Anson Resources produces first lithium hydroxide from Utah project

BHP's board was to make a decision on the $30 billion project this year, but a newspaper report over the weekend said a decision will not be made until 2014 and BHP's uranium division "confirmed the deferral and said a recruitment freeze was now in place".

Below $120 a tonne most Chinese producers become unprofitable, but a sustained period below this level may indicate a fundamental shift in the industry.

Brad Gordon, CEO of Brisbane-based Intrepid Mines (ASX:IAU), has stated publicly that Indonesia is doing damage to its reputation as a foreign investment destination following the recent legal difficulties experienced by his own company and Churchill Mining.

Foreign investors have raised concerns over uncertainty surrounding Australia's mining and carbon tax regimes, with mining companies attacking a government plan to obtain an additional AUD$1.9 billion in taxes via stronger regulation of cross-border profit-shifting.

Newmont Mining's (NEM) second quarter earnings plunged 28% compared to the same period last year on reduced gold and copper output.

While the Australian government has started allowing miners to hire foreign workers to ease a labour shortage in the country, some companies such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto have chosen to launch their own recruitment initiatives.

An Australian mining businessman facing the prospect of five years in an Indonesian prison has warned others of the perils of doing business in the South-east Asian giant, saying he 'got caught like a spider in a web.'

Escalating costs and economic instability may be the two main reasons why mining companies worldwide are acquiring existing projects instead of starting their own, shows the latest report from global firm Ernst & Young.

Western Austalia's Atlas Iron Limited (ASX:AGO) increased shipments by 25% in the second quarter and is well on its way to doubling production by the end of 2012.