Australia's Whitehaven Coal reported a 48 percent rise in equity coal output in the June quarter versus the same period a year ago and said it expects to show a fiscal 2011 underlying net profit of A$70 million before significant items.

"We are on the budget to achieve 272,000 ounces by the end of the year," Bristow told Reuters in Abidjan on Saturday. "The mine will produce approximately the same level every year, currently and after for nine years," he added.

Swedish steelmaker SSAB (SSABa.ST: Quote) beat second-quarter earnings forecasts, helped by demand for its specialist products in the United States and Europe, and said the recovery had further to run.

Gold firmed on Friday, erasing earlier losses, as reservations over this week's bailout plan for debt-laden Greece and concerns over negotiations on raising the U.S. debt ceiling supported interest in the metal as a safe store of value.

Winning bidders selected to develop the western part of Tavan Tolgoi would be allowed exploit the field for 30 years, Batbold was quoted as saying in a major Mongolian news website on Wednesday.

Copper hit its highest since mid-April on Tuesday on better-than-expected U.S. housing data, a weaker dollar and hopes Chinese demand will remain firm, helping offset investor anxiety over U.S. and European sovereign debt concerns.

The price of importing South African coal has fallen to be nearly on par with Chinese domestic rates, but Chinese buyers are not biting and are asking for discounts of another $4 per tonne at least, trade sources said.

The board of Polyus Gold , Russia's biggest gold producer, approved on Tuesday its development strategy, which, once implemented, will see it become one of the world's top five gold miners in 2020.

It also said in a statement that the strike was illegal and it was hoping to bring in measures to allow workers who wanted to return to their jobs to do so. "The situation has not normalized despite the undertaking that was made ... between the company

* Bullish on oil, especially H2 2011 - Morgan Stanley * U.S. crude, product stocks fell last week - API * Coming up: EIA oil stocks data, 11 a.m. EDT Thursday NEW YORK, July 7 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures fell on Thursday ahead of a government report

Coal could be a driver of growth for Brazilian mining giant Vale as it increases production of the key steel ingredient by as much as 35 million metric tonnes over the next ten years, Citigroup analysts said in a report on Tuesday.

Canadian miner High River Gold Mines Ltd said it received a 20-year mining license in Burkina Faso to explore and construct a gold mine at its Bissa gold project in West Africa. The company, which has properties located mainly in Russia and Burkina Faso in Africa, said the license could be renewed.