Two Chinese state-owned companies have invested over $73m for a roughly 30% interest in privately-owned Century Iron's plans to export iron ore extracted at several properties in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador in eastern Canada. The transactions are part of $115.5m of financing arranged by Century Iron through private placements and the amalgamation of Century Iron Mines Corp. and Century Iron Ore Holdings.

Reuters Africa reports Exxaro (JNB:EXX) has invited bids for the company’s stake in a zinc and lead mine in Namibia. The market news is quoted as saying: The assets up for sale include Exxaro’s 50.04 percent stake in the Rosh Pinah mine and its wholly owned Zincor refinery.

TATA Steel's European unit Corus said on Friday it will cut around 1,500 jobs in northern England as part of a restructuring of its long products unit, which supplies clients including builders and miners. Like others in the industry, Tata Steel has faced a margin squeeze since last year, as the price of raw materials increases but demand from sectors like construction remains muted.

Valuations of iron ore companies have been cut in response to Western Australia's controversial royalty increase, with Andrew Forrest's fast-growing Fortescue Metals taking the biggest hit. The valuation hits were despite the protection from state the protection from state royalty increases that the miners negotiated last year with the federal government in the reworked - and less onerous - minerals resource rent tax.

Harry Winston Diamond Corporation (TSX:HW) (NYSE:HWD) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a business relationship with Diamond Asset Advisors AG ("DAA") who are in the process of establishing a polished diamond investment fund. The fund will be structured as a limited partnership, of up to US$250 million, offering institutional investors direct exposure to the wholesale market price of polished diamonds. Under the terms of the Company's arrangements with the fund, the Company's expert diamond team will source diamonds that have the same high quality characteristics that Harry Winston uses in its jewelry and timepieces, with a portion coming from the Company's existing inventory.

Kinross Gold Corporation (TSX:K)(NYSE:KGC) said today that a brief work stoppage at its Tasiast gold mine in Mauritania on May 19th had ended. Normal operations at the site have resumed and all unionized workers are back to work following the resolution of certain issues related to working conditions and pay. Constructive dialogue with the union is continuing with the aim of improving working conditions to Kinross standards, and to negotiating a collective agreement with unionized employees. Production at Tasiast was not affected by the work stoppage, which lasted less than a day. In the first quarter of 2011 Tasiast produced 51,321 gold equivalent ounces.

Oraco Resources, Inc. (“Oraco”) announced today that it has acquired the contractual rights for the disposition of diamonds, gold, and any other minerals recovered in both the Zimmi Town, Pujehun District and the Gbense Tailings No. 5 reserve in the Koidu Town, Kono District of Sierra Leone through the acquisition of 100% of the ownership of Oraco Resources, Inc., a Canadian corporation (“ORI”), and Jyork Industries, Inc., a Sierra Leone company (“Jyork”). “Oraco’s main focus in Sierra Leone is to locate, prospect, and mine for diamonds, gold and other natural resources, while at the same time purchasing and exporting rough gem quality diamonds for sorting, polishing, cutting and sale”

Canada's Allana Potash Corp said drilling results showed that the potential of its Dallol project in Ethiopia could be extended beyond the original resource estimate, helping its shares pare some of their losses. Shares of the potash explorer, which were down as much as six percent midday before the news, recovered to trade down two percent at C$1.70 on the Toronto Venture Exchange. More than 2.5 million shares were traded by late afternoon.

Fast-growing Danish jewellery maker Pandora (PNDORA.CO: Quote) missed forecasts with a 55 percent rise in first-quarter profit as price rises failed to […]