International
Health or jobs: Peruvian mining town at a crossroads

| By AFP | Carlos Mandujano |
The Peruvian mining city of La Oroya, one of the most polluted places in the world, is seeking to reopen a heavy metal smelter that poisoned residents for almost a century.
The Andean city, situated in a high-altitude valley at 3 750 meters (12 300 feet), is a grey, desolate place.
Small houses and shops — many abandoned — cluster around towering black chimneys, surrounded by ashen mountain slopes corroded by heavy metals and long devoid of vegetation.
In 2009, the gigantic smelter that was the economic heartbeat of La Oroya went bankrupt, forcing residents to leave in droves and bringing local commerce to its knees.
Since 1922, the plant processed copper, zinc, lead, gold, selenium, and other minerals from nearby mines.
If the metallurgical complex reopens, as announced by its new owners in October, it could breathe life back into the economy.
“The large majority of the population is eager and has waited a long time for this to start up again, because it is the source of life, the economic source,” said 48-year-old taxi driver Hugo Enrique.
But at what cost?
A lifetime of disease
In 2011, La Oroya was listed as the second-most polluted city on Earth, falling into fifth place two years later, according to the Blacksmith Institute, an NGO which works on pollution issues.
It was in insalubrious company, rubbing shoulders with Ukraine’s nuclear-sullied Chernobyl and Russia’s Dzerzhinsk, the site of Cold War-era factories producing chemical weapons.
According to the International Federation for Human Rights, in 2013, 97 percent of La Oroya children between six months and six years of age, and 98 percent between age seven and 12, had elevated levels of lead in their blood.
Manuel Enrique Apolinario, 68, a teacher who lives opposite the foundry, told AFP his body has high levels of lead, arsenic, and cadmium.
Residents had “gotten used to the way of life, surrounded by smoke and toxic gases,” he said.
“Those of us who have lived here for a lifetime have been ill with flu and bronchitis, especially respiratory infections.”
Another 100 years?
The foundry was opened in 1922, nationalized in 1974, and later privatized in 1997 when US natural resources firm Doe Run took it over.
In June 2009, Doe Run halted work after failing to comply with an environmental protection program and declared itself insolvent.
Now, despite years of residents accusing Lima and Doe Run of turning a blind eye to the harmful effects, some 1 270 former employees want to reopen the smelter next March — with the vow not to pollute.
Luis Mantari, one of the new owners, who is in charge of logistics, said the plant would operate “with social and environmental responsibility.”
“We want this unique complex to last another 100 years,” added human resources boss Jose Aguilar.
The company has stockpiled 14 million tonnes of copper and lead slag waste waiting to be converted into zinc.
“Those of us who fought against pollution have never opposed to the company working. Let it reopen with an environmental plan,” said Pablo Fabian Martinez, 67, who also lives near the site.
For many, though, the decision comes down to pure pocketbook issues.
“I want it to reopen because, without the company, La Oroya lost its entire economy,” added Rosa Vilchez, a 30-year-old businesswoman. Her husband left to work in another city after the closure.
Respect health
In 2006, La Oroya residents sued the Peruvian government at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for allowing the company to pollute at will.
Hearings began in October with the court sitting in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, and residents recounted how they struggled with burning throats and eyes, headaches, and difficulty breathing.
Others told of tumors, muscular problems, and infertility blamed on pollution from the smelters.
The commission found last year that the state had failed to regulate and oversee the behavior of the mining company and “compromised its obligation to guarantee human rights.”
“We are aware that the metallurgical complex is a source of employment. We don’t deny that,” said Yolanda Zurita, one of the litigants, who plants trees to counter the pollution.
“But it must respect the population’s health.”
International
Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.
The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.
The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).
“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.
Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”
International
Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.
Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.
A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”
According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.
International
Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.
Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.
“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.
“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.
-
International4 days ago
Son of journalist José Rubén Zamora condemns father’s return to prison as “illegal”
-
International4 days ago
Miyazaki’s style goes viral with AI but at what cost?
-
Central America3 days ago
Panama police clarifies that Interpol alert for Martinelli is still pending
-
Central America2 days ago
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary urges Mexico to strengthen Guatemala border
-
International2 days ago
Trump urges Putin to reach peace deal
-
Central America2 days ago
Panama grants Martinelli 72-hour extension to travel to Nicaragua
-
International3 days ago
Deportation flight lands in Venezuela; government denies criminal gang links
-
International14 hours ago
Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal
-
Sports15 hours ago
Filipe Luis debuts as coach in Copa Libertadores with Flamengo
-
Central America12 hours ago
Guatemalan police officer killed in mob riots over baby kidnapping
-
International15 hours ago
Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join
-
International15 hours ago
ICE agent’s arrest of suspect sparks controversy in Boston
-
International15 hours ago
Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders
-
Sports14 hours ago
Venezuela investigates 18 baseball players seeking asylum in Spain
-
International15 hours ago
Óscar Arias: Trump’s trade policies are a step backward