Zinc

A further rise in crude oil prices will dampen copper prices, though demand from key buyers in China, the United States and Europe so far looks solid, a senior executive at the world's top copper producer Codelco said on Wednesday.

Taseko Mines submitted a new plan for its Prosperity project on Monday, saying it has addressed environmental concerns that saw its last plan rejected by the Canadian federal government.

Zambia's Central Bank reckons the major copper producing country's output will rise around 10% to 9000,000 tonnes in 2011 LUSAKA (Reuters) - Copper output in Zambia, Africa's leading producer of the metal, is expected rise to 900,000 tonnes in 2011 from

Zinc may be good for your everyday galvanizing and diecasting, but it may also be good at fighting colds. According to the Cochrane Collaboration, zinc taken as a lozenge or syrup reduced the duration and severity of the common cold in healthy people. "People taking zinc are also less likely to have persistence of their cold symptoms beyond seven days of treatment. Zinc supplementation for at least five months reduces incidence, school absenteeism and prescription of antibiotics for children with the common cold."

Silvercorp announced on Thursday that it received a positive preliminary assessment for its Silvertip silver-lead-zinc project in northern British Columbia. Silvercorp's stock was up 4% on the TSX on Friday. The report prepared by Golder Associates favoured a small mine and mill operating seasonally at 500 tonne per day or 72,000 tonne per year. "The initial capital cost of the project is estimated to be $US49 million with sustaining capital costs over the remaining mine life (21 years) estimated at $US54.2 million. The payback period is estimated at 4 years for the base case and 2 years for the upside case after reaching commercial production."

The group announced better-than-expected results for the year on the back of higher prices and said it remains positive about the outlook for commodities markets. Anglo American (AAL.L: Quote) (AGLJ.J:Quote), the world's fourth-largest diversified miner,

Taseko Mines is adding capacity to its Gibraltar Copper Mine in north-central British Columbia. The company stated Wednesday that its board of directors has approved construction of 30,000 tpd concentrator to complement the existing 55,000 tpd facility. The second concentrator will triple the mine's production capacity from 60 million to 180 million pounds per year.

Barrick Gold reported on Thursday that net income in the fourth quarter was up 57% to US$947 million or 95 cents a share, a record result for the world's-largest gold miner. In the same quarter in 2009, Barrick reported US$604 million net income or 61 cents a share. The company produced 1.7 million ounces of gold at a total cash cost of $486 per ounce. Gold production in 2011 is expected to be similar to 2010.

The Obama Administration has called for a hardrock mining royalty and a new hardrock AML fee, along with other fees and tax […]