Brazilian miner Vale files $2B lawsuit over Guinea project

In a statement released to the Johannesburg stock exchange Monday, Gold Fields Limited said that production at its Cerro Corona mine in the Cajarmarca province in Peru has to date not been affected by the continuing protest actions against Newmont Mining and Buenaventura's proposed Conga gold mine.

Reuters reports protestors abandoned roadblocks on Saturday after police were called in to secure access for basic goods to Cajamarca on day 10 of the conflict over Newmont Mining’s proposed Conga gold mine in northern Peru.

More than 150 internationally known writers and artists are urging Mexican President Felipe Calderon to cancel mining concessions in an area of northern Mexico considered sacred ground by the Huichol Indians.

The legal battle between Codelco and Anglo American is escalating. Yesterday, Chile’s state-owned copper company lodged a so-called pre-judicial preparatory measure in the 17th Civil Court of Santiago, seeking details of Mitsubishi’s purchase of a 24.5 percent stake announced on Nov. 9. The measure aims to ultimately annul the $5.39 billion deal between Anglo and Mitsubishi. While this was happening, London-based miner filed a legal action to annul Codelco’s “protection petition” presented Nov.14, which prevents Anglo from keep selling part of its assets.

Newmont Mining Corporation (NYSE: NEM) ("Newmont" or the "Company") announced today that, in agreement with the government of Peru, it has suspended construction activities at the Conga project (or the "Project") in Peru for the safety of employees and community members. During the past month, the Conga project and the near-by Yanacocha operations have experienced intermittent work stoppages as a result of ongoing protests in the region. Beginning in October 2011, anti-mining activists expressed concerns about perceived impacts of the Project on the local water supply. The Conga Environmental Impact Assessment was approved in 2010 after extensive review by the Peruvian government which included significant engagement and consultation with local communities.

Output of copper cathodes and copper concentrates are beginning to be affected by a work stoppage that began Monday at the giant Collahuasi copper mine in Chile. Reuters reports that the mine, jointly owned by Xstrata and Anglo American, has implemented a contingency plan to deal with the labour action, which about 10% of workers are participating in: Some workers in Collahuasi, which produces about 3 percent of the world's copper, downed tools on Monday over fears of coming layoffs. The company later on Monday announced it had laid off a "limited" number of workers in response to a partial one-day strike in October, a move that could stoke tensions between management and the union.

For the third time this year, workers at the Collahuasi mine in Chile are on strike. The union representing the world's third largest copper mine is accusing management of reneging on agreements that ended a work stoppage in October, AFP reports. Production was paralyzed on July 30 and October 29 when workers downed tools. Collahuasi is owned by Switzerland’s Xstrata and Britain-based Anglo American. Reuters reports Collahuasi produced 504,000 tonnes of copper in 2010, when output was hit by a month-long strike. The mine expects to produce 500,000 tonnes of copper this year. It supplies roughly 3% of the world’s copper.

Brazilian mining conglomerate Vale, the world's leading iron producer, reduced its spending budget by 11 percent for 2012 in the face of an uncertain outlook for the global economy and commodities prices. In a statement released today, the Rio de Janeiro-based company plans to invest $21.4 billion on mining projects next year after failing to meet spending targets in 2011.

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.