WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed legislation to help schools and local law enforcement prevent gun violence, one month after the mass shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 people.The House passed the bill by a vote of 407-10, sending it to the Senate for consideration.Earlier on Wednesday, the White House announced President Don...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections in Northern Europe have fallen by ?,?5 ($6) per tonne this week, with some mills accepting lower bids to secure orders, market participants told Metal Bulletin on Wednesday March 14.Meanwhile, Southern European prices widened upward by ?,?5 per tonne, with the large Italian mills being more successful in driving up their offer prices, sources said.Metal Bulletin's...Read More
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Simmering political tensions roiled stocks and bonds across the globe on Wednesday, with U.S. yield curves continuing to flatten and stock markets losing ground as industrial companies took a beating.Despite strong economic data out of China and the United States this week, stock markets could not shake a hangover from Tuesday’s news that U.S. President Donald Trump was...Read More
BHP's Escondida copper mine in Chile, the world's largest, said on Wednesday that it has invited its powerful workers' union to start early talks on a new collective labor contract.Last year, a more than month-long strike at Escondida ended with workers opting to extend their previous contract through July 31 of this year instead of replacing it.New negotiations are scheduled for June, but BHP sai...Read More
(Reuters) - The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 250 points, or 1 percent, on Wednesday as industrial stocks tumbled over growing fears of a trade war with China after President Donald Trump sought to impose fresh tariffs.Trump is looking to levy tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports, targeting the technology, telecom and apparel sectors, sources told Reuters on Tuesday.The Tr...Read More
Turkish pipe export prices have remained stable this month, despite sluggish demand especially in the Middle East region, sources said on Wednesday March 14.Metal Bulletin's monthly price assessment for EN10219-standard, grade-S235 tube, with 2mm wall thickness, was $680-690 per tonne fob on March 14, unchanged month-on-month.Turkish pipe producers...Read More
Earlier this week the Chilean press learned about an application for a mining concession presented before Quilpu?(C)'s First Municipal Court by Augusto Pinochet Hiriart, the son of former dictator Augusto Pinochet.According to local media, back in February, Pinochet requested a "license to exploit a copper, gold, silver and other minerals" in an area near the city of Quilpu?(C), which is located i...Read More
StatPro Group PLC (LON:SOG) chief executive Justin Wheatley catches up with Proactive to discuss their 2017 results and the integration of UBS Delta.Wheatley says the move means StatPro now has a 'unique and huge analytics offering' to bring to the market.He adds that the company has managed to successfully convert Delta from a loss-making business to one that is operationally profitable. Me...Read More
Democratic Republic of Congo will declare cobalt and coltan, used in electric vehicle and renewable energy technology, as "strategic" minerals which will earn the country higher royalties, an advisor to the prime minister said on Wednesday.A new mining code was signed into law on Friday by President Joseph Kabila despite vigorous opposition by global mining companies with operations in Congo such...Read More
SHANGHAI, Mar 14 (SMM) – Following the release of China’s upbeat economic data, most base metals registered a rise today. SHFE aluminum rose close to 1%, while tin dipped close to 1%. Copper, nickel, zinc inched up.The ferrous complex rose across the board, as coking coal led with a gain of 2.7%. Iron ore jumped over 2%. Coke and hot-rolled coil went up about 1%, while rebar increased...Read More
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States launched a challenge to Indian export subsidies at the World Trade Organization on Wednesday, saying they hurt U.S. companies by letting Indian exporters sell goods more cheaply, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said.India provides exemptions from certain duties, taxes and fees that benefit numerous Indian exporters, including producers of steel...Read More
Canada's First Cobalt Corp. (TSX-V:FCC) (ASX:FCC) is strengthening its position in the cobalt market by acquiring explorer US Cobalt and so create a pure-play North American-focused miner of the metal, a key component in computer chips, mobile phones and lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs).The blended company will have projects in Ontario and Idaho which, once in operations, c...Read More
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers on Wednesday passed a non-binding resolution calling for an association agreement with Britain after it leaves the bloc.The European Parliament, which will have a yes-no vote on any Brexit deal between the EU and London, backed a broad-based “association agreement” with Britain for the future that goes beyond a narrow focus on trade. The vo...Read More
Symphony Environmental Technologies plc's (LON:SYM) Michael Laurier and Ian Bristow say the world is at a 'tipping point' in the fight against plastic waste.They say the fast movement in the company's key market of the Middle East will see much higher growth potential as more countries adopt regulations on plastic.Laurier adds that the company has conducted several major product launches in Pakist...Read More
UK long steel producer British Steel has won a contract to supply German railways operator Deutsche Bahn with 20,000 tonnes per year of rail, the company said on Wednesday March 14.In order to produce the 120-meter-long rail segments required by Deutsche Bahn, British Steel last year invested ?1 million ($1.39 million) to enhance its rail and sections mill in Scunthorpe, in eastern England.The tw...Read More
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has picked television commentator and campaign adviser Larry Kudlow to replace Gary Cohn as the director of the White House Economic Council, the Washington Post and CNBC reported on Wednesday.CNBC said the announcement of Trump's decision could come as soon as Thursday. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and...Read More
SHANGHAI, Mar 14 (SMM) – Nonferrous and ferrous metals in the Shanghai market rebounded across the board and remained firm on the morning of Wednesday March 14 as data on China's economy in January and February were released, SMM found. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released the report on China's economy for the first two months in 2018.Vice president of Zhongda Future...Read More
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Walmart Inc (WMT.N) will expand its grocery home delivery services to reach more than 40 percent of U.S. households, or 100 metro areas from an existing six, as the retailer steps up a fight against rival Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O).The extra cost may hit Walmart’s bottom line, but increased spending on grocery delivery is seen as essential in the fierce battle for online or...Read More
Futura Medical PLC's (LON:FUM) CEO James Barder tells Proactive's Andrew Scott negotiations over a deal with a partner that would help commercialise their breakthrough erectile dysfunction treatment are at an advanced stage.MED2002 is a rapid onset gel designed for those men where the current pill-based treatments aren't appropriate or carry significant side-effects.The update came a day after Fut...Read More