Metals X-Yunnan Tin deal delayed
The deal announced in July under which China’s Yunnan Tin Group is to acquire up to 60% of Metals X’s Tasmanian tin assets as part of a joint venture between the two companies is on hold pending approval from Australia’s Foreign Investment Review...
Analysts raise short- and long-term metal price forecasts
Most analysts have raised their price forecasts for most LME metals, according to two separate surveys published by Reuters last week. Reuters surveyed views both on likely annual average prices in 2010 and for long-term (beyond 10 years) averages. The biggest upward...
Rains still hamper Indonesian production
A resumption of operations by private smelters in Indonesia continues to be held back by bad weather and police activity, despite original plans to re-start production and ore buying last week. Johan Murod, a director at the Bangka-Belitung Timah Sejahtera consortium...
Peru strike begins
Miners at a number of major Peruvian mining companies were due to start a 24-hour strike today over proposed legislation on pension and bonus issues. “The only way the government listens to us is when we go on strike. We’ve been working with Congress on...
Indonesian shipments fall in September
Data released by Indonesia’s trade ministry today shows a 29.5% year-on-year fall in tin checked for export in September to 7,755 tonnes. This is the lowest monthly total since April and reflects the impact of a police clampdown on illegal mining which began in...
Russia-China joint Siberian plan
Russia and China are to carry out joint exploitation of raw material deposits in Siberia under a 2009-2010 cooperation programme, the Russian daily Vedomosti reported. The programme, including 205 joint projects in the border regions, was approved by the Russian and...
Indonesian local government responds to miners’ protests
Indonesia's South Bangka government will allow small miners to resume mining after a protest over a recent police crackdown on illegal mining, a local legislator told Reuters on Thursday. The move could help increase supplies of tin ore to independent smelters....
Indonesian private smelters remain closed
Spokesmen for the leading consortium of Indonesian independent tin smelters told Reuters today that the group’s smelters remain closed as a result of a shortage of ore supplies. Many small mines have stopped operating recently as a result of increased police...
Vinto production expanding
Bolivia’s Vinto smelter will increase refined tin output this year and start on a major expansion programme in 2010, Mining Minister Luis Alberto Echazu told Bloomberg. Vinto will refine at least 10,500 tonnes of tin in 2009, Echazu said yesterday in an...