South America | featured news

It was like a tsunami from the sky in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state as flood water gushed through hill towns and giant boulders catapulted from hillsides instantly crushing cars and houses.

Dilma Rousseff takes the reins from Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the country's popular outgoing president, who many credit for leading the country onto the world stage and helping millions in Brazil out of poverty.

The daughter of former Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez says the 88-year-old has died in Miami of a heart attack.

Authorities launched a massive sweep of the Alemao favela complex in northern Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday morning. Military police told reporters they were entering the virtually impenetrable labyrinth of slums, searching for drug gang ...

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez ordered the nationalization of local steel company Sidetur on Sunday in the latest of a several recent government takeovers in South America's top oil producer.

Millions of voters lined up across Brazil's vast territory in a heated presidential runoff pitting Dilma Rousseff, a former guerrilla-fighter-turned-chief-of-staff against Sao Paulo Governor Jose Serra.

A newly discovered oil-field off the coast of Brazil could contain up to 15 billion barrels, the government says.

This is a story about how an economist and his buddies tricked the people of Brazil into saving the country from rampant inflation. They had a crazy, unlikely plan, and it worked.

Brazilian ruling party candidate Dilma Rousseff's lead narrowed in two polls released on Saturday on the eve of the presidential election, raising the prospect she may be forced into a runoff against her main rival.

Venezuelans vote in a parliamentary election on Sunday with President Hugo Chavez expected to keep control of the National Assembly in a poll testing his support ahead of a presidential ballot in 2012.