Bolivia clarifies nationalisation policy
Bolivia’s Vice Mining Minister, Luis Alberto Ichazu, said on Friday that the country aimed to raise taxes on mining companies rather than nationalise them. The minister was commenting on earlier reports by Bolivia’s state-run ABI news agency on a speech by...
Metals Exploration Limited and Bluestone Tin Limited announce the Completion of Merger
Bluestone Tin Limited ("BTX") advises that the merger with Metals Exploration Limited ("MTX") was completed with the transfer of all MTX shares to BTX and the issue of BTX shares to all MTX shareholders pursuant to the Scheme of Arrangement. Metals...
Operating licences now available for some Bangka tin smelters
The governor of Indonesia’s Bangka Belitung province announced late yesterday that the tin smelters which were closed down last October can apply for new operating licences immediately, subject to various conditions. [SNIP]The governor’s statement listed...
Indonesian tin smelters may re-open soon
Eight tin smelters on the Indonesian island of Bangka were expected to hear by today whether they will receive permits to resume operations, according to Metal Bulletin. However local sources say that the deadline has now been put back to January 19. [SNIP]The...
China increases restrictions on tin smelters
China has increased its restrictions on new or upgraded tin and other plants as part of plans to slow down investment in the sector.[SNIP]Investors in tin, tungsten and antimony smelting and processing plants will now have to put up 50 percent of the capital required...
REACH Directive To Go Ahead in 2007
Recent debates within the EU Commission were resolved this week, meaning that the REACH Directive on hazardous substances will go ahead for implementation in early 2007 after all. [SNIP] Under REACH, the properties of roughly 30,000 chemicals produced or imported into...
ITRI establishes new market studies and statistics unit
ITRI is moving to extend its longstanding role as a research and development centre for tin applications by setting up a market studies and statistics function. The objective of this step is to provide both an improved service to its own membership and more reliable...
Global tin consumption tops 1,000 tonnes per day
Global tin consumption is expected to increase by more than 10% this year, to reach a new record level of 367,000 tonnes, or more than 1,000 tonnes per day. Detailed statistics now available for the first half of 2006 show a stunning year-on-year growth rate of 18.6%,...
Tin prices at 17-year high
Tin prices at the London Metal Exchange yesterday continued their recent surge above the $10,000 level, hitting $11,000 at one stage before dropping late in trading to a closing figure of $10,350.