IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from February 6

Brazilian miner Vale has declared force majeure on a number of iron ore and pellet contracts with customers following the halt of its Brucutu mine in the state of Minas Gerais, the company said on Tuesday February 5.

Ghana Manganese has been ordered to cease operations by Ghana’s minister of lands and natural resources due to inconclusive data.

Aurubis AG is searching for strategic alternatives for its flat-rolled product business after the proposed sale of the division to peer Wieland Werke was rejected by the European Commission, the German copper producer said on February 6.

Russian steelmaker Severstal plans to start construction of new blast furnace in 2019, using additional volumes of pig iron for its own needs, chief financial officer Alexey Kulichenko said in a conference call on February 5.

International mining companies that oppose the new mining code in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are a lot closer to resolving their outstanding issues than they were a year-ago, but work remains to be done, the chief executive officer of Canadian miner Barrick said.