Rio Tinto shareholders rebel over destruction of sacred Indigenous caves

Rio Tinto shareholders have rebelled over payouts to former CEO Jean-Sébastien Jacques and other executives who quit last year after the company destroyed a 46,000-year-old sacred Indigenous site in Australia.

More than 60% of the votes cast at the mining company's annual general meetings in London and Sydney were against its remuneration report, according to results published by the company on Thursday. Rio Tinto demolished the Juukan Gorge caves in Western Australia last May to expand an iron ore mine, causing an outcry from investor groups and local custodians of the land. The ancient caves have been described by one expert as "one of the most archaeologically significant sites in Australia."