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Monday, June 15, 2009.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Shannon O'Donnell.

Making headlines today:

Toronto-based Centerra Gold has been informed that the Minerals Resources Authority of Mongolia has suspended the main operating licences for the firm's Boroo mine in the country.

The notice was based on a report from the State Specialised Inspection Agency which recently visited the Boroo mine site.

According to the notice received on Friday, the licenses were suspended "due to alleged issues relating to the operating licenses such as record keeping, incorrect land use, and improper operating procedures".

The company is working with the authorities to understand the issues and to try and resolve them.

Minerals processing and project management company MDM Engineering has started with the front-end engineering design, or FEED, phase of the Kalagadi Manganese Umtu sinter plant project, in the Northern Cape.

Last year, the company completed a bankable feasibility study for the Kalagadi Manganese project, which valued it at 3,5-billion-rand.

The FEED phase would incorporate a control budget estimate to take advantage of the weaker commodity prices in the current environment.

The Kalagadi Manganese project will be the first black economic-empowerment grass roots mining project developed and controlled by women in South Africa.

Also making headlines:

A Kazakh firm says that foreign uranium deals remain unchanged.
A research firm says that the metals industry's health depends on China.
Canadian silicon producer Timminco is hit with another class action suit.
And, fraud-battered Randgold & Exploration is still hopeful that a settlement can be reached with JCI Limited.

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories please visit miningweekly.com.