Five banks fined over $3bn in foreign exchange probe

The global mining industry is facing intensifying social, economic and political challenges, which means companies must incorporate more complex scenarios into their strategic planning, says a new study from Deloitte. The report, titled Tracking the Trends 2012, warns of a “perfect storm” already hitting the mining industry.

Latin American blogs reported on Sunday exit roads from the regional capital remained blocked and anger was mounting over Newmont Mining's proposed $4.8 billion Conga gold mine in northern Peru as protests entered its fourth day. Schools and business had closed and police used teargas against marchers since protests began Thursday. Residents led by the Maoist president of the Cajamarca region say Conga will destroy the environment by transforming four high Andean lakes into reservoirs for mining operations and on Saturday formed the 'Front for the Defence of the Interests of Cajamarca'. Conga would be the biggest investment ever in Peru mining and is a crucial test for newly installed president Ollanta Humala who has on many occasions publicly backed the project.

WawaTay News reports Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation – a community of 1,200, 600km north of Thunder Bay, Ontario – is preparing for what may be a confrontational winter after talks on traditional land use with the Ontario government broke down last week. KI walked away from negotiations after Ontario said they were unable to stop God’s Lake Resources, a junior gold mining company, from exploring in the area while the panel meets. The land under dispute at Sherman Lake was the site of a gold mine active from 1938 to 1941. KI claims there are numerous burial sites in the area. KI was involved in a similar dispute with a platinum miner a few years ago.

Members of a Filipino tribe are protesting after the country’s second richest businessman agreed to enter a nickel joint mining venture with a Chinese concern on the island of Palawan. Palawan was in the news recently when the Puerto Princesa subterranean river on the island was chosen as one of the world’s new seven wonders of nature, according to organizers of a global poll conducted via social media. The Philippine government vigorously campaigned for the 8.2 kilometer navigable underground river in a bid to boost tourism. South Korea’s Jeju Island, Indonesia’s Komodo and South Africa’s Table Mountain were also among the list.

The vast Central Asian nation, larger than Western Europe, produces 33 percent of world’s mined uranium, followed by Canada at 18 percent and Australia, with 11 percent of global output. Kazakhstan contains the world's second-largest uranium reserves, estimated at 1.5 million tons. Until two years ago Kazakhstan was the world's No. 3 uranium miner.

Latin American Herald Tribune reports Venezuela's first shipment of 160 – 180 tonnes of gold held abroad was received at Maiquetia International Airport outside Caracas on Friday night. In operation that also involved tanks and aircraft, the first of some 15,000 standard 400-ounce bars wrapped in black plastic inside a caravan of armoured vehicles escorted by 500 soldiers then made its way to the bank’s headquarters downtown. President Hugo Chavez announced in August that the South American country plans to repatriate its gold reserves held by banks in England, the US, Canada and France. The Central Bank of Venezuela already holds 154 tons of bullion domestically.

“Chinese companies that are looking to invest in Canada do not want to become a Potash-like story themselves. Face and company reputation are important,” Peter Harder, president of the Canada-China Business Council told The Globe & Mail in an interview in Beijing this week as executives gathered for the council’s annual general meeting.

BusinessLive reports that while acid mine drainage from disused gold mines in the Johannesburg area of South Africa is well documented, according to a new study AMD from nearly 6,000 abandoned mines is acidifying rivers and streams, raising metals levels and killing fish. The study by World Wide Fund for Nature SA and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research showed that South Africa’s heavy dependence on coal for electricity had a “devastating” effect on the country’s water resources, particularly in light of the fact that only 12% of the country’s land area generated 50% of the country’s river flow. The most affected river was the Olifants which flows through the Kruger National Park in a region of the country where coal mining dates back to the 1890s.

A joint venture between uber-miner Rio Tinto and Chinese partner Chinalco was finalized on Friday. The JV, called CRTX, has been officially registered and cleared to do business in China. The new company's priority will be exploring for copper, with plans to expand into coal and potash, Rio Tinto stated in a news release.