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Rio Tinto announced on Tuesday that it paid Can$73 million for 49% of Ivanhoe Mines. Rio Tinto acquired an additional 3,700,000 common shares in Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Rio Tinto International Holdings Limited, increasing Rio Tinto's ownership in Ivanhoe Mines by 0.5 per cent to a total of 361,858,442 common shares or 49 per cent through a privately negotiated share purchase agreement.

Chinese companies and investors are stepping up their purchases of industrial commodities such as copper, in a show of confidence in the global economy that stands in contrast to the turmoil in western markets. The wave of buying is providing support for metals and minerals prices after commodities prices fell this month at worries about a double-dip. Senior executives at trading houses, mining companies and banks said Chinese consumers had used the recent drop in prices to rebuild stocks.

A Kamloops BC TV station reports workers at Teck Resources Highland Valley Copper mine have voted 99.5% in favour of striking if necessary to back wage and benefit demands. The 1,100 unionized workers voted Sunday, less than a week before their contract is due to expire. The Highland Valley Copper mine is the largest copper mine in Canada and one of the largest copper mining and concentrating operations in the world. Teck announced last week a $475 million upgrade of its 40-year-old Highland Valley mill to bring it in line with the mine's 2025 end of life, and a separate $210 million investment at a BC lead and zinc operation.

A statement put out by Ivanhoe Mines on Monday telling investors that its Oyu Tolgoi project remains on track and pooh-poohing rumours about the Mongolian government reneging on the deal that Ivanhoe and partner Rio Tinto spent five years negotiating did little to ease the fears of investors. By lunchtime Ivanhoe had plummeted more than 21.3%, crashing through the $10 billion market valuation level and taking the week's losses to 33%, with the number of shares changing hands already exceeding the daily average. Ivanhoe also appeared to have patched things up with Rio Tinto on Monday after it said last week it's unhappy that the world's number two miner told investors about possible delays to the mega-project.

Ivanhoe Mines said in a statement today that the investment agreement for the Oyu Tolgoi Project remains a fair and legally binding contract that deserves and requires the unqualified support of all parties. Media reports during the weekend quoted Mongolia's Mineral Resources and Energy Minister D. Zorigt as indicating that Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto would receive a letter from the Mongolian government asking the companies to consider entering into discussions to address a possible change to the investment agreement. A reported potential proposed change would see acceleration of the government's right to increase its current 34% interest in Oyu Tolgoi to 50% by purchasing an additional 16% at fair market value at some future point, after Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto recoup their capital investments in the project.

SPOKANE VALLEY, WASHINGTON--(Marketwire - Sept. 26, 2011) - Revett Minerals Inc. (TSX:RVM) (NYSE Amex:RVM) is pleased to provide an update on its recently initiated 2012 copper hedging program. For 2012, the company has sold forward approximately 25% of forecast copper production at US$4.00 per lb. This transaction, for 100 metric tons per month, is for copper contained in concentrates produced at our Troy mine from January to December 2012.

The Ottawa Citizen reports that the Ontario NDP, which is fighting a provincial election and challenging the incumbent Liberal Party, want to change the provincial mining act so more mine processing work stays in the province. The Liberal Party says such legislation would ultimately hurt the industry.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Sept. 26, 2011) - Empire Mining Corporation (TSX VENTURE:EPC) ("Empire") is pleased to report that an ongoing sampling program at the newly-identified Southwest Zone of the Demirtepe wollastonite-hosted copper-gold-silver and molybdenum project in Turkey, has identified a continuous copper-gold anomalous zone currently about 1.8 km long and up to 800 metres wide and still open to the southwest. The new Southwest Zone is located approx. 1 km to the southwest of the Main Zone.

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 26, 2011) - Romios Gold Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE:RG)(OTCBB:RMIOF)(FRANKFURT:D4R) ("Romios" or the "Company") is pleased to announce assay results from the initial portion of the 2011 drill program on the Trek Property in northwestern British Columbia. The property is located 12.0 km southeast of the Galore Creek copper-gold-silver porphyry deposit and adjacent to the Galore Creek Mining Corporation's proposed mill and tailings facilities.