The start to 2012 has been a challenging one for Alcoa globally with announcements in January about permanently closing a smelter in the United States and cutting smelter production in Italy and Spain.

Leighton Asia has received a Letter of Award for a seven-year contract worth approximately A$420 million to provide mining services to PT Marunda Grahamineral in Central Kalimantan.

Integra Mining Limited (ASX:IGR, Integra) is pleased to report that trucking of high-grade ore from the Maxwells open pit has commenced and the first load was delivered to the Salt Creek process facility on the 2nd of April.

Corrs Chambers Westgarth has advised the joint book-running managers J.P. Morgan Securities; Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc.; Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.; Credit Suisse Securities; Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc.; RBS Securities, Inc.; and UBS Securities on a US$2.0 billion high yield bond offering by Fortescue Metals Group (FMG).

Swapping their uniforms for hardhats, high school students on the Eyre Peninsula will have the chance to set up and manage their own mine as part of a mining careers road show this week.

The Gillard government's carbon and mining taxes are set to be tested in the High Court. These constitutional assaults will be launched by two of Australia's mining billionaires. At this stage, it is far from clear that they have even the beginnings of a winnable case.

Tuesday 20 March 2012 — The clock is now ticking for miners to evaluate their case to lower their first year Mineral Resource Rent Tax (MRRT) instalment payments.

Three world-leading scientists from The University of Western Australia have joined a global first scientific Cluster to assist industry in accelerating the search for new minerals to keep up with rising demand for Australian metals.