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EL Dorado
Il "Garimpo do Juma" è una miniera d'oro illegale a cielo aperto nel cuore della foresta amazzonica. Negli ultimi due anni ha già visto passare più di diecimila cercatori d'oro. Oggi la sua vena è quasi esaurita e nell'EL DORADO restano solo pochi superstiti, insieme a fiumi inquinati e deforestazione. EL DORADO è il racconto intervista di uno di questi sfortunati cercatori d'oro; un racconto per immagini video e fotografie. Il "Garimpo do Juma" è una miniera d'oro illegale a cielo aperto nel cuore della foresta amazzonica. Negli ultimi due a... more
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Train explodes in Georgia
A train carrying fuel has exploded in Georgia after hitting a mine on the railway, days after Russian troops' withdrawal from the region.
The collision occurred west of the city of Gori which links South Ossetia with Tbilisi.
Gori was the scene of intense conflict recently, following a major Georgian offensive against South Ossetia on August 7, countered by Russia sending in armed convoys and military combat aircraft.
The situation is now under control, with the Russian military completely withdrawing its troops from Georgia on Friday, as specified in a French-brokered peace agreement.
Most South Ossetians hold Russian citizenship and favor unification with North Ossetia -- a Russian territory. A train carrying fuel has exploded in Georgia after hitting a mine on the railway, days after Russian troops' withdrawal from the... more -
Abandoned mines pose big risks
WASHINGTON - The government has endangered the public's health and safety by failing to clean up abandoned mines on federal land in the West, according to a scathing audit released Friday.
The Interior Department's inspector general found dangerous levels of arsenic, lead and mercury, along with gaping cavities, at dilapidated hard-rock mining sites easily accessible to visitors and residents.
Bureau of Land Management supervisors told staff to ignore the problems, and employees who tried to report contaminated sites were threatened with retaliation, the audit said.
At least 12 people were killed in accidents at abandoned mine sites between 2004 and 2007, and "the potential for more deaths and injuries are ominous," it said.
BLM under fire
The mines are mostly in California, Nevada and Arizona. The California Department of Conservation estimates there are about 47,000 abandoned mines in California. Other surveys have estimated about 500,000 such sites nationwide, where gold, silver, copper, lead and other minerals were mined, often decades ago.
Environmentalists have estimated cleanup costs as high as $72 billion. But the inspector general's audit noted that simple precautions could be taken, such as fences and warning signs. So far, the audit indicates, the Bureau of Land Management has hardly been up to the job.
"BLM's abandoned mines program has long been undermined, neglected and marginalized by poor management practices and insufficient staffing and resources," said the report.
In response, BLM issued a statement defending its abandoned mine program as "highly effective." The statement did not address specific circumstances raised in the audit.
"The BLM has an active program in place to identify and address (abandoned mine land) hazards on its lands," said spokesman Matt Spangler. "The agency worked closely with the IG audit team over the last year in examining the abandoned mine site challenges that it faces. The BLM accepts the IG's recommendations and will work diligently to implement them."
'Quick call to action'
BLM is part of the Interior Department and administers 258 million acres of public land primarily in 12 Western states. The majority of abandoned mine sites within Interior Department jurisdiction are on BLM land.
Last year, 13-year-old Rikki Howard died and her younger sister was injured after they accidentally drove their all-terrain vehicle into an open 125-foot mine shaft near BLM's Windy Point Recreation Area in Kingman, Ariz.
The mine shaft is on a small piece of private property surrounded by BLM land. Only after the accident, BLM provided a fence and warning signs for the site. Yet when auditors visited the area, they found two other deep mine shafts nearby, one unfenced and one only partially fenced, and with no warning signs. WASHINGTON - The government has endangered the public's health and safety by failing to clean up abandoned mines on federal land ... more -
Sam
La Cambogia era fino a pochi anni fa il primo paese al mondo per numero di mine anti-uomo presenti nel proprio territorio. Ad oggi ne restano 4 milioni.
Sam è una ragazza diciannovenne che lavorando in un campo per pagarsi gli studi viene ferita da una mina.
All'ospedale chirurgico internazionale di Emergency viene operata d'urgenza e nel mese successivo assistita nella convalescenza. La Cambogia era fino a pochi anni fa il primo paese al mondo per numero di mine anti-uomo presenti nel proprio territorio. Ad oggi ne ... more -
Pocahontas Falling Down
This town was Virginia's first coal boom town. There are very few Americans who have not been touched by the far reaching influence of the Pocahontas Fuel Company. The coal extracted by Pocahontas Fuel served nearly 1/2 of the country. The numerous mines once employed nearly 100,000 people and it was all headquartered here in this small town in the mountains. Many awesome historic buildings and sites in this town face demolition by neglect unless something changes. This town was Virginia's first coal boom town. There are very few Americans who have not been touched by the far reaching influen... more
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Ukrainian Coal Mine Explosion Kills Dozens.
Thirty-nine people were killed in an explosion in the eastern Donetsk region. Fifty people are still missing.
The explosion was caused by build up of methane gas, the explosion led to a collapse in the mine.
The Ukraine coal mines are said to be the most dangerous in the world. Thirty-nine people were killed in an explosion in the eastern Donetsk region. Fifty people are still missing. ... more
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