China’s iron ore imports reverse as Rio sees new normal

(Minews) - Iron ore imports by China shrank in the first six months of the year, highlighting weakness in demand in the world’s largest buyer as mills sold a record amount of production overseas amid a domestic glut.Inbound cargoes of iron ore totaled 452.9 million metric tons between January ...

China to invest in Semnan mining sector

(Minews) - A Chinese financing company has agreed to invest in Semnan Province’s mining sector, Mehr News Agency quoted the head of Industries, Mining and Trade Organization of the northern province, Behrouz Asvadi, as saying.He said Beijing Huafu Engineering Company has agreed to invest in setting ...

Iran's cement output exceeds 15.7 million tons

(Minews) - Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade announced on Sunday that in the first three months of this year cement production reached 15.774 million tons and clinker output passed 19.264 million tons.The Ministry said that in the same period around 4.34 million tons cement were exported abroad....

Commodities rout hits diamond industry, prices down 3.4 pct in first half of 2015

(Minews) - The diamond industry, until recently one of the very few to escape a trend of falling commodity prices, lost glitter in the first half of the year, with rough diamond prices down 3.4% in the period.According to the recently launched Zimnisky Global Rough Diamond Price Index, prices for the ...

End of an era for UK coal mining

(Minews) - One Britain’s last standing coal miners, UK Coal Holdings, said Friday it is shutting down its two last underground operations, marking the end of a 300-year industry that once employed over a million workers.The first mine, Thoresby Colliery, is ceasing mining on Friday, and 360 employees ...

Algeria keen to buy copper from Iran: Envoy

(Minews) - Iran's Commercial Attaché in Algeria announced that the North African country is willing to purchase the copper it needs from Iran."Algeria needs copper to provide raw materials for its industries, and Iran can supply part of their need," the Iranian attaché said on ...

China wants to steal gold-market ‘reins’ from New York, London

(Minews) - China has been making it very clear that it wants more control over the global gold market, but it’ll have to go through New York and London first.“Given that China is the epicenter of the physical gold market, it does make sense that the Chinese government would want its physical ...

Scientists, environmentalists call for freeze in deep sea mining permits

(Minews) - A group of scientists is asking international authorities to temporarily halt the approval of new underwater mining contracts until further environmental controls are put in place.In a paper published Friday in Science, the experts ask the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which is the ...

IMIDRO: Iran, Algeria enjoying proper capacities for cooperation

(Minews) - Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) announced that Iran and Algeria are the two countries which enjoy capacities in mine and mining industries, adding that ground is appropriate for the expansion of bilateral cooperation.The information released ...

Export of Iraninan steel products on the rise

(Minews) - A report by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade indicates that $154 million worth of flat-rolled non-alloy steel and iron products were exported in the first two months of the current Iranian year (March 21-May 21, 2015), up 13% compared with the similar period of the previous year....

Explosion in Iranian steel factory kills 3

(Minews) - An official with Iran's Esfahan Steel Company (ESCO) announced that three workers died and 6 others were injured in a Thursday morning explosion in the company's factory.The Esfahan Steel Company has three converters, one of which exploded this morning, Mohammad Reza Kajbaf, ESCO's Director ...

Iron ore’s bear market may deepen as Clarksons forecasts $40

(Minews) - Iron ore will probably extend declines after falling back into a bear market on Monday as low-cost supplies from Australia and Brazil are set to expand further this half while demand stumbles in China.Prices may drop toward $40 a metric ton, according to Clarksons Platou Securities Inc. A ...

Aluminum glut dents Alcoa’s prospects

(Minews) - Beijing’s panicked reaction to sliding Chinese stock prices must be causing a few ripples of anxiety at Alcoa, too.When Alcoa reports second-quarter results Wednesday, investors will be looking for any glimmers of a rebound in metal prices, especially aluminum. The company’s stock ...

Germany's long goodbye to coal dashes power price rise prospect

(Minews) - Germany's deferral of the death sentence for its coal sector still condemns power producers to the suffering of engrained falling prices for electricity, analysts say.Seeking reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and battling overcapacity in Europe's biggest power market could have prompted ...

Iran to host 8th International stones exhibition

(Minews) - The 8th edition of Iran’s International Stones, Mines, and Related Industries Exhibition will be held in Mahallat in early October.Mohammad Halajian, the exhibition manager, told Mehr News correspondent that the exhibition will feature booths displaying processing building stones, stone ...

Zanjan’s mineral-rich Angouran mine

(Minews) - Angouran Lead and Zinc Complex in Zanjan Province has the capacity to produce up to 120,000 tons of sulfide minerals, including sphalerite, lead glance and pyrite annually, according to the complex’s manager, Mansour Shabani.Since 2006, more than 1.95 million tons of minerals have been ...

Massive steel plan to transform east Iran

(Minews) - Iran is advancing a massive steelmaking project being promoted as the country’s “South Pars” of the steel industry.Sangan, the biggest industrial project in Iran’s east, will produce 17.5 million metric tons of iron ore concentrates and 15 million tons of pellets a year....

Turkey’s gold imports decrease by 95 pct

(Minews) - Turkey’s gold imports decreased by 94.4 percent in June compared to the same month in 2014 and by 18.1 percent from May 2015 to 1.35 tons, as reported by Reuters. Turkey imported around 24 tons of gold last June due to a dramatic rise in gold demand during last year’s wedding ...

Australian coal miners attack China's new testing system

(Minews) - Australian miners are up in arms against China’s new coal-quality testing system, as they claim Beijing is using it to block imports and so favour its own struggling coal industry.The Minerals Council of Australia, which counts some of the world's biggest coal miners as members, including ...

Tanzania jails former finance, mining ministers over gold deal

(Minews) - A Tanzanian court sentenced two former ministers to three years in jail on Monday over corruption charges related to the award of a gold audit tender, according to court documents.The convictions of former Finance Minister Basil Mramba and former Energy and Minerals Minister Daniel Yona represent ...