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
Gabriel García Luna Pledges to Restore Public Trust in Guatemala’s Prosecutor’s Office
The new head of Public Ministry of Guatemala, Gabriel García Luna, announced during his first press conference that the institution will undergo a technical and legal review aimed at restoring public confidence in the country’s justice system.
García Luna also confirmed the closure of the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity, known as FECI, a unit that handled several high-profile and controversial corruption cases during the administration of his predecessor, Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by more than 40 countries.
Porras’ tenure was marked by actions aimed at preventing the inauguration of President Bernardo Arévalo in 2024, as well as legal proceedings against former prosecutors, anti-corruption judges, journalists, and Indigenous leaders, many of whom later went into exile.
Due to these actions, the 72-year-old former official faced sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, as well as countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom.
“Starting tomorrow [Monday], the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity enters a liquidation phase because, unfortunately, it has lost public credibility,” García Luna stated during his first appearance before the media.
International
Mexico City Mayor Invites U2 to Perform at Iconic Zócalo Plaza
Irish rock band U2, which spent Tuesday and Wednesday filming a new music video for its song Street of Dreams in the Historic Center of Mexico City, received an invitation to perform at the capital’s iconic Zócalo square from Mayor Clara Brugada.
Brugada shared the invitation through social media posts accompanied by photos and a video showing her meeting with the band members.
“This is an invitation for you to perform in our wonderful public square, the Zócalo. You are welcome here, and we would love to have you,” Brugada said in the video while handing a document to Bono, the band’s lead singer.
Bono responded by saying that the group would like “to begin its new tour in Mexico City.”
Referencing one of the band’s most famous songs, In the Name of Love, Brugada said she was greeting Bono along with The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr..
“Welcoming U2 to our capital means celebrating music, connection and the emotion that can be felt in every corner of this city,” Brugada wrote in one of her messages. “We are a city open to the world, vibrant and full of stories shared from the stage to the streets.”
She also described the Zócalo as “the country’s most important public square” and a cultural landmark for Latin America.
Over the years, the Zócalo has hosted massive concerts by internationally renowned artists and bands including Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, Manu Chao, Café Tacvba, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Los Tigres del Norte, La Maldita Vecindad, Silvio Rodríguez, Joan Manuel Serrat, Rosalía and Shakira, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans.
International
Marco Rubio Urges China to Help Restrain Iran Amid Gulf Tensions
Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington hopes to persuade China to take a more active role in stopping Iran from escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf, arguing that the crisis directly threatens Asian commercial interests.
“It is in China’s interest to resolve this situation. We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to stop what it is doing now and trying to do in the Persian Gulf,” Rubio said during an interview with journalist Sean Hannity on Fox News while traveling aboard Air Force One.
The top U.S. diplomat said the conflict and concerns over the possible disruption of the Strait of Hormuz have already affected China’s interests.
Rubio noted that “a Chinese cargo ship was struck over the weekend,” referring to the exchange of attacks reported last Friday between Iran and the United States.
The remarks come amid growing international concern over rising tensions in the region and the potential impact on global trade routes and energy supplies.
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