Lead

Chinese firms have been snapping up copper, uranium, iron ore and coking coal assets around the world, but have yet to make a big splash in nickel.

There is no doubt that copper mining is a big business in Arizona, supporting over 62,000 jobs and contributing about $7.5 billion to the state’s GDP. But for Arizona to retain its prominent position in the industry, and indeed for the United States to remain a significant producer of the metal, the way that state legislature and national regulations move forward on land and mining rights will be critical.

Romania received four bids for its biggest copper mine, Cupru Min Abrud, and will sell the company in an auction on March 26, the economy ministry said on Friday.

As oil prices continue to rise, and nations around the world look for ways to weather an energy crisis, Chile is turning to one of its own best renewable resources – solar energy – to supply much needed power.

EU regulators are stepping up scrutiny of the mooted $90 billion merger of the commodities trader and coal giant and the whole vetting process could take until early 2013. That is if the deal goes ahead at all.

None of mining's top companies escaped the carnage on Thursday after a survey of manufacturing in China showed activity slowed for a fifth straight month.

London copper futures turned negative on Thursday, after manufacturing data on China that showed factory activity in the world's top metals consumer shrank for a fifth month.

A plan to dig a vast copper mine in arid southern Arizona is pitting the needs of American industry — and arguably the national economy — against a coalition of local residents and environmentalists.

BBC News reports on new technology used for mining copper in Chile. Biosigma, a joint venture between Codelco and Nippon Metals and Mining, is experimenting with microbes that break down copper at higher recovery rates and reduce operating costs: