British MPs have criticised the organisation responsible for managing government stakes in banks for financing climate change. The lending practices of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) conflict with wider government objectives on climate change, the House of Commons...
The Serious Fraud Office said on 29 March it was considering an investigation into Rio Tinto’s actions in China after a Shanghai court sentenced four of the mining company’s employees to between seven and 14 years in jail. “This case is on our radar...
Mining giant Rio Tinto says it’s determined not to let the jailing of four employees – including Australia’s Stern Hu – affect its relationship with China. The company says accepting bribes and obtaining commercial secrets is deplorable...
Oyu Tolgoi mine may sacrifice vital water resources It’s potentially the world’s largest copper-gold mine – one that Canada’s Ivanhoe Mines, joined recently by Rio Tinto, has sought to bring on-stream for several years. In October 2009, the...
Union Workers in California Town Locked Out by Mining Giant Rio Tinto After Stalled Contract Talks The California mining town of Boron is the site of the second-largest borax mine in the world. A labour struggle is unfolding between some 600 workers represented by the...
Court rules company failed to consult local people A highly controversial new mining project in Colombia has been halted by court order, because the operating company failed to consult with local communities. Over the past year Muriel Mining’s Mande Norte...
African organisations condemn World Bank funding for Eskom Many NGOs have expressed alarm at the prospect of World Bank financing for a major new coal-fired power station in South Africa. Last week the Bank urged its most powerful member, the US, not to reject the...
Indonesian NGO launches global campaign Last February, at the invitation of JATAM (the Indonesian Mining Advocacy Network) and JATAM Kaltim (JATAM East Kalimantan), UK researcher Andrew Hickman saw for himself the impacts of coal mining in and around Samarinda, East...
The successful completion of BHP Billiton’s $US320 million acquisition of Canada’s Athabasca Potash Inc signals the start of a new era for the industry and an uncomfortable period for the cartels which today dominates it. Athabasca gives BHP control of a development...
CAFOD welcomes the news that the review of mining company AngloGold Ashanti’s contract in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been concluded after almost three years of negotiations. The Catholic agency stresses the need for the publication of the contract...
GATA’s evidence of silver and gold manipulation at CFTC hearing Some observers feel that the Gold Anti Trust Association (GATA’s) long held views on a conspiracy by some major banks and government entities to manipulate precious metals prices are...
The Regional Council of Cusco, Peru, has prohibited mining activities in its department, arguing that a lot of the farming territory, now being taken over by mining firms, will be at environmental risk. The Council fears that citizens will be displaced from their land...
