A Chinese-owned copper mine in Ecuador, Mina Mirador, has temporarily limited its operations as a precautionary measure to protect workers amid unrest over the government’s austerity plan, the company said on Saturday. The mine, owned by Ecuacorriente, a unit of the Chinese consortium CRCC-Tongguan, started operations in July and has said it expected to produce 94,000 tonnes of copper concentrate per year. (full story)