IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from February 21

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday February 21 that are worth another look.

Canada has established surtax-free quotas for imports of energy tubular products and wire rod originating from Mexico effective from February 2, an official from Canada’s Ministry of Finance said.

French mining and metallurgy company Eramet generated lower operating income from its manganese business in 2018 despite higher sales, the group said on Wednesday February 20, while production of manganese ore rose by 4% year on year to a record 4.3 million tonnes last year.

With the vast majority of the world’s diamonds estimated to be conflict-free following the development of certification procedures under the Kimberley Process, the mining industry is now developing a blockchain-based solution to track the supply chain of the precious stones.

Canada-based North American Lithium has halted production of lithium spodumene at its La Corne mining operation in Quebec, eastern Canada, because of the lower spodumene prices in China, the company announced on Wednesday February 20.

Iron ore miner Vale has carried out an immediate suspension of activities at its Fábrica and Vargem Grande complexes in Brazil, in compliance with a directive from the country’s National Mining Agency in the wake of a deadly breach at one of its tailings dams.