by misesmedia on Jun 28, 2011
Presented at the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, on 24 June 2011.
by misesmedia on Jun 28, 2011
Presented at the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, on 24 June 2011.
President Hugo Chavez's government issued a decree on Monday that prohibits the export of the metal from the country and gives the state 55% of joint ventures
Author: Diego OreCARACAS, (REUTERS) -
President Hugo Chavez's government formalized the nationalization of Venezuela's gold industry on Monday with a decree that prohibits exports of the metal and gives the state 55 percent of joint ventures.
The new law, published in the Official Gazette "with the aim of overturning the serious impact of the capitalist mining model," also fixes the royalty rate for gold mine projects at 13 percent in general.
That can, however, fall to as low as 3 percent for some small operations of "social interest" such as the participation of indigenous communities or small miner cooperatives.
Socialist leader Chavez, who has nationalized big swathes of the OPEC member's economy, targeted the gold industry last month after his government quarrelled with foreign miners over limits on how much they could export.
The latest takeover fits with the president's broader plan to repatriate Venezuela's bullion and shift most of its cash reserves out of Western nations to political allies including China, Russia and Brazil.
Venezuela has been relatively small in the gold world, with formal mining producing about 6 tonnes a year.
But it boasts some of Latin America's biggest gold deposits, buried below the jungles south of the Orinoco River.
The move is bad news for foreign companies like Toronto-listed Rusoro (RML.V:Quote)(RMLFF.PK: Quote) -- owned by Russia's Agapov family and the biggest gold miner operating in Venezuela -- which had been pushing for greater export limits. .....
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page72068?oid=135767&sn=Detail&pid=72068
India's Tata group set a new gold standard for cars to help showcase 5,000 years of Indian jewellery-making and India's craze for gold with a fully functional gold-plated Nano
Author: Shivom SethMUMBAI -
Until it decided to don the favourite metal of most Indians, gold, it was the world's cheapest car. But, what went in as a $ 2000 Tata Nano emerged as a $4.7 million wonder, leaving most Indians gasping with awe.
Goldplus, a jewellery brand from Titan Industries, a Tata group company, unveiled the world's first-ever gold jewellery car in Mumbai, in a rare honour in praise of the 5,000 years of Indian Jewellery tradition and craftsmanship.
Three years after the initial launch of the Nano, the chairman of India's second largest industrial group, Ratan Tata showcased what may likely be the world's most expensive car - a 22 carat gold, jewel and ruby encrusted wonder.
The Tata group has interests in steel, (Tata Steel became the sixth largest steel maker in the world after it acquired Corus) and automobiles, (Tata Motors is among the top five commercial vehicle manufacturers in the world and recently acquired Jaguar and Land Rover) among seven other business sectors. .......
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page34?oid=135922&sn=Detail&pid=34