Protesters try to stop Malaysian rare-earth plant

Up to 3,000 Malaysians staged a protest against a rare-earth refinery yesterday over fears of radioactive contamination.

The Australian mining company Lynas has been granted a licence to operate the $230m (£145m) plant, which would be the first outside China in years. Lynas says its plant, which will refine radioactive ore from Australia, has the latest pollution controls and it plans to start firing up by June. Rare-earth metals are used in electronics, and China dominates the market. The opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, says he will revoke the licence if he wins elections in June.

AP