aluminum news stories on Newser

Hungary Arrests Toxic Sludge Boss

Emily Rauhala — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:01:00 CDT

The head of the company behind Hungary's toxic sludge spill has been arrested, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has asked parliament to take over. "The company should be put under state control and its assets under state closure," he said. Zoltan Bakonyi, of aluminum firm MAL Co, is accused...

Can It: Wine Industry Goes Aluminum

Matt Cantor — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:16:59 CDT

It may lack a certain old-fashioned class, but that’s not stopping the wine industry from embracing aluminum cans, the Times of London reports. A top can-maker said he’d sold 35 million cans to the industry last year, up from 6 million in 2006—and he foresees wine fans chugging, er,...

Aluminum Giant Alcoa to Lay Off 13,500

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:58:49 CST

Alcoa, the world's third-largest aluminum maker, said today it will cut 13,500 jobs—13% of its work force—and slash spending and output to cope with the global economic slowdown. The reductions expand on cost-cutting measures announced in October, when the Pittsburgh-based company reported a 52% decline in third-quarter...

Gene Tweak Could Grow Crops in Toxic Soil

Rob Quinn — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:35:01 CDT

Scientists have made a breakthrough that could dramatically boost the world's food production by making more land farmable, Wired reports. A slight change to a single gene allows plants to thrive in earth made toxic by aluminum, which currently renders nearly half of the world's soil useless for growing crops....

Bahrain Arm Accuses Alcoa of Corruption

Rob Quinn — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:47:00 CST

A company controlled by Bahrain's government has filed a lawsuit in US federal court accusing metals giant Alcoa of a host of shady business practices, the Wall Street Journal reports. Pittsburgh-based Alcoa, one of the world's biggest aluminum companies, systematically overcharged Bahrain Aluminum for raw materials and funneled money to...

Rio Tinto Rejects $147B BHP Bid

Sam Gale Rosen — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:24:54 CST

Rio Tinto today rejected a $147.4B bid from rival mining giant BHP Billiton, the Wall Street Journal reports. Although the bid would have been one of the largest takeovers ever, Rio is holding out for a sweeter deal. "BHP Billiton's offers, while improved, still fail to recognize the underlying...

Alcan Steels Itself Against Alcoa Bid

J. Kelman — Tue, 22 May 2007 18:17:45 CDT

Canadian aluminum maker Alcan has rejected the $24.7-billion bid from rival Alcoa that would have been the biggest takeover in the metals industry, and signalled its intention to look elsewhere. Alcoa’s $74.60-per-share bid was inadequate, Alcan’s CEO said today, reigniting rumors that both companies may be ripe takeover...

Aluminum Giant Makes Play for Rival

J. Kelman — Mon, 07 May 2007 13:44:08 CDT

Aluminum titan Alcoa is hoping to get its largest rival, Alcan, to melt under a hostile takeover bid, after merger talks between the two companies collapsed. Alcoa, the world's largest aluminum company, has offered $26.9 billion for its Canadian competitor in an effort to beat out the emerging market...