Panama

Cobre Panamá: Panama orders controversial copper mine's closure

Cobre Panamá: Panama orders controversial copper mine's closure

Panama has announced the closure of a controversial copper mine after the Supreme Court ruled that a 20-year concession granted to a Canadian firm to operate it was unconstitutional. The decision has been welcomed by environmentalists who said the open-pit mine threatened water supplies. Cobre Panamá is located in a biodiverse jungle area on Panama's Atlantic coast. The government's renewal of its contract with First Quantum Minerals had triggered mass protests.