Workers at Chile’s state mining company Codelco – the largest producer of copper in the world – have launched an open-ended strike in protest of the government’s closing of a foundry to curtail pollution. At least 18 people were arrested after the strike began on Wednesday. Workers gathered at six mining facilities around the country, blocking the entrances and setting tyres on fire. Among the facilities targeted was the Ventanas foundry, which the government announced last week that it would shut down after a series of sulphur dioxide poisonings were reported in the area. Union officials have described the closure ... (full story)