Mud and wastewater from burst dams at a Brazilian iron ore mine cut off drinking water and raised health and environmental concerns in cities more than 300 km downstream on Monday, amid increasingly dire search efforts in a village devastated by the mudslides.
Brazilian authorities are still struggling to determine what caused the rupture in dams at an iron ore mine and desperately working to recover the bodies of as many as 28 people believed to have been swept away in the massive mudflow and flood.
Shares in some of the world's biggest mining companies have been hit by a slump in the price of iron ore, amid fears of a slowdown in China's economy. Iron ore delivered into China fell 8.3% on Monday after Beijing reported weak export data over the weekend.
Chile cut its copper output forecast for the year to 5.53 million tons due to setbacks at certain mines, though production is still expected to jump from 2012 as a new deposit comes online, the mining ministry said this week.
BP and Total, Europe’s biggest oil companies after Shell, won exploration rights in the Amazon basin as Brazil’s first oil auction in five years attracts a record level of bids. Total, based in Paris, gained exploration access to operate five blocks at the Foz do Amazonas basin in northern Brazil together with partners BP and Petrobras, the oil regulator said on Tuesday.
Brazil’s Bovespa-index futures declined with the equity gauge poised for its biggest monthly drop since May, after iron-ore producer Vale SA posted a record loss in the fourth quarter.
The biggest-ever pipeline of copper projects is under threat as Chile, the world's top producer, struggles to contain rising opposition to new power plants.
China banned a giant new class of ship from its ports on Tuesday, a move that checks efforts by mining giant Vale SA to cut the cost of shipping iron ore to its largest market and risks raising trade tensions with Brazil.
BHP Billiton , the world's biggest miner, is close to launching a £2-billion-pound bid for Brazilian iron ore miner Ferrous Resources, the Sunday Times reported. The newspaper, without citing sources, said talks between BHP and Ferrous Resources started earlier this year and had stepped up in recent weeks.
Falkland Oil and Gas (FOGL), the exploration company focused on its extensive licence areas to the South and East of the Falkland Islands, reiterated it has signed a contract for the Leiv Eiriksson drilling rig for two firm slots in the first half of 2012.