MINING.COM

Priority permitting speeds up Ucore REE project in Alaska by a year

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. announced on Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has granted a request for priority permitting of the Company's Bokan Mountain rare earth project in Southeast Alaska. The Department has approved exploration permitting in inventoried roadless areas of the Tongass National Forest proximal to Bokan. The permitting approvals will allow the Bokan project to proceed significantly faster than previously anticipated, reducing project development time by a year or more.

Marketwire | August 4, 2011 | 12:08 am

China factory data roils copper stocks – Freeport down 9%

Gold soars above $1,660, stocks nosedive as US economy chokes

December gold futures traded at another record high hitting $1,664.50 in after hours trade on Tuesday on news that US consumers spent less in June, the first decline in more than two years. On top of that personal incomes gained only slightly and most consumers were using that money to pay off debt. Some 70% of the US economy is reliant on consumer spending therefore any belt-tightening has ripple effects across the globe. The Dow Jones blue-chip index ended down more than 2% or 266 points extending its losing streak into an eighth day – the worst performance since October 2008.

Frik Els | August 2, 2011 | 9:15 pm

Mining could start at Tower Colliery ‘by Christmas’

Councillors voted in favour of the project to turn Tower into a huge opencast mine and excavate around six million tonnes of coal. The scheme, which will create up to 200 full-time jobs, will also restore former industrial spoil tips, old pits and iron

Wales Online | July 28, 2011 | 9:30 am

Virtual reality mine training simulator launched today in Argenton, NSW

Australian Minister for Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Senator Chris Evans, launched a new virtual reality mine training and rescue simulator today at the Newcastle Mines Rescue Station in Argenton, New south Wales, Australian Labor reports.

“This amazing new software demonstrates how technology can be used to train people for the very critical task of mine rescue,” Senator Evans said. “While we would hope workers will never need to have to use these skills, or encounter mine accidents, it is reassuring to know that companies are investing in initiatives for the safety of Australian miners.” Developed by Coal Services, the world-leading software package has been developed over the past 18 months and is the latest stage of a five-year project.

Joanna Gaskell - Education Editor | July 27, 2011 | 5:58 pm

The world according to gold – literally

Every time I write a “World According to Gold” piece, gold is setting a new record, among a new crop of bubble-callers, and still the world hesitates to pile into gold for fear of getting burned. Many of those who have doubled or tripled their money have since died, retired, or simply kept on making money investing, succumbing to the addictive quality of wealth.

Midas Letter | July 26, 2011 | 1:40 pm

Downer wins Xstrata coal contract

Downer EDI Ltd has secured contract worth more than $400 million with mining giant Xstrata Coal for development of a coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP) at its Ravensworth North Coal Project. The project, expected to secure over 400 jobs in the

Business Spectator | July 26, 2011 | 11:42 am

Gold prices advance as global debt issues give investors the jitters

Gold prices surged in Asian trade Monday, after US authorities failed to agree on a debt ceiling, and with no apparent progress toward a deal the financial markets have the jitters. Spot gold traded as high as $1620 an ounce at 5 p.m. Singapore time.

David Levenstein | July 25, 2011 | 5:04 pm

Bullish oil technicals

Averaging $96 so far this summer, crude oil certainly doesn’t feel cheap. Nevertheless, its technicals are looking increasingly bullish. After recently bouncing […]

Adam Hamilton - Zeal Intelligence | July 25, 2011 | 10:30 am

Australian carbon tax will hold back export industries – Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto is disappointed with the Australian government's carbon tax proposal, warning it will inevitably hinder investment and jobs growth in Australia without reducing global carbon emissions. Rio Tinto believes the government's carbon tax will undermine Australia's international competitiveness and hurt the nation's export competing industries.

Steel Guru | July 23, 2011 | 10:32 pm

Education and training a step behind the employment cycle in the Canadian mining industry

Mining Weekly: the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) says that 100 000 people will be needed by 2020 to meet anticipated production in the mining industry in Canada, and there aren't enough students in mining training to meet the need.

MiHR executive director Ryan Montpellier explains that, during the global econo- mic downturn, students struggled to find employment and turned to other programmes. “However, by the time they graduate, the recruitment cycle has progressed and jobs are often available. Labour market intelli- gence is, therefore, a key source of information that needs to be communicated to prospective students and postsecondary educational institutions,” he says.

Joanna Gaskell - Education Editor | July 22, 2011 | 7:06 pm