Growing trend highlights the need for members of all tiers of the supply chain to implement tighter supplier-monitoring and procurement procedures

In September Chinese mines already churned out a whopping 20% more ore compared to last year. There are also 66 new mines producing 490 million tonnes in development. That at a time when steel output is growing at 1.7%.

Even shareholders choking on $200 million of management bonuses, may have to okay the compensation if they want the deal to go ahead. But Xstrata may have other options beside Glencore.

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 allowance” if they return to work by Tuesday morning.

Malaysian state-run oil company Petronas has extended the deadline for its takeover bid for Canadian gas producer Progress Energy Resources Corp.(TSX:PRQ) in hopes it will be able to overcome Ottawa's objections to the $5.2 billion deal.

TransCanada Corp. (TSX, NYSE:TRP) and Phoenix Energy Holdings Ltd. have entered into a 50-50 partnership to build a $3-billion pipeline in Northern Alberta, one of the centres of Canada’s oil sands industry.

Not very often you hear about a company moving from exploration into production, but Canadian Tirex Resources (CVE:TXX) is doing just that. The Vancouver-based firm announced Monday it has received official notification from Albania's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy (METE) relating to its applications to transition six areas from exploration licenses to 25 year mining permits.

Newmont Mining Corporation (NYSE: NEM) announced Monday it was recognized for transparent climate change disclosure practices by the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) Leadership Index for the third consecutive year.

Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. (TSX:PTQ) has rejected as inadequate an unsolicited, the latest takeover bid by Inmet Mining Corp. (TSX:IMN) presented Friday, which was 25% cent higher than the $112-million Inmet originally offered.