has emerged showing a big cat handler narrowly avoiding being savaged by a leopard after a heroic intervention by a tiger.
Athletes flee as fire threatens Olympics
MOUNTAIN bikers have been forced to evacuate the Olympic track as a large bushland burns close to the stadiums.
‘Pablo Escobar took his own life’
PABLO Escobar’s son said his dad committed suicide, but the drug kingpin’s death was were covered up by Colombian authorities.
Heartless journo quizzes dying man
SHOCKING video has emerged showing a journalist interviewing a dying car crash victim on live TV. WARNING: Graphic.
Rio police officer shot in the head
A RIO cop has been shot in the head after he took a wrong turn and entered a slum run by drug gangs in the Olympic city.
Hidden crisis could eclipse Rio 2016
AGAINST the backdrop of Olympic fever, a crisis is unfolding in Brazil that could plunge the country into chaos just five days after the close of the games.
Did this Jesus statue open its eyes?
SPOOKY footage has emerged of a statue of Jesus appearing to open its eyes, with many believers claiming the spectacle was a miracle.
Olympian to face sexual assault charges
ALLEGATIONS of sexual assault at the Rio Olympic Village continue with a second athlete detained by police.
‘Spider Pig’ born with eight legs
THIS disturbing image shows a real-life mutant ‘Spider Pig’ that shocked breeders after being born with eight legs and two twirly tails.
Hidden tablets detail lost civilisation
THE history of the snakehead kings was lost when the hieroglyphs of their tale were scattered 1300 years ago. Now a discovery is bringing them back.