text: Newmont Strikes Gold, Profit Up 12.5 Pct  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Newmont Mining Corp. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NEM.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;NEM.N&lt;/A&gt;, the  world's largest gold miner, on Wednesday said third-quarter  profit rose 12.5 percent on higher gold prices and strong base  metal sales.