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| - Brazilian mining giant Vale posted net earnings of $2.91 billion in the third quarter, due to an increase in iron ore prices in the face of strong Chinese demand. According to the report of financial results for the July to September period, the profit is almost three times that of the second quarter ($995 million) and almost double that of the same period in 2019. The company reported a net first-quarter profit of $239 million. Vale attributes its strong performance to a 27 percent increase in the average reference price of iron ore during the third quarter, compared to the second quarter. The increase was because "Chinese demand reacted strongly to government stimulus and supply chain disruptions, which led to higher prices during the quarter due to reduced iron ore availability," according to the report. Vale, one of the world's biggest iron ore miners, also resumed dividend payments to shareholders in the third quarter, with a total of $3.327 billion corresponding to the company's performance in the first half of 2020. Vale had not cut dividend checks for shareholders since the Brumadinho disaster in January 2019, when a dam collapsed at one of its mines in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The accident killed 270 people and sent millions of tons of toxic mining waste gushing into the surrounding area. The disaster was devastating for the company, which lost nearly $1.7 billion on the year in 2019. In the report, Vale said it remains firm "in the commitment of integral reparation of Brumadinho" and said in August that searches for "11 missing victims" had resumed, after being put on hold for five months due to the coronavirus pandemic. jm/rs/to/dw
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