Actress Shailene Woodley, escaped jail over pipeline protest

US actress Shailene Woodley has reached a plea deal
 over her involvement in the protest against the Dakota
 Access oil pipeline.

Woodley, star of the Divergent series, was one of 27 
people arrested at the site last October.

She has now signed a document agreeing to plead guilty 
to misdemeanour disorderly conduct, which would mean
 she would avoid jail.

The pipeline project has been highly controversial and drawn huge protests.

Native Americans say it will desecrate sacred land and damage the environment.

What's behind the controversy?

Woodley, who livestreamed her arrest on Facebook,
 initially pleaded not guilty to criminal trespass and engaging in a riot.

Her plea deal, which is awaiting the approval of a judge,
 would see her serve a year's unsupervised probation and forfeit a $500 (£400) bond.

The actress, who is also known for roles in The Fault in 
Our Stars and Big Little Lies, was scheduled to stand trial on Friday.