The miner has also scrapped its 2017 dividend after full-year core earnings fell by more than a third because of a ban on unprocessed mineral exports in Tanzania.
Coal mines that fail to meet safety measures or operational standards will be ordered to close and rectify violations, the State Administration of Work Safety said.
Even with rising gold prices and a strengthened balance sheet, the world’s largest gold producer left shareholders with the worst returns among its top North American peers last year.
The U.S. Forest Service signed off on exploration for copper, gold and other minerals on 900 federal acres that lie just outside the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Southwest Washington.
Although a final production decision has not been made, Canada's Alexco Resource Corp. is preparing to resume mining of silver and related minerals late this year in the Yukon's Keno Hill Silver District.