Two recent meetings have enabled communities directly affected by mining companies in different countries to discuss ways to counter the harmful impact of large-scale mining and to draw up strategies to prevent future damage. Manado STD conference: In April, a major conference on the problem of submarine tailings disposal (STD) was held in Manado, North Sulawesi [Indonesia]...London mines and communities meeting: A five-day seminar for communities affected by mining was held in London in May. The workshop heard accounts of communities' experiences of mining from Colombia, India, Indonesia, Ghana and Peru.