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| In Hunt for Dubai Hit Men, Trail Cools It is more than eight months since the murder of top Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. But a string of apparent dead ends in the investigation has lengthened the odds that anyone will be caught. online.wsj.com |
Chilean miners' rescue: the winners and losers The San José mine drama has handed some of its protagonists pure PR gold; others, however, it has left in a holeThe winners• Chile's president, Sebastián Piñera: the rightwing billionaire, who promised to make Chile "the best country in the world" when he was elected in January, appears to have got far closer to his goal than anyone believed possible. Piñera, 60, has seen his popularity soar since he vowed to save the miners. His efforts to effect their rescue have won over many who were less than enthusiastic about his victory, and established him as an international figure. He is likely to benefit still further from his renewed popularity as he seeks to pass controversial legislation that raises taxes on foreign mining companies operating in the country.• Laurence Golborne, the 49-year-old mining minister, has won 61,000 Twitter followers and an approval rating of around 87% because of his tireless efforts on behalf of the miners and their families. His personal touch and vitality have seen his popularity outstrip that of the president.• Codelco, the state-run copper company, has led the rescue, demonstrating that it has the expertise and resources to get difficult jobs done. It had been facing the prospect of being partly sold off to boost efficiency and cut costs, but its recent actions, and the free publicity they have brought, could now convince Chileans that Codelco should remain completely in state hands. Similarly, the rescue can only be good for the business of GeoTech, the company that operated the drill that sank the rescue shaft.• Union leaders are also likely to be pleased by the domestic and international attention the incident has brought. Before the accident, miners were increasingly being seen as privileged employees with high wages and hefty bonuses; now unions believe that the Chilean public has a better idea of the daily dangers miners face.Other winners include Nasa, whose expert advice is credited with keeping the men in decent psychological and physical shape, and Oakley, which donated dozens of pairs of £130 sunglasses to shield the miners' eyes from the desert sunlight.The losers• The mine's owner, the CompañÃa Minera San Esteban Primera, is blamed by the public, miners and many officials for the accident. The firm is undergoing an internal audit of its assets and debt to determine whether it should declare bankruptcy. The mine, which is more than 100 years old, has a long history of accidents that have killed and seriously injured many miners in recent years.• Chilean mining regulators have also been criticised for being unprepared. The accident prompted Piñera to fire the chief regulator, and revealed the shoddy realities of an industry long thought to be safe for employees. The president has also introduced legislation to strengthen the regulator, increasing its budget across the mineral-rich Atacama desert.• Small- and medium-sized mines have felt the fallout of the accident as the government moved rapidly to close dozens of tiny operations across the country over safety conditions. Investors in those mines accuse the government of carrying out a witch-hunt to cover up previous shortcomings that led to the San José accident.• The Bolivian president, Evo Morales, also missed a trick by arriving at the rescue scene six hours after the lone Bolivian miner, Carlos Mamani, was delivered from the depths. However, he could yet recover the situation as he has promised to give Mamani and his family some land.ChileMiningSam Jonesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Cable's death after drink session Former Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable choked to death on his own vomit after a heavy drinking session, an inquest hears. bbc.co.uk |
Typhoon Triggers Rockslides Record rains from a powerful typhoon caused massive mud- and rockslides in Taiwan that buried a Buddhist temple and trapped vehicles on a highway, where one bus carrying 19 Chinese tourists was missing Friday. online.wsj.com |
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