The Constitutional Court in South Africa has kicked open the door to class-action lawsuits against mine owners. The lawsuits could cost miners billions of rand after the court ruled yesterday that mineworkers who had been laid off because of occupational diseases can sue their employers, Business Day reported: The court handed down judgment in the matter of Thembekile Mankayi, who had sued AngloGold Ashanti for damages of R2.6m. Mr Mankayi passed away last Friday of lung disease.

According to U.S. embassy cables released on Wikileaks, Australia’s changes to foreign investment rules in 2009 were aimed at limiting Chinese investments […]

Vancouver-based Monument Mining Ltd. is moving ahead with a Phase 3 expansion plan for its Selinsing mine and gold treatment plant in Malaysia. The expansion includes an additional milling, gravity and leach circuit. The expansion will lift the treatment plant capacity from 400,000 tonnes per year to 1 million tpa.

NovaGold Resources said Thursday it plans to "vigorously defend " a lawsuit filed against the company by Copper Canyon Resources Ltd. The notice of claim filed by Copper Canyon "alleges that Copper Canyon's right of first refusal with respect to the Copper Canyon property has been triggered as a result of arrangements between NovaGold and the Galore Creek Partnership, and seeks specific performance of the right of first refusal. NovaGold denies that the right has been triggered or that it has breached any obligations respecting the Copper Canyon property."

China may have dominated mining news headlines over the past year, but it is a small player when it comes to mergers and acquisitions, according to a report released today from PwC. The Mining Deals report states that in 2010, just 6% of global mining involved purchases by Chinese companies, compared to 36% from companies domiciled in Canada, 16% in the US and 16% in Australia. The numbers appear to dispel the myth that China is amassing control of the world's resources by merging and acquiring firms into its orbit.

MetalBulletin is tagging stories related to unrest in the Middle East and North Africa so readers can assess possible impacts on the mining sector.

The Associated Press reports that Kate Middleton’s ancestors worked in England’s coal pits: Her great-grandfather left coal country nearly a century ago […]

Romios Gold Resources announced that a 2010 mapping project from the British Columbia Geological Survey confirmed Romios' previous claims that the Dirk property mineralization is analogous to and may be as large as the Galore Creek project. Samples collected by Romios from the Dirk property produced numerous anomalous values including a 3.0 metre chip sample of 6.21% Cu, 0.57 g/t Au, and 44.1 g/t Ag. The BCGS also reports values up to 21 ppb platinum and 64 ppb palladium from samples that they collected from the Dirk property.

Market capitalisation for miners on the TSX and TSX Venture rose from Can$325 billion in 2009 to $467 billion in 2010, according to a study released by Ernst & Young on Wednesday. The study also found that the mining sector raised $17.7 billion through IPOs and private placements, eclipsing the oil and gas industry which only managed $11.3 billion. The study also found that there were 52 mining initial public offerings on the TSX and TSX Venture that raised more than $1.3 billion.