The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Barrick says four of its local employees have been "unjustly imprisoned" in Mali in a second wave of arrests of its staff in the West African country. The Globe's Geoffrey York writes that Mali's military regime, which took power in a 2021 coup, has been putting pressure on foreign mining companies to give the government a bigger share of their revenue. It has been seeking $417-million (U.S.) from Barrick, alleging that the company failed to pay all its required taxes -- a charge the company rejects. The junta has increasingly been willing to arrest the managers of foreign miners to seek faster payments of disputed amounts. It arrested four of Barrick's employees in September, holding them in custody for several days. This month, the Mali authorities arrested three employees of Australia-based Resolute Mining, including its chief executive officer, Terence Holohan, and held them in custody for more than a week, until the company promised to pay $160-million (U.S.) to resolve a tax dispute. Barrick has repeatedly said it is close to reaching a deal in Mali to settle all differences; in September it announced what it described as an agreement with the government.