Glencore approached Rio Tinto late last year about combining the two big copper producers but the discussions are no longer active, a person familiar with the matter said.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

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Rio Tinto is the world’s second-biggest miner, with a market value of about US$103 billion ($140.8 billion) at the close of trading in London on Jan 16, while Glencore was valued at about US$55 billion. BHP is worth about US$126 billion.