JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) - Diversified mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto were considering merging their Canadian diamond operations, The Australian newspaper reported on Monday.

The newspaper reported that BHP had dispatched employees to Canada to investigate how its Ekati mine and Rio Tinto's Diavik mine could be merged.

Earlier this year, the two mining giants entered into an iron-ore joint venture earlier, combining their assets in Australia's Pilbara region.

The two companies also jointly own the world's largest copper mine, Escondida, in Chile.

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