IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 5 key stories from August 20

Cobalt prices have risen by more than 25% since Glencore announced it would close its Mutanda mine and – in doing so – brought forward expectations of a shortfall in cobalt supply.

Namibia-based tin mining company Afritin Mining has begun mining in the Erongo district of Namibia, producing its first batch of tin concentrates from its Uis project, while the company also signed a 12-month offtake agreement with Thailand Smelting and Refining Co Ltd (Thaisarco).

The development of the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will receive a financial boost following a second major strategic equity investment by China’s Citic Metal in Canadian mining company Ivanhoe Mines.

Developments in China’s steel industry and the country’s persistent focus on implementation of environmental policies will underpin demand for high-quality seaborne iron ore, BHP said in an outlook document on August 20.

The European Commission (EC) proposed some adjustments to the existing safeguard measures for steel product imports in Europe to the World Trade Organization on August 14, Fastmarkets has learned.