Oil and Lava
VICE / MOTHERBOARD: The destiny of Ecuador, a small country with outsize ambitions, now depends overwhelmingly on a commodity price it cannot control – while a huge volcano awakens to threaten further chaos.
Favela ballet: A chance to dance in Alemão
THE GUARDIAN: In Rio de Janeiro's notorious Morro do Adeus, a young dancer is helping girls transcend their harsh reality through ballet.
Omar Obaca: Argentina’s Created Candidate
THE NEW YORK TIMES: A black politician invented by marketing gurus to satirize Argentine politics become an online sensation, but also been accused of reviving offensive stereotypes about the marginalized Afro-descendent community.
The Slum Priests of Buenos Aires
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Before he became Pope Francis, Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio sent many priests to work and live in the slums – or “villas” – of Buenos Aires.
Prisoners gain new focus with pinhole photography
BBC: Photo workshops bring a new philosophy of life to Ezeiza women’s prison in Buenos Aires, where inmates chronicle their experience using pinhole cameras and find a vital creative space for self-expression.
Uruguay cannabis market struggles for legitimacy
THE GUARDIAN: The cultivation and sale of marijuana have been legal since May 2014 but regulatory bodies, police and pharmacies are struggling to catch up with home growers, cannabis clubs and their steady clientele.
Singing to Be Heard, Behind Bars in Mexico
THE NEW YORK TIMES: “La Voz Penitenciaría” is a national competition that aims to help reintegrate prisoners into society.
At 450 Years Old, Rio Is Divided Into Two Worlds
VICE: As preparations continue for the Olympics in August 2016, Brazil's aspirant global city is in the spotlight once again.
São Paulo water crisis generates wave of Brazilian art activism
THE GUARDIAN: A growing movement of artists, activists and independent journalists is challenging dominant media narratives about the drastic water shortage in south Brazil.
Astro-boom offers big bang for the buck in Chile
AL JAZEERA: Chile will host 70 percent of global astronomic infrastructure by 2020 – with a boom in tech innovation, engineering and tourism set to follow.
Pinball Paradise
BBC: Hidden away in a dark basement in Budapest, the Hungarian Pinball Museum is a true blast from the past.
Nisman’s Ex-Wife Received Magazine With ‘Bullet Mark’ Photo a Day Before His Death
VICE NEWS: A draft arrest warrant for President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was found in the apartment of Alberto Nisman, who was due to present claims that she orchestrated a cover-up over a 1994 terrorist attack in Buenos Aires.
