Mining

Fresh from announcing plans to develop the Iron Valley mine in the Pilbara, Mineral Resources has become the eleventh Western Australian company in the S&P/ASX 100 Index.

Aurora Oil & Gas has acquired a large slice of highly-prospective oil and shale gas acreage in South Texas for $US117.5 million.

Growth at the tail end of 2012 might not have been as upbeat as expected, but new data suggests the economy will continue to be underpinned by mining investment for a while yet.

Engineering and construction contractor VDM Group has reported a blow-out in its half-year loss to $60 million, up from a loss of $47 million in the previous corresponding period.

Mining giant Rio Tinto has appointed the former BHP Billiton executive Chris Lynch as its new chief financial officer, 18 months after he joined Rio as a non-executive director.

Engineering company Sedgman has signed a $90 million contract to design and build a new gold processing plant near Kalgoorlie for La Mancha Resources.

Iron Ore Holdings and Mineral Resources have struck an agreement that will result in the development this year of the Iron Valley mine in the Pilbara.

Shares in Matrix Composites and Engineering have plunged to their lowest level since the company listed on the ASX in 2009, following the release of a major earnings downgrade.

Former Ernst and Young managing partner in Perth Jeff Dowling has been appointed chairman of nickel-explorer Sirius Resources.

Gindalbie Metals chairman George Jones will step down from the role in April - coinciding with the company officially launching its Karara iron ore project in the Mid West.

The tiny community of Pardoo is set to feel the full force of Severe Tropical Cyclone Rusty, which is set to cross the coastline this afternoon.

PMI Gold Corporation is on the hunt for a new chairman, after Peter Buck announced his resignation following the company's collapsed merger deal with Canada's Keegan Resources.

A Perth court has confirmed Wright Prospecting's full control over the large Rhodes Ridge iron ore project in the Pilbara after a challenge by Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting.

BC Iron has reported an interim net profit of $7.7 million, a result it described as soft in light of recent optimism in the iron ore market.

Mining services company MacMahon Holdings will post a loss of up to $20 million this financial year because of its troubled construction business.

Engineering firm UGL's first half profit has slumped by 53 per cent due to $25 million in costs from a restructure.

 A sharp jump in global miner Rio Tinto's debt has led to a downgrade in its credit outlook by ratings agency Standard & Poor's.

The Minerals Council of Australia is looking for a new chief executive officer following Mitch Hooke's decision to leave the organisation at the end of this year.

Atlas Iron is confident enough about iron ore demand to press on with production growth this year despite low prices contributing to a heavy full year loss.

Seven Group Holdings has flagged a rise of up to 20 per cent in full year profit despite being cautious about current trading conditions.

Northern Minerals has announced a $26.6 million capital raising plan to fund the development of its Browns Range heavy rare earths project in the Northern Territory.

The average price of petrol has hit a 10-month high.

Engineering and construction contractor Decmil Group has continued its expansion into the Queensland market with an agreement to acquire Brisbane based Eastcoast Development Engineering.

 The federal opposition in the Senate has put forward a motion of no confidence in the Labor government for its handling of the mining tax.

Chevron Australia has struck a deal with Beach Energy that will see the US energy giant spend at least million and potentially as much as million on two onshore gas exploration fields.

Engineering and construction firm Monadelphous Group has won a $260 million contract with Rio Tinto, for works at the Western Turner Brockman iron ore development in the Pilbara.

The value of a contract held by Leighton Holdings for work on the Gorgon natural gas project has more than doubled to nearly $1.8 billion.

Caltex Australia has returned to profitability as its refining businesses showed the results of recent structural changes.

Resolute Mining remains on target to produce more than 415,000 ounces of gold in FY2013, after lodging an 86 per cent jump in half-year net profit.

The mining industry has backed the Liberal Party’s pledge to invest $20 million to ensure the continued growth of the resources sector in Western Australia if it wins next month’s state election.

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne says the federal government's Gonski education reforms should be fast-tracked and the necessary funding drawn from a redesigned mining tax.

Miners will be asked to relinquish leases on the Mitchell Plateau under the state opposition's plans to establish national parks in the Kimberley region.