Zinc

The native group opposing the Prosperity Mine in northern British Columbia has little faith in the just-launched federal environmental review of the project, CTV News reports.

Photographer Martin Foskett spliced together a video of mining equipment accidents. Apart from the maudlin and rather depressing soundtrack, the video makes for an interesting diversion and a reminder that when thing go wrong with mining equipment, they really go wrong.

Tiny Oman, the Sultanate perched on the southeast tip of the Arabian peninsula, is setting up for a quantum leap in mining, the Oman Daily Observer reports in an article published Saturday.

Teck Resources Limited ("Teck") and BASF SE announced at the World Economic Forum today that they have signed a three year agreement to jointly develop innovative and affordable zinc fortification and supplementation solutions, with the goal of reducing zinc deficiency among 100 million people in developing countries by 2015.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Jan. 27, 2012) - Ivanhoe Mines (TSX:IVN)(NYSE:IVN)(NASDAQ:IVN) Deputy Chairman Peter Meredith said today he expected the company's 14-member Board of Directors will continue to maintain a majority of independent directors, in accordance with the December 8, 2010, Heads of Agreement signed by Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto.

RBC Capital Markets forecasts copper demand growth of 3.6% in 2011, 5.5% in 2012, 5.6% in 2013, and trend growth of approximately 4.0% in 2014 and 2015.

Anglo-American in its increasingly acrimonious fight with Codelco on Thursday had to defend itself against what it termed "the criminal accusation" made by the president of the Federation of Copper Workers in Chile who sits on the Chile’s state-owned copper giant board.

With revenues of $60 billion last year and operations at the ends of the earth, few companies are in a better position to take the pulse of the global economy and the resource sector than Caterpillar. But what is it saying about the outlook for 2012?

Zinc may be the black sheep of base metals this year amid expectations that increases in mining capacity will pressure prices. However, the outlook could brighten should some of those expansion plans be put on hold because of weak demand and problems getting project financing. Longer term, analysts expect prices may rise as mines close, shrinking supply.