De Beers sees Canada as shining light
Overall, 2003 proved to be a good year for the De Beers group of companies and the diamond industry as a whole.Rough diamond sales of US$5.52 billion by the Diamond Trading Co. (DTC), De Beers’ market…
News
Editorial Cartoon (March 01, 2004)
Copper, nickel prices robust; zinc firm but hesitant
We expect base metal prices to continue to perform strongly over the near term, even though we have already seen multi-year highs. We also believe the rising price cycle will turn after this year.In t…
The Northern Miner Indices (March 01, 2004)
North American Mining: 108.72 (-2.28)Small Producers: 122.42 (-8.65)(Sept. 30/98 = 100)…
Oglebay Norton files for Chapter 11
The biggest flameout during the period ending Feb. 24 was Oglebay Norton’s filing for bankruptcy protection on Feb. 23.The Cleveland-based company ships limestone, coal and iron ore on the Great Lakes…
Mirabel to acquire Rocmec
Montreal-based junior explorer Mirabel Resources (RMB-V) plans to acquire privately owned Rocmec International.The two originally teamed to develop and exploit Rocmec’s thermal fragmentation technique…
Another stellar year for Goldcorp (March 01, 2004)
The rich Red Lake gold mine in northwestern Ontario bestowed its blessings on Goldcorp (G-T) for another year, generating record profits and yielding another million ounces of resources.The company’s …
Coeur makes hay while silver shines
Improved silver prices and a major restructuring program have put Coeur d’Alene Mines (CDE-N) in a position to advance two new mine projects to the feasibility stage.If all goes as planned, Coeur will…
Philippine gov’t seeks reversal
The government of the Philippines has requested that the country’s Supreme Court reverse its decision to curtail foreign investments in the mining sector.A court filing cited potential losses of more …
Margaret Kent eyes Carolin gold mine
She’s back.Together with long-time partner Ross Burns, former Royal Oak Mines CEO, Margaret “Peggy” Kent (formerly Witte) is looking to acquire the past-producing Carolin gold mine, near Hope, B.C.Alt…
Silver Standard revs up drills in Mexico (March 01, 2004)
Drilling has expanded the Cordon Colorado zone and uncovered a new deposit at La Pitarrilla, a silver project near Durango in west-central Mexico.Vancouver-based Silver Standard Resources (SSO-V) rece…
Coal mine becomes museum
A former mining colliery in Blaenavon, southeastern Wales, has reopened as a tourist attraction, nearly 20 years after a strike shut it down and following a 7.1-million (US$13.3-million) facelift.The…