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Monday, May 11, 2009.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Shannon O'Donnell.

Making headlines today:

South African miner Metorex will complete an updated geologically constrained resource model, mine design and schedule for its flagship Ruashi mine, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, by mid-August.

The full cost of the programme was estimated at about 1,88-million-dollars.

Metorex CEO Terence Goodlace said that the urgency of the project was driven by a need to gain certainty in the short-term plan. The company also had to review the mine design using revised copper and cobalt consensus forecast prices to limit possibly unnecessary overburden stripping.

On Friday, Brazilian miner Vale declared force majeure on iron ore it was contracted to deliver on the domestic market after flooding on a key train line. It said it might extend the measure to cover exports.

The railway used by the world's top iron ore miner to transport the steel ingredient in the far north of the country shut on May 4 after flooding submerged the tracks in water of a depth of up to 1 meter.

Floods across the north and northeast have killed 38 people, and left around 800 000 homeless. Some trucks carrying perishable produce to Sao Luis have had to discard their cargo after the waters closed roads and swept bridges away.

Also making headlines:

Fighting among workers halts Papua New Guinea's Ramu nickel mine construction.
Mining firms in Zimbabwe challenge the ownership law.
China publishes a revitalisation plan for metals.
And, global diversified miner Rio Tinto says that Australia has a ‘window of opportunity' to forge deeper ties with China.

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories please visit miningweekly.com.