Rio Tinto Ltd sold virtually all of the UK part of its $15.2 billion rights offer, the world's fifth-biggest, easing its huge debt burden and putting the world's top iron ore miner back in growth mode.

Strong take-up of the heavily discounted rights offer suggests investors have restored faith in Rio after recent distractions that included a hostile takeover approach and soured ties with China, its biggest shareholder.

But analysts said the mining giant still needs to sell non-core assets to pay down the $38 billion debt it took on to buy Canadian aluminium maker Alcan in 2007.

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