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  Mining industry: General materials 1 Jan. 2002 to present  

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63 Killed in China Coal Mine Blast, 23 Missing (Reuters, 14 May 2003)

S. African gold firm faces $7 billion suit - Workers at South Africa's second-largest gold mining company [Gold Fields] were tortured, enslaved and poisoned with uranium, according to a $7.4-billion lawsuit filed late on Tuesday in a New York court...In the suit, Mtwesi alleged he and others were "tortured, enslaved, subjected to unfair and discriminatory Slave or Forced Labor practices (and) exposed to toxic and dangerous chemicals, fumes, substances and radioactive materials." (Jeanne King, Reuters, 7 May 2003)

Gold Fields faces $7bn uranium exposure suit - Lawyers acting on behalf of more than 500 former employees of Gold Fields, South Africa's second largest gold producer, will file a suit on Monday in New York seeking damages of up to $7bn. (Nicol Degli Innocenti, Financial Times, 4 May 2003)

GUATEMALA: Child Labor Rate Triples In Eight Years, New Report Says -...Guatemala has the highest number of child laborers in the Central American region, with 62.8 percent of its child laborers working in agricultural activities...many of the children are also employed in dangerous activities, such as mining or making fireworks. (UN Wire, 30 Apr. 2003)

Environment groups call on Rio Tinto for action [Australia] - Leading Australian environment groups have called on mining giant Rio Tinto to deliver on a commitment to rehabilitate the Jabiluka uranium mine site in Kakadu National Park. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 17 Apr. 2003)

{···français} Apartheid: des firmes sommées de réparer - Des plaignants sud-africains réclament des milliards de dollars ( Sabine Cessou, Libération, 12 avril 2003)

2003:

63 Killed in China Coal Mine Blast, 23 Missing (Reuters, 14 May 2003)

S. African gold firm faces $7 billion suit - Workers at South Africa's second-largest gold mining company [Gold Fields] were tortured, enslaved and poisoned with uranium, according to a $7.4-billion lawsuit filed late on Tuesday in a New York court...In the suit, Mtwesi alleged he and others were "tortured, enslaved, subjected to unfair and discriminatory Slave or Forced Labor practices (and) exposed to toxic and dangerous chemicals, fumes, substances and radioactive materials." (Jeanne King, Reuters, 7 May 2003)

Gold Fields faces $7bn uranium exposure suit - Lawyers acting on behalf of more than 500 former employees of Gold Fields, South Africa's second largest gold producer, will file a suit on Monday in New York seeking damages of up to $7bn. (Nicol Degli Innocenti, Financial Times, 4 May 2003)

GUATEMALA: Child Labor Rate Triples In Eight Years, New Report Says -...Guatemala has the highest number of child laborers in the Central American region, with 62.8 percent of its child laborers working in agricultural activities...many of the children are also employed in dangerous activities, such as mining or making fireworks. (UN Wire, 30 Apr. 2003)

In the green dock: corporate targets [sub-section of article entitled "Asda 'exploiting loophole' for store space"] - FoE [Friends of the Earth] is also targeting some of Britain's largest listed firms, which it claims are putting profits before people and the environment; it has bought shares in 18 publicly quoted firms and has been questioning boards about the impact their businesses are having on the environment. The campaign, to run through the summer, started this week when FoE accused Rio Tinto of human rights abuses and environmental destruction in Indonesia at its AGM. FoE is also pushing for UK law changes requiring firms to take account of their wider responsibilities and offer affected communities redress or compensation when they fail to do so. The 18 firms targeted...: British American Tobacco (Activities in Burma and use of pesticides in Brazil); Associated British Ports; Rio Tinto (Destructive mining activities in Indonesia); Shell (Environmental damage in the Philippines; South Africa, Nigeria and US); Barclays (Rainforest destruction in Indonesia); BP (Impact of the Baku to Ceyan Russian pipeline); Anglo American (Mining in South America and Africa); BAE Systems; Amec (Subsidiary Spie has a construction contract for BP's Baku-Ceyan pipeline); Premier Oil; Balfour Beatty; P&O; HSBC (Oil industry involvement in Sudan); Tesco; British Airways; Sainsbury; Safeway; BAA. (Julia Finch & Neil Hume, Guardian [UK], 19 Apr. 2003)

Investors barrack Rio Tinto bosses -...Rio Tinto was barracked by small shareholders and special interest groups at an annual meeting that marked a bad-tempered send-off for chairman Sir Robert...The mining group was attacked over pension issues, alleged safety problems in Utah and for not making provisions for a number of legal cases being taken out against it..."The government must change company law to ensure the directors of irresponsible companies like Rio Tinto are made fully liable and accountable for their destructive impact overseas," said Friends of the Earth campaigner Ed Matthew. (Terry Macalister, Guardian [UK], 18 Apr. 2003)

Poor fellow mining country - Steering a big bank and a huge mining company, Leon Davis [chairman of Westpac, deputy chairman of Rio Tinto] puts Aboriginal disadvantage first on his unusual agenda...Westpac recently issued Australia's first comprehensive triple bottom line report...Rio Tinto has made striking progress in its relations with Aboriginal communities in Australia, winning praise from indigenous leaders such as Marcia Langton and Mick Dodson. Davis was key to this policy, spearheading the company's decision to set aside legal hostilities and negotiate with Aboriginal people to form binding voluntary agreements covering native title...Westpac staff volunteers spend four weeks in Aboriginal communities providing mentoring on family financial and small business skills...Rio Tinto has a huge legacy of community conflict to come to terms with [including] the Jabiluka uranium mine, the Weipa industrial dispute, the Bougainville copper mine, allegations of human rights abuses at the huge (albeit minority-owned) FreeportGrasberg copper mine in West Papua, and ongoing debate about disposal of mine tailings at the Lihir gold mine in Indonesia. Recently, for example, Rio Tinto has opposed any ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by Australia. (Paddy Manning, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 Apr. 2003)

Environment groups call on Rio Tinto for action [Australia] - Leading Australian environment groups have called on mining giant Rio Tinto to deliver on a commitment to rehabilitate the Jabiluka uranium mine site in Kakadu National Park. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 17 Apr. 2003)

U.S. proposes rules to cut diesel pollution - The Bush Administration proposed new rules Tuesday that aim to drastically reduce diesel pollution generated by farm and industrial equipment over the next decade. (Todd Zwillich, Reuters, 15 Apr. 2003)

Seven activists win top environmental prize (Michael Kahn, Reuters, 15 Apr. 2003)

{···français} Apartheid: des firmes sommées de réparer - Des plaignants sud-africains réclament des milliards de dollars ( Sabine Cessou, Libération, 12 avril 2003)

Thirteen dead in Chinese mine blaze - Thirteen miners and rescue workers were killed after a fire ripped through a coal mine in China's northern Hebei province...Chinese mines have an appalling safety record, and the number of mining deaths last year reached 14,924, according to the work safety bureau. (AFP, 12 Apr. 2003)

US firm faces $1bn claim for complicity [South Africa] - Fluor, the biggest US publicly traded engineering and construction company, faces a $1 billion claim by black former workers who allege they were discriminated against under apartheid. Anglo American, the world's second-biggest mining company, and diamond producer De Beers also face a lawsuit by former employees who say they were enslaved, beaten and tortured under apartheid. Lawyer Ed Fagan said a lawsuit would be filed today in California federal courts. The suit will argue that Fluor paid blacks less than whites and that the company helped repress workers during a 1987 strike in which two were killed. (Jonathan Rosenthal and Antony Sguazzin, Business Report [South Africa], 7 Apr. 2003)

Group Opposing Mining of Titanium is Dissolved [Kenya] - A farmers' group formerly opposed to the titanium mining project in Kwale has been disbanded. The farmers said they would join hands with a committee elected last week to look into the project. The Maumba Nguluku Welfare Association chairman, Mr Frank Mutua, said they took the decision because the government had shown the willingness to address their grievances. (Jonathan Manyindo, The Nation [Kenya], 7 Apr. 2003)

Apartheid suit hits shares in Anglo American - Shares in dual-listed mining group Anglo American fell in London and Johannesburg on Friday as news broke of a lawsuit brought against the company on behalf of victims of the apartheid regime. (Rebecca Bream & Nicol Degli Innocenti, Financial Times, 4 Apr. 2003)

TANZANIA: Country Touts Legal Reforms In Line With Child Labor Treaties - The government of Tanzania is working to align its labor laws with international treaties banning child labor, Minister for Labor, Youth Development and Sports Juma Kapuya told parliamentarians Wednesday...According to the International Labor Organization, 1,109 Tanzanian children were taken out of jobs in mining, agriculture, construction, prostitution and domestic work in 2002. (UN Wire, 4 Apr. 2003)

Gas explosion at Fushun’s Mengjiagou coalmine kills 25 miners [China] -A victim’s wife is beaten and hospitalized by company security guards for asking about compensation (China Labour Bulletin, 3 Apr. 2003)

Revenue Transparency: The Extractive Industry and Developing Countries - Over 40 representatives from extractive companies, non-governmental organizations, government and international finance institutions met last Wednesday in a confidential roundtable, chaired by representatives of the American Petroleum Institute and Transparency International-USA, to discuss the issue of revenue transparency. The discussion focused primarily on elements of a UK-led Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and the Publish What You Pay Campaign. (Fund for Peace, 2 Apr. 2003)

Business is On Its Own With HIV/Aids: Labour Specialists [South Africa] - The entire private sector must create plans similar to that of the mining industry to combat HIV/Aids because the government has not totally committed itself to fight the pandemic, labour consultants said on Wednesday...Last year, mining houses AngloGold, De Beers, Harmony and Anglo Platinum committed themselves to create programmes that seek to reduce the impact of HIV/Aids to their workforce. De Beers and AngloGold went further, and declared that they would start HIV/Aids treatment programmes for all their employees. (South African Press Association, 2 Apr. 2003)

Gold Fields to extend anti-retroviral programme [South Africa] - Gold mining group Gold Fields Limited (GFI) intends extending its existing Wellness Management Programme to include Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) as a treatment option for all employees living with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Gold Fields previously provided Antiretroviral Therapy on a limited basis to prevent mother to child transmission (MTCT), and as post exposure prophylaxis to rape victims and employees with occupational exposure to HIV. (Business Day [South Africa], 1 Apr. 2003)

Anglo American, SAf Govt Launch ZAR40M Empowerment Fund [South Africa] - Diversified global mining giant Anglo American PLC and Khula Enterprise Finance Ltd., a Department of Trade and Industry initiative, has launched a 40 million rand fund to promote black economic empowerment in South Africa's junior mining sector. (Dow Jones, 31 Mar. 2003)

Southern Peru says will commit to Ilo upgrade in May [Chile] - Southern Peru Copper Corp said last week it would meet a three-month government deadline to commit to overhauling its aging smelter technology to reduce pollution (Reuters, 31 Mar. 2003)

Anglo in 'slaves' charge [South Africa] - Mining group Anglo American is facing a multi-billion dollar lawsuit claiming that it profited from collaborating with apartheid-era South Africa. Lawyers representing thousands of victims of the racist regime are to file a legal action this week alleging that the UK-listed Anglo American exploited black workers, seized property and stripped the country of natural resources during the Seventies and Eighties. The legal claim follows a report by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission earlier this month, which singled out Anglo American as a beneficiary of apartheid and urged corporations to compensate victims. Anglo American denies wrongdoing...The lawyers...plan to lodge a complaint in the US courts by Friday. (Conal Walsh, Observer [UK], 30 Mar. 2003)

Silicosis deaths in Pondicherry [India] - Silicosis strikes glass factory workers, most of them women, in Pondicherry. Seven people are dead and more may be dying. But the government and the factory management tout technicalities in the face of the workers' suffering. (Asha Krishnakumar, Frontline [India], 29 Mar.-11 Apr. 2003)

China mine blast death toll rises to 62 - state TV (Reuters, 27 Mar. 2003) 

Titanium Mine License Eludes Canadian Firm in Kenya - The mining of the world's largest titanium fields on the east African coast of Kenya appears to have hit another snag after the country's new government announced that it is planning to conduct a public forum to discuss whether Tiomin Resources Inc., a Canadian mining firm, should be licensed to start mining the mineral in Kenya. (Jennifer Wanjiru, Environment News Service, 26 Mar. 2003)

Firms Cautious On Calls for Apartheid Reparations [South Africa] - Stunned silence from large parts of the business sector greeted the news that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has recommended to government that SA's businesses be made to pay reparations to victims of apartheid unless they offer to play a more substantial role in reconstructing the country. The commission's suggestions included a wealth tax or a one off levy on corporate or private income. The commission singled out three business sectors that benefited particularly from apartheid policies: parastatals like Eskom, mining companies like Anglo American and international institutions like the Swiss banks. (Nicola Jenvey, Lesley Stones, Julie Bain, Carli Lourens & Charlotte Mathews, Business Day [South Africa], 26 Mar. 2003)

Meridian stock hit by opposition to Argentine mine - Shares of Meridian Gold Inc. fell hard this week after the company said residents near its Esquel Mine project in Argentina had voted against the project because of concerns it will damage their water sources. (Reuters, 26 Mar. 2003)

HIV/AIDS Could Cause Major Economic Crisis in 'Emerging Markets'; Some Companies Providing Prevention, Treatment to Workforce - Not only is the HIV/AIDS pandemic a "humanitarian disaster," but the disease could also cause an "economic crisis" in "emerging markets" such as South Africa, China and the former Soviet Union...A number of banks, including Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Bank, have said that HIV/AIDS statistics will have to be included in financial forecasting, stock selection, asset allocation and risk underwriting. [refers to Gold Fields and Anglo American] (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 25 Mar. 2003)

Miners fleeing escaping gas forced down into mine shaft shortly before massive explosion kills at least 57 of them [China] (China Labour Bulletin, 25 Mar. 2003)

As Bolivian Miners Die, Boys Are Left to Toil - In Latin America, languishing in its worst economic cycle in decades, the use of child labor is becoming more widespread. The children sell knickknacks on streets, work the fields, tend restaurants and, increasingly, work in dangerous jobs in industry and mining. The problem is particularly pervasive in Bolivia, a poor, isolated country of 8.3 million people gripped by political turbulence and recession. An estimated 800,000 children work in this country, with thousands toiling in mines or assisting in the sugar cane harvests, some of the riskiest work. (Juan Forero, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2003)

50 Bodies Found in Chinese Mine Blast -...China's mining industry is one of the world's deadliest. More than 5,000 deaths were reported last year in coal mines. Many accidents were blamed on a lack of fire and ventilation equipment in small, often illegally run mines. (AP, 24 Mar. 2003)

W Papua mine paid $18.5m to military [West Papua/Indonesia] - Freeport Indonesia has been forced to reveal it paid more than $US11million ($18.5 million) to the Indonesian army over the past two years for security at its operations in strife-torn West Papua. It is the first time the mining giant has admitted the full extent of the military's involvement in the controversial gold and copper mine..."Transnational corporations operating in countries with repressive governments, ethnic conflict, weak rule of law, endemic corruption or poor labour and environmental standards face serious risks to their reputation and share value if they are seen to be responsible for, or complicit in, human rights violations," the shareholders' resolution reads [US shareholders in the parent company Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc.]...A spokesman for Rio Tinto, which owns 16 per cent of the parent company Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc, said that management of the Indonesian mine was the responsibility of Freeport, and it was inappropriate for a minority shareholder to comment. (Sian Powell, The Australian, 15 Mar. 2003)

Gold Mines Could Face Gencor-Type Lawsuits [South Africa] - Spoor said far more workers had silicosis than asbestosis (Business Day [South Africa], 14 Mar. 2003)

The launch of the UK Corporate Responsibility Index - Toby Kent reports from the launch of the BitC [Business in the Community] Corporate Responsibility Index, highlighting its main components and the major issues it raises. (Toby Kent, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 14 Mar. 2003)

NEWS from the USWA [United Steelworkers of America]: Labor Network Challenges Rio Tinto plc to Live Up to Its Self-Proclaimed Image of `Corporate Responsibility' - Leaders of the Rio Tinto Global Network -- a coalition of labor unions representing thousands of union members around the globe who work for the London/Melbourne-based multinational mining and minerals conglomerate Rio Tinto plc (NYSE:RTP) -- called on the company today to abandon its worldwide de-unionization efforts and to live up to its often-stated image of being a "responsible" global corporation. (United Steelworkers of America, 14 Mar. 2003)

Japanese court tosses forced labor suit - A court on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit by a group of Chinese who sought compensation from the Japanese government and 10 companies for allegedly using them as slave laborers during World War II...All but one of the 10 companies being sued - Hazama Corp., Furukawa Co., Tekken Corp., Nishimatsu Construction, Ube Industries, Dowa Mining, Nittetsu Mining, Mitsubishi Materials Corp., Tobishima and Japan Energy Corp. - are publicly listed. (Kenji Hall, Associated Press, 11 Mar. 2003)

Mining Fatalities Unacceptably High [South Africa] - Some improvement in the safety record, but this has not been substantive - At the end of January Gold Fields, SA's second biggest gold producer, said four of its miners had died in a fire at the company's Driefontein mine. Last month AngloGold reported that two of its miners had died at its Great Noligwa mine in a rock slide. Fatalities in the gold industry still make up more than double that recorded in any other area of the mining industry. (Julie Bain, Business Day [South Africa], 10 Mar. 2003)

{···español} Nueva Protesta en Esquel contra la Mina de Oro y Plata [Argentina] - Piden que no se modifique la fecha fijada para el plebiscito que decidirá la suerte de la explotación. Temen que se contamine el medio ambiente...La empresa El Desquite, propiedad de la multinacional canadiense Meridiam Gold, compró en 1.400 millones de dólares un yacimiento de oro y plata ubicado a 7 kilómetros de la ciudad...Hará una inversión de 100 millones de dólares y creará 1.500 puestos de trabajo directos e indirectos. Pero la gente del pueblo y de las localidades vecinas se opone: tienen temor a la contaminación del medio ambiente debido a que, para sacar el oro y la plata de la roca, la empresa utilizará grandes cantidades de cianuro, un elemento altamente tóxico. (Clarín [Argentina], 5 marzo 2003)

Gold Discovered Beneath Ghana's Forest Reserves - Dozens of bulldozers and excavators belonging to five multinational mining companies operating in Ghana [Chirano Goldmines Ltd., Satellite Goldfields Ltd., Nevsun/AGC, Birim/AGC, and Newmont Ghana Ltd.] are poised to tear apart thousands of hectares of forest reserves in the Ashanti, Western and Eastern Regions of the country, if the government gives them approval to haul out what they describe as rich deposits of gold beneath the forests...The environmentalists fear that when the rains come, water laced with deadly cyanide will run off the tailings or waste from the mining activities into these rivers. (Mike Anane, Environment News Service, 4 Mar. 2003)

Amco Residents to Be Resettled [Zambia] - The Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines-Investment Holdings will resettle residents of Amco township near Mindolo Shaft in Kitwe because they are living in a caving area. (Times of Zambia, 4 Mar. 2003)

When does protest work? Leading campaigners and experts told The Observer what made campaigning effective - and how companies needed to ensure that corporate accountability was not simply a PR exercise if they wanted to protect their brands and reputations. [refers to Shell, ExxonMobil/Esso, Nestle, Unity Trust Bank, Co-operative Bank, Cobbetts solicitors, Enron, Rio Tinto] (Lola Okolosie, Observer [UK], 2 Mar. 2003)

UN Envoy Stunned by Magnitude of Child Slavery [Sierra Leone] - ''I cannot believe that in this day and age, so many children could be forced to slave away in the mines earning next to nothing; this is appalling,'' says UN Under Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, who is visiting the war scarred West African country. (Lansana Fofana, Inter Press Service, 28 Feb. 2003)

Latest mine explosion at Muchonggou coal mine compounds appalling loss of life in China’s coal mining industry - In the afternoon of 24 February 2003, a huge explosion rocked the Muchonggou coal mine in Shuicheng County, Guizhou province, killing up to 40 miners and injuring scores more (China Labour Bulletin, 26 Feb. 2003)

AGC accused of human rights violation [Ghana] - The Ashanti Goldfields Company is reportedly doing well but at what cost? Wassa Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM) says their rights are being violated. Below is the recently released report of a fact finding [includes reports of killings and pollution] (Public Agenda [Ghana], 24 Feb. 2003)

World Corporations Put Environmentalists Under Fire Worldwide - Amnesty International Campaigns for Corporate Accountability on Human Rights - In a new report released today, Amnesty International charges that corporate interests are inflicting a devastating worldwide toll on human rights and the environment. The report, Environmentalists Under Fire, cites the US for failing to use its influence to protect environmental defenders around the world, and highlights cases in Russia, Ecuador, Mexico, Indonesia, India, Chad and Cameroon...While environmental defenders can only appeal to the US government to live up to its rhetoric on rights, the corporations cited in the report - ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, Occidental Petroleum and Freeport-McMoRan - have considerable ability to influence the US Government, having collectively made more than $2.8 million in campaign contributions during the 2002 election cycle. (Amnesty International USA, 20 Feb. 2003)

Scrapping Mining Dependence [This study, chapter 6 in Worldwatch Institute’s annual report State of the World 2003, assesses the impacts of global mining activities, and presents alternative ways in which the world can meet its demand for minerals.  Many major mining companies are referred to in the text] -...Mines have uprooted tens of thousands of people from their homelands and have exposed many more to toxic chemicals and pollution.  And mining is the world's most deadly occupation: on average 40 mine workers are killed on the job each day, and many more are injured. (Payal Sampat, Senior Fellow with the Worldwatch Institute and International Campaign Director at the Mineral Policy Center, 7 Feb. 2003)

Rio Tinto: practise what you preach! [Indonesia] - The efforts of UK-based mining company Rio Tinto to convince the world of its commitment to human rights have suffered another blow. According to media reports, in December, the family of human rights defender and poet Wiji Thukul rejected a human rights award funded by the company...The family said they refused the award because Rio Tinto was involved in several human rights violations at its mining operations in Indonesia and was responsible for the 1992 arrest of demonstrators who were demanding proper compensation for the use of their land. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2003)

Harmony to offer HIV/AIDS drugs [South Africa] - Harmony Gold Mining would offer its HIV-positive employees antiretroviral drugs and was looking at rolling out a "workable and sustainable" antiretroviral programme, it said yesterday. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 28 Jan. 2003)

Group accuses Doe Run of damage overseas - A coalition of environmental, labor and human-rights groups has singled out St. Louis-based mining company Doe Run in a report that documents alleged environmental and social abuses by American companies operating abroad...The report highlighted lead poisoning among children in La Oroya, Peru, where Doe Run operates a smelter. According to a government test, 99 percent of children tested had elevated lead levels. (Sara Shipley, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 23 Jan. 2003)

ICCR Proxy Resolutions Book Gauges Shareowner Action Climate -...the auto sector resolutions...ask General Motors and the Ford Motor Company to evaluate what new public policies would enable and assist the companies in achieving GHG emissions reductions...The utilities sector resolutions ask American Electric Power, Cinergy Corporation, Southern Company, and TXU Corporation to report on the potential economic benefits of committing to a substantial reduction in GHG emissions...Sr. Wolf also highlighted the resubmission of the renewable energy resolution at ExxonMobil...Finally, Sr. Wolf highlighted the increasing number of Canadian resolutions that are making their way into the Proxy Resolutions Book. Placer Dome (PDG) has received three separate resolutions, and the five top banks in the country have been asked to disclose their social and environmental risks. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 22 Jan. 2003)

press release: Coalition Tells World Economic Forum: Building Trust Requires Disclosure - New Report Highlights U.S. Multinationals' Shameful Human Rights, Environmental and Labor Records - a coalition of environmental, development, labor and human rights groups today released a joint report entitled "International Right to Know: Empowering Communities Through Corporate Transparency."  The report documents the irresponsible environmental, labor and human rights practices committed by ExxonMobil, Nike, McDonald's, Unocal, Doe Run, Freeport McMoRan and Newmont Mining. (AFL-CIO, Amnesty International USA, EarthRights International, Friends of the Earth-US, Global Exchange, Oxfam America, Sierra Club, Working Group on Community Right to Know, 22 Jan. 2003)

Miners missing after Chinese mine blast - An explosion in a Chinese coal mine has left at least 30 miners missing only a day after a blast in another mine killed eight workers (BBC News, 11 Jan. 2003)

2002:

New mayor stands firm against Peru Tambogrande mine - The mayor-elect of the northern Peruvian town of Tambogrande said Wednesday residents remained opposed to a $405 million gold and copper mine planned by Canada's Manhattan Minerals Corp. that some locals fear will ruin a fertile farming valley. (Reuters, 13 Dec. 2002)

27 Coal Miners Killed and Families Held in Isolation in Jilin Province [China] (China Labour Bulletin, 10 Dec. 2002)

Lingering relics of the apartheid era will be shafted [South Africa] - South Africa's migrant labour system and single-sex hostels are among the few remaining relics of the apartheid era...The socioeconomic focus of the mining charter forces mining companies to tackle employee living conditions head on by making it a condition of awarding or renewing licences under the new regime. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 6 Dec. 2002)

Greenpeace slams Canadian gold project in Romania - Greenpeace urged Romania this week to pull the plug on a controversial Canadian gold mining project in the Carpathians which it said would seriously damage the environment...As part of the project, it [Gabriel Resources, a Canadian company] plans to relocate the 900 families of Rosia Montana, a poor mining town 500 km (310 miles) west of Bucharest, and has promised them money and new homes. (Adrian Dascalu, Reuters, 6 Dec. 2002)

CHILD LABOR: Jordan Signs Agreement With ILO -...The plan will pay children and families close to ...what they would have earned as workers, with an emphasis on girls and children employed in dangerous conditions, such as chemical and steel factories, mining and manufacturing positions (UN Wire, 4 Dec. 2002)

Honduran villagers battle over Canada-owned mine [owned by Glamis Gold] -...Velasquez and others like him contend mining has devastated the forests and dried up water sources in their poor valley. (Gustavo Palencia, Reuters, 29 Nov. 2002)

New report reveals women bear the brunt of mining operations in Indigenous Australia and abroad -...Contributors from Indigenous Australia, Papua New Guinea, India, Indonesia and The Philippines give various examples in which mining projects have overlooked or disregarded women's rights, resulting in further gender inequality, marginalisation, impoverishment and abuse of women. (Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, 25 Nov. 2002)

Companies Will Pay for Polluting New Jersey Water [USA] - Nineteen polluters will together pay a total of $3 million to compensate the state of New Jersey and East Hanover Township for contamination of the local drinking water supply...The settling parties are: Voltronics Corporation; G & F Management; Vincent and Irene Muccione; Viscot Industries, Inc.; MCE/KDI Corporation; Colgate-Palmolive Company; Deforest Investment Co. L.L.C.; Philomena Gasparine; Estate of Sylvio Gasparine; Prime Fabricators, Inc.; Township of East Hanover; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; Dorine Industrial Park Partnership; Precision Rolled Products, Inc.; Phelps Dodge Corporation (f/k/a Cyprus Amax Mineral Company); GTE Operations Support Incorporated; Ingersoll-Rand Company and Royal Lubricants Company, Inc. (Environment News Service, 25 Nov. 2002)

Australian Company's Toxic Waste Dumping Breaches International Law [Papua New Guinea] - Australian company Rio Tinto’s gold mining operation in Lihir, Papua New Guinea has been under scrutiny by the Secretariat of the London Convention for dumping toxic waste at sea. (Mineral Policy Institute and Greenpeace, 16 Nov. 2002)

AGC [Ashanti Goldfields Company] Accused of Human Rights Abuses [Ghana] - Behind the seeming good performance of Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC) this year are charges of human rights abuses in communities where it operates. (Public Agenda [Ghana], 16 Nov. 2002)

Gold mines account for 64% of SA [South Africa] mine deaths (SAPA, 14 Nov. 2002)

NGO Launches US Apartheid Reparations Law Suit [lawsuit in U.S. court against companies for past conduct in South Africa] - A non-governmental organisation has filed a lawsuit against 21 multinational corporations and leading international banks for helping prop up the apartheid state...The companies and banks named in the lawsuit are: Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Exxon Mobil, Caltex Petroleum, Fluor Corporation, Ford, General Motors and IBM in the United States; German-based Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Bank, DaimlerChrysler, and Rheinmetall; Credit Suisse and UBS in Switzerland; Barclays Bank; British Petroleum, Rio Tinto and Fujitsu ICL in the United Kingdom; Total-Fina-Elf from France and Royal Dutch Shell from the Netherlands.  The list was expected to grow by at least 100 names. (South African Press Association, 12 Nov. 2002)

What can corporate responsibility do in the fight against poverty in Africa? Maya Forstater looks at what business can be realistically expected to contribute to African development and outlines some specific examples of corporate engagement to date...DaimlerChrysler: making cars out of Sisal [South Africa, Brazil]...Divine Chocolate: Bringing farmers to market [Day Chocolate Company; The Body Shop; Ghana]...The Woodlands 2000 Trust [tree farming in Kenya]...South African Breweries...Coca-Cola: measuring the business contribution to economic development [Morocco, South Africa]...Supporting SME development: Richards Bay Minerals [South Africa] (Maya Forstater, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 11 Nov. 2002)

Investing in Africa, challenges and initiatives - Alex Blyth looks at the principal issues around western business investment in Africa and some of the companies that are attempting to improve their impact on the landscape and people of the continent [refers to Environment: TotalFinaElf in Nigeria; Palabora Mining Company (49% owned by Rio Tinto) in South Africa; Anglo American; DeBeers; Water & sanitation: Suez in Morocco & South Africa; Thames Water in Tanzania & South Africa; Education: ChevronTexaco in Nigeria; Old Mutual in South Africa; Barclays Africa; Economic development: Richards Bay Minerals (50% owned by Rio Tinto) in South Africa; HIV/AIDS:  Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland; DaimlerChrysler in South Africa; Coca-Cola]  (Alex Blyth, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 11 Nov. 2002)

chapter 7: The Adventure Capitalist [Niko Shefer] [refers to South Africa, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, mining industry, diamond industry, arms industry] (Center for Public Integrity’s International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 11 Nov. 2002)

Anglo American to foot bulk of mining Aids bill [South Africa] - Anglo American...had effectively agreed to foot the lion's share of the local industry's bill to investigate the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs given to miners with HIV/Aids, it emerged yesterday. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report, 6 Nov. 2002)

[U.N.] Security Council discusses report of illegal exploitation of DR of Congo's resources -...It also recommends that financial restrictions be placed on 29 companies based in the DRC, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe and South Africa [includes link to pdf version of full report by U.N. expert panel] (UN News Service, 5 Nov. 2002)

Amerindian Researcher Brings Grassroots Views on Mining to Fore - In Guyana and Colombia, as in most Latin American countries, mining has dramatically increased over the past two decades. But from the contamination of healthy rivers to the lawless atmosphere of mining towns, few have felt the ill effects of mining more than these countries’ Indigenous peoples. (Colin Campbell, International Development Research Centre, 1 Nov. 2002)

CHILD LABOR: At Least 300,000 Children Working In Colombian Mines - At least 300,000 children as young as 5 are working in Colombian mines, risking contraction of respiratory disease and other respiratory ailments (UN Wire, 31 Oct. 2002)

Former gold miners show high level of lung disease [South Africa] (Ronnie Morris, Business Report [South Africa], 29 Oct. 2002)

China mine blast death toll reported to hit 36 (Reuters, 27 Oct. 2002)

DR of Congo: Annan calls for global action against exploiting natural resources for war -...Mr. Annan...called for an investigation of the companies identified in the report [recent report by panel of UN experts on illegal exploitation of resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo]....Asked what responsibility foreign governments had in protecting the DRC from the corporations named in the report, Mr. Annan said, "I would hope that there would be some way of putting an embargo on exports from there, either through a direct ban, or governments taking responsibility for companies that are registered in their countries to ensure that they did not behave irresponsibly." (UN News Centre, 25 Oct. 2002)

ICFTU Report Denounces Massive Child Labour and Deteriorating Workers’ Rights in Zambia -...children are still toiling in even the worst forms of child labour such as small scale mining operations, agriculture and stone crushing...a deteriorating situation as regards violation of basic workers’ rights in the private sector, including by multinationals...Women are severely disadvantaged....Zambians...infected [with HIV-AIDS] face discrimination in employment as a result of their condition. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 25 Oct. 2002)

DRC: Negative reactions from those named in UN Panel report - Individuals, companies and governments named in the latest UN report on the illegal exploitation of natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have, so far, denied their involvement...The De Beers spokesman in South Africa, Brian Roodt, told IRIN on Tuesday that his company was puzzled by its inclusion in the report...Meanwhile, Anglo American issued a statement saying it had had no operations in the Congo "for several years". (IRIN - U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 23 Oct. 2002)

Mining diseases 'too high' [South Africa] - The burden of disease resulting from working in mines is unacceptably high in South Africa, Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Tuesday...she said about 25 000 compensation applications were made each year for occupational lung diseases resulting from working in mines. (SAPA, 22 Oct. 2002)

Glamis Gold unit hit by Honduras protest - Several hundred residents of a Honduran town last week protested against an open-pit mine run by a unit of Canada's Glamis Gold Ltd., saying it was damaging their environment...They said the open-pit mine was destroying their forests, and threatening local water supplies. (Reuters, 21 Oct. 2002)

CONGO: Senior African Officials, Multinationals Implicated In Exploitation - Foreign corporations, senior African officials and criminal networks are plundering the rich natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to a new 59-page report prepared for the U.N. Security Council by a U.N.-appointed independent panel...The panel calls for financial restrictions to be levied on 54 individuals and 29 companies it said are involved in the plunder, including four Belgian diamond companies and the Belgian company George Forrest, which is partnered with the U.S.-based OM Group...The report also accuses 85 South African, European and U.S. multinational corporations -- including Anglo American, Barclays Bank, Bayer, De Beers and Cabot Corporation -- of violating the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's ethical guidelines on conflict zones. (UN Wire, 21 Oct. 2002)

Mine deaths [at the Loxton Exploration diamond mine] shock rescuers [South Africa] (Jeanne-Marié Versluis, Volksblad, 18 Oct. 2002) 

NATURAL RESOURCES: Consumer Demand Still Fueling Wars, NGO Says - A new report released today by the nongovernmental Worldwatch Institute urges better monitoring of trade in natural resources taken from conflict zones, saying that such imports fuel brutal conflicts in the developing world..."Brutal wars over natural resources like coltan -- a mineral that keeps cell phones and other electronic equipment functioning -- diamonds, tropical woods and other rare materials have killed or displaced more than 20 million people and are raising at least $12 billion a year for rebels, warlords, repressive government and other predatory groups around the world," the institute says...Opium, gems, oil, timber, natural gas, precious metals, coffee and cocoa are among the resources cited as helping to pay for wars over the past 50 years. (UN Wire, 17 Oct. 2002)

Gencor mum on asbestos case [South Africa] - Gencor, the mining holding company, said that until it had papers served upon it in South Africa, it had no comment on the decision by the English High Court to include Gencor as a co-defendant in the asbestos case of Cape plc, the UK building materials company. (Justin Brown, Business Day [South Africa], 16 Oct. 2002)

Mining sector should extend worker care' [South Africa]: Health committee hears submissions - Mining houses could soon be forced to accept financial responsibility for the health costs of workers for up to two years after they leave their employment as opposed to the current six months if they have contracted a disease for which compensation can be claimed, a parliamentary committee heard yesterday. (Business Day [South Africa], 16 Oct. 2002)

Activists say US task force favors mining industry - A coalition of nearly 50 environmental interest groups said yesterday a Department of Interior task force may be giving mining, oil and gas companies an edge in discussions over toxic chemical cleanup costs. (Reuters, 15 Oct. 2002)

South Africa: ICFTU condemns killings of two mineworkers - In a letter to South African President Thabo Mbeki, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has vigorously condemned the killing last Monday of two mineworkers at a prominent goldmine following shots fired by the Security guards of the East Rand Proprietary Mines (ERPM). (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 9 Oct. 2002)

MINING: Intensive Shifts Could Raise Accident Rates, Says ILO - New, intensive labor practices in the mining industry could become a "poisoned chalice" of industrial accidents, according to an International Labor Organization study released yesterday. (UN Wire, 8 Oct. 2002)

IFC Chief: Industry Should Disclose Payments to Developing Nations - Oil, gas, and mining companies should fully disclose their payments to governments in the developing nations, according to the head of the International Finance Corporation. (GreenBiz.com, 2 Oct. 2002)

HIV/AIDS: Commonwealth Forum Urges Businesses To Respond To Crisis (UN Wire, 25 Sep. 2002)

Critical mines chief cops lash [Australia] -...Last Thursday the State Government released the report into 56-hour rosters in Tasmanian mines...The report came after a public outcry at the roster system's impact on both the health and safety of workers. (Luke Sayer, Mercury [Hobart, Australia], 24 Sep. 2002)

New Study Finds Mining Unlikely to Help Poor Countries - Oxfam to World Bank: Don’t Look to Mining to Solve Poverty - The mining of gold, copper and other metals is unlikely to help poor countries escape from poverty, according to a new study released today by the international anti-poverty agency Oxfam America...The study, “Digging to Development? A Historical Look at Mining and Economic Development” comes as the World Bank, under heavy pressure from activist groups, reviews its involvement in mining and other natural resource extraction projects. (Oxfam America, 23 Sep. 2002)

Alaska villagers sue Teck Cominco over pollution [USA] - Residents of Kivilina, an Inupiat Eskimo village on Alaska's northwestern coast, sued Teck Cominco Ltd. , charging the company with 2,171 federal water-pollution violations at its Red Dog Mine, the world's largest zinc producer. (Yereth Rosen, Reuters, 23 Sep. 2002)

Corporate Citizenship and the Mining Industry: Defining and Implementing Human Rights Norms (Rory Sullivan and Peter Frankental, Amnesty International Business Group UK, in Journal of Corporate Citizenship Issue 7, autumn 2002)

Harmony, labour sign Aids pact - Harmony, the South African gold miner, yesterday signed an agreement with its labour organisations on measures to reduce the number of HIV/Aids infections among employees, their families and communities. (Justin Brown, Business Day [South Africa], 20 Sep. 2002)

PHILIPPINES: UNICEF Estimates Child Laborers Total 4 Million - The number of Philippine children working as family breadwinners has reached 4 million, an increase of 800,000 children in recent years, a UNICEF official has estimated...About two-thirds of the children work in the agricultural sector, although some work in more hazardous industries such as mining...The Employers Confederation of the Philippines and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry implemented a program to address the plight of working children. (UN Wire, 20 Sep. 2002)

Research confirms AWU fears over dangerous mining hours - A comprehensive report into the extended shifts in the Tasmanian mining industry released today has confirmed Australian Workers’ Union fears that miners are working excessive hours. (Australian Workers Union, 19 Sep. 2002)

AngloGold signs Global Labour Agreement - In a historic first for the global mining industry, the world's leading gold producer, Anglogold and the 20-million strong international trade union federation, ICEM signed an agreement on the promotion and implementation of good human and industrial relations...The promotion and respect for human and trade union rights, health and safety, environmental protection and the promotion of good relationships with local mine communities are pivotal to the agreement. (ICEM - International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions, 13 Sep. 2002)

Helping to reunite families while slowing AIDS [South Africa] -...Faced with post-apartheid laws that no longer favour migrant labour and with HIV infection rates estimated at 25% to 30% of their workers, many SA mining companies are working to replace crowded, all-male hostels with low-cost family housing. (Business Day [South Africa], 13 Sep. 2002)

CHILD LABOR: U.S. Pledges $4 Million For ILO Program In Tanzania -...Up to an estimated 400,000 children below the age of 15 are working in Tanzania, mostly domestically and in the mining and agricultural sectors (UN Wire, 12 Sep. 2002)

Rio asked to clean up uranium mine work [Australia] - Environmentalists and Aboriginal leaders called on mining giant Rio Tinto Plc/Ltd yesterday to start rehabilitation work on a uranium deposit bordering World Heritage-listed parkland in Australia's far north. (Reuters, 6 Sep. 2002) 

Aborigines challenge Rio Tinto [Australia] - Mining giant Rio Tinto is being challenged to abandon a proposed uranium mine in the heart of an Australian national park, after local aborigines made it clear that they opposed the project. Rio Tinto said it would not go ahead with the proposed Jabiluka uranium mine in the Kakadu National Park without permission from the Mirrar aboriginal people. (Friends of the Earth, 5 Sep. 2002)

FORESTS: World Bank Launches Partnership To Protect Africa's Congo Basin -...The bank warned that the world's second largest primary rainforest...is put under pressure by logging, agriculture, population growth and the oil and mining industries...The donated funds will support activities in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo in 11 target areas. (UN Wire, 5 Sep. 2002)

Indonesia engages gunmen after three are killed in Papua - ...Indonesian forces exchanged fire with gunmen yesterday and killed a suspected rebel, a day after two American schoolteachers and an Indonesian were shot dead near a huge copper and gold mine run by a US corporation...Regional armed forces chief Major-General Mahidin Simbolon arrived yesterday in Timika, near the immense open-pit mine operated by PT Freeport Indonesia -- an affiliate of US-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper-and-Gold Inc. For many Papuans, the operation is a symbol of unwanted Indonesian rule. (AP & Reuters, in Taipei Times, 2 Sep. 2002)

Compendium of speeches, press releases and articles from the "Lekgotla: Business Day" - Johannesburg -1 Sep. 2002 [BASD (Business Action for Sustainable Development) hosted a high profile business day during the Johannesburg Summit that brought world business leaders together with NGOs, labor unions, government officials and others - to discuss initiatives and partnerships towards sustainable development] [includes speeches by Prime Ministers of Canada & Denmark; Tokyo Sexwale, Business Coordinating Forum of South Africa; Reuel Khoza, Chairman of Eskom; Phil Watts, World Business Council for Sustainable Development; Sir Robert Wilson, Rio Tinto; Wladimir Puggina, International Fertilizer Industry Association; Heinz Imhof, Chairman of Syngenta; Mohamed Rafik Meghji, International Federation of Consulting Engineers] (Business Action for Sustainable Development, 1 Sep. 2002)

UN to focus on corporate help to fight Aids - The United Nations has abandoned its policy of relying on governments to tackle the HIV/Aids crisis in the developing world, saying it would now help fund corporate initiatives to provide anti-retroviral drugs to sufferers...Richard Holbrooke, president of the Global Business Coalition on Aids, a grouping of 75 international companies, and former US ambassador to the UN, said the policy change was "an important step in the right direction". He said: "If Anglo American and De Beers take leadership, it will pressure other companies to take similar steps. It will finally get corporations to take up their role in the process [to fight HIV/Aids]. Up to now, business has been doing less than 10 per cent of what they should have done." (James Lamont, Financial Times, 29 Aug. 2002)

The North-South Institute calls on governments and corporations to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights vis-à-vis mining developments - Canada can lead on ‘governance’ issues - In conjunction with the opening of the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa, The North-South Institute is releasing a policy brief outlining clear directions for governments and corporations proposing to undertake mining activities on or near Indigenous territories. (North-South Institute, 26 Aug. 2002)

On the Explosion at Liupanshui Coal Mine in Guizhou Province [China] (China Labour Bulletin, 21 Aug. 2002)

Canadian cash lures Romanians in gold mining town [Romania] - Gabriel Resources plans to relocate some 300 households as part of the $420 million project aimed at extracting 300 tonnes of gold and 1,700 tonnes of silver over 15 years. (Adrian Dascalu, Reuters, 20 Aug. 2002)

Spotlight on corporates reveals need for global rules - Some corporations continue to abuse the rights of people, destroy the livelihoods of communities, and pollute water and forest resources for future generations, according to a new report by Friends of the Earth International published today. The report graphically illustrates the need for governments to agree to introduce tighter rules for multinationals at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg. (Friends of the Earth, 16 Aug. 2002)

includes section entitled "Towards binding corporate accountability"

also includes the following case studies:

1. Peru: Manhattan Minerals (Tambogrande gold mine)

5. Papua New Guinea: BHP Billiton (OK Tedi mine)

13. Australia: Barrick Gold (gold mine, affecting indigenous peoples)

21. Indonesia: Rio Tinto (gold mine, affecting indigenous peoples)

Mining Project in Peru: Manhattan Minerals Must Recognize the Legitimacy of the Municipal Referendum - The Canadian company Manhattan Minerals Corporation must recognize the legitimacy of the Tambogrande (Peru) municipal referendum which confirmed the overwhelming opposition to the company's plan to develop a gold mine in the small town...Some analyses of the gold mine project have indicated that it could bring significant environmental damage in its wake. (Rights & Democracy, 14 Aug. 2002)

Round table seeks ways to harness trade and investment for sustainable development -...A recent high-level round table in Abuja, Nigeria, hosted by the Government and sponsored by UNDP, assisted by several partners, examined the issue [the challenge of reconciling the powerful forces of international trade and investment with efforts to reduce poverty and protect the environment], focusing on partnerships between government, civil society and the private sector for sustainable development in the oil, gas and minerals sector and the water and sanitation sector...Egbert Imomoh , senior corporate advisor with Shell International, discussed his company's experiences in partnerships in Gabon, Nigeria, Thailand, Mexico and the Philippines...Kwabena S. Manu of Mime Consult Ltd. in Ghana presented a pilot project to involve local private firms in developing small town water supply systems. (U.N. Development Programme, 14 Aug. 2002)

Gold Fields urges workers to test for HIV [South Africa] - Gold Fields chief executive Ian Cockerill turned guinea pig yesterday when he and several union leaders volunteered for an HIV/Aids test at the company's Driefontein mine. Cockerill's test...was the curtain-raiser to the launch of Gold Fields' Informed, Consented, Voluntary Counselling and Testing and wellness management programme for employees. (Andrew Davidson, Business Report [South Africa], 14 Aug. 2002)

Chinese mine blast kills 10 (BBC News, 13 Aug. 2002)

Women who toiled in Eveleth Mines waited two decades for justice [USA] - Lois Jenson drove through three feet of snow to begin her new job at the Eveleth Mines on March 25, 1975...She never dreamed that her name would eventually be on the nation's first sexual-harassment class-action lawsuit (Mary Ann Grossmann, Knight Ridder, 11 Aug. 2002)

Rio + 10 Series: Business Action Addressing Biodiversity is a Rare Species - The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business’ Energy and Biodiversity Initiative represents one of very few business actions that support biodiversity conservation...CELB supports biodiversity initiatives in four sectors: agriculture and fisheries, forestry, energy and mining, and travel and leisure. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 9 Aug. 2002)

Why Donor Funds Don't Reach NGO Coffers [South Africa] [refers to Tshikululu Social Investment (TSI) Fund, one of the biggest corporate social investment programmes in South Africa, which manages social investment portfolios for AngloGold, De Beers, Anglo American and the First Rand Foundation] (Fazila Farouk, AllAfrica, 8 Aug. 2002)

TAC urges corporates to follow Anglo's lead [South Africa] - The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) yesterday urged the rest of corporate South Africa to follow Anglo American's lead and pay for the antiretroviral treatment of their HIV-positive employees. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 8 Aug. 2002)

Mining Company to Offer H.I.V. Drugs to Employees - After more than a year of mixed signals, the mining company Anglo American P.L.C., which is confronted with a crushing AIDS burden in Africa, said today that it would begin supplying life-prolonging drugs to all its employees who are H.I.V. positive...The rates of H.I.V. infection among adults in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe — countries where Anglo operates — are among the highest in the world. (Henri E. Cauvin, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2002)

Bush praises coal miners; union slams safety stance [USA] - Even as President Bush met yesterday with nine Pennsylvania coal miners whose stunning rescue July 28 from a flooded mine captivated the nation, union officials and Democrats criticized Bush for undercutting mine-safety initiatives with his budget ax. (Bob Kemper, Chicago Tribune, in Seattle Times, 6 Aug. 2002)

19 trapped underground in north China mine fire (Xinhua, 5 Aug. 2002)

A Call for Case Studies on "Indigenous Peoples, Extractive Industries And The World Bank": Contribution to an Independent Review - Deadline for submission is August 30, 2002 (Tebtebba Foundation & Forest Peoples' Programme) [added to this site on 5 Aug. 2002]

Indigenous Peoples' International Summit on Sustainable Development, Kimberly, South Africa, 20 - 23 August 2002 [added to this site on 5 Aug. 2002]

Body of 20th miner found in Ukraine - The body of the last of a group of miners working at the site of an explosion deep in a coal mine in eastern Ukraine has been found and brought to the surface, raising the death toll to 20 (Dmitry Dobrovolsky, Guardian [UK], 2 Aug. 2002)

Rio Tinto: Mining Sustainable Practices -...BSR [Business for Social Responsibility] recently had the opportunity to talk with Shaun Stewart, Rio Tinto’s International and Government Affairs Advisor, about a variety of issues, including the company’s commitment to sustainable development and how that commitment has affected the way Rio Tinto conducts its business. (Business for Social Responsibility, 1 Aug. 2002) 

Ukraine pledges action after mine blast - Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has promised to close down all unsafe mines following an explosion at a coal-pit which killed 20 people. (BBC News, 1 Aug. 2002)

Close the Mines, Send Off the Miners, Jail the Mine Bosses – What Next? [China] -...At the root of the safety problem is the fact that the miners are denied the right to protect themselves against hazardous working conditions, and the official trade union is ineffective in safety prevention. (China Labour Bulletin, 31 July 2002)

Indigenous peoples' permanent sovereignty over natural resources - Working paper by Erica-Irene A. Daes, former Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (Erica-Irene A. Daes, document for U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 30 July 2002)

Jordanian Workers applaud amendments expanding their rights -...The amendments to Article 31 of Labour Law have been applauded by the Jordanian Society for Human Rights, which also commended the government's decision to raise the legal age for juveniles working in potentially hazardous conditions from 17 to 18...Hazardous jobs include working in chemical and steel factories, mining and manufacturing. (Hassan Shobaki, Jordan Times, 30 July 2002)

Rise in Mining Deaths Prompts Political Sparring [USA] (Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, 26 July 2002)

Brazil spies on Amazon loggers - Brazil has launched a $1.4bn radar system to spy on illegal loggers, miners and drug runners in the Amazon rainforest. (BBC News, 25 July 2002)

MINING: Partnerships Limit Environmental Impact, UNEP Says - Sustainable mineral development with minimal environmental damage depends on communication between those who finance mining projects and others involved in and affected by the process, the U.N. Environment Program said Friday as it released The Role of Financial Institutions in Sustainable Mineral Development. (UN Wire, 22 July 2002)

Asarco could face stiff pollution clean-up costs [USA] - The west Texas smelting plant of miner Asarco Inc. [Asarco was purchased by Mexican conglomerate Grupo Mexico in 1999] has been tagged as a "potentially responsible party" in a U.S. federal pollution probe that could lead to an expensive clean-up in addition to other environmental obligations the company is already dealing with...Lexi Shultz, legislative director of the Mineral Policy Center, an environmental advocacy group, said Asarco and Grupo Mexico are trying to avoid huge clean-up costs in Washington, Montana and elsewhere by stripping Asarco of assets that could be used to pay for clean-ups. (Deborah Tedford, Reuters, 22 July 2002) 

6 Workers Die in Ukraine Mine Blast (Associated Press, 21 July 2002)

Supporting Science, Supporting Sustainability - Earthwatch Institute's Corporate Fellowship Program places corporate employees in the field with top scientists for the benefit of both the environment and the sponsoring companies [refers to Ford Motor Co., Royal Dutch Shell, Rio Tinto, Starbucks] (Anne Moore Odell, SocialFunds.com, 18 July 2002) 

Comment: Steve Hilton - A tale of two launches - Two recently announced initiatives mean that corporate social and environmental involvement is now big business, argues Steve Hilton...First, then, to Britain's parliament for the launch of the CORE (Corporate Responsibility) Coalition, and the publication of its draft Private Member's Bill tabled by Labour Member of Parliament Linda Perham...So on to launch number two...a thoroughly modern proposal was outlined by [George Soros]: "Publish What You Pay", a campaign to make oil and mining companies report the sums they pay to the governments of developing countries. (Steve Hilton, founding partner of the social marketing company Good Business, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 17 July 2002)

South African Community Growth Fund Celebrates Tenth Anniversary - The Community Growth Fund invests in South African companies committed to sustainable development and triple bottom line reporting [refers to companies that went through protracted process before qualifying for CGF investment: South African Breweries, Rand Water, Naspers Group; companies removed from the CGF: Western Deep Level mine, Hoskens Consolidated Investments, Liberty Life; companies that refused to submit to CGF's social audit: Aspen Pharmacare, Sun International, Vanadium Corp. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 17 July 2002) 

Miners pay high price for China's coal - China's insatiable demand for coal has a dark side that has been on gruesome display in recent weeks, with a series of terrifying underground explosions, hundreds of deaths and tales of medieval horror as mine managers have tried to hide bodies from the authorities. (Richard McGregor, Financial Times, 17 July 2002)

Tambogrande Referendum Has Domino Effect in Peru [regarding local opposition to plans by Canada-based Manhattan Minerals Corp to build an open-pit gold mine] (Stephanie Boyd, on website of Americas Program of the Interhemispheric Resource Center,16 July 2002)

Concern Over Planned Titanium Mine [Kenya] - Plans for a titanium mine [operated by Canadian-based company Tiomin Resources] in southeast Kenya, approved by the Kenyan government last week, could lead to environmental damage and adversely affect the lives of people, local rights groups warned on Tuesday. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 16 July 2002)

Corporate Human Rights -...For several years, a small group of lawyers and labor advocates has been trying to hold transnational companies responsible for their actions by suing them in the United States for abetting and/or benefiting from human rights abuses overseas. Finally, these corporation-chasers are beginning to see signs of possible success. [refers to lawsuits against Unocal, Shell, Texaco, Rio Tinto, Coca-Cola, Del Monte, DynCorp, Drummond Company, ExxonMobil] (David Corn, The Nation, 15 July 2002)

Child Workers at Risk from Mercury - Ten-year Tanzanian children are involved in mining activities including washing of rock and collecting and carrying crushed rock that expose them to serious health risks. (from East African, in Child Labour News Service, 15 July 2002) 

Mining Chamber fights to eradicate child labour [Ecuador] - The Ecuadorian mining chamber has launched a campaign to promote sustainable mining based on a socially responsible and concerted effort, and to eradicate child labour in the industry, the chamber's executive director Alfredo Sebastia informed. The chamber is working on the project together with the ILO and Ecuador's labour, and mining and energy ministries. (from Business News Americas, in Child Labour News Service, 15 July 2002)

Peru peasants march to Lima, protest mining damage - After a week of marching from villages across Peru, some 1,000 peasants arrived in Lima this week to demand government action against what they say is the contamination or seizure of land by big mining companies [refers to Manhattan Minerals Corp., Southern Peru Copper Corp. - a unit of Grupo Mexico] (Teresa Cespedes, Reuters, 10 July 2002)

Ukraine mine chiefs arrested - The Ukrainian authorities have arrested three top managers of a coal mine in the eastern Donetsk region where 35 miners died over the weekend. (BBC News, 9 July 2002)

Mine deaths '88% human error' [South Africa] - Gold Fields, the country's second-largest gold producer, yesterday lashed out at the blame culture that had developed around local mining safety, saying 88 percent of local mine deaths were the result of human error. "It's become too easy to blame management," said Ian Cockerill, the chief executive of Gold Fields. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 9 July 2002)

Industrial Accidents Plague China -...A string of industrial deaths – mostly in the country's notoriously perilous mines... – has forced China to promise even more attention to its safety campaign and prod officials at all levels into helping. (Audra Ang, Associated Press, 9 July 2002)

Neglect 'caused' Ukraine mine fire (CNN, 8 July 2002)

Australian Embassy Inaction In Indonesia Shooting - The Mineral Policy Institute is today calling for an inquiry into why the Australian Embassy staff in Indonesia took no action after three separate shooting incidents by Indonesian security forces. The shootings left two people dead and five injured at the Mt Muro mine of Australian company, Aurora Gold. (Mineral Policy Institute, 7 July 2002)

Dozens killed in Ukraine mine fire -...The cause of the accident is not known, but Ukraine's ageing coal pits have a bad safety record, and have been described by the World Bank as the world's most dangerous mines. (BBC News, 7 July 2002)

Local mines blasted over safety [South Africa]  - As the government's chief adviser on mine safety was berating local mines for their safety standards yesterday, miners were battling to rescue two of their colleagues trapped more than 2km underground at a West Rand gold mine...The same Gold Fields mine reported one fatality and injuries last week after a similar event. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 5 July 2002)

China miners told to pack bags - About 10,000 gold miners are being given their marching orders in north China's Shanxi province in a move to shut down illegal mines. (BBC News, 5 July 2002)

Fresh mine disasters hit China - More than 50 mine workers are feared dead in China, after two more accidents in the country's beleaguered mine industry, officials have reported. (BBC News, 4 July 2002)

Transnational Corporations And Human Rights - Written statement submitted by International League for Human Rights [refers to Tibet & China: Australian-owned Sino Mining International, BP, ENI/Agip, PetroChina, Shell, Exxon/Mobil; Burma: Unocal] (International League for Human Rights, document for U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 3 July 2002)

Plight of Peru town dim after mine's mercury spill -...Chuquitucto blames her blindness on the June 2000 spill from one of the world's top gold mines, Yanacocha, an environmental disaster that has prompted villagers to file a lawsuit in Colorado against Denver-based Newmont Minerals. (Missy Ryan, Reuters, 3 July 2002)

Arrests after China mine blast - Police in northern China have detained seven people thought to have been involved in an attempt to cover up an accident at a gold mine last month. (BBC News, 2 July 2002)

Bush administration cuts clean-up funding [USA] - The Bush administration has cut the funds necessary to clean up 33 toxic waste sites in 18 states under the Superfund cleanup program, according to a new report to Congress by the inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency, The New York Times reported yesterday...Sites affected by the cuts include a manufacturing plant in Edison, New Jersey, where the herbicide Agent Orange, used in the Vietnam War, was produced, as well as several chemical plants in Florida and two old mines in Montana. (Reuters, 2 July 2002)

Labour department focuses on mining [South Africa] - The mining industry has become the focus of the labour department, which plans to use the benchmarking and safety standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to fine-tune new national safety laws. In the background is the disturbing increase in mining accidents this year, particularly the deaths at Impala Platinum, and calls for widespread safety reforms in the industry. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 1 July 2002)

BHP Billiton - Not just a new face - a new beginning? -...From the Canadian Arctic where it is facing an environmental prosecution, to South America, displacing indigenous people, to labour rights in Mozambique, to Papua New Guinea and clean up of massive destruction caused by two decades of Ok Tedi mining, BHP Billiton has a long path of reform ahead. (Mineral Policy Institute, 1 July 2002)

Development Aggression: Observations on Human Rights Conditions in the PT Freeport Indonesia Contract of Work Areas With Recommendations [West Papua, Indonesia] - This paper is a presentation of observations, conclusions, and recommendations regarding human rights conditions in the PT Freeport Indonesia [majority owned and controlled by US-based mining company Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc] Contract of Work areas in Papua, Indonesia...The presentation below has been circumscribed by Freeport's lack of cooperation and other interference with the assessment process...Some of these violations - such as those caused by environmental destruction - are the direct by-products of Freeport's mining operations. Others - such as physical attacks - are the result of the illegal, indiscriminate, and/or disproportionate use of force against civilians by the Indonesian military and police providing security for and funded by Freeport. (Abigail Abrash, consultant for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, July 2002)

A Guide to Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the International Labour Organization - Indigenous peoples throughout the world continue to suffer serious abuses of their human rights. In particular, they are experiencing heavy pressure on their lands from logging, mining, roads, conservation activities, dams, agribusiness and colonization...This Briefing paper provides guidance on how to file a complaint with the ILO Committee of Experts. [refers to ILO Convention 169 cases relating to: logging concessions which overlapped indigenous territories in the Bolivian Amazon; Arco & Berlington Resources Ecuador Ltd. project in Ecuador affecting the Shuar People; Occidental project in Colombia affecting the U’wa indigenous community] (Fergus MacKay, Forest Peoples Programme, July 2002)

Those who bear the scars of SA mines hail new law [South Africa] - Many who contributed to the wealth of the nation still live in poverty -...Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has used Pondoland and Kimberley, the diamond-mining centre of the Northern Cape, as an example of how the previous laws ignored the development of communities from whom labour and resources were drawn. "Communities that live in close proximity to rich resources should be addressed in a manner that takes them out of poverty," she said. (Sechaba Ka'Nkosi, Sunday Times [South Africa], 30 June 2002)

Corporate Human Rights -...For several years, a small group of lawyers and labor advocates has been trying to hold transnational companies responsible for their actions by suing them in the United States for abetting and/or benefiting from human rights abuses overseas. [refers to lawsuits against Unocal, Shell, Texaco, Rio Tinto, Coca-Cola, Del Monte, DynCorp, Drummond Company, ExxonMobil] (David Corn, The Nation, 27 June 2002)

What has the ACFTU done? [China] – An Interview with the Wife of a Jixi Mine Blast Victim - On June 20, a gas explosion with 115 fatalities took place at the Chengzihe Coal Mine in Jixi, a city in Heilongjiang province. On June 25, a victim’s wife told China Labour Bulletin that the compensation offered by the Jixi Mining Bureau (JMB) was unreasonable, and that the mine was guarded by the police to prevent further negotiations with the victims’ families. (China Labour Bulletin, 27 June 2002)

Peru's Yanacocha eyes deposit in disputed gold site -...Cajamarca, where some residents fear that mining Quillish will sully their water supply and threaten public health, is fighting Yanacocha [mining company] in court to keep the site hands-off for mining (Missy Ryan, Reuters, 27 June 2002)

The whole world wants Ivanhoe to withdraw from Burma - As the Canadian-based Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.'s holds its annual shareholders meeting today in Vancouver, the Canadian Labour Congress and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) are urging the company to end its mining joint venture with the Burmese military regime and withdraw its investments from Burma...Ivanhoe's Monywa Copper Mine...is the largest foreign mining investment in Burma and has been linked to the mass conscription of forced labour as well as the severe environmental degradation of the surrounding area. (Canadian Labour Congress and ICEM, 25 June 2002)

Heilongjiang Coal Mine Explosion Kills 115 Miners [China] (China Labour Bulletin, 25 June 2002)

Search continues for tanzanite miners [Tanzania] - Rescue workers continued their search for the bodies of at least 32 miners who died of suffocation in northern Tanzania after an air compressor failure in a tanzanite mine (Cape Argus [South Africa], 22 June 2002)

Australia's uranium mines come under spotlight - Australia's uranium mining will come under the spotlight of a parliamentary inquiry after a recent series of leaks, spills and reporting failures [refers to mines owned by Rio Tinto; Heathgate Resources Ltd, a subsidiary of U.S.-based General Atomics; WMC Ltd] (Reuters, 21 June 2002)

Corporate secrecy oils the wheels of poverty - While oil, gas and minerals are by far the largest sources of state revenue for the world's poorest nations, these resources, which should help fund development and sustainable economic growth, all too often turn out to be a curse, leading to increased poverty, child malnutrition and civil conflict. At the heart of this paradox is the secrecy surrounding payments by oil and mining companies to governments - a lack of transparency that provides the perfect cover for corruption and embezzlement by ruling elites. (Simon Taylor, Director of Global Witness, in International Herald Tribune, 20 June 2002)

Report of the Workshop on Indigenous Peoples, Private Sector Natural Resource, Energy and Mining Companies and Human Rights - Geneva, 5-7 December 2001 - Chairperson-Rapporteur: Mr. Wilton Littlechild (document for U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 17 June 2002)

Mine Owners and Local Authorities Collude in Fatal Accident Cover-ups [China] - A serious mine accident in Shanxi province has sparked another public outcry, carried by the official press in China, against the cover up of dangerous and illegal operations which have caused thousands of deaths and injuries in the country's mining industry. (China Labour Bulletin, 13 June 2002)

George Soros and NGOs Call for Rules to Require Corporations to Disclose Payments - International financier and philanthropist George Soros launched a call to governments across the globe for transnational resource extraction companies to 'Publish What You Pay'. Mr. Soros has teamed up with a coalition of over 30 NGOs to insist that oil, gas and mining companies must publish net taxes, fees, royalties and other payments as a condition for being listed on international stock exchanges and financial markets. The coalition includes Amnesty International, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Friends of the Earth, Global Witness, Oxfam, Save the Children and Transparency International. (Open Society Institute, 13 June 2002)

End Child Labour, World's Unions Say - One child in five is at work - most in dangerous jobs -..."Child labour is found in a number of ICEM industries," he [Fred Higg, ICEM General Secretary] emphasised, "notably in the very hazardous sectors of mining, diamond and gem polishing and building materials" (ICEM - International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions, 12 June 2002)

Peru says disputed mine would foil poverty - Peru's prime minister on the weekend urged that plans to develop a controversial $315 million gold and copper mine plan go forward, saying this mineral-rich nation could not let the northern farming valley where the mine would be dug [Tambogrande] languish in poverty. (Reuters, 10 June 2002)

Canada firm says disputed Peru mine could help poor - Canadian miner Manhattan Minerals Corp this week brushed aside fierce criticism of its proposed Tambogrande gold and copper mine, calling the $315 million project a lucrative opportunity that farmers in a poor northern valley could not afford to pass up. (Missy Ryan, Reuters, 7 June 2002)

Costa Rica bans open pit mining - Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco signed a decree this week banning open pit mining in a move expected to hit the mining and exploration plans of at least two Canadian firms [Vannessa Ventures Ltd and Wheaton River Minerals Ltd.] (Reuters, 7 June 2002)

Cosatu to visit North west mine accident scene [South Africa] - Joe Nkosi, the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) deputy president, was scheduled to visit AngloGold's Noligwa Mine (formerly Vaal Reefs) in Klerksdorp today, where two miners were killed in a rockfall on yesterday morning. (South African Broadcasting Corporation, 6 June 2002)

China sentences mine boss to death for disaster - China sentenced one county official to death and three others to lengthy prison terms for a tin mine flood last year in which 81 people were killed (Reuters, 6 June 2002)

Government to review Rio Australia uranium mine [Australia] -...Government authorities in Australia yesterday said they will launch an environmental review into the Ranger uranium mine owned by Rio Tinto Plc/Ltd...The review follows concerns among environmentalists over elevated uranium levels in water run-off earlier this year. (Reuters, 5 June 2002) 

"No Tears for the WSSD" - Statement of the participants of the International Mining Workshop, Bali, 4 June 2002 - We, the people from mining affected communities, environmentalists and sustainable development advocates, strongly condemn the current Fourth Preparatory Committee Meeting for World Summit for Sustainable Development (Prepcom IV -WSSD). Human rights and ecological justice cannot be priorities in a conference sponsored by transnational corporations (TNCs), most of which are the worst polluters on the planet. (Indonesian People's Forum, 4 June 2002)

Peruvian farmers vote against gold mine - Citizens of the Peruvian municipality of Tambogrande stated loud and clear in Sunday's referendum that they do not want the gold under their village to be mined [proposed mine by Manhattan Minerals] (Friends of the Earth, 4 June 2002)

Peru mining vote "suspicious" - Manhattan Minerals - Canadian miner Manhattan Minerals Corp. yesterday slammed as "suspicious" a weekend vote in which residents of the Tambogrande valley in northern Peru voted overwhelmingly to reject a planned $315 million gold and copper mine...98.65 percent of residents voted against the controversial mining project in a nonbinding referendum organized by the local municipal government. (Reuters, 4 June 2002)

Nippon Mining, Codelco set up firm for bio-mining - Japan's biggest copper producer, Nippon Mining and Metals Co Ltd , said yesterday it had reached an agreement with Chile's state-owned Codelco to set-up a firm to develop biotechnology for mining copper. Nippon Mining said the firms believed that biotechnology was important for future sustainability and reducing costs in the mining industry. (Reuters, 4 June 2002)

Activists see connection in coal between Salem [Massachusetts, USA] and Colombian village -...Some of the coal imported for PG&E Corp.'s Salem Harbor Station power plant comes from a giant mine in Colombia, which is accused of growing by bullying, cheating and sickening villagers into leaving homes that sit on massive, untapped reserves of coal...While the Colombian activists decried abuses of human rights at the hands of their government and the owners of the Cerrejon Zona Norta mine, they also carefully refrained from calling on PG&E to stop buying its coal. (Dave Gershman, Salem Evening News, 3 June 2002)

Peru town votes on mine plan amid pollution fears - Some 36,000 Peruvians in the northern town of Tambogrande are set to vote yesterday in a local referendum on whether to keep the status quo in their quiet farming community or embrace big mining with a copper and gold mine which some fear could ruin their livelihood [proposed project by Canadian mining firm Manhattan Minerals] (Eduardo Orozco, Reuters, 3 June 2002) 

Statement of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights -...the Committee observes with concern the overall decline in living conditions, particularly in connection with pressures of globalization and the shrinking role of the State, as more and more social services are turned over to non-State entities who have no comparable commitment to the progressive realization of economic, social and cultural rights, nor to the protection of the environment. The Committee has observed, for example, that the right to health is violated by "the failure to enact or enforce laws to prevent the pollution of water, air and soil by the extractive and manufacturing industries." [para. 3] (United Nations, Background Paper No. 5 for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Fourth Preparatory Session, 30 May 2002) [to download this pdf file directly, click here: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/prep4_background_papers/humanrights_background5.pdf]

Enron, Others Ordered to Preserve Documents Related to Secret Meetings with Cheney Energy Task Force [USA]: Sierra Club serves subpoenas to industry groups in lawsuit against Cheney, others - Subpoenas began arriving today at polluting industries and industry groups, like Enron and the National Mining Association, as part of efforts by the Sierra Club to discover how they influenced Vice President Cheney's Energy Task Force. (Sierra Club, 30 May 2002)

Gold diggers draw ire from environmentalists -...environmentalists insist, gold mining is dangerous to people's health and ruinous to the environment. The mining industry, in general, acknowledges the environmental sins of the past and promises to do better. (Peter Galloway, Reuters, 29 May 2002)

Sustainable development is serious stuff for industries - ‘Sector projects’, a new WBCSD brochure, outlines the groundbreaking work carried out by six industry sectors toward sustainable development. [the 6 sectors: Forestry; Sustainable Mobility; Cement Sustainability Initiative; Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development; Electricity Utilities; Financial Sector] (World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 28 May 2002)

Chief executives ignore a mass murderer cutting a swathe through workers and customers [South Africa] - According to the latest survey conducted by Deloitte & Touche and commissioned by the SA Business Coalition on HIV/Aids, South African companies do not have a strategy to deal with the threat of HIV/Aids. But most shocking is that business leaders do not seem to think that HIV/Aids will have an impact on their employees, and therefore their businesses. (Business Report [South Africa], 26 May 2002)

Sweden says cut subsidies endangering environment - State support to coal mining and large-scale farming poses a major threat to the environment and should be cut, both in Europe and worldwide, Sweden's environment minister said yesterday. (Anna Peltola, Reuters, 24 May 2002)

KENYA: 1.9 Million Children Working, U.N.-Funded Report Says (UN Wire, 24 May 2002)

Bodies of six mineworkers killed at Orkney recovered [South Africa] (South African Broadcasting Corporation, 22 May 2002)

36 asbestos claims cite Gencor as a defendant [South Africa] - Summonses on behalf of 36 former asbestos workers were issued in the Johannesburg high court yesterday against four mining companies [African Crysotile Asbestos, Msauli Asbes, Gencor and Hanova Mining]...for damages amounting to R25 million for asbestos-related illnesses. (Ronnie Morris, Business Report [South Africa], 22 May 2002)

Cosatu says mining industry still not enforcing safety laws [South Africa] - Trade union federation Cosatu says the recent disaster at the Noligwa Mine in the North West shows the mining industry is still not enforcing safety laws. (702 Talk Radio [South Africa], 21 May 2002)

Maligned mining sector says digging for new image - Mining companies, long maligned for sullying the environment and making big profits in poor countries, have taken strides in becoming people-and nature-friendly but still have more to do, industry experts and executives say. (Missy Ryan, Reuters, 20 May 2002)

Investigators dig on mine disaster [China] - The owner of a coal mine in North China's Shanxi Province in which 21 died spoke about the accident Sunday for the first time amid growing anger and allegations of a cover-up. (China Daily, 20 May 2002) 

Last stand of the Kalahari's hunter-gatherers [Botswana] -...the state is helping to speed up the process by moving the desert-dwellers [Basarwa bushmen] off their ancestral lands and into permanent settlements...Although hotly denied by Debswana, the state's joint venture with mining company De Beers, and the Ministry of Minerals, non-government organisations also suspect there may be mineral rights issues involved. (James Lamont, Financial Times, 18 May 2002)

The [U.N.] Secretary-General - Message to the Global Mining Initiative Conference Toronto, 12-15 May 2002 (U.N. Global Compact, 17 May 2002)

Abandoned mines said gigantic environment problem - The environmental and social costs of closing and rehabilitating old and abandoned mines around the world are likely in the trillions of dollars, and far beyond the capability of mining companies alone to deal with, Sir Robert Wilson, chairman of London-based metals giant Rio Tinto Plc said this week. (Reuters, 16 May 2002)

Top miners pledge steps to sustainable development - A high-profile mining conference on sustainable development ended yesterday with pledges that the industry is in the process of mending its social and environmental ways, but with no concrete action plan (Peter Galloway, Reuters, 16 May 2002)

North American Indigenous Mining Summit - June 12-15, 2002 (added to this site 13 May 2002)

Brazil bauxite miner says helping restore Amazon - Brazil's largest bauxite miner [Mineracao Rio do Norte] said that it was gradually restoring parts of the tropical rain forest in former mining areas in the remote Amazon region. (Peter Blackburn, Reuters, 13 May 2002) 

Former Chinese war slaves appeal lower court ruling [Japan] - Fifteen Chinese men who were forced to work in coal mines here during World War II appealed a lower court ruling Thursday at the Fukuoka High Court that ordered Mitsui Mining Co. -- but not the government -- to pay them compensation (Japan Times, 10 May 2002)

Mining Industry Reports on Its Problems, but Remains Vague on Solutions [regarding Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development Project (MMSD)]: A new report identifies the global mining industry's social and environmental pitfalls, though its recommendations may prove hollow, according to an industry watchdog. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 8 May 2002)

Australia uranium mine reports more leaks - A uranium mine in Australia owned by U.S.-based General Atomics yesterday reported its fourth major spill of uranium-contaminated water this year, prompting a government review of the way miners of the hazardous metal operate (James Regan, Reuters, 8 May 2002)

EPA rule allows mining firms to dump waste in rivers - The U.S. government last week unveiled new rules allowing Appalachian coal miners to dump dirt and rubble into streams and lakes, evoking howls of protest from environmental groups. (Chris Baltimore, Reuters, 6 May 2002) 

Employees lead the way in fighting Aids - Some South African employees are taking the lead in the fight against HIV/Aids - donating their time, salaries and services to help victims of the disease [refers to Absa and AngloGold]. (Bobby Jordan, Sunday Times [South Africa], 5 May 2002)

New SA [South Australia] Uranium Leak Highlights Need for Wider Senate Inquiry - A new leak at the controversial Beverley acid in situ leach uranium mine in northern South Australia is further evidence of the need for an expanded independent Senate Inquiry into the regulation and monitoring of uranium mining according to ACF...The Beverley operation is owned by US nuclear corporation General Atomics (Australian Conservation Foundation, 3 May 2002)

CHILD LABOR: ILO Examines Bolivia, Brazil; Nicaragua Hears From Children - The International Labor Organization said in a report released last week that 800,000 Bolivian children enter the labor market each year. Many of the children, the report said, are forced to work for mining and agricultural companies or suffer from sexual exploitation. (UN Wire, 3 May 2002)

Miners urged to lead the way on development issues: The mining industry must take the initiative in standardising its approach to social, economic and environmental considerations, according to a new report from the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) project [includes comments by Rio Tinto] (Andy Blamey, Reuters, 3 May 2002)

LABOUR: South Africa Feeling the Impact of AIDS on Workforce [refers to AngloGold, Gold Fields] (Anthony Stoppard, Inter Press Service, 2 May 2002)

The Promise of Gold: Tambogrande, Peru - A conflict is growing in Tambogrande about whether this mine [proposed open-pit mine, Canadian mining company Manhattan Minerals] should be established or not. Farmers and those dependant on agriculture are concerned that the mining operation will contaminate their irrigation system...Roughly half the townspeople in Tambogrande will have to relocate (Oxfam America, 2 May 2002)

LABOR: More Deaths Are Due To Work Than War, ILO Says - Work-related deaths claim 2 million lives a year -- the equivalent of a Sept. 11 terrorist attack every day -- making work a bigger killer than war or drug and alcohol abuse, according to an International Labor Organization study released this week...The ILO named agriculture, construction and mining as the most dangerous occupations (UN Wire, 2 May 2002)

Steelworkers launch Westray campaign [Canada] - Today, the United Steelworkers launched a campaign calling on Ottawa to make business leaders criminally accountable for the negligent acts of their corporations that lead to death or injury. (United Steelworkers, 1 May 2002)

Conflict Prevention and Revenue-Sharing Regimes: Prepared for the United Nations Global Compact Policy Dialogue: Business in Zones of Conflict [refers to mining industry; oil industry; World Bank; Shell; BP; Angola; Statoil; indigenous peoples; Western Mining Co., Normandy Mining; Rio Tinto; BHP-Billiton; Social investment projects: Freeport McMoRan in Irian Jaya, Placer Dome in Papua New Guinea, Newmont & Rio Tinto in Indonesia; Natural resource funds in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Norway, Alaska/USA, Chad-Cameroon pipeline - ExxonMobil - Petronas - Chevron, Nigeria]  (Juliette Bennett, May 2002)

Multinational Enterprises in Situations of Violent Conflict and Widespread Human Rights Abuses - This report considers the challenges of conducting business responsibly in countries characterised by civil strife and extensive human rights violations. It focuses particularly on extractive industry companies and documents the search for solutions. [includes reference to oil/gas and mining industries; Burma, Nigeria, Angola, Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Colombia, Indonesia, Sudan] (Kathryn Gordon, OECD, May 2002)

Mountains of Gold: Kumtor Gold Mine in Kyrgyz Republic [Kyrgyzstan] - This study points out the weaknesses of the environmental management system and the vague monitoring of the company's performance. [refers to pollution and other issues; refers to Kumtor Operating Company, Comeco Corporation of Canada (including cyanide spill accident in May 1998 at Comeco Corp. mine), Normandy Mining of Australia, Oxus Resources of UK, Taldy-Bulak Mining Corp., Malaysian Mining Corp., Kyrgyzaltin (Kyrgyzstan state-run company)] (CEE Bankwatch Network, May 2002)

Men and women of steel take up arms in Aids war [ South Africa] [refers to National Union of Mineworkers commitment to addressing workplace AIDS issues; refers to steps taken by employers: Gold Fields, AngloGold, Matla Coal] (Business Report [South Africa], 30 Apr. 2002)

Forced laborers win suit: Mitsui Mining ordered to pay 165 million yen [Japan] - The Fukuoka District Court on Friday ordered Mitsui Mining Co. to pay 165 million yen in damages to 15 Chinese men who were forcibly brought to Japan as slave laborers during World War II. (Japan Times, 27 Apr. 2002)

Conserve huge Guianan rainforest in South America, scientists urge - The region accounts for more than a quarter of the globe's remaining tropical rain forests and includes parts of Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela and all of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana...At least one hundred Amerindian cultures are spread throughout the area...Unsustainable logging, poor mining practices, and expanding human settlements have affected significant areas and could increase dramatically. (U.N. Development Programme, 26 Apr. 2002)

Spanish mine spill site may be unsafe - green lobby - Four years after the Spanish mining spillage that caused one of Europe's worst ecological disasters, the mine site has been sealed and the area cleaned but environmentalists say the threat of contamination persists. (Amanda Cooper, Reuters, 26 Apr. 2002) 

Southwest China coal mine blast kills 23 (Reuters, 25 Apr. 2002)

One quarter of AngloGold workers HIV-positive -...Chairman Bobby Godsell said in a statement on Wednesday the company's Aids programme focused on prevention management, care for the infected and health research. (SAPA, in Business Report [South Africa], 24 Apr. 2002)

A New Wave of Penan Blockades [Malaysia]: The Penan, Kayan and Kenyah protest against logging and sand mining activities on native land - This is the first time in more than ten years that numerous Sarawak native communities have organized to put up blockades simultaneously in various locations to draw the attention of the Malaysian authorities to their plight. (Thomas Jalong, from a Sahabat Alam Malaysia Press Release, 23 Apr. 2002)

Mining sector starts countdown to earth summit -...The industry is still using noxious chemicals to extract metals, mining waste continues to pose a potential ecological hazard and the sector remains a leading source of the greenhouse gases believed to be responsible for climate change. Yet the industry is seen to have recognised that is has a pressing problem that demands speedy action. [refers to Global Mining Initiative] (Amanda Cooper, Reuters, 23 Apr. 2002)

Rio meeting backs World Bank Latam mining aid -...Industry, aid and indigenous people's groups last week gave qualified support for the World Bank's activities in Latin American oil, gas and minerals extraction. "But while the Rio meeting did not ask the Bank to withdraw from oil, gas and mining in Latin America, it raised many questions that would call for significant changes in the way it operates...," a World Bank review team stated...Around 90 delegates discussed the importance of World Bank financing and environmental standards-setting in projects such as the Brazil-Bolivia gas pipeline, copper mining in Chile and small mines in Ecuador. (Reuters, 22 Apr. 2002)

Former employee blows whistle on Rio Tinto's Kakadu uranium mine [Australia]: Senate Inquiry needed to investigate history of environmental failures - Key national and NT environment groups have today joined the call by the Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation for a Senate Inquiry into the adequacy of environmental regulation and monitoring at the Ranger uranium mine in Kakadu. (Australian Conservation Foundation, 19 Apr. 2002)

Aids shock waves galvanise mining firms: South African mining firms are looking at a unified approach to tackle Aids, one of their biggest unresolved challenges as the infection rates creep higher. (Allan Seccombe, Daily Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 19 Apr. 2002) 

Indonesia seeks solution on open-pit mining ban: Indonesia Minister for Eastern Areas Manuel Kaisiepo says he will seek a solution to problems caused by a potential ban on open pit mining deemed to endanger forests. (Muklis Ali, Reuters, 19 Apr. 2002) 

Mining industry to critically examine treatment of HIV [South Africa] - The mining industry would decide within the next month whether it would embark on a collective feasibility study on the possible provision of anti-retrovirals to miners with HIV/Aids, the Chamber of Mines said yesterday. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 18 Apr. 2002)

What Really Happened at the Barrick Gold Mine in Tanzania? An international NGO fact-finding mission is calling on the Canadian government to support its call for a full and independent public inquiry into the alleged 1996 forced evictions and burial of miners at the Canadian-owned Bulyanhulu gold mine in Tanzania. (Rights & Democracy, 16 Apr. 2002)

Union Activist: Co.'s Hire Attackers [Colombia]: Hiring paramilitary groups to attack and threaten union leaders is a common practice by foreign companies operating in Colombia, a union activist from the country said Tuesday [refers to lawsuits against Drummond Co. and Coca-Cola] (Associated Press, 16 Apr. 2002)

Sitting Ducks: As polluting asbestos units and illegal mining thrive amid lax laws, lakhs of workers become easy prey for dreaded diseases [India] (Kushal P. S. Yadav, in Down to Earth, Centre for Science and Environment [India], 15 Apr. 2002)

More than 200 child miners withdrawn from Western Niger: Over 200 children working at the Komanbangou gold mine have been withdrawn from the site to be integrated into the school system (Child Labour News Service, 15 Apr. 2002)

Coal Mine Accidents Kill 31; 2001 Industrial Injury Statistics [China] - The fatal accidents provide a stark illustration of the grim state of industrial safety, in particular in the mining industry, on the very day when government announced its latest campaign against hazardous mine operations. (China Labour Bulletin, 11 Apr. 2002)

Chinese mine blasts kill 31: Fatal explosions have been reported in two coal mines in northern China, on the same day the country announced it was closing thousands of unsafe mines. (BBC News, 10 Apr. 2002)

Thousands more Chinese mines to be shut in safety crackdown: China will close thousands of small coal mines this year in an attempt to reduce the appalling death toll among workers in the industry. (AFP, 10 Apr. 2002)

MINERALS ACT: Villagers say amendment contradicts constitution [Thailand] - Opponents plan to lobby senators, MPs - Villagers opposed to two mining projects in the Northeast are prepared to ask the Constitutional Court to rule the amended Minerals Act unconstitutional if it becomes law. (Anchalee Kongrut, Bangkok Post, 7 Apr. 2002)

UMWA miners' union says safety regulations unenforced [USA]: A coal miners' union has accused the government of major regulatory lapses at an Alabama mine where an explosion last September killed 13 workers and at mines nationwide. (Jay Reeves, Associated Press, in Nando Times, 7 Apr. 2002)

Bleak future for world's forests: Large expanses of the world's forests are in rapid decline and could be lost much sooner than expected, a new report by an environmental research group says...The WRI [World Resources Institute] report is based on a two-year survey that covered North America, Russia, Indonesia, Central Africa, Chile and Venezuela. It found that areas believed to have forest land intact were now riddled with roads, logging and mining activity. (BBC News, 3 Apr. 2002)

World summit firm gets more donors, needs more cash: Organisers of a world development summit to be held in Johannesburg later this year said yesterday it had secured more money from local firms but still lacked a third of funds needed to meet its budget...State-owned firms Eskom, the South African Post Office and South African Airways said yesterday they had each contributed five million rand, along with mining giant Anglo American and construction company Murray & Roberts. The country's biggest bank Standard Bank and number two cellphone operator MTN have already contributed. (Reuters, 3 Apr. 2002)

Polar Partnership Promotes Sustainable Development in Arctic:...Natural resource utilization, mining and military operations in the Arctic have expanded...the [Arctic] Council does promote the precautionary principle and urges the use of environmental and social impact assessments to assure that all activities benefit local people while providing the maximum environmental protection. (United Nations website for the Johannesburg Summit 2002 - the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2 Apr. 2002)

Prevent Expansion of U.S. and World Bank Mine in Peruvian Farming Community - Recently, residents of the Peruvian city of Cajamarca raised their voices to oppose the expansion of a gold mine to Quilish Mountain, a key water resource for over 100,000 people in the city and valley. Despite local concerns about cyanide used by the mine and a municipal declaration that established Quilish as a Protected Area, the Minera Yanacocha mine (partly owned by Newmont Mining Company of Denver) has continued with its plans to expand the mine and is challenging this declaration in court, causing mounting concerns in nearby communities. (Oxfam America, 2 Apr. 2002) 

Inco ordered to clean up polluted properties [Canada]: Inco Ltd. was ordered last week to clean up 25 homes polluted by its nickel refinery in Port Colborne, Ontario, in an ongoing dispute that has pitted the mining giant against angry residents of the small town on the shores of Lake Erie. (Jeffrey Hodgson, Reuters, 2 Apr. 2002)

Ecuador tackles child labour: Ecuador is aiming to rescue children working in the country's mines and brick factories and scavenging on garbage dumps and get them back into school in a program to slash child labour (from Orlando Sentinel, in Child Labour News Service, 1 Apr. 2002) 

Business and Human Rights: Policy commitments and disclosure in the extractive sector [A comparison of policies and practices on human rights issues from seven multinational extractive companies: BG, BP, BHP Billiton, BOC, Premier Oil, Rio Tinto, Shell] (Lucy Amis & Dave Prescott, International Business Leaders Forum, Apr. 2002)

UN Global Compact Case Studies of Multistakeholder Partnership: Policy Dialogue on Business in Zones of Conflict (edited by Virginia Haufler, University of Maryland, Apr. 2002)

Way beyond petroleum: Oil giant British Petroleum’s glossy, eco-friendly advertising campaign says the company has gone ‘beyond petroleum’. In resource-rich West Papua, the company seems to be living up to its claim by helping to fund an emerging government. Can it be trusted? If not, what’s the alternative? [refers also to Freeport McMoRan] (New Internationalist, Apr. 2002)

Broadening the Corporate Commitment to HIV and AIDS [refers to positive steps by Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Unilever, Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, DaimerChrysler, De Beers] (Business for Social Responsibility, Apr. 2002)

Companies in Conflict Situations: Mineral Extraction in the Democratic Republic of Congo [refers to H.C. Stark of Germany (a subsidiary of Bayer AG), Ulba of Kazakhstan, and Cabot Corporation of the United States; French companies Safmarine, SDV-Transintra, Martinair; OSLEG, a company owned by Zimbabwe's army; Zimbabwean investor John Bredenkamp's Tremalt Ltd] (Oxford Analytica, prepared for International Business Leaders Forum and TimeFORTUNE, Apr. 2002)

How to develop win-win partnerships in developing markets: Established in 1998 at the initiative of the World Bank, Business Partners for Development/Natural Resources (BPD/NRC) has conducted a three-year exercise to see if business, government and civil society can get better results by partnering up in developing countries. [report on a project in India involving Integrated Coal Mining Limited, community leaders in the affected villages and local government officials] (Michael Warner, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 22 Mar. 2002)

Alabama coal giant is sued over 3 killings in Colombia:...Now the state's largest mining business, the Drummond Company, has been accused of encouraging the assassination of three union leaders at its giant coal mine in Colombia. (Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2002)

Jakarta to seek parl't ratification on mining deals: Indonesia's government will ask parliament to ratify about 50 existing mining contracts that have been hit by uncertainty following rules aimed at protecting the environment, a senior official said yesterday. (Reuters, 22 Mar. 2002)

MYANMAR [Burma]: Grim outlook for Asia's final frontier of biodiversity - The very existence of the regime rests upon the exploitation of natural resources. The generals have allowed massive logging -- particularly of teak -- and the construction of gas pipelines and other development projects that have caused serious environmental damage. Uncontrolled fishing by Thai companies, to whom the junta gave concessions, has led to the impoverishment of people in fishing villages. The exploitation of natural gas and minerals and the implementation of large dam projects continues with little concern for the effect on the environment or on the populations in the areas being exploited. (Cesar Chelala [author of "Impact of the Environment on Children's Health," a publication of the Pan American Health Organization], in Japan Times, 20 Mar. 2002)

Efforts made to reduce acid rain: China pledged to strictly control the country's emissions of sulphur dioxide yesterday in a bid to reduce acid rain, which is threatening more than 30 per cent of Chinese territory...All coal mines containing sulphur are required to set up desulphurization facilities by 2005. (Zhang Yong, China Daily [Beijing], 20 Mar. 2002) 

Mining expert calls for enviro improvements: Environmentally and socially conscious development is the only way forward for the mining industry. This was said by Anita Roper, deputy secretary-general of the International Council and Mining and Metals, who spoke at an official function of the Chamber of Mines in Windhoek last weekend...Roper acknowledged that mining's poor reputation was, in some cases, well-deserved. [refers to Romania, Spain, Namibia, South Africa] (The Namibian, 19 Mar. 2002)

Fifteen Sentenced for Killing 81 Miners in Guangxi [China]: On 12 March, 2002, 15 people were sentenced by the High People's Court of the Guangxi Zhuang Minority Autonomous Region to imprisonment and fines for causing a serious accident which killed 81 miners. (source - China News Service, in China Labour Bulletin, 18 Mar. 2002)

Oil, Drugs, and Diamonds: How Do Natural Resources Vary in their Impact on Civil War? (Professor Michael Ross, UCLA, produced for International Peace Academy project on Economic Agendas in Civil Wars, 13 Feb. 2002)

TANZANIA: World Bank Apparently Clears Government Of Wrongdoing The World Bank seems to have cleared the Tanzanian government of any involvement in the alleged murder of 50 miners at the Bulyanhulu gold mine in 1996, the East African reports. (UN Wire, 12 Mar. 2002)

Concern over 15 Fiji gold mine deaths: One hundred and fourteen Emperor Gold Mine (EGM) injuries and deaths have been reported to the Ministry of Labor. (Fiji's Daily Post/FijiLive, in Pacific Islands Report [Hawaii, USA], 12 Mar. 2002)

Romanian villagers oppose Canadian gold mine at Rosia Montana: A new citizens' organization called Alburnus Major has been organized in Romania to oppose an open pit gold mine being promoted by Canadian company Gabriel Resources...Gabriel intends to relocate their town and build a gigantic open pit gold mine on the site. (MiningWatch Canada-Mines Alerte, 11 Mar. 2002)

Workplace deaths add fuel to union's safety campaign [New Zealand]: Two more people have died in workplace accidents, one a stevedore and the other a coalminer. The latest deaths come amid heated debate over the Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Bill, aimed at cracking down on workplace accidents and injuries. (The Dominion [New Zealand], 11 Mar. 2002)

What's Inco Doing in New Caledonia? [overseas territory of France]...During a visit to Canada in October of 2001, Kanak officials of the Customary Senate and New Caledonian environmentalists told INCO executives and government officials of Natural Resources Canada and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade that they want greater disclosure about INCO's plans, better public consultation, and a longer time frame for public review of INCO's forthcoming EIA so that they can commission an independent environmental assessment of the EIA and a thorough social impact assessment. (Catherine Coumans, MiningWatch Canada-Mines Alerte, 6 Mar. 2002)

World Bank to investigate miners' deaths [Tanzania]: The World Bank has promised to investigate allegations that more than 50 small-scale gold miners were buried alive because police wanted to evict them from land to make way for a foreign company, operating with an investment guarantee from the bank. (Christine Otien, BBC News, 6 Mar. 2002)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Desai Speaks Out On Mining, Cars, More -  The Aug. 26-Sept. 4 World Summit on Sustainable Development will be marked by a new level of support from business for sustainable development goals, summit head Nitin Desai told Le Figaro...Desai said...mining companies will be invited to seek new modes of operation. ... Big automobile makers like Renault, Toyota, Honda, Ford and Volkswagen, together with oil companies like BP and Shell, will also have to develop a new strategy of sustainable mobility...All big businesses must become good planetary citizens. (UN Wire, 6 Mar. 2002) 

Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development: Project Draft Report for Comment - All comments on the Report are welcome until 17 April 2002 (Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development Project, IIED - International Institute for Environment and Development, 4 Mar. 2002)

The World Bank’s ‘Extractive Industries Review’ - The Extractive Industries Review (EIR) is an initiative of the World Bank, undertaken mainly at the prompting of US-based NGOs and members of Friends of the Earth-International, to work out how it should deal with the oil, gas and mining sectors. (Marcus Colchester, Director, Forest Peoples Programme, 1 March 2002)

Yunnan Gas Accident Verdict [China]: The owners of an illegal coal mine in the southwestern province of Yunnan have received jail sentences for causing serious industrial casualties. A gas explosion occurred on 14 January, 2002 at the mine in Wenshan county, killing 25 and injuring another 10 miners. (China Labour Bulletin [Source: Xinhuanet], 1 Mar. 2002)

ENVIRONMENT: World Bank Unit Keeps Peruvian Case at Arm's Length - The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has refused to investigate allegations of corruption involving a gold mine it co-owns in Peru...The IFC owns five percent of the Minera Yanacocha mine, the largest gold mine in Latin America, which is co-owned by Newmont and Buenaventura, a Peruvian company...Farmers living near the mine had long accused the company of contaminating the region's water supply. (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 28 Feb. 2002)

EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] to add asbestos-tainted Montana town to Superfund list:...W.R. Grace & Co. operated the mine, which is being blamed for nearly 200 deaths and the health problems of hundreds of other area residents. (Christopher Thorne, Associated Press, 28 Feb. 2002)

Support the Mohawks of Kanesatake [Canada] ­ Demand Action to Stop Niocan: On February 14, the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake passed a resolution to protect their traditional territory from a niobium mine that will affect their waters and lands. They are demanding a full environmental assessment conducted by Québec and the Federal government of the Niocan project, preferably jointly. (MiningWatch Canada-Mines Alerte, 27 Feb. 2002)

Workers Sue Employers for Uncompensated Layoff [China]: The People's Daily (27 February, 2002) reported that 37 workers at a mining firm in Anhui Province filed litigation against their company for its decision to lay them off without compensation. (China Labour Bulletin [Source: People's Daily], 27 Feb. 2002)

Food from Malaysia's ex-mining land toxic - report: A study of foodstuff from a legendary tin mining area in Malaysia has revealed high levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) that could cause cancer, a newspaper said. (Reuters, 26 Feb. 2002)

Mining and Minerals Sector Trying to Clean Up Its Act: Large international mining companies, in an effort to improve their image with investors, are working on a project to define how the industry can best contribute to global sustainable development. Sometime in the next few weeks, the Mining, Minerals, and Sustainable Development Project (MMSD) will release a report that has been two years in the making. (Susan Wennemyr, SocialFunds.com, 22 Feb. 2002)

Groups Urge 'No' to Cyanide Use in Mining: Environmental and human rights groups in the United States and Europe called on the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Thursday not to sanction cyanide leach mining, citing numerous environmental and public health disasters worldwide. (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 21 Feb. 2002)

September 11 Victims’ Families Sue Tanzanite Dealers [USA]: The families of three September 11 victims have filed a wrongful death suit against dealers of tanzanite, alleging ties between the trade of the gemstone and Osama bin Laden, according to the Wall Street Journal. (Rapaport News, 15 Feb. 2002)

PAKISTAN: ILO Offers Alternative Education For Working Children: an estimated 3.6 million children continue to work, tens of thousands of them in dangerous locations such as mines, canneries and glass and textile factories (UN Wire, 14 Feb. 2002)

Companies 'face rising risks over human rights': Multinational companies face a growing risk of being associated with human rights violations, according to research published in London yesterday by Amnesty International and the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum. The research examines the operations of 129 leading companies in 34 countries where human rights abuses including torture, forced child labour and denial of freedom of expression occur. (Alison Maitland, Financial Times, 13 Feb. 2002)

Groups Hail Philippine Mining Freeze: Environmental groups are hailing a decision last month by the Philippine province of Oriental Mindoro to enact a 25-year moratorium on major mining projects (Jim Lobe, OneWorld US, 13 Feb. 2002)

Forests of Fear: Stopping human rights abuses is key to solving forest crisis - A new report clearly links the disappearance of the world's forests with the horrifying catalogue of human rights abuses taking place as a result of conflicts between forest peoples and the powerful government and corporate interests within forests. (Boreal Footprint Project, 12 Feb. 2002)

Miners to be filmed giving urine samples [Australia]: Workers at a Queensland mine [Mount Isa Mines] will be filmed while they provide urine samples as part of a new drug-testing policy...The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union condemned the practice, saying it was an unnecessary invasion of privacy. (The Age [Australia], 12 Feb. 2002)

TANZANIA: Government to monitor tanzanite trade - The Tanzanian government said on Saturday that it would implement new control measures to oversee the trade in the semiprecious gemstone, tanzanite, following reports that proceeds from its sale were being used to fund terrorism. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 11 Feb. 2002)

Poverty stalks Ukrainian child miner (Pavel Polityuk, Reuters, 10 Feb. 2002)

BHP washes its hands of Dead River [Papua New Guinea]: BHP Billiton today washed its hands of responsibility for the damage its Ok Tedi mine is creating (Mineral Policy Institute, 8 Feb. 2002)

Blast rips through Polish coal mine: At least 10 miners have been killed in an accident at a coal mine in Poland. (BBC News, 6 Feb. 2002)

Indigenous Peoples Meet at First Indigenous Peoples Global Conference to Set Priorities and Impact New UN Body [U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues] - Peru President Alejandro Toledo to Give Keynote Address Via Video - New York City - February 21-24, 2002:...Workshops will examine the impact of economic development and extractive industries (oil, diamonds and uranium). (Partnership for Indigenous Peoples Environment, 1 Feb. 2002)

Brimob [mobile brigade] shooting at Aurora mine [Indonesia]: A man was seriously wounded as violence against the local community continues at Aurora's gold mine in Central Kalimantan...Aurora has consistently evaded responsibility for the violence at the mine and claims that the company has no choice but to accept Brimob presence at the site. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002) 

Stop human rights violations against peasant farmers! [Indonesia]: The pattern of human rights violations arising from land conflicts during the Suharto era still persists today, more than three years since the dictator was forced to resign...In West Papua investors are being encouraged to take advantage of the territory's land, timber and mineral wealth. In Kalimantan and Sumatra communities are losing lands to oil palm developments. Forest peoples are losing out in agreements with entrepreneurs who buy up community rights over forests at minimal prices so that they can get at the timber. The medium-scale exploitation of coal and gold continuing in some parts of Sulawesi and Kalimantan is putting more pressure on peasant and indigenous communities as well as poisoning the lands and water courses. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002) 

Book Review: Indonesia: Natural Resources and Law Enforcement, by International Crisis Group...It recognises the involvement of corrupt elements in the civil service, security forces and legislature that benefit from the upsurge of illegal logging, mining and fishing that has occurred since Suharto was ousted. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002)

Case Study: Placer Dome - Building corporate reputation and trust in Venezuela (Michael Warner, Business Partners for Development/Natural Resources Cluster, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, Feb. 2002)

Rio Tinto workers set to unite under one global union: Mining unions in 11 countries plan to join forces and represent Rio Tinto workers under one global union..."This is one of the steps that the trade union movement is taking in response to globalisation" (Natalie Davison, AAP, 29 Jan. 2002)

Two explosions in Chinese coal mine: At least 27 miners have been killed in two explosions at a coal mine in northern China...Official figures show that more than 5,000 miners died last year, but independent analysts say around 10,000 miners die each year in Chinese coal mines. (BBC News, 28 Jan. 2002)

Frequent spills plague Australian uranium mines: Hundreds of thousands of litres of potentially harmful uranium solution spilled in the Australian outback since December is alarming environmentalists, although the companies responsible insist the accidents pose no threats [refers to mining company WMC Ltd] (James Regan, Reuters, 28 Jan. 2002)

Mountain Ecosystems Endangered: War, exploitation and pollution threaten freshwater source for half of world's population -...Climate change, pollution, armed conflict, population growth, deforestation and exploitative agricultural, mining and tourism practices are among a growing list of problems confronting the "water towers of the world," prompting warnings that catastrophic flooding, landslides, avalanches, fires and famines will become more frequent (United Nations University, 27 Jan. 2002)

Companies accused of fuelling fight for Congo's mineral wealth: Spurred by growing international concern, campaigners, industry and the United Nations are trying to stop the African trade in a rare mineral crucial to mobile phones and high-tech gadgets - which is blamed for fueling war in Central Africa. (Doug Alexander, Gemini News Service, 25 Jan.-1 Feb. 2002)

Shootings, deaths at Aussie mine [Indonesia]: Local people have again been shot by security forces at an Australian gold mine in Indonesia [Aurora Gold’s Indo Muro Kencana mine site in Kalimantan] (Mineral Policy Institute, 24 Jan. 2002)

Tanzanian Government Defends Tanzanite Trade:...The minister was responding to a letter he received from Eliezri, in which he expressed ICA members’ concern over recent reports in the press about allegations that the proceeds from tanzanite are financing terrorist organizations. (Rapaport News, Diamonds.Net, 24 Jan. 2002)

Greenwash + 10: The UN's Global Compact, Corporate Accountability and the Johannesburg Earth Summit [includes reference to Rio Tinto] (Kenny Bruno, CorpWatch, 24 Jan. 2002)

Union seeks an audit of mine safety [South Africa]: The MWU-Solidarity union called on Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka yesterday to conduct a national audit of mining safety...He [MWU-Solidarity spokesman Dirk Hermann] said that currently, an average of one mineworker died in the industry every day, and about 16 were injured in mine- related accidents. (South African Press Association, in Business Day [South Africa], 24 Jan. 2002)

Indonesian Man Shot at Australian Gold Mine: An Indonesian man has been shot by security police at an Australian gold mine in Indonesian Borneo [Aurora Gold’s Indo Muro Kencana mine] (Environment News Service, 23 Jan. 2002)

HIV/AIDS: Mining Executive Expected To Be Named To Global Fund Board - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, launched by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan last year, is set to name Anglo American Deputy Chairman Goran Lindahl as its 18th and last board member, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday...Top fund organizers said last year that drug makers should be centrally involved in the fund's work, but...fund officials worried that having a drug executive on the board would lead to "conflict-of-interest issues." (UN Wire, 22 Jan. 2002)

Indigenous Peoples Decry War and Oil: Native peoples from nine countries of Latin America and the Caribbean drew up strategies and issued declarations against the anti-drug Plan Colombia, the Colombian civil war and against petroleum and mining activities on their lands, during a weekend meet in the Ecuadorian capital. (Kintto Lucas, Inter Press Service, 21 Jan. 2002)

Congo's Coltan Mines Blight Local Communities, Says Report: Fresh concerns over the impact of coltan mining in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo were raised this week by a local pressure group following a marked decline in the livelihoods of communities close to the sites where the rare mineral is extracted [includes reference to health concerns] (Penny Dale, OneWorld Africa, 17 Jan. 2002)

DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo] mine collapses, killing 33: At least 33 people were killed last week when a small coltan mine collapsed in eastern DRC, local rebel officials said on Tuesday. Coltan is a mineral used in electronics and especially in the manufacture of mobile phones. (South African Press Association, 15 Jan. 2002)

Nowhere to Run, Nowhere To Hide [Philippines]: The Agtas, peace-loving dwellers and guardians of Sierra Madre's forests, are slowly and painfully being erased from the Philippine anthropological picture, by oppression, exploitation and modernization..."Fifty summers ago, we were a proud race of people. Then the Ilokanos came, Ifugaos, Itnegs bringing along logging and mining. Our lives were never the same again."...In Salak's tribe, five women were raped by gold prospectors and loggers. (Michael A. Bengwayan, Fellow of the New York-based Echoing Green Foundation, 8 Jan. 2002)

Local residents [Tambogrande, Peru] express environmental concern over gold mine [Canadian mining company Manhattan Minerals Corp.] (Eduardo Orozco, Reuters, 3 Jan. 2002) 

Mining Company Gets Protection in Legislation Pushed by Daschle [U.S. Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle]:...With little debate, lawmakers agreed to relieve the company, Homestake Mining, of any legal liability that it might have for damage done to the environment in digging gold from the Black Hills [in South Dakota] over the last 125 years. (Robert Pear, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2002)

INDONESIA: Report Warns Exploitation Of Resources Boosts Risk Of Conflict - Exploitation of Indonesia's vast natural resources is escalating, leading to a greater risk of communal conflict, according to a new report by the International Crisis Group. [refers to upsurge in illegal logging, mining & fishing]. (UN Wire, 2 Jan. 2002)

The Big Ugly at Ok Tedi:  In an extraordinary move, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government has passed legislation that prevents any government agency from taking or supporting “in any way” proceedings against the mining multinational BHP-Billiton “in respect of an environmental claim” over damage caused by the Ok Tedi mine. (Bob Burton, editor of Mining Monitor, in Multinational Monitor, Jan./Feb. 2002)

Companies in Conflict Situations: Extractive Companies in Indonesia [refers to ExxonMobil, Caltex, Freeport-McMoRan] (Oxford Analytica, prepared for the International Business Leaders Forum and TimeFORTUNE as part of the monthly changing corporate roles and responsibilities series, Jan. 2002)

Interview with Sir Robert Wilson, Chairman, Rio Tinto [on subjects including sustainable development] (Ethical Corporation magazine, Jan. 2002)