Vedanta Resources has once again snubbed a British government investigation into its planned mine in Orissa, India, by labelling government calls for a change in its corporate behaviour ‘one-sided’, and urging it to ‘rest the case’. See...
London-listed Vedanta Resources is ready to begin a massive break-up of its business with the demerger of its $20bn (£13bn) aluminium division. The new firm will be the world’s fourth biggest aluminium player, behind Russia’s United Company Rusal,...
Battles over forcible acquisition of agricultural land for industry are raging across India. In India’s tribal belt, indigenous tribes, known as adivasis, have upset the plans of corporate groups such as Vedanta, Tata Steel [part of Tata Group], Essar Steel and...
Papua’s Amungme tribe on Monday lodged a new class-action lawsuit against US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan seeking $32.5 billion in material and non-material damages for the alleged illegal acquisition of its ancestral land. The action, filed at the South Jakarta...
The report by the Asian superpower said nether Rio Tinto or the Australian government were to blame for the collapse of the $19.5bn tie-up. See http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page72068?oid=100936&sn=Detail&pid=92730.
The £250bn cost of developing Canada’s controversial tar sands between now and 2025 could be used to decarbonise the western economy by funding ambitious solar power schemes in the Sahara or a European wide shift to electric vehicles, according to a new report....
Of course, South Africa shouldn’t be building a huge new coal-fired power plant, should it? Environmental groups are right to protest at World Bank funding for such a construction. Nonetheless, we might raise our eyebrows at news that the US and UK governments...
Arguments around power shortages in South Africa have been raging for some time (with the mining industry grumbling over power outages). At the same time South Africa is Africa’s heaviest polluter due to its dependence on coal-fired electricity. However this...
Labour MP Chris Mullin has introduced an Early Day Motion in the UK Parliament urging the Government to consider adopting legislation similar to that introduced in the US requiring oil, gas and mining companies to fully disclose revenue payments to governments....
Vancouver-based Goldcorp has revised up its 2010 exploration guidance budget to US$145mn from the originally announced US$130mn. See http://www.bnamericas.com/news/mining/Goldcorp_ups_2010_exploration_budget_to_US*145mn_due_to_El_Morro,_Camino_Rojo/178535547. Goldcorp...
In making the case for a rapid conversion away from heavily polluting energy sources like coal and nuclear power to cleaner generation, renewable energy advocates often confront the argument that their scheme is impossible due to the intermittent nature of sun and...
Nearly 100 civil society organizations from 38 countries are demanding that World Bank Group lending to private corporations be much more responsive to environmental and social concerns. A letter submitted to the director of the International Finance Corporation...
