Shipments by stockholders and distributors of EU multi-product & proximity steel, including long steel construction products, fell 8.7% in January-April from the year-ago period, with only rebar shipments increasing, Eurometal said.

The government is seeking to raise at least R$2,6bn ($480mn) from the sales, but it has not yet defined the target values for all projects.

Blast Furnace 5 reached the end of its useful life and was idled, decision on its further use pending.

Jindal Steel & Power Limited has posted a robust set of numbers during the quarter led by higher volumes.

Zhanjiang saw a resumption of growth in its economy in the first half of this year after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The No 8 BF was temporarily idled in mid-March amid lower demand resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and related automotive production stoppages.

Trade unions in the UK suggest they will not allow the end of blast furnace steel production.

China's Tianjin port saw iron ore imports rise 13.6 percent year-on-year to around 37.86 million tons in the first half of this year, according to Tianjin Customs.