The last time Rio Tinto and Glencore were caught in merger talks, it was all about iron ore. Australia, and the Pilbara, were at the heart of it. A decade later, it can only be about copper: copper, copper and more copper. Big miners globally want more copper.

When Glencore Plc proposed a combination with Rio Tinto Group a decade ago, the larger company turned it down after just a few days. News this week that the two spent several months in negotiations in the second half of last year shows how the sands have shifted,

Glencore approached Rio Tinto late last year about combining the two big copper producers but the discussions are no longer active, a person familiar with the matter said. The talks between Rio, the world's No.

Rio Tinto and Glencore held talks last year about combining part or all of their businesses, in an indication of how the push by mining companies to secure metals needed for the energy transition has focused executives on large-scale deals.

Rio Tinto and Glencore have held early-stage talks about combining their businesses, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The potential merger between the two mining heavyweights,

A tie-up would have created a nearly £130billion behemoth that would have toppled BHP from its top spot as the world's biggest miner.

Rio Tinto and Glencore, two of the world's largest mining companies, recently engaged in brief merger discussions. However, these talks have since ended without any agreement, according to a report by Reuters,