Tar: Another face of deadly coal

The roll call of damages, caused by reliance on coal, is growing. Coal tar is produced by the part-combustion of fossil fuels as they turn into carbon. Much of it is a by-product of coke manufacture, or gasifying of the raw material. And it’s almost everywhere...

Nuclear news

The government isn’t telling us the true cost of nuclear waste disposal UK plans for ten new nuclear power plants will create £80 billion worth of radioactive waste that we still have no secure way of disposing. See...

Botswana government rejects high-profile court ruling

Four years on from a court victory which saw the Kalahari Bushmen win the right to live on their ancestral lands, the Botswana government has issued a statement flouting the ruling. Survival International believes that the government’s attitude to the Bushmen is...

Sinosteel, Rio Tinto extend cooperation at Channar iron ore mine

Chinese steel giant Sinosteel Corporation and Rio Tinto have signed an agreement to extend their cooperation at the Channar iron ore project. From 2012 to 2017, the project will produce an additional 50 million tonnes of ore every year while Sinosteel sells the...

Philippines copper company hits AIM

Copper Development Corporation has listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market, having raised £40.7m to develop its copper mining project in the Philippines. See...

Coal protests around the world

Demonstration outside GCM Resources AGM against Phulbari Mine in Bangladesh A demonstration was held on 6 December outside the London AGM of GCM Resources against the open-cast coal mine project proposal in Phulbari, in the north west Dinajpur district of Bangladesh....

Mining and human rights in House of Lords debate

From Hansard, 2 December 2010 Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer said: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for drawing attention to the Conservative Human Rights Commission. Like the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Wakefield, I was...

Dark side of the Australian mining boom

Australia’s mining industry – in which London-listed BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata play leading roles – is propagating a dark underbelly of alcohol-fuelled violence, prostitution and mental health, the first study to examine social impacts of...

Rio Tinto announces China JV, Australian expansion

Rio announces Chinalco exploration tie-up, extends Sinosteel JV Global miner Rio Tinto will explore mainland China for mineral deposits in a joint venture (JV) with State-owned Chinalco, CEO Tom Albanese announced on Friday. The two companies signed a memorandum of...