MINING.COM Staff Writer

FoxBusiness.com quotes an analyst at an industry conference in Rio de Janeiro as saying on Tuesday Brazil's steel industry is "almost at crisis point," due to the country's strong currency and soaring raw-materials costs. Steelmakers have been hit by soaring prices for raw materials, including metallurgical coal and iron ore, prices for which reached record-high levels earlier this year. Some steelmakers have intensified their own iron-ore production activities in Brazil to shield themselves from high ore prices, but Brazil lacks sufficient coking coal resources.

Bloomberg reports South Africa risks cutting the mine output that contributes 8.8% of the economy as calls from within the governing political party for a state takeover of the industry deter investors, Impala Platinum Holdings said. Mine operators in South Africa are compelled by law to sell 26% of their assets to black investors by 2014 and boost numbers of black managers to help make up for discrimination during apartheid. Some companies had missed targets for 2009, the mines minister said at the time, adding that the industry had “not lived up to the spirit and intent” of the law.