A four-hour blackout, which plunged half of Brazil into darkness Tuesday, could be one indication of the inability of the country's power infrastructure to cope with commodity sector booms.
Chile is looking to become a much more significant gold producer in the years ahead with a report suggesting that output could triple by 2015 - but the capital cost of large low grade projects remains a problem.
Following the ambush and subsequent execution of three miners working for Chalice Gold last month, Eritrea has substantially improved state-provided security for the mining sector.
