Australia's New South Wales state said on Wednesday it would buy back half of a coal exploration licence from China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd , bowing to pressure from farmers and environmentalists opposed to mining on prime agricultural land.

Beijing's shuts 120 million tonnes of low-grade steel capacity in six months providing a boost for high-quality ore exporters.

Deal gives Eldorado full ownership of the Lamaque project near Val-d'Or, Quebec, which is expected to produce 123,000 ounces of gold at all-in sustaining costs of US$634 per ounce over 10 years.

While major global companies are part of Ghana’s mining sector, illegal gold extraction is a chronic issue in the country and deadly accidents are frequent.

China's supply of steel scrap is surging as aged buildings, bridges and cars produced over decades of rapid economic growth are knocked down, dismantled or crushed.

The flow of Indonesian nickel ore to China has resumed after a three-and-a-half year break.

Dam restrictions in China following excessive rains are also reducing hydropower capacity there, including at the world's biggest power station, forcing utilities to ramp up output at coal-fired utilities.

Only five out of the 19 illegal workers believed to have been at the pit when the accident happened have been rescued since Sunday.