Agnico-Eagle Mines (TSE:AEM) had suspended mining and gold production at its Goldex mine in Val d'Or, Quebec, due to unstable ground and water inflow. "A weak volcanic rock unit in the hanging wall of the Goldex deposit has failed. This rock failure is thought to extend between the top of the deposit and surface. As a result, this structure has allowed ground water to flow into the mine. This water flow has likely contributed to further weakening and movement of the rock mass," Agnico-Eagle said in a statement. As a result of the problem, Agnico said it will write off its investment in Goldex, resulting in a $260 million charge in the third quarter results. The news caused the Toronto-based company's shares to plummet around 19% near the close of trading on Wednesday.

BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) had a record quarter for iron ore production, the company announced today, with shipments from Western Australia reaching 173 million tonnes, a 28% increase over the same period last year. Quarterly production records were also achieved at New South Wales Energy Coal and Illawarra Coal in both Australia, Cerrejon Coal in Colombia, and the Alumar refinery in Brazil.

Buffeted by falling copper prices and labour unrest at Grasberg, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE:FCX) reported net income of $1.1 billion, $1.10 per share, compared with $1.2 billion, $1.24 per share duing the same quarter a year ago. Consolidated copper, gold and molybdenum production in the third quarter were all down compared to a year ago. Freeport sold 947 million pounds of copper, 409 thousand ounces of gold and 19 million pounds of molybdenum, compared with 1.1 billion pounds of copper, 497 thousand ounces of gold and 17 million pounds of molybdenum in the third-quarter of 2010. Regarding Grasberg Mine operations, Freeport said the impact of the eight-day strike in July 2011 and the ongoing strike, which started in September 2011, totaled about 70 million pounds of copper and 100 thousand ounces of gold. The strike has recently turned ugly with reports of sabotage and injuries.

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO), who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, is pushing the US Department of Defense for the establishment of a national inventory of rare earth materials. “I support the procurement of such high-demand, at-risk rare earth materials to help fulfill Department of Defense (DOD) requirements and therefore reduce supply-chain vulnerability. By using the Annual Materials Plans as a vehicle, the Department can identify critical rare earth oxides, alloys, metals, or magnets, depending on what best suits DOD’s needs, and then fulfill a portion or the entirety of the associated requirements,” Coffman wrote in a letter to Ronnie Favors, the administrator of the DLA Strategic Materials.

HAMILTON, Bermuda, Oct. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Platinum Underwriters Holdings, Ltd. PTP +2.18% today reported a net loss of $53.5 million and a loss per common share of $1.43 for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. The results for the quarter include net premiums earned of $166.8 million, net favorable development of $27.8 million, net investment income of $29.8 million and net realized gains on investments of $7.5 million. The results also reflect the net negative impact of $112.4 million from major catastrophe losses, net of retrocessional coverage, reinstatement premiums and taxes.

Argus Media reports the biomass conversion of Germany utility RWE's Tilbury, UK, power plant is on schedule to be completed before the end of this year, possibly as soon as November. The conversion is relatively straightforward, with the main issues material handling and logistics, according to RWE. The coal-fired power station on the banks of the Thames in England, previously scheduled for shut down in 2015 under new EU environmental regulations, hopes to produce up to 750 megawatts of green power. The news comes a day after a leaked European roadmap for energy use showed the use of coal for power generation dropping dramatically and that within 20 years all homes on the continent could be powered by wind-generated electricity.

("Carpathian" or the "Corporation") wishes to report that it has been advised of a decision by COPAM, one of the Brazilian environmental authorities having jurisdiction over its RDM gold project situated in Minas Gerais State, Brazil (the "Project"), to attach a condition to the recently granted Ad Referendum License to Install ("AR LI") to the effect that the Corporation's wholly owned subsidiary, Mineração Riacho dos Machados Ltda. ("MRDM"), should not start any installation work on the Project until the AR LI is ratified by COPAM, pending their further review of technical documents.

Commodity Online reports platinum group metals miners may be hit by the rapid growth in the number of electric cars on the road that do not need catalytic converters. In addition, manufacturers like Nissan have slashed the use of platinum in gasoline-powered vehicles in efforts to keep costs down. The drop in industrial demand has not nearly been offset by the surge in jewellery sales and platinum has lost almost a fifth of its value since the start of September while palladium is down 23%. FT quotes Barclays Capital research that notes at current levels of about $1,530 an ounce, platinum is trading close to or below the price at which some miners break even and that high-cost producers are already losing money.

The world's number one iron ore producer Vale is considering shifting from iron ore pricing based on the previous quarter’s prices to levels more aligned with the spot price the company's chief executive said on Tuesday. The Brazilian company's new willingness comes after more Chinese steel mills seek to postpone shipments or default on contracts as spot iron ore prices drop from historic highs above $170 to levels of around $150. BHP, Vale and Rio Tinto control nearly 70% of the 1 billion tonne annual iron ore seaborne trade and dominate price talks which in the past were characterized by secretive negotiations and annual contracts. Just last week global number one miner BHP Billiton announced plans to create a new, more transparent system for pricing iron ore called Global Ore by the end of the year or early next year.