Mining

Three local junior miners plan to raise a combined $11.6 million to fund their respective operations.

BC Iron is cutting more workers and contractors at its Nullagine project after its joint venture partner Fortescue Metals Group decided to not buy low-grade iron ore stockpiled at the mine.

BHP Billiton says it remains committed to maintaining its strong balance sheet through the commodities downturn, after ratings agency Moody's downgraded its rating for the global miner.

Lucapa Diamond Company has netted another $9.6 million from the sale of 1,349 carats worth of diamonds recovered from its Lulo mine in Angola.

Western Australia's unenviable position as national leader in gender pay gap cannot be explained by the prominence of male-dominated industries, according to new national research.

Vimy Resources has appointed GR Engineering Services as study manager for a definitive feasibility study on its Mulga Rock uranium project near Kalgoorlie.

BHP Billiton has agreed to a settlement with Brazilian authorities over the Samarco dam disaster worth at least $US2.4 billion ($A3.15 billion)

Subiaco-based Triton Minerals has been placed into voluntary administration, only two days after the graphite explorer's recently appointed chief executive Garth Higgo said it was well poised to advance its projects toward production.

A component of a pre-feasibility study on Gascoyne Resources' Dalgaranga gold project has confirmed a $75 million cost to bring it into production.

Aspiring mineral sands miner Sheffield Resources has appointed engineering group Hatch to undertake a bankable feasibility study on its Thunderbird project near Derby.

Canadian policy thinktank the Fraser Institute has ranked Western Australia the best location in the world for mining investment, with Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion today touting the results as a tick of approval for the state government's red tape reduction strategy.

Five junior resources companies have completed a combined $16.4 million worth of capital raisings to fund ongoing work at their respective operations.

BHP Billiton says it is not keen on boosting iron ore supplies in a weak market, signalling a change in its long-held position, as it shifts focus to maintaining financial discipline.

A recent participant in Fortescue Metals Group's VTEC program has notched up another notable achievement, having slipped into the role of ‘chief executive for a day' as part of the miner's unique approach to creating opportunities for Aboriginal people.

Shares in gold hopeful Alicanto Minerals have surged on news the company has signed a $US10 million ($A14 million) earn-in agreement with Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold for its Arakaka project in Guyana.

Hong Kong-based Brockman Mining has scored another legal victory in its long-running battle to gain access to railways built by Fortescue Metals Group's infrastructure subsidiary.

After nearly eight years of inactivity on the ASX, Michael Fotios's Eastern Goldfields could be reinstated as early as next month after announcing today its capital raising had closed oversubscribed.

Subiaco-based gold miner Perseus Mining has launched an all-scrip bid for London-listed Amara Mining in a deal worth about $85 million.

Perth-based Lucapa Diamond Company has sold a recently recovered 404-carat diamond from its Lulo mine in Angola for $22.5 million.

Energy giant Woodside Petroleum has bolstered its board with the appointment of a former Shell executive, while Dacian Gold has welcomed a prominent lawyer to its board.

ANALYSIS: Rubbery figures and projections aside, WA's iron ore miners are breathing a little easier thanks to improving prices and a favourable exchange rate.

Shares in Decmil Group tumbled 18 per cent today after the contractor posted a big half-year loss, cut its dividend, and indicated more restructuring was needed.

Copper and gold miner Sandfire Resources has reported a near-50 per cent fall in half-year profit, but shareholders will still receive an interim payout.

After a solid start to the financial year, mining equipment supplier Emeco Holdings has posted a $107.2 million half-year loss as a result of impairments to its Canadian business.

The board and management of Western Areas will take a pay cut after the nickel miner slumped into the red with a $20 million half-year net loss.

Mining group South32 plans to cut 390 jobs at its Worlsey Alumina operation in Western Australia's South West, as part of a global cost-cutting drive following its $US1.7 billion ($A2.4 billion) loss for the half year to December.

Blackham Resources hopes to begin producing at its Matilda gold project near Wiluna within six months, after a definitive feasibility study confirmed it will cost $32 million to bring the mine into production.

Local gold miners Saracen Mineral Holdings, Silver Lake Resources and St Barbara reported a profitable six months, however shareholders won't be seeing any returns in the form of dividends.

Waste management company Tox Free Solutions has posted a slight increase in profit despite a dip in revenue, but has increased its return to shareholders.

The downturn in mining and construction activity in Western Australia has delivered a mixed bag of results for several contractors today, with the major surprise being a downgrade in MACA's revenue outlook.

Iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group will continue slashing costs after first-half profit dropped 4 per cent to $US319 million ($A442 million), as fellow miner BC Iron reported a half-year loss of $62.9 million amid falling prices.

Shares in Atlas Iron have surged despite the iron ore miner reporting a half-year loss of $114 million.