Environmentalists and community leaders praised the Senate’s decision last week to declare the Tatio Geysers in northern Chile a “National Monument and Nature Sanctuary.”

The Senate’s action responds to fears that energy and mining exploration in northern Chile could harm the Tatio Geysers – one of the nation’s most valued tourism attractions, located close to San Pedro de Atacama. The new Nature Sanctuary designation will sharply restrict energy and mining development projects in the area.

Indeed, a botched exploration effort near the Tatio Geyers created a 60-meter high artificial geyser near the Tatio Geysers last October. It took more than one month to control the artificial geyser and the company responsible – Empresa Geotermica Norte (EGN) - was slapped with 14 citations for operational breaches by government inspectors (ST, Oct. 13).

Nuptial ceremony between two Argentine gay activists was to have coincided with World AIDS Day

South America’s first same sex marriage ran into trouble Tuesday when a last minute appeal was made against a court decision that okayed the ceremony.

Even so, the gay couple announced they would show up at the Civil Registry, while their lawyer argued that only Argentina’s Supreme Court could annul the November decision that made their marriage plans possible.