Posts by Mineweb:

Chinese rare earth exports burst through 100,000 tonne mark in Feb

China's exports of rare earth metals burst through the $100,000-per-tonne mark for the first time in February, up almost ninefold from a year before, while the volume of trade stayed far below historical averages. China's squeeze on rare earths, which are used in a wide range of hardware including precision-guided weapons, hybrid car batteries and iPads, has forced prices up dramatically since July last year, when each tonne fetched a mere $14,405 on average.

KGHM launches telecom arm sale

KGHM (KGHM.WA: Quote), Europe's second biggest copper producer, has launched the sale of its telecoms arm Dialog as part of its plans to shed some non-core assets, sources close to the deal told Reuters late on Monday. "Teasers have been sent," one of the sources said, referring to a document presenting the company to potential buyers.

Hudbay raises Augusta Resource Corp stake to 14%

Canadian base metals miner HudBay Minerals Inc raised its stake in Augusta Resource Corp to 14.3 percent by buying 5.4 million more shares in the company for C$21.3 million. HudBay now holds 20.2 million shares of Augusta Resource, up from about 14.8 million earlier, the company said on Monday.

Gem Diamonds in talks with Lucara

Gem Diamonds says it is in very early stage talks with Canadian-listed Lucara Diamond Corp over a possible merger. "These discussions are at a very early stage and there can be no certainty the contemplated merger will occur or of the timing or terms of any such transaction," Gem Diamonds said in a statement on Monday.

First Uranium: S Africa mine operations resume

Canadian gold and uranium producer First Uranium Corp (FIU.TO) said on Friday it has resumed underground operations at its Ezulwini gold mine in South Africa. A temporary work stoppage instruction was issued on March 12 by the South African Department of Mineral Resources, pending investigations after a worker died in fall of ground.

Nippon Steel/Sumitomo draft merger plan submitted

Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd submit draft merger proposal Tokyo (Reuters) - Nippon Steel Corp, the world's fourth-biggest steelmaker, and Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd submitted a draft proposal for their planned merger to Japan's