PhotoBlog - rio-de-janeiro

18
Aug
2012
3:41pm, EDT
Drug dealers say no to crack in Rio
Felipe Dana / AP
A man smokes crack in the Manguinhos slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 7. Some drug bosses say they have stopped selling crack because it destabilizes their communities, making it harder to control areas long abandoned by the government. City authorities take credit for the change, arguing that drug gangs are trying to create a distraction and make police back off their offensive to take back the slums.
Business was brisk in the Mandela shantytown on a recent night. In the glow of a weak light bulb, customers pawed through packets of powdered cocaine and marijuana priced at $5, $10, $25. Teenage boys with semiautomatic weapons took in money and made change while flirting with girls in belly-baring tops lounging nearby.

Next to them, a gaggle of kids jumped on a trampoline, oblivious to the guns and drug-running that are part of everyday life in this and hundreds of other slums, known as favelas, across this metropolitan area of 12 million people. Conspicuously absent from the scene was crack, the most addictive and destructive drug in the triad that fuels Rio's lucrative narcotics trade.
-- Reported by the Associated Press
Read the full story.
Felipe Dana / AP
Traffickers and users gather at a drug selling point in the Antares slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Felipe Dana / AP
Traffickers sell drugs in the Antares slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Felipe Dana / AP
People gather in an area known as "Crackland" inside the Manguinhos slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Felipe Dana / AP
A trafficker test fires a riffle in the Mandela slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Felipe Dana / AP
Traffickers sell drugs in the Antares slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Felipe Dana / AP
A trafficker stands at a drug selling point that stopped selling crack in the Mandela slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Felipe Dana / AP
A masked and armed trafficker at a drug selling point that no longer sells crack in the Mandela slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Felipe Dana / AP
Crack users gather under a bridge in the Antares slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Felipe Dana / AP
A crack user leaves a crack house near the Manguinhos slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

115 comments
Nice to have ethical drug dealers! Think we can get them to move here?
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16
Aug
2012
6:17pm, EDT
Rio de Janeiro offers ballet classes for underprivileged youth
Girls fit their skirts before ballet class at the Ballet Santa Teresa academy in Rio de Janeiro, Aug. 13, 2012.

Pilar Olivares / Reuters — Ballet Santa Teresa is a non-governmental organization that gives children who live in areas with social risk, or domestic violence, free ballet classes and other activities as part of a socio-cultural integration project.

A girl has her hair fixed before ballet class at the Ballet Santa Teresa academy in Rio de Janeiro, Aug.13.
Youths perform during ballet class at the Ballet Santa Teresa academy in Rio de Janeiro, Aug. 13.
A girl performs during ballet class at the Ballet Santa Teresa academy in Rio de Janeiro, Aug. 15.
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16
May
2012
2:15pm, EDT
Christophe Simon / AFP - Getty Images
It appears John John Florence, of Hawaii, is running across the top of the water after missing a wave as he competes in the ASP World Championships at Barra da Tijuca beach in Rio de Janeiro on May 16. Florence ended up winning the competition.
Rookie John John Florence surfs to victory at ASP Championships
John John Florence, currently in his rookie year, won his first Association of Surfing Professionals' ASP World Championship event in Rio de Janeiro.

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23
Apr
2012
7:49pm, EDT
Saint George celebrated in Rio de Janeiro
Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
A devotee of Sao Jorge, also known as Saint George, lights candles during the celebrations of Sao Jorge's day in Rio de Janeiro on April 23. Sao Jorge, called Ogum in the Afro-Brazilian religion Umbanda, is one of the most popular saints in Brazil, with the belief that the saint provides protection against any evil for the faithful.
Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
A devotee of Sao Jorge, also known as Saint George, sings during the celebrations of Sao Jorge's day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 23.
Ricardo Moraes / Reuters

The faithful gather on April 23 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to celebrate Sao Jorge, also known as Saint George. Sao Jorge, called Ogum in the Afro-Brazilian religion Umbanda, is one of the most popular saints in Brazil, with the belief that the saint provides protection against any evil for the faithful.
Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
A member of the crowd holds up a figurine representing Saint George during the celebration of Sao Jorge's day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 23.
Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
Devotees of Sao Jorge, or Saint George, attend a mass on April 23 during the celebrations of Sao Jorge's day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
MSNBC Travel: Carnival in Rio de Janeiro and beyond
Related PhotoBlogs about Rio de Janeiro
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20
Apr
2012
1:10am, EDT
Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
A man rides his bicycle next to a wall with graffiti depicting Brazilian soccer player Ronaldinho in Vila Autodromo slum in Rio de Janeiro on April 19.
Backstreets of Rio de Janeiro
According to a document released by the popular movement "Comite Popular da Copa e Olimpiadas do Rio de Janeiro," the preparations for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will displace more than 7,185 families from their homes to make way for new sports facilities, bus routes for traffic and improvements in tourism infrastructure.

PhotoBlog: More images from Rio de Janeiro

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20
Mar
2012
7:18pm, EDT
Whale of a problem in Rio
Sergio Moraes / Reuters
Rescue workers try to tow a dead Bryde's whale off a beach in Rio de Janeiro on March 20.
Sergio Moraes / Reuters
A man body surfs in front of a dead Bryde's whale in Rio de Janeiro on March 20.
Water sports continued at a Sao Conrado beach in Rio de Janeiro as rescue crews attempted to tow a dead whale away from shore. According to reports, The Aqualung Institute identified it as a Bryde's whale.
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1 comment
Radiation poisoning hello!
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20
Feb
2012
8:09am, EST
Sambadrome showdown: Inside Rio carnival's big battle
Felipe Dana / AP
A Dancer of Porto da Pedra samba school parades on a float during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 20, 2012.
Felipe Dana / AP
Dancers of Vila Isabel samba school parade at the Sambadrome on Feb. 20, 2012.
Felipe Dana / AP
A dancer from the Mocidade samba school parades on a float at the Sambadrome on Feb. 20, 2012.
Victor R. Caivano / AP
Revelers, some wearing costumes, cross a bridge as they arrive at the Sambadrome on Feb. 19, 2012.
Nacho Doce / Reuters
Children play as adults watch the Portela samba school parade at the Sambadrome on Feb. 19, 2012.
Silvia Izquierdo / AP
Performers from the Beija Flor samba school parade at the Sambadrome on Feb. 20, 2012.
Thousands of revelers gathered at the Sambadrome Sunday night for the crown jewel of Rio carnival as thirteen samba schools vied for a prize. Their elaborate floats, massive percussion sections and troupes of sequin and feather-clad dancers made their way down the avenue as spectators looked on from the bleachers.
Slideshow: Carnival celebrations
David Mercado / Reuters
From Rio de Janeiro to Venice revelers took to the streets in colorful costumes.
Launch slideshow
On Saturday, a record-breaking 2.2 million people had attended the Cordao da Bola Preta parade, one of the city's oldest carnival street parties, the BBC reports.
The authorities see the five-day event as a crucial test for Rio's new central command center, which the city hopes will be a key to keeping order when it hosts 2014 soccer World Cup matches and the 2016 Olympics.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Just in time for carnival: Beginner's guide to Rio

Victor R. Caivano / AP
A man sleeps on litter-filled stands at the end of the first day of carnival parades at the Sambadrome on Feb. 20, 2012.
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Sitting on the beaches of Ipanema or Copacabana sipping a cold beverage eating grilled shrimp on a skewer watching the most beautiful women in the world stroll by in bathing suits made from dental floss.
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17
Feb
2012
11:08pm, EST
Brazil kicks off bigger, brighter Carnival
Vanessa Carvalho / AFP - Getty Images
A reveler of Camisa Verde e Branco samba school sings and dances during the opening night of parades at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on Friday night.
Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP - Getty Images
A reveler of Camisa Verde e Branco samba school waits before participating in the opening night of parades at the Sambadrome.
Vanessa Carvalho / AFP - Getty Images
A float of Camisa Verde e Branco samba school parades at the Sambadrome on Friday night.
Andre Penner / AP
A dancer performs during the Carnival parade on Friday night.
AP reports: The globe's biggest Carnival bash opens Friday, and it promises to be an even bigger blowout this year, with 20 percent more tourists expected than in 2011. Rio officials say they're also better prepared to keep the chaos under some semblance of control, with more portable toilets, traffic guards and paramedics, as well as a new central command center monitoring it all.
Vanessa Carvalho / AFP - Getty Images
Revelers of Camisa Verde e Branco samba school dance on Friday night.
"We want revelers to be conscious that they can party but also care for the city's public spaces," the president of Rio's tourism department, Antonio Figueira de Mello, said in a statement.
About 850,000 tourists are expected during the raucous, five-day free-for-all that kicks off when Rio's mayor hands the key to the city to rotund King Momo, the mythical jester figure who reigns over Carnival.

Andre Penner / AP
Drummers perform during the Carnival parade.

Related story:

Previous photoBlogs about Carnival

Just in time for Carnival: Beginner's guide to Rio

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23 comments
Only the flight cost, and of course hotels, etc., have kept me from being one happy added reveler there in the streets and on the beaches of Rio. He who has ample funds at hand and hasn't taken oneself to this extravaganza is missing out big time. Of course I can slightly understand not participatin …
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10
Jan
2012
4:08pm, EST
Mudslide kills more than a dozen people in Jamapara, Brazil
Photos by Victor R. Caivano / AP
A firefighter takes a dog downhill at the site of a mudslide to search for missing people in Jamapara, Brazil on Jan. 10, 2012.
Rescue personnel recover the body of a mudslide victim in Jamapara on Tuesday.
The Associated Press reports a mudslide caused by two days of rain has killed at least 13 people in a small town in southeastern Brazil, and another 11 are listed as missing, the head of the Rio de Janeiro state civil defense department said Tuesday.

Sergio Simoes told CBN radio that five bodies were pulled from beneath tons of mud and debris on Tuesday, bringing the death toll in the Jamapara district of Sapucaia city to 13. Eight bodies were found on Monday.

Antonio Marcos Silva dos Reis said he lost several friends in the mudslide. He said it "sounded like a huge explosion when it happened."

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2
Dec
2011
5:42am, EST
Victor R. Caivano / AP
The Christ the Redeemer statue, top right, is lit in red light to commemorate World AIDS Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Dec. 1, 2011. Rio de Janeiro's city government illuminated several urban monuments in red as part of its actions to commemorate World AIDS Day.
Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue turns red for World AIDS Day
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13
Nov
2011
12:51am, EST
Police in Rio de Janeiro prepare to raid city's biggest slum
Felipe Dana / AP
A general view of the Rocinha slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nov. 12. Police in Rio de Janeiro are stepping up their presence around the city's biggest slum as they prepare to invade it Sunday as part of a program aimed at securing the Brazilian city for the 2016 Olympics.
By Katie Cannon, Senior Multimedia Editor
How sad that something so lovely from afar can be rife with violence and crime.
Read more about the police raid.
Just two years ago, NBC News producer Karl Bostic reported on a growth in tourism in the Rocinha favela. Watch his report below.
Oct. 4, 2009: With a beauty few cities in the world can match, Rio de Janeiro has always been a natural draw for tourists. But as NBC's Karl Bostic reports, more visitors are looking for the Rio hidden inside its slums.
2 comments
Katie, it looks pretty only when it´s dark. In reality it´s a squatters camp. The sewage of the 150,000 residents goes directly into the sea.
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10
Nov
2011
10:41am, EST
Marcelo Sayao / EPA
Alleged drug trafficker Antonio Bonfim Lopes, also known as "Nem," is presented by Brazilian Police at Federal Police headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, Nov. 10.
Most-wanted drug lord found hiding in the trunk of a car
By Jonathan Woods, msnbc.com
Police in Rio de Janeiro have captured a key figure in a drug gang.
Antonio Bonfim Lopes, known as "Nem," was caught at a police checkpoint hiding in the trunk of a car as he attempted to flee flee the Rocinha slum, according to Reuters.
Lopes is wanted on charges of drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping and money laundering, and his arrest is a blow to the "Friends of Friends" drug gang that controls Rocinha.
2 comments
shoot him up with his drugs and let him suffer and die...
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