Newmont offered $25 million in social projects to end mine conflict

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE: FCX) will start its $4 billion mill expansion at the Cerro Verde copper operation in Peru next year, said CEO Richard Adkerson a conference call to discuss second quarter results published Thursday.

Following a series of recent protests and other problems affecting mining companies with operations in Colombia, coal workers for the local unit of Glencore International went on strike late Thursday, causing the immediate halt of the company's operations in the country.

An Argentine court ruled Wednesday in favour of suspending Famatina, a gold exploration project led by Canadian company Osisko (TSX:OSK), until a new ruling outlawing mining near glaciers is applied in the area.

Chilean state giant Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, submitted Wednesday an environmental permit request to go ahead with its $12.8 million project to maximize the benefit from ore extracted from El Teniente copper mine, the company’s most profitable division. The initiative is part of the $2.2 billion expansion for El Teniente.

The world's largest primary silver producer and Mexico's second largest gold producer, Fresnillo PLC reached record gold production levels and says it remains confident that it will meet its gold and silver production targets for 2012.

Vancouver-based First Majestic Silver had a 14% increase in total production at its La Encantada, La Parrilla and San Martin silver mines in Mexico for the second quarter ending June 30 in relation to the same quarter last year.

Russian-Canadian miner Rusoro Mining, is asking an arm of the World Bank to intercede in a legal dispute with Venezuela after the country nationalized its gold industry, and took over the junior’s investments without compensation.

AuRico Gold Inc. (NYSE:AUQ) shed 12% on Tuesday on massive trading volumes, after its preliminary operational results for the second quarter provided a few nasty output surprises and its CEO stepped down.

Excellon Resources fell 8% on Monday, after announcing it could run out of stockpiled ore at its Zacatecas-state mill "within the next few days" after a dispute with workers and local landowners halted operations at its La Platosa silver mine in Mexico.