Reforms by Guinea's first freely elected government are needed to clean up a mining sector in disarray after decades of political turmoil, but they risk scaring off investors if they go too far too fast. The world's top bauxite supplier and a new frontier for iron ore, Guinea is rewriting its mining code, probing joint venture deals, and has dealt tough blows to major firms since the election of President Alpha Conde last November.

During 2010, London- and Johannesburg-listed Central Rand Gold (CRG) produced 9,321 ounces of gold. This is the company that categorically stated in its 2007 annual report that it is "intended that CRG will begin gold production in early 2009 at an annualized rate of 100,000 ounces. This production rate is forecast to increase to around one million ounces a year by 2012."

Commodity Online reports that copper markets were in surplus of 118,000 tonnes during January — March this year according to the World Bureau of Metal Statistics. The market was in surplus 43,000 tonnes for the whole of 2010. Stocks of copper by end of March 2011 were 138,000 tonnes higher than by the end of 2010. Refined copper production was 4.76 million tonnes in Jan-March 2011, up 1.8% compared to the first quarter of 2010.

Last year's death of 29 miners in one of the worst mining disasters in US history "could have been prevented," a panel concluded Thursday, blasting the owner for lax safety at the Upper Big Branch mine. The report into the West Virginia blast, the deadliest US coal accident since 1970, also found that Massey Energy Co. miners lacked adequate training in safety and called for tougher enforcement powers for US federal and state mine inspectors.

now been notified by its customer, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., to suspend overburden removal activities at the Horizon oil sands project near Fort McMurray, Alta. The suspension is being taken while Canadian Natural undertakes repairs to its primary

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- International Coal Group (NYSE:ICO) hit a new 52-week high Thursday as it is currently trading at $14.52, above its previous 52-week high of $14.51 with 6.9 million shares traded as of 1:21 p.m. ET. Average volume has been 13

The Western Australian government on Thursday introduced a phased increase on its royalty rates applying to iron-ore mines, a move it says […]

Reuters reports that world number three supplier India's iron ore exports and prices could be hit by quality issues raised by China on $2.2bn worth of shipments. India sends almost all its exports to China, trade worth around $1.5bn per month. During the first four months of 2011, over a third of India's exports to the Chinese province of Jiangsu were substandard, China's General Administration of Quality, Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a notice posted on its website.

Amid growing interest in bullion as a hedge against the dollar and inflation and a renewed rally in gold and precious metals prices, Christian Science Monitor, documents gold’s journey around the globe in a fascinating and extensive photo-essay.