Silvermet Inc. (TSX-V: SYI) shares dropped 26% on Thursday after the Toronto-based company announced that operations have been halted due to a strike by unionized personnel at the Waelz kiln facility located in Iskenderun, Turkey.

Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) is looking to reduce costs at its Australia’s Clermont Coal Mine, in central Queensland's Bowen Basin, driven by falling coal prices.

An Argentine court ruled Wednesday in favour of suspending Famatina, a gold exploration project led by Canadian company Osisko (TSX:OSK), until a new ruling outlawing mining near glaciers is applied in the area.

Halifax-based Metals Economics Group (MEG) published Thursday its Pipeline Activity Index (PAI), which shows equity financing conditions continue to take their toll, as gold companies were able to raise only $445 million through equity placements in May-June—the lowest two-month total since late 2008.

Credit Suisse announced Wednesday it recruited David Hammond, the well-known mining banker from Morgan Stanley, to head up the mining and metals efforts of the Swiss bank worldwide.

China Mining United Fund plans to establish a collaborative China/Africa equity fund to pursue minority stakes in gold, iron-ore and metal companies in Africa and other parts of the world, and which could raise $2 billion in investment capital.

Odyssey Marine Exploration (NASDAQ CM:OMEX) announced on Wednesday that it had successfully retrieved a record-breaking 48 tons of sunken silver bullion from a World War II shipwreck lying approximately three miles below the ocean's surface.

Canadian potash suppliers Agrium Inc (NYSE:AGU) and Potash Corp. (NYSE:POT) both closed higher on the NYSE following the release of improved second-quarter earnings forecasts by Agrium on Wednesday.

Australian investment firm Quadrant Private Equity has executed an agreement for the purchase of Queensland-based mining equipment supplier CQMS Razer, valuing the company at over AUD$155 million.