http://theamazonpost.com Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:25:38 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Chevron Corp. won a round Thursday in the long legal fight over oil-field contamination in Ecuador, with a U.S. judge ruling that the company can pursue arbitration in the case. But the final outcome of the fight, which could cost Chevron $27.3 billion, remains very much in doubt. Read more » http://theamazonpost.com/in-the-news/san-francisco-chronicle-chevron-wins-bid-for-ecuador-arbitration A judge ruled Thursday that Chevron can proceed with an international arbitration claim against Ecuador related to a 17-year-old court battle over rain forest contamination in that South American nation. U.S. District Judge Leonard Sand in Manhattan rejected an attempt by Ecuador to block the arbitration but also said his decision ... http://theamazonpost.com/in-the-news/associated-press-nyc-judge-allows-chevron-arbitration-to-proceed In the ongoing court battle between Chevron and the Country of Ecuador, Chevron won a court victory against Ecuador today. According to Reuters, A U.S. District Court Judge in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, granted Chevron the right to pursue an order to have via ... http://theamazonpost.com/in-the-news/san-francisco-chronicle-blog-chevron-ecuador-issue-chevron-wins-court-victory-against-ecuador Judge Juan NÚñez was getting up to leave the Holiday Inn conference room in Quito, Ecuador. It was June 5, 2009, and he was meeting with an American who wanted information. Specifically, Wayne Hansen wanted to know if Núñez was going to hold Chevron Corporation liable for $27 billion for polluting ... http://theamazonpost.com/in-the-news/corporate-counsel-keep-that-home-court-chevron-gets-forum-shoppers-remorse On Thursday, a U.S. judge granted Chevron’s motion to dismiss the government of Ecuador’s attempt to block the company’s international arbitration claim from proceeding. In his decision, Judge Sand declined to stay international arbitration in a dispute between Ecuador's government and Chevron. Stating in his ruling that, "a stay of ... http://theamazonpost.com/news/judge-declines-to-stay-arbitration-in-chevron-ecuador-case Representatives from both countries signed an agreement for the construction of three hydroelectricity plants in Ecuador Read more » http://theamazonpost.com/ecuador-news/poder-360-ecuador-and-iran-sign-hydroelectricity-agreement-2 Iran plans to build two power plants in Ecuador, First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi has been reported as saying. “Both sides agreed to expand cooperation in all fields,” he said, on the sidelines of his meeting with Ecuadorian First Vice President Lenin Moreno in Tehran on Sunday, the Islamic Republic of ... http://theamazonpost.com/ecuador-news/poder-360-ecuador-and-iran-sign-hydroelectricity-agreement President Rafael Correa said Saturday his administration has a “plan B” up its sleeve in the event the Yasuni-ITT initiative – a proposal by Ecuador to leave Amazon oil in the ground in exchange for international compensation – is unsuccessful. Read more » http://theamazonpost.com/ecuador-news/latin-american-herald-tribune-ecuador-says-it-has-%e2%80%9cplan-b%e2%80%9d-if-yasuni-initiative-fails The Ecuadorian government has signed an agreement with South Korean firm SK E&C for basic engineering studies at the Refinery of the Pacific, a joint project with Venezuela. Read more » http://theamazonpost.com/ecuador-news/latin-american-herald-tribune-ecuador-hires-korean-firm-for-engineering-studies-at-refinery The Chinese government has asked Ecuador to push back a deadline for wrapping up a financing deal for what will be the Andean nation’s largest hydroelectric plant. Read more » http://theamazonpost.com/ecuador-news/latin-american-herald-tribune-china-wants-more-time-to-wrap-up-financing-deal-for-ecuador-dam This past Tuesday, executives from Chevron hosted a meeting in San Ramon including Cofan representative Emergildo Criollo and advocates from the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) as well as Amazon Watch.  Following the meeting, Chevron’s Manager of Global Issues and Policy, Silvia Garrigo posted the following comment to RAN’s blog: “This is ... http://theamazonpost.com/news/important-first-steps-chevron-and-rainforest-action-network-meet-share-common-ground Ecuador Ministry of Justice Engineer Hugo Rekalde issued a statement today, Tuesday, that the video taken of an Ecuadorian Judge named Juan Evangelista Nunez involved in a conversation over an alleged bribe that the Judge would get part of if he were to rule against Chevron in their case against ... http://theamazonpost.com/in-the-news/san-francisco-chronicle-blog-chevron-ecuador-issue-video-showing-judge-talking-bribe-authentic Ecuador could assume the operation of oil fields run by private companies if the firms do not sign new contracts with the state in April, Strategic Sectors Minister Galo Borja told Reuters today. Read more » http://theamazonpost.com/ecuador-news/upstream-online-ecuador-eyes-april-deadline-for-contracts The U.S. State Department recognized the Ecuadoran government's efforts against drug-trafficking, but warned that the country remains vulnerable to organized crime Read more » http://theamazonpost.com/ecuador-news/poder-360-ecuador-vulnerable-to-organized-crime In other recent developments: -- A report last month from another court-appointed expert showed that water in the area is heavily contaminated with fecal bacteria. Chevron has long argued that contamination from bacteria - not oil - is responsible for health problems in the region. -- An investigation into one of the ... http://theamazonpost.com/in-the-news/san-francisco-chronicle-chevron-plaintiffs-seek-gains-as-verdict-nears An independent expert working for Ecuador’s Judiciary Council has filed a report stating that the videotapes Chevron provided to the government of Ecuador and the U.S. Department of Justice are authentic and unaltered. In late August of last year, it was revealed on video that Judge Juan Núñez, who was then ... http://theamazonpost.com/news/tapes-showing-judicial-misconduct-and-3-million-bribery-scheme-proven-authentic Over the course of good years and bad, the countries of Latin America have recently been taking diverging paths to very different futures. In one camp are countries such as Chile, Colombia and Panama, which are actively promoting the rule of law. By fostering an investment climate that supports job creation ... http://theamazonpost.com/in-the-news/the-daily-caller-latin-america%e2%80%99s-future-depends-on-the-rule-of-law Indigenous representatives and leaders issued a call for an “uprising” to protest the Ecuadorian government’s development policies and press demands for a pluri-national state. Read more » http://theamazonpost.com/ecuador-news/latin-american-herald-tribune-ecuadorian-indians-call-for-%e2%80%9cuprising%e2%80%9d-against-government The powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, or CONAIE, announced on Friday the rupture of the dialogue with the government of President Rafael Correa and said that it will call for protests and demonstrations. Read more » http://theamazonpost.com/ecuador-news/dow-jones-ecuador-native-group-breaks-off-dialogue-with-government The Ministry of Non-Renewable Natural Resources revealed that private oil firms operating in Ecuador will invest $417 million in 2010, representing almost double the $212 million spent in the sector last year. Read more » http://theamazonpost.com/ecuador-news/poder-360-oil-investment-to-increase