Cecilia Jamasmie , Senior Editor

Environmentalists and academics alike welcomed the latest report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which confirms a link between hydraulic fracturing for natural gas —or fracking— to groundwater contamination.

Jorge Humberto Merino, an engineer who worked for the Peruvian government agency that promotes foreign investment, swore in last night as the new mines and energy minister, amid a mining crisis that has had the country under state of emergency since Dec. 4.

Australia's Extract Resources Ltd., owner of the world’s fourth-largest uranium deposit, advised shareholders to take no action regarding the $2.2 billion takeover bid from Chinese nuclear fuels supplier Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp (CGNPC).

Chinese state company CITIC Guoan Group Corp. will commence exploration of the Bolivian salt flats to determine and quantify reserves of lithium and potassium, under the an agreement signed by the parties in August, reports America Economia magazine.

Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, will invest US$ 244 million to speed up the development of its Quetena copper deposit in northern Chile, an open pit operation that will produce 62,000 tons of fine copper per year.

Brazilian gold miner Jaguar (NYSE:JAG), which last month became the subject of takeover rumours, fell more than 10% on Wednesday, after the sudden resignation of its CEO and president Daniel Titcomb.

A Chilean civil court told Japanese Mitsubishi today that it has three working days to respond to the lawsuit filed by Codelco in the context of the conflict with Anglo American. Codelco's legal action seeks to annul the $5.39 billion deal between Anglo and Mitsubishi, after the Japanese company sold its 24.5 percent stake in Anglo American Plc’s Sur unit.

Giant terrestrial planets also know as “Carbon super-Earths” that contain up to 50 per cent diamond may possibly be in the Earth's galaxy, a new study suggests. But if they exist, those planets are unlikely to have any sort of life and incapable of supporting it.

Gold is still the king of commodities when it comes its role as a diversifier and foundation asset in the portfolios of euro-based investors, says the new report "Gold as a strategic asset for European investors," commissioned by The World Gold Council (WGC).

Latest report from Bain & Company says that diamond industry will grow more than 6 percent a year over the next decade, which will hold up prices even through periods of volatility.