Vendredi 22 avril 2011

Earth Day 2011: Some wildlife adapting to ‘modern-day Ohio’

At the beginning of the 20th century, Ohio hunters looked around at a somewhat barren landscape and said, “Hey, where’d they all go?”

By 1904, white-tailed deer were used produciton line for sale completely wiped out across the state, after a century of deforestation and high demand by European settlers for the official state mammal’s coveted hides, according to Ohio History Central.

But deer, which were reintroduced in the 1920s and 30s, weren’t the only wild Ohio creatures to be over-hunted or to flee toward shadier grounds. Wolves, bison, mountain lions and cougars, to name a few mammals, once called the state home, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.

“By 1900, we were down (from more than 95 percent) to 10 percent forest. We pushed out those large animals completely,” said Suzan Jervey, educator at the Ohio Wildlife Center in Columbus. “The state is now 33 percent forested. We’ve seen a return of animals. Some have come in from neighboring states. Many have adapted to modern-day Ohio.”

There have been 359 verified Architectural sand crusher processing reports of bobcats in the state since 1970 — 92 of which occurred in 2009, according to ODNR. Deemed “extirpated” from the state by the 1850s, reports of black bears have persisted, including reports of a young black bear straying through Warren County backyards in 2009. Officials weren’t sure where it came from or where it went.

Human activity continues to put many critters at risk. There are 282 species of birds, mammals, insects, 37 varieties of mollusks, and other wildlife that are of concern, threatened or endangered, according to ODNR.

One of the most compelling success stories has been the return of the bald eagle to Southwest Ohio. Jervey said in the 1970s there were only four nesting pairs left in the Great Lakes region. While still listed as a threatened species, ODNR reports there were 180 known breeding pairs with an estimated 207 young eaglets across the state last year.

In recent years, bald eagles Slag crusher plant have been documented along the Great Miami and Little Miami Rivers in Butler, Warren and Montgomery counties.

Say No To Plastic Bags

Par autmay - 0 commentaire(s)le 22 avril 2011
Mercredi 20 avril 2011

Stockpiles of copper in China are in a massive surplus

The price of copper closed down for four consecutive days on Thursday, to its lowest point in more than a week. The closing spot price of copper in NY dropped $0.0041 to $4.2603 per pound, down 3.6 percent from the highs in February. Although the dollar weakened yet again due to a jump in jobless Kaolin grinding mill claims and higher than expected inflation, copper continued to distance itself from gains made by gold and oil prices. The main factor seems to be inflationary fears coming from China and a battered Japanese economy, which are viewed as demand negative for the red metal.

Also, there is a growing consensus that stockpiles of copper in China are in a massive surplus and may be dumped onto the market. Continuing high oil prices have made some analysts fearful of a slowing global economy affecting demand. Brent Crude ended the day slightly lower, yet still remains over the $122 mark. Many commodities also suffered when Goldman Sachs recommended selling a basket of commodities, including copper, because of oil demand destruction, implying that the commodities bull run may be coming to an end.

Inflation in China for March accelerated to as fast as 5.4 percent, a 32-month high. However, China’s economy grew at by an amazing 9.5 percent. “With inflation expectations well-above the 4 percent target there is the likelihood of an additional round of Chinese tightening. If their demand continues to wane, these Copper mining equipment for sale prices are certainly overdone,” stated David Meger, VP of Metals Trading for Vision Financial Markets.

Furthering worries about Chinese demand and a surplus of copper, stocks of copper in LME warehouses rose by 875 tonnes, to 450,800 tonnes, the largest stock of the metal since June 2010. In China, surpluses of copper have had analysts worried for some time now. The Shanghai Futures Exchange hearing the call for transparency has opened two warehouses, which has revealed large stockpiles of the metal bought by speculative investors.

“The inclusion of these previously unreported stockpiles into the SHFE network shed light on why China has pulled back from copper markets. China’s refined-copper imports fell 28% in February from a year earlier, to just 158,185 metric tons. March copper imports were down 33%,” reported Tatyana Shumsky, for The Wall Street Journal.

Worldwide, manufactures may be seeking Zambian copper mines alternatives due to high copper prices. Chris Burns, North American engineering director with US automotive parts supplier Delphi, explains that “with copper being at historic levels, there has been global interest in going to aluminum cables in cars.” Aluminum-giant Alcoa, estimated that if copper prices remain high, aluminum could be substituted for 20 percent of the 19 million metric tonne copper market. While the price of copper remains high, excess inventories and decreased demand may lower the price enough to mitigate substitutions to copper.

Par autmay - 0 commentaire(s)le 20 avril 2011

Chinese stocks of copper continued to disrupt the market

Copper prices rose on Tuesday, up for the first time in six sessions. Monday marked coppers sixth straight daily loss, and Quarry equipment its longest losing streak in since June, after Standard & Poor’s put a “negative” outlook on the AAA credit rating for the United States, the world’s largest economy, and the second-largest consumer of the metal.  Copper’s downside was limited by expectations of a supply deficit this year and an optimistic long-term demand outlook.

Standard & Poor’s threatened on Monday to downgrade the U.S. AAA credit rating, citing a “material risk” that U.S. leaders will fail to deal with rising budget deficits and debt. Equity benchmarks in the country fell, and the difference in yields between 2- and 30-year Treasuries widened to the most in five weeks.

Further negative support for copper came as China once again raised banks’ reserve requirements, and U.S. homebuilder’s confidence in the housing market took a hit. Builder sentiment slipped to 16 on a scale of 100 this month from 17 in March, according to the National Association of Homebuilders. Economists had expected the index to remain at 17. Construction accounts for a quarter of copper demand, according to the Copper Development Association. The People’s Bank of China announced yesterday that it will raise reserve requirements by half a point as of April 21st. The reserve-requirement increase was the fourth this year. Authorities are moving to cool inflation, which is running above the government’s target.

Chinese stocks of copper continued to disrupt the market, with Shanghai copper trading at a discount of around 1,300 Yuan to LME prices. In a research note, Macquarie estimated there were around 550,000 tonnes of Coal mining equipment suppliers copper in bonded warehouses, all but unchanged from mid-March. “More than half of the material sitting in the bonded warehouses belongs to trading houses using copper imports as a method to get cheaper sources of finance under the terms of a letter of credit,” according to Macquarie. “The rest of the copper is bought directly by domestic consumers from overseas suppliers.” The bank added that government efforts to crack down on the practice would be largely unsuccessful.

Increasing copper inventories have sparked concerns that there may be a short-term demand weakness from top consumer China. Inventories of copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 175 tonnes to 451,950 tonnes, its highest since June, latest data showed.  Copper was in a $21.50 contango, a discount for cash over three-month material, from December’s $70 backwardation, a premium for cash over three-month copper, according to the latest LME data.

Company news

The Democratic Republic of Congo has approved changes in the mining contracts for Tenke Fungurume, a copper project owned 56 percent by Freeport McMoRan (NYSE:FCX), 24 percent by Lundin Mining Corp. (TSE:LUN), and 20 percent by DRC state mining company Gecamines. The final approval could have major ramifications for Lundin, which is currently attempting to attract a white knight and fend off a $4.8 billion hostile bid from rival base metal miner Equinox Minerals (ASX:EQN). The government of the DRC has now issued a Presidential Decree approving the amendments to the Tenke Fungurume mining contracts, confirming that the contracts are in good standing.

Kalimantan Gold Corporation has entered into a joint venture agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan Exploration Corporation. The agreement is for Kalimantan Gold Corporation’s KSK contract of work copper project in Kalimantan, Indonesia. According to the agreement, Freeport can earn a 51 percent joint venture interest in the KSK CoW by spending a minimum of $7 million on a substantial exploration program over three years and then a further 24 percent by sole funding the completion of a feasibility study within 10 years.

Capstone Mining Corp. (TSE:CS) announced on Sunday that it has agreed to acquire exploration company Far West Mining Ltd. (TSE:FWM) in a cash-and-stock deal worth C$685 million ($713 million). The Gold mining equipment for sale bid is being backed by South Korea’s state-owned Korea Resources Corp (KORES), which will acquire a 30 percent stake in Far West’s flagship asset the Santo Domingo copper project in Chile for C$210 million, following the close of the deal. KORES will also separately acquire an 11 percent stake in Capstone for C$170 million. Under the terms of the offer, Capstone is offering 1.825 shares of Capstone and C$1 in cash for each share of Far West. This implies an offer price of C$8.68 a share, or a 13 percent premium to Friday’s close.

Par autmay - 0 commentaire(s)le 20 avril 2011
Mardi 19 avril 2011

Advocates of network neutrality criticized the inquiry as insufficient

BERLIN — The European Commission is planning to investigate whether European mobile operators are managing wireless Internet traffic to discriminate against competitors or consumers who use data-intensive services.

Neelie Kroes, the European Union’s bauxite crusher telecommunications commissioner, on Tuesday will ask an advisory panel of national regulators to examine whether mobile operators are upholding the principle of network neutrality, which calls for all data traffic to be treated equally.

In a 10-page summary of remarks she intends to present in Brussels, which was obtained by the International Herald Tribune, Ms. Kroes said she was so far unconvinced that a serious problem existed or that new legal consumer safeguards were needed.

Referring to consumer complaints over blocking or throttling of certain types of mobile Internet use, Ms. Kroes, in her prepared remarks, said, “The commission does not have evidence to conclude that these concerns are justified at this stage but should be borne in mind in a more exhaustive, fact-finding exercise.”

Advocates of network neutrality criticized the inquiry as insufficient, saying that the fact-finding mission was superfluous and ignored obvious, continuing problems with the mobile Internet. Operators, for example, do not connect Skype calls over their networks because the Internet calling company’s services would siphon revenue from their own businesses.

“The European Union coal crushing plant appears to be alone in the developed world in tolerating on such a wide scale these types of arbitrary restrictions on Internet use,” said Jean-Jacques Sahel, the director of government and regulatory affairs for Skype in London. “It has to cease and we look to European authorities to unambiguously protect consumers.”

The review will ask regulators from E.U. member states to examine whether a European telecommunications law that takes effect on May 25 is sufficient to ensure an open Internet. The law requires operators to disclose traffic management practices to consumers, gives consumers the right to switch operators in a single day and gives national regulators the power to set minimum levels of service for mobile Internet operators.

Lawmakers in Europe, unlike those in the United States, have taken a relatively hands-off approach to network neutrality, allowing the Continent’s mobile operators, which are typically former national monopolies, to manage and prioritize data to ensure smooth flowing traffic.

In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission last year adopted network neutrality rules that forbid operators to block content on their networks. But the commission’s legal authority has been questioned, and the U.S. House of Representatives voted on April 8 to restrict the F.C.C.’s ability to manage operator practices.

In Europe, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers debated network neutrality in 2009 and amended telecommunications laws to enshrine the concept as a fundamental right, but imposed only weak restrictions on operators. The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications, an advisory panel of 27 E.U. national regulators, will examine whether the new law safeguards consumers.

Luigi Gambardella, the chairman of the European Network Operators’ Association, which is based in Brussels and represents mobile operators, said his group supported Mrs. Kroes’s view that “any additional regulation should avoid deterring investment, or innovative business models, leading to a more efficient use of the networks and creating new business opportunities.”

John Phelan, a spokesman for the European Consumers’ Organization, a Brussels group, said Mrs. Kroes’s fact-finding mission overlooked a wealth of evidence that European operators were discriminating against rival services and high-volume mobile users.

Mr. Phelan pointed to a new network neutrality law adopted this year in Norway, a country that is not a member of the European Union, which was supposed to protect consumers from discriminatory treatment by mobile operators. The new rules have had no effect on the market leader, Telenor, and other operators, which continue to downgrade or block traffic from commercial rivals, he said.

“We think the approach Ms. Kroes is choosing is a missed opportunity,” Mr. Phelan said. “There is plenty of evidence that a stone production line problem exists and that we need strong action. This soft approach to the issue is not producing the necessary result.”

The panel of regulators, Berec, will not complete its work until the end of the year. Ms. Kroes would not propose new regulations, if any, until 2012.

Copies of her prepared remarks were circulated over the weekend.

“Judging from what we’ve seen of her report so far, it appears that Mrs. Kroes is not even convinced there is a problem,” said Jérémie Zimmermann, a spokesman for La Quadrature du Net, a French group that opposes restrictions to the Internet.

Last week in Paris, a bipartisan, 86-page report by three members of the French Parliament criticized the data traffic management practices of Frence mobile operators and recommended new consumer safeguards be adopted.

Mr. Zimmermann said all three French mobile operators, Orange, SFR and Bouyges Telecom, continued to ban competing Internet voice services like Skype.

But even in France, which was the first European country last year to systematically police and fine Internet users for illegal downloads of copyrighted films, music and other forms of entertainment, new pro-consumer legislation is not guaranteed.

“I am not certain that the French report will lead to any concrete action to protect consumers,” Mr. Zimmermann said.

Par autmay - 0 commentaire(s)le 19 avril 2011
Lundi 18 avril 2011

GFMS has forecast gold to break through the US$1,600/oz barrier

Metals research consultancy GFMS has forecast gold to break through the US$1,600/oz barrier before the end of this year.
Philip Klapwijk, GFMS chairman, believes the prospects for gold prices remains bright after a record-breaking 2010 due to several factors.

He said: “investors continue to be concerned about the cement ball mill outlook for inflation, with governments showing little appetite to tighten monetary policy significantly. And, with the spotlight also shining on the state of government finances, there is every reason to believe that investors will remain focused on the gold market."

Mr Klapwijk added "Furthermore, growing price acceptance by consumers will help lift jewellery demand, while generating only a muted response from scrap. Overall, we would not be surprised to see gold break through US$1,600 before the end of the year.”

GFMS, which launched its Gold Survey 2011 on April 13, said gold prices rose by 26% in 2010 as investment demand continued to drive the higher.

Mr Klapwijk said: “Global investment actually fell compared with 2009, but last year’s performance was still comfortably the second highest on record. Furthermore, in value terms, world investment last year did set a new high.”

Support for high prices was not restricted to developments in the investment sector, with demand for jewellery partially recovering, GFMS said.

The consultancy attributed much of this lift to demand in China and India mill construction, which have benefitted (respectively) from positive price expectations and a robust economic backdrop.

Aquarius buys Afarak for US$110m. Bushveld Indigenous Complex pictured.

In contrast, the US, European Union and the Middle East were “notable casualties” in this trend, with each seeing scrap supply exceed jewellery consumption, GFMS added.

Aquarius buys Afarak for US$110m

Aquarius Platinum Ltd has completed a US$110 million acquisition of mineral rights on the western limb of South Africa’s Bushveld Igneous Complex.

The deal gives Aquarius a 74% interest in private company Afarak Platinum Ltd, which wholly owns a property known as Hoedspruit and has the right to earn 50% of another, Kruidfontein.

Chief executive Stuart Murray says the deal forms part of the company’s strategy to grow resources through “opportunistic acquisition”.

Aquarius has agreed to pay gulin US$70.2 million in cash and 6.8 million shares for the assets.

Aquarius’s black economic empowerment (BEE) partner, Savannah Resources Ltd, owns the other 26% of Afarak through a subsidiary.

Par autmay - 0 commentaire(s)le 18 avril 2011

Gold Fields-the world’s fourth-largest producer of the metal

Gold Fields Ltd, majority owner of the Tarkwa and Damang mines in Ghana, has agreed to buy basalt stone crusher the remaining shares from Iamgold Corp for US$667 million to boost output and reserves.

It’s a “relatively low-risk transaction that should increase the company’s international production and lower its overall cost of producing gold,” Gold Fields said today in a statement. The company already operates the mines and has a 71.1% stake, while Toronto-based Iamgold owns 18.9%.

Gold Fields, the world’s fourth-largest producer of the metal, is expanding as gold prices soar. Gold rose to a record US$1,479/oz in London today as concern that inflation is quickening and the dollar weakening boosts demand for the metal as an alternative investment.

The Johannesburg-based company is also increasing its stake in its Peruvian Gold Fields La Cima SAA unit, with a bid for the 8% it doesn’t own closing April 20, chief calcite crusher executive Nick Holland said yesterday.

Gold Fields fell 0.9% to R121.56/share as of 2:22 pm in Johannesburg trading. Iamgold rose 2% to C$21.10 in Toronto yesterday, after Holland said Gold Fields was interested in buying the Ghanaian mine interests.

Iamgold too is seeking majority stakes in assets, and said in February it will be able to use the proceeds from selling minority holdings to achieve that goal.

The Ghana deal will increase Gold Fields’ West African production by about 181,000oz/y and expand gold resources by 3.3Moz, the company said. The country’s government owns 10% of each of the mines, as required under Ghanaian law.

Fund managers believe that the gold price being used in many feasibility studies is too high. A recent poll of European professional investors by Mining Journal found that a statistically-significant number believe mine-evaluation studies should use historical gold prices.

Over 83% of the respondees to the survey were conservative in terms of the price that should be used in granite crusher analysis. One-third of these replies suggested the use of a one-year price average (US$1,293/oz to end-March) but two-thirds opted for a five-year average (only US$915/oz).

Par autmay - 0 commentaire(s)le 18 avril 2011
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