The Amazon

Amazon mega-dams: ‘hydrological experiment’?

A new report counts 412 hydro-electric dams to be built across the Amazon basin and its headwaters, portending the “end of free-flowing rivers” and potential “ecosystem collapse.”

The Andes

Ecuador: face-off in Intag Valley mining dispute

Hundreds of police troops occupied Ecuador's Intag Valley, backing up a team sent to carry out an impact study for the Junín mining project—over the protests of local campesinos.

The Amazon

Ecuador nixes vote on Yasuni oil drilling

Ecuador's National Electoral Council turned down a petition for a referendum on plans to open Yasuni National Park to further oil exploration—as activists protest "fraud."

Oceania

Rival trade pacts vie for Pacific hegemony

China is proposing a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) in  a race with the US-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) for hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Amazon

Chevron seeks $32 million in Ecuador case

Chevron Corporation filed for reimbursement of $32 million in attorneys' fees against Steven Donziger, counsel for plaintiffs in the Ecuador oil spill case.

The Andes

Colombia pays Ecuador for fumigation damages

Colombia paid Ecuador $15 million after anti-narcotics fumigation planes dropped herbicides along the border, harming crops and communities in Ecuadoran territory.