Yamana closes $65m royalty sale to Nomad

"The shift schedules are demanding. The work is repetitive. There are issues trying to keep people engaged in the work that they are doing."

Combined these mining and metal giants are worth $700 billion with operations in every corner of the world.

Rumours follow Rio's decision to group its least loved units — coal, uranium salt, borates and its Iron Ore Co. of Canada — under a new umbrella branded as the “energy and minerals” business.

Andrew Harding, once tipped as the most likely person to take the company’s reins, is being replaced by Chris Salisbury, currently leading the copper and coal division.

According to the Association of Mineral Exploration (AME), a number of junior exploration companies and their suppliers and contractors have been approached by First Nations.

Eye-catching lithium discoveries don’t happen every day. When they do, little-known lithium explorers can suddenly find themselves in the investment spotlight.

Decision follows the West African country order to expatriates whose work permits were invalid to stop working.

With construction expected to start in 2018, the US$669-million Fruta del Norte project could finally begin production before the end of the decade.

The East Energy pipeline is expected to generate $55 billion in economic benefit for Canada and create over 3,300 operational jobs across the country.