China's top aluminium province idles plants as demand slows

China's top aluminium-producing province has idled about 700 000 t of capacity in recent months, a senior industry official said, further evidence that slower growth in the world's No. 2 economy is denting the country's appetite for commodities....

Implats' Rustenburg workers return to shifts

Workers at Impala Platinum's Rustenburg mine have returned to work, the company said on Thursday, after a two-day stoppage that cost it at least 6,000 ounces in lost output. "Yes, we are back at work," Chief Executive David Brown told Reuters....

Mongolia iron-ore miner in $300m Hong Kong IPO – source

Mongolian iron-ore miner Altain Khuder plans to raise about $300-million through a Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO), a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, underscoring a push by mining companies from the resource-rich country...

Trapped Zimbabwe miners accounted for, no injuries

All of around 60 miners trapped underground after an accident and fire at Zimbabwe's Mimosa platinum mine are accounted for and are being bring brought to the surface, the company said on Tuesday. "A number of employees who were accommodated in...

HudBay cans $400m notes offering, cites market conditions

Canada’s HudBay Minerals late on Friday said lousy market conditions caused it to call off the $400-million notes offering it had announced earlier in the week. Standard & Poor’s had given the proposed bonds a B rating, saying the TSX-listed...

East Africa to join world gas giants

To East Africa's assets of spectacular wildlife, abundant land and shimmering beaches you can now add gas - so much gas it could transform global energy flows along with some of the world's poorest countries. Finds announced just last week off...

Mongolia passes watered-down foreign investment law

Mongolia's Parliament passed a controversial law aimed at capping foreign ownership in "strategic" industries like mining on Thursday, but investors expressed relief that the legislation was weaker than first anticipated. The bill has been...

Mali interim govt raises gold sales tax

Mali's interim government has raised the combined sales tax on gold by 2 percentage points to 8%, a move aimed at bringing it in line with peers in the West Africa region, according to a government statement. The tax hike came as a senior mines...

Some Chile Codelco workers protest, output unaffected

Some subcontracted workers of Chilean copper giant Codelco blocked certain roads at the Andina, Chuquicamata, Gaby and Radomiro Tomic mines on Thursday, but the firm said operations were unaffected by the labor action. "There's no impact on...

BHP may delay at least two mega projects to rein in spending

BHP Billiton, the world's biggest miner, is likely to delay signing off on at least two mega projects after its chairman put the brakes on an $80-billion plan to grow the company's iron-ore, copper and energy operations, analysts say. Slumping...

Glencore tightens grip on global zinc market

Commodity trader Glencore is tightening its grip on the global zinc market by moving material to inaccessible locations, forcing industrial users to pay high physical premiums for a metal that is in surplus. The matter is under scrutiny because...

Gold Fields Q1 earnings fall, but beat forecasts

Gold Fields, the world's fourth-largest gold producer, reported an 18% fall in quarterly earnings on Thursday, albeit above expectations, as output and the bullion price in South African rand both fell. The group stuck to its 2012 production...