Latest News
Rio Tinto: the elephant in Bougainville's room
John Momis, President of Bougainville, is an intelligent man. He has lengthly experience of Papua New Guinea politics; at one point in his distinguished career backing secession of his province from the central government. He also sided with the landowners who, in...
HIV/AIDS rates in West Papua rocket, partly thanks to Freeport-Rio Tinto
Official figures released this month show that the number of people with HIV/AIDS in West Papua has grown by more than 30% in just four months. The figure now stands at more than 17,000. However, doctors and others working in the region contest this number, believing...
Rio's $657m payment to Guinea government faces scrutiny
THE end use of a $US700 million ($657m) payment Rio Tinto has made to the Guinea government will be independently audited but is expected to face increased scrutiny as British and US regulators toughen their stances on companies operating in other nations. See...
Colombian court kills recently passed mining laws
Colombia's Constitutional Court has struck down strict mining regulations passed last year, but said the regulations will remain in effect for two years to give Congress time to draft and approve a replacement bill. This will affect, among others, London-listed Anglo...
Patagonian Hydroelectric Project Approval Spurs Protests in Chile
London-listed Xstrata is directly involved in this project because it could jointly develop a section of the transmission line. HidroAysen's five dams would flood nearly 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres) of land and require a 1,900 kilometer (1,180 mile) transmission line...
Xstrata suspends operations at Las Bambas, Peru
Anglo-Swiss mining group Xstrata has temporarily suspended activities at its US$4.2bn Las Bambas project in Peru's Apurimac region due to protests, spokesperson Domingo Drago told BNamericas. "We have suspended our activities in the area, essentially to preserve the...
Nuclear News
Germany’s Unlikely Champion Of a Radical Green Energy Path The disaster at the Fukushima plant in Japan convinced German Chancellor Angela Merkel that nuclear power would never again be a viable option for her country. Now Merkel has embarked on the world’s most...
Has your MP signed the EDM to protect Bristol Bay?
EDM 1606, Proposed open-pit mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska, is an opportunity for MPs to signal their support to protect the pristine waters of Bristol Bay. The more MPs that sign, the better. It’s now easy to send an email. See...
Glencore: Profiteering from hunger and chaos
The world's largest commodities trader is issuing a stock sale, and critics say the firm causes spikes in food prices. See http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/05/20115723149852120.html.
Pressure builds on Goldcorp, just before its AGM
Goldcorp is a Canadian company. Among its major investors are British-based AXA Investment Managers UK Ltd (US$4.3 million), Blackrock Commodities Income Trust plc, and City Natural Resources High Yield Trust PLC. Goldcorp holds its AGM in Vancouver, Canada, on 18...