"This will be another tough few months, but it is the right call to accelerate our plans now to create the Anglo American that we all want to see–effective, efficient and robust." After receiving earlier this month $1.6 billion from the sale of its stake in building materials company Lafarge Tarmac, the company expects to raise a further $1.4 billion from the sale of non-core assets including some copper, coal and platinum ones over the next couple of years. Anglo said its basic underlying operating profits in the first half of the year fell 36% percent, in line with expectations. It resisted pressure from analysts to conserve capital by cutting its dividend, keeping the interim payout at 32c a share. In line with an earlier warning, it took a non-cash charge of $3.5 billion against earnings, its second this year. The charge is mostly related to its recently launched Minas Rio iron ore mine in Brazil, which has been plagued by delays and cost overruns since Anglo bought it in 2007-2008 for about $5.5 billion.