The Andes
May Day mining disaster in Colombia
An unknown number of miners—perhaps as many as 40—were buried alive as an illegal gold mine collapsed at El Palmar, in Colombia's southern region of Cauca.
Tag: mining
Central Asia
US plays Mongolia card against China
Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel signed a "joint vision" statement with Mongolia calling for expanded military cooperation—clearly aimed at further encirclement of China.
The Andes
Peru: Cajamarca repression sparks protests
Spontaneous protests broke out in the town of Celendín, in the highlands of Peru's Cajamarca region, after the arrest of six leaders of the struggle against the Conga gold project.
Central America
Honduras: three convicted in reporter’s murder
A Honduran court has convicted three men in the murder of a well-known journalist, but impunity is still the rule for most killings of reporters and activists.
The Andes
Bolivia: three dead in miners’ protests
Three were killed as thousands of independent miners blocked highways across Bolivia to protest a pending law that would impose restrictions on their cooperatives.
The Andes
Peru: artisanal miners block highways again
Informal miners have for days been blocking the Pan-American Highway on Peru's coast to protest the end of the "formalization" process for titling their claims.
Mexico
Michoacán crackdown on narco-mineral nexus
Mexican authorities seized 119,000 tons of iron ore at Michoacán's Pacific seaport of Lázaro Cardenas, following tips about drug cartels exporting black-market ore to China.
The Andes
Peru: new repression at Conga mine site
Leaders of the peasant protest encampment at the planned Conga mine project in Peru report a new attack by the National Police detachment assigned to protect the site.
Southern Cone
Chile: environmentalists declare ‘Glacier Republic’
Latin America has a new country: Greenpeace Chile plans to maintain an independent nation in the glacial regions until Chile finally passes laws protecting the glaciers.
The Andes
Peru: mine engineer held by indigenous protesters
An engineer for the Águila Dorada mining company was detained by members of an Awajún indigenous community in Peru's northern Cajamarca region.
The Andes
Peru: US court action over Cajamarca repression
EarthRights International filed an action in US federal court on behalf of a protestor left paralyzed by police violence at the site of the Conga mine project in Peru.
Central America
Guatemala: Tahoe opens troubled silver mine
Tahoe's controversial silver mine in southeast Guatemala is now open for business, but local indigenous communities still want the company to get out.