Inner Asia
Tibet: anti-mining protests spread
Over 100 ethnic Tibetans were injured and one man committed suicide as Chinese military forces broke up protests against diamond mining in Kham region, Qinghai province.
Tag: informal mining
The Andes
Colombia: multinationals on ‘trial’ for rights abuses
An "Ethical Trial against Plunder" was held in Bogotá to air testimony on the environmental and human rights practices of mining and oil interests in Colombia.
Inner Asia
Tibet: anti-mining protesters under siege
Ethnic Tibetans protesting what they called illegal mining operations clashed with Chinese security forces in Qinghai province, where hundreds of troops are deployed.
The Andes
Colombia: coca production down as narcos diversify
The area planted with coca leaf in Colombia has fallen by 25% according to the UN—but experts fear armed narco networks are moving into illegal gold and emerald mining.
South Asia
Uttarakhand disaster portends ‘Himalayan tsunamis’
The devastating floods in India's Uttarakhand state are being called a "Himalayan tsunami"—and a grim omen for millions living downstream from the world's highest range.
The Andes
Colombia: strikes halt US coal giant Drummond
Indefinite strikes brought Drummond’s coal mining operations to a halt in Colombia, putting further pressure on the country’s economy amid a growing wave of labor actions.
Southeast Asia
Chinese mining interests take hit in Philippines
The Philippines high court issued a "temporary environment protection order" against 94 Chinese-owned "small-scale mines" operating on the margins of the law in Luzon region.
The Andes
Peru: peasant leader killed in Cajamarca
Carlos Vásquez Becerra, a campesino leader who opposed mining projects in Peru’s conflicted Cajamarca region, was found beaten to death in a canyon.
Africa
China mining firms contribute to Congo abuses: AI
Chinese-owned mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo are contributing to a culture of human rights abuses, Amnesty International reports.
Inner Asia
Tibet mine disaster exposes internal colonialism
As rescuers struggle to reach workers trapped by a landslide at a Tibetan gold mine, China’s authorities “scrubbed” microblog comments on the costs of breakneck mineral exploitation.
Mexico
Narco-coal: Zetas diversify portfolio
Authorities in Mexico's coal-producing northern state of Coahuila say that the notorios Zetas, bloodiest of the country's warring cartels, have taken over much of the mining industry.
The Andes
Peru: two dead in miners’ protest
A clash broke out as riot troops from Peru's National Police force evicted a group of informal miners from their encampment in northern La Libertad region, leaving two miners dead.