First Quebec diamond mine opens 

Zimbabwe's state media has reported that the state mining corporation says it is paying government employee raises this month with revenues from controversy-mired diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe.

The value of mergers and acquisitions in the mining sector more than doubled to $96.3 billion in the first six months of the year and could top $200 billion for the whole of 2011 says a new research report. Canadian companies – both as acquirers and as the targets of buyers – dominated corporate finance activity in the first half shaking on more than a deal a day and at 325 deals accounting for almost two-thirds of all the metals and minerals transactions carried out around the world.

Bloomberg reports BHP workers in Chile voted Sunday to extend their strike at the world’s largest copper mine. Stoppages at BHP’s Australian coal operations may resume this week. Thirty thousand South African coal mine workers including Anglo American and Xstrata employees walked off the job Sunday and may be joined by 160,000 gold industry workers. Strikes that started over the weekend are impacting output from mines of diamond giant De Beers. Workers are seeking a larger slice as global producers report record earnings: Melbourne-based BHP, the world’s biggest mining company, is expected to report full-year profits of $22.5 billion next month, almost double 2010’s net income. Xstrata may report record 2011 profit of $7.3 billion and Anglo American $7.4 billion, estimates show.

Canada’s mining industry continues to rally from the recent global recession, with this year’s production currently exceeding that of 2010, reports government department Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).

Namibia plans to raise its mining tax to 44 percent from 37.5 percent but said the hike will not apply to diamond mining companies, the ministry of finance said in a statement on Friday. The ministry said the country is facing volatility in its key revenue sources and is looking to strengthen revenue collection.

Employees of diamond mining company De Beers are set to go on strike on Friday after wage talks broke down on Wednesday. The workers follow tens of thousands of others in South Africa's coal, metals and petroleum industries who have been on strike for weeks. The strikes come at a time when the country's mining output is slowing and new investment in the industry is drying up amid uncertainty about state ownership, taxation, an ever-changing regulatory environment and corruption. A recent ranking of top global mining investment destinations that puts Alberta at the top relegates South Africa to number 63 alongside Zimbabwe, Guatamala and Venezuela.

Rising appetite for Gold jewelry among households and investors in China and India is driving the global demand for the yellow metal, says a study conducted by the Dubai Multi-Commodities Centre (DMCC). China and India—two largest gold consuming nations in the world—have been driving gold demand in the world in the last few years.

Diamond producer Petra Diamonds on Tuesday reported a 24% increase in gross mine revenue to US$220.6 million for the year ended June 2011, mainly due to the steady increase in rough diamond prices from October 2010. Revenue of US$90.0 million in the

"As the fifth-biggest consumer of diamonds, a stake in a diamond mine would be interesting," the CEO of Swatch Group, Nick Hayek told the Finanz und Wirtschaft newspaper on Saturday. The world's largest watchmaker, which apart from cheap and cheerful Swatches, also owns luxury brands Breguet, Blancpain, Glashütte (pictured), Omega and Tiffany & Co, said demand for watches studded with diamonds has increased explosively and the desired quality are only available in small quantities. According to IDEX research global polished diamond prices rose sharply during the second half of June, and are showing no signs of a pull-back.