November 6, 2012

Chinese jewelers spread inland spurred by spike in consumer demand for gold

China's jewelry stores are expanding into smaller inland cities as demand for gold rises amongst the country's increasingly affluent consumer base.

November 1, 2012

Amplats announces transfer of 51% of Zimbabwe mine to locals

Anglo Platinum announced today that it is transferring 51% ownership of its Unki mine in Zimbabwe to locals. The decision came after President Robert Mugabe's administration pressured Amplats to do…

November 1, 2012

Striking South African coal miners killed at Canadian mine

South African police fired tear gas on Thursday to disperse a group of striking coal miners a day after security guards killed two workers that had tried to break into…

November 1, 2012

Anglo Platinum miners say they won’t return to work

Thousands of dismissed workers at Anglo American Platinum Ltd.’s (Amplats) mine in Rustenburg have still not accepted an offer to reinstate them, the world's largest producer of the metal said…

October 31, 2012

$16 trillion of platinum could be extracted from seawater

Space mining start-up Planetary Resources President, Chris Lewicki, made more than one eyebrow rise Wednesday as he wrote in his blog that there are about $16 trillion worth of platinum…

October 30, 2012

New oil, gas and mineral discoveries boost African economies growth — World Bank

Despite setbacks in the global economy, sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow at 4.8% in this year, broadly unchanged from the 4.9% growth rate registered in 2011 and largely on…

October 30, 2012

Mounties turn to ‘diamond cop’ to deal with smuggling of gemstones and drug dealers’ treasures troves

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have appointed a special "diamond cop" to combat the smuggling of gemstones and precious metals as the illegal trade flourishes on the back of…

October 29, 2012

Anglo American Platinum offers bonus to bring back miners

South Africa’s Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), the world’s largest platinum producer, has offered to reinstate 12,000 miners fired in early October for illegally striking and pay them a $230) “hardship…

October 28, 2012

French scientists transform H20 into gold

Scientists from France's Ecole Polytechnique have developed a remarkable new technology which extracts trace amounts of gold from industrial waste water.

October 27, 2012

Police fire rubber bullets to disperse clashing union workers in South Africa

Unrest in South Africa has cost the country R3.1bn (US$350 million).