From Dateline Pacific, 5:04 am on 7 April 2017 

A Canadian mining giant is again under the spotlight following allegations of police brutality during the forced eviction of villagers near their gold mine in Papua New Guinea.

Barrick Gold claims to have taken steps to address an appalling record of decades of violence at the Porgera Mine.

But a spate of recent allegations has some asking whether it's doing enough.

Jo O'Brien reports

(Toronto, Ontario and Puerto Barrios, Guatemala) - A Guatemalan court today acquitted Mynor Padilla of murdering Guatemalan community leader and indigenous activist Adolfo Ich in 2009, when Padilla was the head of security for a large mine in Guatemala then owned by Canadian company Hudbay Minerals. Padilla was also acquitted of the point blank shooting of another community member German Chub, now paralyzed for life. Ich's wife and others are pursuing a lawsuit against Hudbay Minerals in Canada regarding these incidents.

(Ottawa) The public’s desire for a dramatic reworking of Canada’s environmental assessment law is clearly reflected in the report of the Expert Panel commissioned by federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna, released yesterday.

People around the world marked the one-year anniversary of the assassination of environmental leader Berta Cáceres. In Ottawa, Canada, a group presented a petition to the Honduran embassy, and had a message for the Canadian government.

By Vanessa Ybarra

April 1, 2017 - 12:12pm – Updated: April 3, 2017 - 1:20pm

KAMLOOPS — The Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc Nation's opposition to the proposed KGHM Ajax mine has received considerable backing.

More than 30 organizations, ranging from the David Suzuki foundation to various forest and mining operations from throughout B.C. have signed a 'Declaration of Support' in favour of SSN's firm stance against the proposed open-pit mine that would be built on Secwepmeec land near Jacko Lake.

Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc Nation (SSN)
PO Box 188, 1030 Trans Canada Hwy. Savona, BC V0K 2J0
Represented by the Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc and the Skeetchestn Bands
We do not have a mandate, we have a responsibility. We are yecminme7

MEDIA RELEASE

(San Salvador/Ottawa) In a startling development driven by a groundswell of opposition to the social and environmental risks that mining poses to this Central American nation, El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly voted Wednesday to become the first country to ban mining for gold and other metals, in effect canceling any projects now in the pipeline.

(Cluj, Romania) - Mining Watch Romania activists were aggressed and abused by Deva Gold employees on last Tuesday. Their right of passage on a public road was obstructed following which company representatives verbally abused the activists and violently attempted to stop them filming this incident.

(San Salvador/Ottawa) Visiting this Central American nation on the eve of a historic vote on legislation to ban metallic mining, a government official from the Philippines is warning Salvadoran political leaders that the mining company trying to gain a foothold here has wreaked social and environmental havoc with its operations in the Philippines.