African Barrick Gold sued in UK over Tanzania mine deaths

African Barrick Gold Plc was sued over the deaths and injuries of Tanzanian villagers including one incident where five men were shot and killed at the North Mara gold mine in May 2011. At least 12 villagers filed a lawsuit in London accusing the company and North...

Ruling against Hudbay Minerals opens way for trial in Canada

In a precedent-setting ruling with national and international implications, Superior Court of Ontario Justice Carole Brown has ruled that Canadian company Hudbay Minerals can potentially be held legally responsible in Canada for rapes and murder at a mining project...

Will UK Coal honour its promises to communities?

LOOSE ANTI OPENCAST NETWORK (LAON) press release 30 July 2013 ARE THE PROMISES MADE TO THESE COMMUNITIES GOING TO BE HONOURED BY UK COAL? Much recent media attention was recently devoted to the consequences of UK Coal Mine Holdings and UK Coal Operations going into...

Mitigating Coal: a few steps forward, many steps back…

Who’s winning the war over coal? There are signs that those who dig up and utilise the black stuff are finally not getting it all their own way. President Obama recently promised an end to public financing of the sector, and the US Export-Import Bank has voted...

Mine Over Matter: Can mineral extraction be sustainable?

These days it seems as though just about every enterprise, from the corner store to multinational investment firms, is pursuing sustainability. Exactly what that means varies, but definitions seem to more or less be about meeting current needs (and wants) in a way...

South Africa: little sign of end to mine labour strife

South Africa’s gold mining companies have offered a derisory 4% wage increase to their workers – one coming nowhere close to meeting trade unionists’ demands. Meanwhile, threatened with further strikes by the “dissident” Association of...

Bumi sees stock plummet in first day of trading after suspension

Indonesia-focused coal miner Bumi plc saw its shares on the first day of trade after a three-month suspension triggered by the firm’s failure to publish its 2012 audited full-year results. Bumi was initially halted in London in April amid allegations of financial...