Protests in Ecuador against foreign oil companies

The Financial Times reports that the president of Ecuador, Alfredo Palacio, under pressure from "violent protests" in the Amazon and dropping popularity, said the government will negotiate with the foreign oil companies invested in Ecuador to ensure it receives a greater cut of the profit from the country's oil. He indicated that the government will seek to obtain at least 50 percent of revenues instead of only the 20 percent it currently earns.

Referring to the protests, the article comments that "Foreign investors such as Petrobras of Brazil, Occidental of the US and EnCana of Canada were the target of much of the discontent."

The article also notes that Ecuador is the second largest supplier of oil to the U.S.

U.N. slayings in Cité Soleil noted by NYTimes

The New York Times website has a short video clip available for viewing narrated by one of its reporters on a trip to Cité Soleil. The reporter mentions that it has been very difficult for the city's residents to register to vote for the upcoming national elections because the UN doesn't conduct regular patrols there. The crew spoke with local residents who alleged that when the UN conducted an infamous July 6 raid on a "gang leader" in the city they "shot a lot of innocent bystanders." Residents showed the Times team pictures of those killed and injured by the UN and took them to see bullet holes scarring buildings in the area as a result of the indiscriminant UN firepower. The video shows a few glimpses of the photos of dead bodies. Given the cautious tone of the narrator I'm not holding my breath for a damning exposé to appear in the Times anytime soon.
An July 19 article in the Village Voice is more honest. It quotes a Brooklyn electrician protesting the massacre, "'everyone knows' the U.N. is the real gang in Haiti. 'There's no difference between the Haitian police and U.N.,' he says. 'The ones they call ‘gangs' are fighting against the occupation.'"