Philippine miners say closures to hit 1.2m people, vow to fight back

The planned closure of 23 Philippine mines, mostly nickel producers, and the suspension of five others will affect about 1.2-million people, miners said, as some vowed to take legal action to contest the decision. Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Lopez ordered the closures and suspensions on Thursday as she announced the results of a months-long audit on the country's 41 mines aimed at halting mining operations judged to have harmed the environment.