Canadian locomotive maker Electro-Motive, owned by Caterpillar Inc., began the New Year by shutting out hundreds of workers at its plant in London, Ontario.

The National Mining Corporation (NMiC), an Ethiopian private company, announced the discovery of the largest ever gold and base metal reserves in Oromia and Tigray regional states. NMiC estimates that the 550,000 kg gold reserve at Dawa Okote, in Oromia Regional State is worth almost $US 5 billions.

Canada-based RX Exploration has applied for an operating permit to expand a gold and silver mine northwest of Helena after regulatory officials became concerned the company was pushing the limits of its existing permit.

Rio Tinto Alcan will begin an orderly shutdown of approximately one-third of its production at its 438,000 tonne Alma smelter in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec after initiating a lockout at the facility earlier today.

North Korea said Saturday it will issue gold and silver coins to mark the 20th anniversary of late leader Kim Jong-il’s ascension to the supreme commander of the communist nation’s armed forces.

Situations like long queuing times and misrouted loads have a significant impact on productivity. Cat’s MineStar Fleet assignment and optimisation technologies can help mines address these issues.

2011 will go down as the year when the wind fell out of the sails of economic recovery and serious storm clouds gathered on the horizon.

Interest in the future of Enbridge's $5.5-billion Northern Gateway proposal will rise next year, as public hearings are set to begin on Jan 10.

If 2010 was the year of rising commodity prices, 2011 was the year of The Deal.