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JAKARTA: Indonesia has taken control of the country’s only aluminium smelter even though the government and the facility’s majority Japanese shareholders have yet to agree a price, Indonesian government officials said.

Talks over Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) reached a stalemate after the South-East Asian state and the Japanese shareholders, which include Sumitomo Chemicals Corp and Mitsubishi Corp, chose different mechanisms to evaluate the smelter.

http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2013/11/04/Indonesia-takes-over-Inalum-smelter.aspx

JOHANNESBURG – Glencore Xstrata has received its regulatory approval for a JSE listing.

The heavyweight resources and commodity trading group says it will debut on November 13.

Glencore Xstrata, which has its primary listing in London, will rank among the top three on the JSE in terms of the total value of the company’s shares.

http://mobi.enca.com/money/glencore-xstrata-goes-public

Vale Indonesia, the country’s biggest nickel miner, posted a 64 percent increase in profit in the first nine months of this year on the back of rising production and improving operations.

In a statement released on Thursday, the company said that its net income jumped to $47.28 million in the January-September period from $28.94 million in the corresponding period last year.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/vale-indonesia-earnings-surge-on-output/

CHENNAI: India has made its first ever claim before the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for the exploration of poly-metallic sulphide from the Mauritius seas.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-10-28/india/43461248_1_international-seabed-authority-indian-ocean-isa

Russian mining major MMC Norilsk Nickel (Norilsk) has revealed that it is to sell its Southern African and all its other international assets by the end of 2016.

This process, which will start next year, is part of the group’s new strategy, which will see it focus on ‘Tier 1’ assets. The new strategy will also see a clear focus on nickel and the associated copper and platinum-group metals (PGMs).

Currently, Norilsk Nickel Africa embraces two main operations – Tati Nickel, in Botswana, and Nkomati Nickel, in South Africa. Norilsk owns 85% of Tati (the other 15% is held by the Botswana government) and 50% of Nkomati, which is a joint venture with South African group African Rainbow Minerals, which has management control. Both Tati and Nkomati also produce copper, palladium and platinum as by-products. Further, Norilsk has a 6% shareholding in Botswana mining company BCL, the remaining 94% belonging to the Botswana government.

http://www.miningweekly.com/article/russias-norilsk-unveils-new-strategy-and-technology-2013-10-25

At a breakfast in Perth this morning, the president of BHP Billiton Iron Ore, Jimmy Wilson, will announce an extension of the company’s three-year partnership with the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation that will more than double its investment in scholarships for West Australian indigenous students.

The AIEF provides scholarships to indigenous high school students around the nation to attend private boarding schools and also helps students after they leave school, supporting them to study at university or as they undertake an apprenticeship and further training or a job.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/bhp-investing-in-185-futures-and-then-some/story-fn9hm1pm-1226741994312#sthash.oBSxQyNH.dpuf

Copper output in China is set to remain at record levels for the rest of 2013 as high treatment fees encourage smelters in the biggest producer to run at full capacity.

Monthly production in the fourth quarter may be about 560,000 metric tons, matching an all-time high in August and above average output of 534,112 tons for the first eight months, said Yang Changhua, an analyst at Beijing Antaike Information Development Co.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-17/record-copper-output-in-china-seen-by-antaike-on-smelter-fees.html

Global resources giant BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) has resumed operations at its Cerro Matoso nickel mine in Colombia following the suspension of activities last week due to indigenous protests, a company spokesperson confirmed to BNamericas.

“Operations at Cerro Matoso have been resumed following a partial suspension of activities… due to ongoing demonstrations by members of the local indigenous community,” the spokesperson said.

http://www.bnamericas.com/news/mining/bhp-billiton-resumes-operations-at-colombias-cerro-matoso-nickel-mine