Chile mining production up 1% in January

Global net profits have dropped to $20 billion in the last year, with gold, coal and diversified miners being the worst affected.

South American nation desperate to raise cash to repay $11bn borrowed from China "invests" 466,000 ounces of gold reserves worth $580m with investment bank.

CEO Sam Walsh: "We are the lowest-cost producer in the world with costs of $20 per tonne; I think we’ll be OK."

The Japanese firm is said to be looking to either acquire the project, or restart it as partner of Vale.

A local resistance movement has been trying to stop development of El Tambor gold mine.

The government may renew Kinross’s rights to the concession, or at least could remove legal hurdles to the prospective sale of Fruta del Norte gold-silver project.

While output drop was minimal, Codelco's profit dived 38% as a result of lower metal prices.

After over three weeks of being suspended over a chemical spill into a local river into a local river that killed about 1,000 fish.

Gold mining stocks have been hit harder than the gold price, but rallies from depressed levels will be short and are "difficult to time".