Open-cast gold-mining operations in Africa by multinationals have created an ecological and health time-bomb and failed to help local people out of poverty, campaigners said at [the launch of the book] "Black Gold"...by Swiss journalist Gilles Labarthe...published in collaboration with Oxfam France-Agir and the association Survie (Survival)...Labarthe...identified the three main companies as AngloGold of South Africa; Barrick Gold of Canada; and US company Newmont Mining. All three were financed by major banks such as UBS of Switzerland and France's Societe Generale.