Mining Australia

In a remote part of Western Australia, a two-hour drive from the nearest town of Meekatharra, Homestake Gold of Australia Ltd. is building a water supply for a small town it is developing to support its gold find. When gold production starts late this year at the Fortnum mine, workers will be flown into the remote location on a rotating basis. Meanwhile, northward across the India Ocean, Newmont Mining's Australian subsidiary is exploring for gold on four islands of Indonesia.

China formally arrested four employees of mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. for infringing trade secrets and bribery, but stopped short of laying politically explosive espionage charges in a case that has strained ties with key trading partner Australia. Investigations showed the four, including Stern Hu, an Australian citizen who headed Rio Tinto's iron ore business in China, obtained commercial secrets about China's steel and iron industries through "improper means" and were involved in bribery, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

One look at his father, Steve, convinced Shannan Taylor that he didn't want to follow in Steve's footsteps--footsteps that led into the coal mines of New South Wales, Australia. One look at Steve's elbows, which are plastic. One look at Steve's right hand, which he can't turn over. One look at Steve's arm, through which run jagged scars. Steve nearly was crushed by a mining car, an accident that also left an imprint on the impressionable mind of his son, who was 8 at the time.

Fluor Daniel, the construction services arm of Fluor Corp., said Monday it has won two large engineering and construction contracts for foreign projects. The company was awarded a $330-million contract for work on an Australian iron mine project and is part of an international consortium awarded a deal valued at about $1 billion to build, own and operate the world's largest nitrogen generating facility, in Campeche, Mexico.

Government to Validate Mining Grants on Aborigine Land: Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating said the government will validate all land grants covering Comalco Ltd.'s bauxite mining leases in northern Queensland state against an Aboriginal land rights claim. The action, affecting the Weipa leases on the York Peninsula, is aimed at ensuring that the aluminum producer's US$1.2 billion expansion plans will proceed.

Fluor Daniel Inc. said Monday that it has won a $575-million contract for construction of a major new nickel-cobalt mine in Western Australia for Murrin Murrin Operations Pty Limited. From its office in Melbourne, Fluor Daniel Pty Ltd, the Irvine-based construction services company's Australian subsidiary, already has been providing engineering, procurement and construction management services on the Murrin Murrin project since 1996.

One look at his father, Steve, convinced Shannan Taylor that he didn't want to follow in Steve's footsteps--footsteps that led into the coal mines of New South Wales, Australia. One look at Steve's elbows, which are plastic. One look at Steve's right hand, which he can't turn over. One look at Steve's arm, through which run jagged scars. Steve nearly was crushed by a mining car, an accident that also left an imprint on the impressionable mind of his son, who was 8 at the time.

China formally arrested four employees of mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. for infringing trade secrets and bribery, but stopped short of laying politically explosive espionage charges in a case that has strained ties with key trading partner Australia. Investigations showed the four, including Stern Hu, an Australian citizen who headed Rio Tinto's iron ore business in China, obtained commercial secrets about China's steel and iron industries through "improper means" and were involved in bribery, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

Fluor Daniel, the construction services arm of Fluor Corp., said Monday it has won two large engineering and construction contracts for foreign projects. The company was awarded a $330-million contract for work on an Australian iron mine project and is part of an international consortium awarded a deal valued at about $1 billion to build, own and operate the world's largest nitrogen generating facility, in Campeche, Mexico.

Fluor Daniel Inc. said Monday that it has won a $575-million contract for construction of a major new nickel-cobalt mine in Western Australia for Murrin Murrin Operations Pty Limited. From its office in Melbourne, Fluor Daniel Pty Ltd, the Irvine-based construction services company's Australian subsidiary, already has been providing engineering, procurement and construction management services on the Murrin Murrin project since 1996.

Government to Validate Mining Grants on Aborigine Land: Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating said the government will validate all land grants covering Comalco Ltd.'s bauxite mining leases in northern Queensland state against an Aboriginal land rights claim. The action, affecting the Weipa leases on the York Peninsula, is aimed at ensuring that the aluminum producer's US$1.2 billion expansion plans will proceed.

In a remote part of Western Australia, a two-hour drive from the nearest town of Meekatharra, Homestake Gold of Australia Ltd. is building a water supply for a small town it is developing to support its gold find. When gold production starts late this year at the Fortnum mine, workers will be flown into the remote location on a rotating basis. Meanwhile, northward across the India Ocean, Newmont Mining's Australian subsidiary is exploring for gold on four islands of Indonesia.

PETER CATTANEO hit a home run his first time directing a feature with 1997's "The Full Monty," which received several Academy Award nominations, including best film and director. For "Opal Dream," opening Nov. 22, he ventured into the opal mines in the Australian outback for a family drama that revolves around a sensitive young girl, Kellyanne (Sapphire Boyce), who firmly believes that her imaginary friends, Pobby and Dingan, are real. Her unwavering faith helps bring the small town together.

Britain and the United States have kept their hopes of issuing mining licenses in the Antarctic alive by refusing to accept proposals to turn the continent into a wildlife reserve. Twelve days of talks here among the 39 Antarctic Treaty nations, discussions dominated by the mining issue, broke up Friday night with a wide division between the pro- and anti-mining nations.