Experts are raising questions about the legitimacy of North Korea's estimated reserves of rare earths, used from computers to cars and defense missiles.
There are a number of challenges South32 is likely to face, including potential Black Economic Empowerment ownership concessions and power price hikes.
Dotted with lucrative gold mines like Red Lake, Hemlo, Musselwhite and Timmins, along with the nickel belt of Sudbury, Ontario with its storied mining history should be a prospector's dream.
The first two months of 2015 failed miserably to dispel gloomy market conditions affecting the global mining industry, according to a study published Wednesday.