Africa
Mining fuels renewed Darfur conflict
Russia is blocking release of an internal UN report that apparently shows how pro-government militias in Darfur are making some $54 million per year in gold mining.
Tag: mining
South Asia
Bangladesh: deadly repression of anti-coal protest
Police opened fire on peasant protestors at the site of a coal-fired power plant project in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh, killing at least four.
The Andes
Mineral interests challenge Colombia under FTA
Environmentalists are condemning Vancouver-based Eco Oro Minerals' announcement that it will sue Colombia over its new policy to protect sensitive highland ecosystems.
The Andes
Colombia: will paras fill post-FARC power vacuum?
Rights groups see an urgent threat that criminal gangs and paramilitary groups will fill the power vacuum in remote areas of Colombia as the FARC is demobilized.
The Andes
Venezuela: massacre reported at wildcat mine
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro ordered creation of a "Special Military Zone" in the Orinoco Mineral Arc following reports of a massacre at a mining camp in the region.
The Andes
Colombia: ‘consulta’ on mineral project approved
The city council of Ibagué, capital of Colombia's Tolima department, voted to a approve a popular "consulta" on a proposed mineral project for the municipality.
Central America
Guatemala: harsh terms for crimes against humanity
A retired army officer and an ex-paramilitary were sentenced to 120 years and 240 years, respectively, for sexual slavery and crimes against humanity during Guatemala's civil war.
The Andes
Drought brings hunger to Colombia’s Guajira
Struck hard by a drought related to this year's severe El Niño phenomenon, Colombia's northern region of La Guajira is suffering from a crisis of malnutrition.
The Andes
Peru: populist pursues presidency from prison
Left-populist presidential candidate Gregorio Santos Guerrero insists he will run in Peru's April election—despite remaining behind bars at Ancón I prison outside Lima.
The Andes
Colombia: court protects highlands from mining
Colombia's Constitutional Court overturned provisions of the government's new National Development Plan that allowed mining in the ecologically critical high alpine zones.
The Andes
Colombia: peasants sue over mining contamination
Indigenous and Black communities in Colombia’s Chocó department filed a lawsuit, claiming 37 of their children died after drinking water contaminated by nearby mining operations.
Southeast Asia
Jakarta: ISIS franchise exploited sectarian tensions
The ISIS-affiliated network that carried out the Jakarta attacks emerged from the sectarian conflict between Muslims and Christians in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province.