Rio Tinto’s chief financial officer Chris Lynch to retire in 2018

China plans to dramatically consolidate the number of mines in its country, according to Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) and a study by MCCM. And China also wants its mines to be a lot more productive. Caterpillar released the results of a study in August. In 2004 China had 25,000 operating mines. By the end of 2013 China wants to get that number down to 4,000 mines. A minimum production of 300,000 tonnes per annum will be required for mine approval.

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 8, 2011) - Auryx Gold Corp. ("Auryx" or the "Company") (TSX:AYX)(NSX:AYX) is pleased to announce the discovery of two distinct zones of massive iron-oxides ("Fe-oxides") overlying and peripheral to the Otjikoto gold deposit. Both zones occur at and near surface and have been named the Main Magnetite Zone ("MMZ") and the Magnetite 1 Zone ("M1Z"). Geophysical work suggests the Fe-oxide mineralization has a potential strike length of 6km. Please follow the link to view a plan view of the magnetic anomaly:http://auryxgold.com/projects/otjikoto_drill_program/mag_anomalies/

Guinea's parliament adopted a new mining code that more than doubles the share the West African state can take in mining projects to 35 percent and toughens procedures for acquiring development permits, the government said on Saturday.

Rio Tinto will invest US$310 million to assure a sustainable water supply for its iron ore operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, ensuring a sufficient resource to accommodate the expansion of annual production capacity up to the planned 333 million tonnes (Mt/a). The coastal water supply project, which involves construction of a new borefield and pipeline system, will be completed by mid-2013, coinciding with the first ore from the planned increase in production capacity to 283 Mt/a.

Billionaire iron ore heiress Gina Rinehart is being sued in the NSW Supreme Court by her daughter, Hope Welker. The nature of Welker’s claim is currently unknown, and Rinehart’s legal team is seeking to keep the matter confidential. Rinehart’s barrister, Alan Sullivan, QC, told the court the application had been made because of “the impact on commercial negotiations”.

Australians believe that the mining industry is much larger than it actually is, according to a study by the Australian Institute. In the study released on Thursday, Australians were asked to estimate what percentage of the nations workers are employed by the mining industry. The average response was around 16 per cent, when according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) the actual figure is 1.9 per cent. The survey also found Australians believe that mining accounts for more than one third (35%) of economic activity. However, ABS figures show that the mining industry accounts for around 9.2 per cent of GDP.

Atlas Iron Limited (“Atlas”) [ASX: AGO] has today declared its recommended off-market takeover offer (“Recommended Offer”) for all of the fully paid ordinary shares in FerrAus Limited (“FerrAus”) [ASX: FRS] free of all defeating conditions. Additionally, Atlas confirms that FerrAus Shareholders who validly accepted the Recommended Offer before it was declared unconditional will be issued their consideration within 3 business days of today’s date (13 September 2011). FerrAus Shareholders who now validly accept the Recommended Offer will be issued with their Atlas Shares within 3 business days of their acceptance being processed.

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 7, 2011) - Advanced Explorations Inc. (the "Company" or "AEI") (TSX VENTURE:AXI)(FRANKFURT:AE6) is pleased to announce that work continues in support of the Roche Bay Feasibility Study ("FS"). In addition to this summer's resource and geotechnical drill programs the Company has initiated a number of metallurgical studies looking to optimize concentrate process and quality while reducing the associated operating and capital cost. To date there have been five independent metallurgical studies undertaken (two in Canada, two in Germany and one in China) which support the previously reported results that a high quality concentrate can be produced. The Company does expect to provide a further update on the C- Zone resource as part of this ongoing work with the intention of expanding the FS resource base.

The deal-making frenzy in the global mining sector during the first half of the year was followed by a dramatic drop in activity in July and August, according to a new report by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers. Figures from the report titled Riders on the Storm show that in July and August the value of global mining deals fell by 49% and deal volumes declined by 25%. The sharp reversal came after a record first half when 1,379 deals worth $71bn were announced even though Chinese entities, firmly focused on value, retreated from iconic western takeovers. Buyers were also willing to pay over the odds for large publicly listed targets – for $500 million+ acquisitions, the average premium was 37%. For sub-$500 million deals, premiums averaged a mere 8%.