Court says Colombia votes cannot block mining, oil projects

Colombia's constitutional court on Thursday ruled that local referendums that ban mining and oil extraction cannot halt energy projects, after a raft of votes spooked multinational companies.

A wave of environmentally focused anti-mining referendums over the past 18 months have worried investors, and forced some to alter investment plans, like AngloGold Ashanti which suspended a potential $2-billion project last year.