Brazilian steelmaker CSN (CSNA3.SA: Quote)(SID.N: Quote) struck a deal to sell its 19.9 percent stake in Australian coal miner Riversdale to mining giant Rio Tinto for A$780 million ($830 million), according to a securities filing. Sao Paulo-based CSN, Brazil's largest diversified steelmaking group, sold 47.29 million Riversdale shares at a price of A$16.50 each, the filing said. The shares (RIV.AX: Quote) closed little changed at A$16.50 in Sydney on Wednesday.

Russia's top gold digger said it produced 323,000 ounces of the yellow metal in Q1, 60% more than the same period the year before Russia's top gold producer Polyus Gold (PLZL.MM: Quote) said on Wednesday its output in the first quarter of this year was

World top copper producer Chile sees copper prices staying above the 2010 average during the next three years, Deputy Mining Minister Pablo Wagner said on Wednesday. Copper averaged $3.42 per pound in 2010, according to data compiled by the Chilean government.

Quadra FNX Mining Ltd (QUX.TO) outlined a resource at its Victoria copper-nickel project in Ontario that is equivalent to about 3.4 billion […]

Finnish engineering company Metso (MEO1V.HE) has raised its guidance for full-year 2011 sales growth to 15 percent from 10 percent due to favourable order intake and improved markets.

Gold's recent move through $1,500, which it has been heading toward for some time now, was helped by comments made earlier this week by Standard & Poor's about US long-term debt.

One way precious metals investors try to maximize their results is buy predicting which of gold or silver (and some people also consider platinum and/or palladium) will outperform the other going forward. A correct judgment has often led to dramatic results.

Ivanhoe Australia Ltd (ASX & TSX: IVA), controlled by North American-based Ivanhoe Mines, today put out what it quaintly described as a clarification of its position on Exco Resources Ltd (ASX: EXS) selling the Cloncurry copper project to Xstrata Copper. Ivanhoe, which is Exco's major shareholder made it clear it was not supporting the sale, pointing out that the company's chief executive Peter Reeve, as a director of Exco, excused himself from the deliberation of this transaction.

China has called on central and provincial authorities to stop approving the construction of new aluminium smelting capacity as over-capacity in the industry is expanding. Nine ministries and departments jointly issued an urgent circular reinforcing Beijing's policy to restrict aluminium capacity expansion. The circular was published on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Wednesday. (www.miit.gov.cn). Picture, a German aluminium coin from the time of the hyperinflation, is from Images of Elements.

Pan American Silver said Tuesday it had consulted with Bolivia's Minister of Mines and its unions and "has not received official notification from any government representative with respect to the possibility that the Bolivian government might seek to take control of San Vicente." Bolivian media reports claims the Morales Administration was considering terminating joint venture contracts and taking control of several mines formerly operated by the government, which could include the San Vincente silver mine.

Analysts say the $1.5 billion share purchase will be useful if Vedanta fails to get a big response from minority shareholders for […]

Rising silver prices lead Canadian junior Aurcana to cancel debt financing proposal with two Sprott companies – and it gets sued as […]