Hi-tech criminals have helped Brazilian logging firms evade official limits on how much timber they can harvest, says a report.

Seventy-five years before the Spice Girls coined the term girl power, Betty Boop struck a blow for just such a cause. Ever since, cartoons and animations have challenged our traditional perceptions of femininity.

A majority of Supreme Court judges favour maintaining a vast indigenous reserve in the Amazon but the contentious issue is not yet resolved, reports the BBC's Gary Duffy in Brasilia.

Indigenous leaders hail a majority vote by Brazil's Supreme Court to keep a vast reserve intact but a final ruling is delayed.

More than 80% of Peru's primary forests could be saved if the West pledged $20m a year, says the country's environment minister.

Key facts, figures and dates

A chronology of key events

The remote Amazon basin was once home to complex urban communities, according to a study in Science journal.

Peru's Congress votes to repeal two controversial land laws aimed at opening up Amazonian tribal areas to development.

Amazonian tribes in Peru halt a week-long protest against land sale laws after Congress members move to repeal them.

Peru declares a state of emergency as indigenous Amazon tribes block pipelines in a row over a land law.

Some of the most striking images from around the world on 8 August 2008.

Brazil launches an international fund to protect the Amazon rainforest but warns against foreign interference in its policy.

Ingrid Betancourt urges Colombia's Farc rebels to free all hostages, as peace marches take place around the world.

Humans are using too much nitrogen, and leaving so much of it that the natural world is struggling to cope.

Authorities in Peru seek to protect some of the last indigenous tribes to avoid contact with the outside world.

Although we do not know the name of the recently spotted tribe in Brazil, or what language they speak, it is possible to tease out some clues as to their way of life.

The minister in charge of Brazil's rainforest says conservation and economic development go hand in hand.

The BBC's Gary Duffy visits Tembe Indians in the Amazon rainforest who say illegal logging threatening their way of life.

Brazil's environment minister resigns, after conflicts with the government over Amazon development.