The meek shall inherit the earth, but not its mineral rights: Meet mining’s 40 richest billionaires – by Frik Els (Mining.com – April 16, 2012)

http://www.mining.com/

MINING.com counts more than 90 billionaires involved in minerals, metals and mining on the planet with a combined wealth of well over $300 billion.

2012 Mining Billionaires: #1 Eike Batista

Brazil’s Eike Batista is the world of mining’s top entrepreneur with a net worth of $32 billion.

2012 Mining Billionaires: #2 Gina Rinehart

Australia’s ruler of iron ore, coal and the family trust

2012 Mining Billionaires: #3 Lakshmi Mittal

Mining’s biggest loser Lakshmi Mittal is down to his last $17 billion

2012 Mining Billionaires: #4 Iris Fontbona

Chile’s copper widow Iris Fontbona

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Profits Drop at Big Five Miners – by Reuters (New York Times – February 12, 2013)

http://www.nytimes.com/

MELBOURNE — Global mining companies are set to unveil their biggest profit decreases in more than a decade and are clearing the decks with multibillion-dollar write-downs on poorly performing assets as they bring in new chief executives.

A sharp drop in commodity prices is likely to have driven down profits for the second half of last year by 40 percent to 50 percent at the top five mining companies when compared with the same period in 2011, forcing them to shelve expansion projects, slash costs and sell assets.

For the top three — BHP Billiton; Vale, based in Brazil; and Rio Tinto — iron ore earnings are likely to cushion losses in coal, aluminum and nickel for the period.

Chief executives are being punished for splurging in the boom years on projects and acquisitions instead of rewarding shareholders more generously, and investors are calling for Rio Tinto and BHP to rethink their policies.

One of the 10 largest shareholders in BHP and Rio Tinto’s Australian-traded stocks said his fund had been pressing both to pay out more of their profit to shareholders. The shareholder, Ross Barker, the managing director of Australian Foundation Investment, said that the companies were not paying higher dividends to shareholders so they could use the funds for investments that would deliver attractive returns.

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Chinese miners sent home in B.C. workers dispute – by CBC News (January 28, 2013)

http://www.cbc.ca/bc/

HD Mining says it has also delayed plans to bring more miners from China

The company that brought miners from China to work on a B.C. coal project says it is sending some of the workers back home and is not bringing any more to Canada for the time being due to court delays.

Two unions are challenging the government’s decision to allow HD Mining to bring about 200 Chinese miners to work in northern B.C., rather than hire Canadians. HD Mining announced in a release Monday that its 16 temporary foreign workers on the Murray River project are returning to China.

The workers were to have taken part in the extraction of a 100,000-tonne coal sample to determine the viability of full mine development, the company said.

“This was a difficult decision for us, but we are very concerned about the cost and disruption this litigation brought by the unions has caused to the planning of the project,” said Jody Shimkus, the mine company’s vice-president of environmental and regulatory affairs.

“We have also decided to delay bringing any additional workers to Tumbler Ridge until we have reliable certainty.”

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Graphene Extraordinary Combination of Physical and Chemical Properties – by James Murray (NetNewsLedger.com – January 28, 2013)


Superconductor Graphene Set for Industrial… by tvnportal

http://www.netnewsledger.com/

THUNDER BAY – Mining – Graphene is an extraordinary combination of physical and chemical properties: it is the thinnest material, it conducts electricity much better than copper, it is 100-300 times stronger than steel and it has unique optical properties. Graphene is a carbon-based material that offers incredible potential.

There are several graphite discoveries in Northwestern Ontario. Zenyatta Resources in the company’s Albany Project. While many in the region are awaiting a mining future in the region awash in chromite, it is entirely possible that graphene will prove to be the mineral that will change our world far more.

The European Commission today announced the winners of a multi-billion euro competition of Future and Emerging Technologies (FET).

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NEWS RELEASE: Noront Announces Appointment of Interim Chief Executive Officer

January 21, 2013

TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Jan. 21, 2013) – Noront Resources Ltd. (“Noront” or the “Company”) (TSX VENTURE:NOT) announced today that its board of directors received the resignation of Wes Hanson as President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Noront. The Board has appointed Paul Parisotto to act as interim President and Chief Executive Officer and has begun a search to identify a permanent President and Chief Executive Officer. Ted Bassett has been appointed lead director during the period of Mr. Parisotto’s appointment as interim President and Chief Executive Officer.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Wes for his efforts and dedication at Noront over the past three years, and in particular, for leading the completion of a positive feasibility study in September 2012 of our Eagle’s Nest Project in the Ring of Fire. This puts the Company in a good position as it transitions into development with a focus on the financing and development of the Project and related infrastructure. All of us at Noront wish Mr. Hanson the best in his future endeavours” stated Paul Parisotto, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Hanson has agreed to continue to be available as a consultant to Noront.

About Noront: Noront Resources Ltd. is focused on development of the high-grade Eagle’s Nest nickel, copper, platinum and palladium deposit and the high-grade Blackbird chromite deposit, both of which are located in the James Bay lowlands of Ontario in an emerging metals camp known as the Ring of Fire.

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MINING ASSOCIATION OF CANADA NEWS RELEASE: Commodity Boom Not Going Away

Scotiabank Vice President Patricia Mohr Bullish About Mining Prospects

OTTAWA, Nov. 20, 2012 /CNW/ – In a keynote address to the Economic Club of Canada, Patricia Mohr, Scotiabank’s Vice President of Economics and Commodity Market Specialist, provided a bullish outlook on mineral and metal prices over the long term, underscoring the potential value to Canada as a major mining jurisdiction.

“Over the medium-term, the ’emerging markets’ including China will remain supportive for commodity prices, notwithstanding this year’s slowdown,” said Ms. Mohr.

In her address, Ms. Mohr looked at the fundamental drivers of the mining business; in particular, the role of China and ’emerging markets’ as consumers of mineral and metal products. While China is in transition to lower-trend growth, further industrialization, modernization and urbanization will continue to drive demand for metals. Ms. Mohr points out that metals and minerals account for one-third of Canada’s net exports of all commodities and resource-based manufactured products. New mining plays—such as the world-class ‘Labrador Trough’ iron ore region and ‘The Ring of Fire’ chromite development in northern Ontario—will continue to provide significant economic benefits to Canada.

“Ms. Mohr’s comments underscore the major opportunity for Canadians to capitalize on new investments in the mining sector, estimated to be worth $140 billion over the next decade,” stated Pierre Gratton, CEO of the Mining Association of Canada (MAC).
“Keys to success will be creating an enabling regulatory environment, proactively addressing skills shortages and investing in critical infrastructure to capitalize on new projects and ensuring access to emerging markets.”

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Qatar backing puts Glencore’s takeover of Xstrata on track – by Sarah Young (Mineweb.com – November 15, 2012)

http://www.mineweb.com/

Qatar said on Thursday that it will vote in favour of two key resolutions on the takeover aimed at creating a mining and trading powerhouse.

LONDON (REUTERS) – Commodity trader Glencore’s $32 billion takeover of miner Xstrata looked set to go ahead after Qatar Holdings – the bid target’s second-largest shareholder – backed the deal.

Qatar, an unexpected kingmaker in Glencore’s bid for Xstrata, said on Thursday that it would vote in favour of two key resolutions on the takeover aimed at creating a mining and trading powerhouse.

In a snub to Xstrata management, Qatar said that it will abstain from voting on a multimillion-pound management retention plan, which increases the chances of that aspect of the deal being voted down. “In a nutshell, this means the deal is all but done,” Liberum analysts said.

Qatar’s support for the deal, first announced in February, comes after its surprise opposition to terms in June and brings Glencore within weeks of sealing its long-running pursuit of the Swiss mining company.

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Great expectations fill Greenland as China eyes riches – by Alistair Scrutton (Reuters Canada – November 5, 2012)

http://ca.reuters.com/

NUUK (Reuters) – By a remote fjord where icebergs float in silence and hunters stalk reindeer, plans are being drawn up for a huge iron ore mine that would lift Greenland’s population by four percent at a stroke – by hiring Chinese workers.

The $2.3-billion project by the small, British company London Mining Plc would also bring diesel power plants, a road and a port near Greenland’s capital Nuuk. It would supply China with much needed iron for the steel its economy.

With global warming thawing its Arctic sea lanes, and global industry eyeing minerals under this barren island a quarter the size of the United States, the 57,000 Greenlanders are wrestling with opportunities that offer rich rewards but risk harming a pristine environment and a traditional society that is trying to make its own way in the world after centuries of European rule.

Great expectations could lead to greater disappointments, for locals and investors. Yet a scramble for Greenland already may be under way, in which some see China trying to exploit the icebound territory as a staging ground in a global battle for Arctic resources and strategic control of new shipping routes.

Whether in iron, zinc or rare earth minerals vital for 21st-century technology like smartphones, China, the emerging economic superpower is eyeing investments in the Danish-ruled country whose own, increasingly autonomous, national government is looking further afield for investors.

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Vale will stay [in Sudbury]: Analyst – by Sebastien Perth (Sudbury Star – October 26, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

A leading mining analyst thinks Vale is likely to hold onto its Sudbury operations, even though executives with the Brazilian mining company said Thursday it plans to sell underperforming assets to control costs and boost profit.

However, Raymond Goldie at Salman Partners said he believes Vale’s Sudbury operations are flexible enough to stay off the auction block. Goldie said while nickel prices are depressed, copper, platinum and palladium prices are “pretty high. My speculation was not that they would sell assets in Sudbury, but they would focus less on nickel-rich ore and focus more on copper, platinum and palladium-rich ore.”

He said unlike Sudbury, many of Vale’s mining operations are one-trick ponies where the company can only mine one mineral.

“(Vale) would consider Sudbury less for sale because you have the possibility of switching mining from nickel to copper and precious metals. Some of Vale’s other mining operations, such as the problem- plagued Goro nickel operations in New Caledonia, it’s nickel or nothing.

“They would be more likely to sell their interest in Goro or Indonesia because they are mostly nickel and cobalt operations. They don’t have the flexibility of you folks in Sudbury.”

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Miners successfully rescued from PotashCorp mine in Rocanville – Canadian Press (Saskatoon Star Phoenix – September 25, 2012)

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/index.html

ROCANVILLE, Sask. — After spending a day trapped underground by a fire at a Saskatchewan potash mine, electrician Darwyn Wirth knew exactly what he wanted to do.

“I think I’m going to go and have a cold beer,” he told reporters shortly after he and 19 of his colleagues were brought safely back to the surface.

The blaze broke out at about 2 a.m. Tuesday when a large wooden cable spool started burning at PotashCorp.’s Rocanville mine, about 244 kilometres east of Regina.

There was no panic, said the miners, who immediately headed to four separate refuge stations scattered throughout the facility.

“We have an alarm system with loud bells and flashing red lights, and you immediately go to a refuge station and call the control room so they know where you are,” said Wirth.

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Harvard Losing Out to South Dakota in Graduate Pay: Commodities – by Joe Richter (Bloomberg.com – September 18, 2012)

http://www.bloomberg.com/

Harvard University’s graduates are earning less than those from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology after a decade-long commodity bull market created shortages of workers as well as minerals.

Those leaving the college of 2,300 students this year got paid a median salary of $56,700, according to PayScale Inc., which tracks employee compensation data from surveys. At Harvard, where tuition fees are almost four times higher, they got $54,100. Those scheduled to leave the campus in Rapid City, South Dakota, in May are already getting offers, at a time when about one in 10 recent U.S. college graduates is out of work.

“It doesn’t seem to be too hard to get a job in mining,” said Jaymie Trask, a 22-year-old chemical-engineering major who was offered a post paying more than $60,000 a year at Freeport- McMoRan (FCX) Copper & Gold Inc. “If you work hard in school for four or five years, you’re pretty much set.”

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NEWS RELEASE: VALE CONCERT SERIES RAISES $17,500 IN SUPPORT OF THE SUDBURY FOOD BANK

For Immediate Release

SUDBURY, September 17, 2012 –Vale is pleased to announce that as a result of the ‘Vale Concert Series’, $17,500 was raised in support of the Sudbury Food Bank.

The series of five concerts began in May and was held throughout the summer at The Grace Hartman Amphitheatre. Admission to the community was free with monetary donations to the Sudbury Food Bank welcomed.

“This was the first event of its kind for Vale and we were thrilled with the outcome,” said Angie Robson, Manager of Corporate Affairs for Vale’s Ontario Operations. “We thank everyone who came out to hear some great Canadian music while at the same time giving so generously,” added Robson.

Past concerts featured Dave Gunning, Hemingway Corner, the Marigolds, Wendell Ferguson and Katherine Wheatley. The final concert, featuring Murray McLauchlan and Cindy Church, drew a crowd of more than 1,200 local residents. It is estimated that in total, approximately 3,500 people attended the five concerts.

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RANKING PROVINCIAL PREMIERS OF THE LAST 40 YEARS: THE NUMBERS SPEAK – by Jeremy Leonard (Instritute for Research on Public Policy – June-July 2012)

www.irpp.org

As part of the IRPP’s 40th anniversary, 30 eminent historians, political scientists, economists, journalists and policy advisers from across Canada were asked by Policy Options to pick their top 5 choices for best provincial premier since the
Institute’s founding in 1972, and their collective choice was emphatic: Peter Lougheed by a landslide. Not only did he receive 21 of 30 possible first-place votes, he also ran the table on nine questions related to leadership, fiscal and
economic management, and intergovernmental relations. IRPP Research Director Jeremy Leonard, who collected and tabulated the results, dissects the numbers behind the rankings.

he returns are in from the Policy Options panel of 30 jurors — eminent historians, political scientists, economists, journalists and policy advisers from across Canada — on the best provincial premiers to have held office since the founding of the IRPP 40 years ago.

From a list of 18 potential candidates, they were asked to select their choices of the five best and rank them from 1 to 5. The ranking points are calculated as the weighted sum of all top-5 votes received by the premier in question, with a number 1 ranking counting for 5 points, a number 2 ranking counting for 4 points, and so on.

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It’s Game On for Rare Earths in Greenland: Rick Mills – by Sally Lowder (The Critical Metals Report – August 28, 2012)

http://www.theaureport.com/

Far from icebound, Greenland is wealthy in rare earth elements, precious metals and oil. Already, says Aheadoftheherd.com owner Rick Mills, companies are beginning to outline major discoveries at just pennies a share. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Read more in this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report.

The Critical Metals Report: Let’s start by talking about growth in developing nations, where populations are starting to demand the good things in life that we in the developed world have long enjoyed. That means continued growth in the commodity markets, specifically in mining. What are the implications of that?

Rick Mills: Easy and cheap access to basic materials like food, fiber, energy and minerals has driven recent growth in global prosperity. Throughout history, supply shortages in these materials have led to prices high enough to support further increases in production. We have always counted on supply eventually exceeding demand and forcing prices to drop.

Now, we are seeing a paradigm shift. Scarcity, jurisdictional risk and energy costs may result in declining production. Remember, margins, not price, motivate investment. As the cost of production increases, margins might not be sustainable.

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NEWS RELEASE: The London Stock Exchange – A haven for laundered conflict assets?

Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID)

THURSDAY 19 JULY 2012

In a report released today, Asset laundering and AIM: Congo, corporate misconduct and the market value of human rights, the business and human rights organisation Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID) catalogues the inadequacies of the London Stock Exchange’s regulatory framework. The Central African Mining and Exploration Company plc (CAMEC) was allowed to trade and flourish on London’s junior Alternative Investment Market (AIM) despite its close links to Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party (Zimbabwe), the dubious provenance of its Congolese mining assets and the unsavoury reputation of key business associates.

RAID’s report is the first systematic examination of the extent to which corporate conduct in zones of conflict such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is taken into account by stock market regulations. RAID submitted a detailed report to the Exchange in June 2011 on compliance with AIM rules by CAMEC and its adviser, Seymour Pierce. A year later, and the Exchange has not dealt publiclywith the matters raised in the complaint.

“AIM’s lack of transparency means there is a black hole at the heart of its regulatory system”, said Tricia Feeney, RAID’s Executive Director.

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