Vale considers making low-emission iron if gas prices fall

Unionized workers of Durango Sate in Mexico, forced Canadian miner Excellon Resources to halt its operations at San Pedro mine after over 70 union members occupied the facilities last night.

Canadian miner Teck Resources has temporarily withdrawn the Social and Environmental Impact Assessment application for its $5.6 billion Quebrada Blanca II expansion project in northern Chile.

Despite the recent deadly and divisive disputes over mining projects in Peru, London- based mining giant Anglo American says it hopes to begin construction of its $3 billion Quellaveco copper project in the country as soon as possible.

Candente Copper will be allowed to resume its exploration and feasibility drilling at its Canariaco project in Peru, after the local community of San Juan De Kañaris voted in favour of granting surface access to the company on Sunday.

Bolivian Labour Minister, Daniel Santalla, signed an agreement on Sunday with the leaders of the Andean local community of Malku Khota who were holding five employees of Canadian South American Silver captive.

Peru's President Ollanta Humala declared a state of emergency and has now enlisted the help of the clergy after deadly clashes but the violence shows no signs of letting up.

Hong Kong's Honbridge Holdings plans to build a 420 kilometre pipeline to move iron-ore from Brazil's Minas Gerais state to the coast in stead of building a railway line for its new $3.6 billion – $4.2 billion mine.

Colombian coal workers voted on Saturday to strike over pay and working conditions at the 3-million-tonne-per-year La Jagua mine of Glencore's Prodeco unit, a union said. Colombia is the world's fourth-largest coal exporter and Glencore's La Jagua - one of the mining concessions it owns in the nation - has some of the country's highest quality coal.

A Bolivian farmer died on Friday and at least four others were injured when protesters occupied the Malku Khota project, operated by Canadian South American Silver in the Andean highlands.