Barrick Gold sells four US mines for $720 million

London listed Xstrata (LON:XTA) started Thursday copper production at its $310 million (A$300) Mount Margaret operation in north-west Queensland, Australia.

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has publicly said Friday it will vote against the mooted $70 billion merger between Glencore (LON:GLEN) and Xstrata (LON:XTA), which sent shares of both the Swiss commodity trader and the coal giant down the slope Thursday in London.

49-year old Sardinian miner Stefano Meletti slashed his wrists in front of television cameras on Wednesday to protest the planned closure of Italy's last coal pit.

Close to 100 soldiers and officers of the Mexican Army and Federal and state police agencies broke through a peaceful protest taking place in front of the La Platosa mine, owned by a subsidiary of Canadian Excellon Resources, Inc. (TSX:EXN), according to a news flash by Mining Watch.

Iron ore prices hit the lowest level since November 2009 on Tuesday as the commodity crashed 4.6% closing at $94.80. The dive proved a drag for producers of the commodity, particularly companies investing heavily to expand their production capacity.

Shares of London-based Condor Gold (LON:CNR) went up almost 11% Wednesday, closing at 125 pounds, as it revealed final results from its latest drilling programme at its 100% owned La India gold project in Nicaragua, Central America.

Canadian Gran Colombia Gold Corp. (TSX:GCM), the largest underground gold and silver producer in the South American country, announced that senior managers and members of the board of directors have purchased a combined 380,000 common shares of the company.

London-based Anglo American (LSE:AAL) has joined an expanding list of coal producers making staff cuts at specific Australian operations, after it announced it will cut at least 50 jobs when its Moranbah North mine reverts back to a single longwall operation.

Balmoral Resources (CVX:BAL) reported Wednesday that exploration drilling on its Martiniere Property, in central Quebec, conducted well outside the previously known extent of the site’s gold system, has intersected three new, broad areas of gold mineralization.