Australia's Intrepid Mining (ASX:IAU) has seen its share price plunge after being summarily booted from a key copper project in Indonesia by powerful local business interests.
Arguably the richest prize in mining, the Pebble project pits a watershed where up to 40 million salmon spawn each year against copper and gold reserves worth as much as $500 billion according to a new documentary.
Peru's Catholic Church intervened in reconciliation talks between the government of President Ollanta Humala and activists protesting the $5 billion Conga copper and gold mine project.
There is no end on sight to the mining boom in Australia, a country which mineral resources sector value is expected to reach $122.6 billion by 2016, growing at an annual average rate of 4.3%, reveals a study published Saturday.
As subsidies for renewable energy are falling in the depressed European economies, which represent the world's largest market for solar technology, manufacturers have started looking to new markets and Chile seems to be the most attractive one.
Making the 2012 Olympic gold medal from pure gold would amount to $22,000 per medal at Friday's closing price of $1,585 an ounce. Event organizers baulked and opted for a mix of silver, a few grams of gold and copper for winning athletes.
