Australian mining 'super tax' has miners running

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s proposed ‘super tax’ on miners has certainly got the companies raging. Like rich celebrities in a UK election, they are threatening to leave the country if they are over-taxed. Shares of mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio...

Bougainville Women oppose re-opening of Panguna Mine

According to the CEO of Bougainville Copper, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, the Panguna mine is to re-open within the next five years. His words were a direct contradiction of the words spoken by Rio Tinto Chairman Jan du Plessis at the company’s London AGM on 15...

San Carlos Apache call for removal of Resolution Copper

Representatives of the San Carlos Apache Tribe in the southwestern United States read out a statement at the recent meeting of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York. The statement concerned the activities of Resolution Copper, in which BHP Billiton...

Escondida ups profits 160%, output 5% in Q1

Chile’s Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine, posted net profits of US$1.03bn in Q1, a 160% increase from US$394mn year-on-year, the company said in a release late Monday. Escondida’s owners include BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. See...

Multinationals 'on trial' for mining activities in Colombia

Several multinational companies with activities in Colombia were ‘on trial’ in Madrid last weekend during the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal. Most cases deal with violations of human rights and liability for environmental degradation. They included the three...

Cerrejon Coal to increase exports

Colombia’s Cerrejon mining company will seek to increase coal exports to 32 million tonnes with more focus on shipments to Asia as demand in Europe slips, the company president said. Cerrejon, Colombia’s biggest exporter, is a joint venture owned equally...

Progress report on Cerrejón

Fourth Progress Report on Cerrejón’s Social Engagement Commitments Following the February 2008 Independent Third Party Review Panel’s Report The October 2009 report of Cerrejón’s [joint venture Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Xstrata] progress implementing the...

Vedanta, ministry refuse to divulge terms of approval

In order to push through its grand university project, Vedanta is keeping quiet about the clearance it has received from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) almost three weeks ago. The ministry, while giving its clearance, has set forth more than 50 terms...

Tainted Gold

Five reasons not to buy shares in the Toka Tindung gold mine project of Archipelago Resources Plc. On 11 May, Banktrack, London Mining Network and other organisations sent an ‘investors’ warning’ to institutions investing in London-listed Archipelago...

African Uranium Alliance Statement

Uranium Mining at the UN Committee on Sustainable Development (CSD), New York, 6 May 2010 (Among companies mining uranium in Africa are Rio Tinto at the Rossing mine in Namibia) In the area of mining, the mining of uranium is a special issue. Uranium is heavy metal...

UK Government agency pushes mineral sector in Orissa

In the last ten years, the British government has given £200 million in aid to the state of Orissa in north-eastern India. This aid has been conditional on the government of Orissa agreeing to undertake, with the Department for International Development (DFID) and the...