Move over Alrosa, Rio Tinto wants to drive growth in India’s diamond sector

Gold shipments from Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, are at the highest level since at least 1985 as individuals who purchased jewelry more than 20 years ago are selling it for record prices.

The head of India's biggest iron ore miner says Australia's reputation as a very favorable place to invest has not been dented by the combination of a carbon tax, mining tax and escalating labour costs as the $22 billion group prepares to establish a local mining arm.

Workers at Xstrata’s Ulan Coal project north of Sydney went on strike for 24 hours on the weekend after learning several electrical staff had been dismissed.

Pressured by Asian and European steelmakers not wanting to be locked into expensive iron ore contracts, Vale SA has bent to a new system that would see lower quarterly prices.

Joy Global completed the transfer of its stock listing to the New York Stock Exchange with a bell-ringing ceremony on the exchange floor. Joy Global is a worldwide leader in surface and underground mining products and owns the P&H and Joy Mining equipment brands. The company says the "listing reflects Joy Global's size, record of growth and inherent strength."

Earlier today, Vancouver-based Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA), the world's largest on-site and online auctioneer of heavy equipment and trucks, reached and exceeded US$1 billion in online equipment sales for 2011 alone.

Quebec's reputation as a mining-friendly jurisdiction is threatened by revisions to the province's mining code, says a letter released last week by the Quebec Mining Association.

Giant terrestrial planets also know as “Carbon super-Earths” that contain up to 50 per cent diamond may possibly be in the Earth's galaxy, a new study suggests. But if they exist, those planets are unlikely to have any sort of life and incapable of supporting it.

Brazil's Vale is set to move its first coking coal shipment next week from its Moatize mine in Mozambique, sources told Reuters on Tuesday. This will be the first coking coal shipment, after 3 thermal coal shipments, and is destined for steelmaker ArcelorMittal's South African unit. Vale last month approved a $6 billion expansion of Moatize to double output to 22 million tonnes per year.