International
Chile sinks controversial mining project over environmental concerns
January 19 | By AFP | Paulina Abramovich |
Chile’s government on Wednesday torpedoed a controversial billion-dollar mining project due to be built near a nature reserve that is home to a rare species of penguin.
Environmentalists had criticized the proposed open-pit mine and port project in the north of Chile close to the National Humboldt Penguin Reserve due to its potential ecological impact on a unique area known for its natural diversity.
The $2.5 billion project was unanimously rejected by left-wing President Gabriel Boric’s cabinet.
“We are confident that a robust, traceable, evidence-based (decision) has been adopted here,” said Maisa Rojas, the environment minister.
The project aimed at extracting millions of tons of iron ore and thousands of tons of copper in an impoverished area of northern Chile around 450 kilometers (280 miles) from Santiago, the capital.
But the area comprises a nature reserve encompassing three islands that are home to 80 percent of the world’s Humboldt penguins, which are an endangered species, as well as whales, sea lions and the world’s smallest otter species.
‘Unique ecological value’
Chilean company Andes Iron, which also wanted to build a treatment and deposits plant, a water desalination plant and a port for loading minerals, said it would appeal the decision.
“The port is in a place that has an absolutely unique ecological value,” said Rojas.
When taking office in March 2022, Boric’s government had expressed its rejection of the port’s construction.
“The Dominga project doesn’t just comply, but exceeds all standards and is aligned with principles established by the government for sustainable industrial and mining projects,” Andes Iron said in a statement.
That was disputed by Matias Asun, the director of Greenpeace Chile.
“It’s a project that not only does not meet the norms required for approval, but was also pushed by the main groups associated with corruption in our country,” said Asun.
Right-wing opposition senator Matias Walker branded the decision as political.
Activists, though, applauded the decision.
“I’m defending my home, the place where I live, which is pristine,” Maud Ferres, an activist who opposed the project and had traveled to Santiago to hear the decision, told AFP.
However, Alexis Sanchez, spokesman for a community association in La Higuera, where the mine would have been, said the project would have provided economic opportunities for the village of 3,700 people.
“This is project we want to achieve our development to stop being one of the poorest communes in the country,” Sanchez told AFP.
Had it been approved, the Dominga project would have involved the extraction of 12 million tonnes (tons) of iron ore a year along with 150,000 tonnes of copper, over a 22-year period, making it the biggest such venture in Chile.
Andes Iron promised to create 10,000 direct jobs and 25,000 indirect ones during the construction phase of the project.
Once operational, the company said the mine would have created 1,500 direct jobs and 4,000 indirect ones.
Pandora Papers scandal
Andes Iron’s Dominga mine project has had a controversial history in Chile.
It first underwent an environmental impact evaluation a decade ago before it was rejected in 2017 by the socialist government of then-president Michelle Bachelet.
But under her conservative successor Sebastian Pinera, the supreme court ordered a new evaluation.
The controversy then turned into a scandal in 2021 when leaked documents known as the Pandora Papers implicated Pinera — then serving his second nonconsecutive term as president — in a seemingly shady deal surrounding the Dominga project.
Dominga was sold through a company owned by Pinera’s children to a businessman close friend of his for $152 million.
The leaked papers said a large part of the operation was carried out in the British Virgin Islands, a tax haven.
Despite the embarrassing revelations, the Senate voted against impeaching Pinera — it failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to do so — thus sparing him a potential jail sentence of up to five years.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
International
Man pleads not guilty in Liverpool parade incident that injured more than 130
Paul Doyle, who has been held in provisional detention since the incident, is accused of intentionally injuring 12 people, attempting to injure another 17, and committing acts of violence and dangerous driving.
According to prosecutors, eight of the victims were minors at the time, including a six-month-old baby.
Wearing a black suit, the 54-year-old defendant broke into tears as the jury entered Liverpool Crown Court, in northwest England. Doyle, a father of three and former member of the Royal Navy, had pleaded not guilty in September to the 31 charges against him.
On Tuesday, he reaffirmed his not-guilty plea when asked to respond again to four of the charges, which had been slightly amended. The jury was sworn in the same day, and the trial—expected to last three to four weeks—will begin on Wednesday.
The incident occurred on May 26, when thousands of Liverpool FC supporters were gathered for a parade celebrating the club’s Premier League victory. According to the investigation, Doyle’s car entered a street that had just been reopened to allow an ambulance through.
His vehicle was then surrounded by a crowd of Liverpool supporters, some of whom acted aggressively. Doyle first reversed, then accelerated forward, swerving and striking people on both sides of the street. According to an initial report from Merseyside Police, 134 people were injured.
Firefighters reported that one man was thrown onto the hood of the vehicle and four people, including a child, were trapped underneath the car.
Doyle was arrested at the scene. Police quickly ruled out any terrorist motive, stating instead that it was an isolated incident.
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