De Beers diamond production falls 5 percent in third quarter

Augustin Katumba Mwanke, the former governor of copper-rich Katanga province and go-to guy for resource deals, was seen by many as the power behind the throne.

Anglo Platinum, the world's number one platinum producer, suffered more than 80 safety-related work stoppages including 12 fatalities, that resulted in lower output and a drop in profits of over 60% in 2011.

Diamond demand will slow down significantly in 2012 said today De Beers SA, the world’s largest supplier of rough diamonds, due largely to the weak global economy.

DiamondCorp (LON:DCP), the African diamond mine development and exploration company, will not proceed with further exploration in Botswana due to the recovery of low grades in the area, announced the company today.

Rio Tinto is eager to secure a joint venture with the likely new owners of the huge Husab uranium deposit in Namibia.

Newmont Mining, world number two gold producer, said on Wednesday it has options to spend its capital elsewhere to meet production targets if its $4.8 billion Conga project in Peru does not restart.

Shares in Nevun Resources Ltd. fell off the cliff this morning after the company issued a press release saying its 2012 production estimate from its Bisha copper-gold mine in Eritrea is half of what the mine produced in 2011.

Up to 1.5 million carats worth of diamonds are being auctioned this week by companies allowed to mine the controversial Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe.

The South African government has quashed persistent rumours about nationalizing the country's mining industry.