Two military police officers have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a Spanish tourist who was on a guided tour of one of Brazil's largest slums, an official said.

As Brazil prepares for the World Cup, Rio de Janeiro has worked to tame the crime-ridden favelas, but at what cost? asks Mac Margolis.

MORE than 3,000 police and soldiers backed by armoured personnel carriers raced into Brazil’s biggest slum, quickly gaining control of a shantytown ruled for decades by a heavily-armed drug gang.

Brazilian rescue workers struggled to find survivors from another mudslide today as the death toll from this week's storms hit at least 147.

Police in Rio de Janeiro stormed three shantytowns yesterday, killing five people in shootouts, as violence flared for the fourth-consecutive day.