John Otis
Stories
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Colombia's lone Amazon port faces drying river and rising tensions with Peru
Colombia's only Amazon port town could soon be cut off from the river that keeps it alive. As drought and a shifting river spark a tense border dispute with Peru, locals are scrambling to adapt—and politicians are raising flags, literally.
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Trump says U.S. Navy struck an alleged Venezuelan boat carrying drug shipment
Days after sending U.S. gunboats to South American waters, President Trump said the U.S. Navy struck a vessel in the southern Caribbean carrying what he described as a Venezuelan drug shipment.
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How a flat tire scam in Colombia can lead to costly car repairs
Bandits on motorcycles secretly spread sharp objects on the road to puncture car tires. Then, they offer to lead marooned motorists to nearby mechanics suspected of being in on the con.
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Flat-tire scam in Bogota leads motorists to repair shops that rip them off
Bogota's police crackdown on the tire puncturing scammers wreaking havoc on the Colombian capitals unsuspecting motorists
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Colombia deploys armed drones in escalating fight against drug gangs
In Colombia, drug gangs are waging a new kind of war — by air. Armed with cheap drones, they're targeting rivals in a dangerous escalation.
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In Peru, criminal gangs are targeting schools in poor neighborhoods for extortion
The president of one of Lima's largest parent-teacher associations says at least 1,000 schools in the Peruvian capital are being extorted and that most are caving into the demands of the gangs.
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More than a thousand schools in Peru have faced threats from criminal gangs
In the South American nation of Peru, going to school can mean going up against gangsters. Criminals demanding extortion payments are threatening to blow up schools and kill their teachers.
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Former Colombian soldiers help unearth civilian victims of guerrilla war
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Why Venezuela's opposition has urged voters to boycott upcoming regional elections
Venezuela's opposition has urged voters to boycott up and coming regional elections - but this tactic has deeply divided the party - including one of Venezuela's most storied political families.
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Uruguay's ex-President José Mujica, nicknamed 'world's poorest president,' dies at 89
José Mujica, the charismatic former guerrilla fighter who later went on to lead Uruguay and became known as "the world's poorest president" for his austere lifestyle, has died at 89.
