Fortescue defends large tenement holding in Pilbara

Western Australian iron-ore miner Fortescue Metals on Tuesday defended its large tenement holding in the Pilbara region, after larger rival Rio Tinto took a swipe at the company. In a presentation at the Global Iron-Ore and Steel Forecast...

Weatherly resumed output at ‘opportune time’ – chair

Aim-listed copper-miner Weatherly International, which on Wednesday posted a $3,7-million half-year loss, said it expects the first revenue sales revenue from its reopened Namibian mines next month. Weatherly has contracted to sell about 20% of...

Weatherly spending $12m to reopen Namibia mines

Namibian base-metals-miner Weatherly International would spend $12-million on restarting and operating its Central Operations, where production would resume in 2011. The Aim-listed company on Thursday said that it remained on track to restart the...

Botswana, De Beers investing R25bn in ultra-rich Jwaneng diamond mine

Botswana's De Beers-State-owned Debswana Diamond Company is investing R25-billion over the next 14 years in the ultra-rich Jwaneng diamond mine. Debswana-Jwaneng GM Balisi Bonyongo, who addressed a visiting media contingent, says that the...

Global economic storm drives Leviev onto the rocks

The Uzbekistan-born Israeli billionaire who shook up the global diamond industry and seemed set to rival De Beers, Lev Leviev, is now trapped in a financial train smash that could threaten his diamond interests.


BHP to spend $10bn next year, sees demand improving

Diversified mining giant BHP Billiton, which is planning to spend about $10-billion in capital investments and exploration in 2010, is seeing demand for commodities picking up, as economic conditions in China improve. BHP Billiton has boosted its...

Abramovich's Millhouse to buy 40% in Highland Gold for $400m

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's investment company, Millhouse, has agreed to pay some $400-million for what will amount to 40% of Aim-listed Highland Gold Mining, Highland said on Tuesday.

Gold Fields' new overarching South Deep-Western Areas-Kloof regioal study embraces "even those holdings outside of the current mining permit"

The world�s largest gold resources company Gold Fields is casting its net �even outside of the current South Deep mining permit� in its new regional study, which embraces South Deep-Western Areas-Kloof and surrounding areas.

Gold Fields launches new regional South Deep study

The world's largest gold resources company Gold Fields had launched an exploration project team which would take a new regional approach to South Deep, Kloof and contiguous ground holdings, even those outside of the current South Deep mining...

Copper falls for fourth day in China on concern demand may slow

Copper prices in Shanghai fell for the fourth day as signs of slowing construction growth in China and weakening US housing market prompted investors to sell the metal. Gold also dropped.

On-The-Air (02/04/2004)

Every Friday morning, SAfm’s AMLive’s radio anchor John Perlman speaks to Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News and Mining Weekly. Reported here is this Friday’s At the Coalface transcript: Perlman: I believe some...

Heavy-minerals operator poised to grow if market turns

Australian-listed mining company Ticor believes its heavy-minerals project in Richards Bay, South Africa, has positioned it ideally to grow organically in the event of a recovery in the titanium-dioxide market.