Fortescue misses expectations, vows to step up output to meet target

Scandinavian Resources Ltd. (ASX:SCR) has now acquired the Ekstromsberg and Tjarrojakka iron ore projects, about 45 kilometres from Kiruna inside the Arctic […]

Quebec Premier Jean Charest will travel to Europe this month to tout Plan Nord, the Canadian province's C$80-billion plan to boost mining and forestry, AFP reported Friday: The Quebec government unveiled the 25-year plan to develop "one of the last untouched territories of the world, filled with riches" in May. Charest is to meet with politicians and business leaders in London, Brussels, Frankfurt and Munich from June 27 to July 1.

Gold–Ore Resources Ltd. (TSX:GOZ) today released Second Quarter (ending May 31, 2011) production results for the 100% owned Bjorkdal Gold Mine in Sweden. During the second quarter the mine produced 11,131 ounces of gold, an increase of 11% over the first quarter; during the month of May the mine set a new monthly gold production record of 4,208 ounces. The company projects 2011 gold production at 44,000 to 46,000 ounces.

Northland is a development-stage mining company with a portfolio of iron ore projects in northern Sweden and Finland. The Company's Kaunisvaara Project will exploit magnetite iron ore deposits, feeding a single, multi-line processing facility in Sweden. The process yields a very high-grade, high-quality magnetite iron concentrate. The Company is also preparing a Definitive Feasibility Study for the Hannukainen Iron Oxide Copper Gold Project in Kolari, northern Finland.

The full cost of the Fukushima nuclear disaster is yet to be established but its impact on the nuclear sector as a whole may not be as bad as was first thought - even with the loss of Germany as an active participant.

Toronto and London listed exploration and development company EMED Mining said on Tuesday it found significant potential new copper deposits near its Cerro Colorado open pit operations in Spain (pictured), sending its shares up over 5% in afternoon trade. In May the Cyprus-based company announced Andalucia, one of Spain's autonomous regions, gave approval for the plans to restart its flagship Rio Tinto copper mine, which was placed on care and maintenance in 2000. Production is scheduled to start in 2012 following further approvals.

Cash-strapped ex-Soviet republic Belarus is negotiating the sale of its most prized asset, the potash producer Belaruskali, under the terms of a $3bn bail-out loan agreed this month with Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. Responsible for one-third of the worlds potash fertiliser production, Belaruskali could be worth as much as $20bn. A frontrunner for a takeover is Russia's top producer Uralkali owned by billionaire Suleiman Kerimov. The combined group would easily push Canada's Potash Corp. from the top producer spot.

A Russian Finance Ministry official has reportedly said that the State repository has sufficient palladium stocks to continue to export in 2012, while it is also looking to upgrade some of its existing material (Gokhran has sufficient palladium to continue exports in 2012 - report). In their authoritative reviews released last month, both Johnson Matthey and GFMS addressed this issue and the two houses are of similar views with respect to the outlook on this issue.

Orvana Minerals announced the commissioning of its El Valle-Boinás/Carlés ("EVBC") gold-copper mine in northern Spain by Kinbauri España S.L.U. ("Kinbauri"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Orvana. EVBC initiated the start-up and commissioning of the mill May 31, 2011, with the first shipment expected in June. EVBC will initially produce at 70% capacity, increasing to its full annual target production levels of over 100,000 ounces gold, 3,900 tonnes copper and over 150,000 ounces of silver once the shaft is completed in early 2012.