Iron ore production in Sweden could triple over the next 13 years to reach 90 million tpy, according to a report published earlier this week by industry body SveMin on growth prospects for the country’s mining sector.

The EU is becoming overly dependent on metal imports even for basic commodities such as zinc, aluminium and copper, Europe’s non-ferrous metals body, Eurometaux, warned this week.

What are the hot topics for LME week this year?

A few days ago, Metal Bulletin posed the question “is there really a problem with LME warehouse queues?”

Peruvian energy and mines minister Jorge Merino Tafur showcased Peru's projects in energy and mining to potential Arab investors last week, in an attempt to attract up to $73 billion to the country this decade.

Geoffrey Sambrook’s second novel, Czar Rising, charts the rise and fall of Victor Lansky, a property speculator and former copper dealer, who invests in a Russian aluminium smelter at the time that the Soviet Union was falling apart.

Later this month, the world’s largest copper producers, consumers and traders will meet in London to hammer out supply deals for next year, and as always, they will have different ideas about the physical premiums that should be attached to those contracts.

Chinese zinc smelter Yunnan Luoping Zinc & Electricity will supply 25,000 tonnes of zinc to the local government for reserve purchase.

Hotline was interested to hear this week that the world’s first detection dog has been trained in the UK to sniff out forensic markings on stolen metal.

Who’s got the biggest bazooka? Is it Mario or is it Ben?