Frik Els , Editor

The Guardian reports Scottish ministers are expected to order a public inquiry into plans to build the UK's only new coal-fired power station with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology after it suffered another serious setback. The latest delay follows unprecedented public opposition to the $4.8 billion project and will also damage proponents of CCS – where CO2 emissions are sequestered underground – and the so-called 'clean coal' lobby. Only two small coal CSS pilot projects exist worldwide: Schwarze Pumpe in Germany and Mountaineer Power Plant in West Virginia.

Stock in White Tiger Gold received another 6.6% bump on Tuesday, bringing its gains over the past week to 38.5% after the company announced it has secured a $15 million loan to ramp up production at its Lamaque project in Val d'Or, Quebec. White Tiger has experienced a flurry of corporate activity recently, installing new senior management and expanding the Lamaque project after sealing the takeover of Century Mining after months of delays due to action from unhappy minority shareholders.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports in a major policy victory for Australia's Gillard government's controversial carbon pricing scheme has passed parliament with Labor and the Australian Greens forcing the 18 so-called clean energy bills through the Senate. The laws – fiercely opposed by the country's mining sector which says it will lead to more than 20 mine closures and cost thousands of jobs – will force Australia's top 500 polluting companies to pay a tax of $24.50/tonne on carbon emissions from July 2012. On top of the carbon tax set to kick in mid-2012, Australian miners also have to contend with the new minerals resource rent tax set at an effective 22.5% rate on the so-called super-profits of the extractive industries.

MarketWatch reports gold futures closed higher Monday, coming to within striking distance of the $1,800 an ounce level, as ongoing concerns over the euro-zone debt crisis and reports that Germany rejected calls to use its gold reserves to help shore up the region’s rescue fund helped boost prices. Gold for December delivery rose more than 2% earlier in the day to trade at $1,794, a six week high. Bullion is now up almost $200/oz from lows hit at the end of September when it briefly changed hands for less than $1,600/oz.

Business Spectator reports Rio Tinto's Tom Albanese and BHP Billiton's Marius Kloppers find themselves caught up in a tough US political battle as partners on the Resolution Copper venture in Arizona. At the end of last month the Republican-controlled Congress approved a bill to make possible a land exchange clearing the way for what would be North America’s largest copper mine. But the world's two biggest mining groups now await approval in the Senate, a much tougher task. For BHP a go-ahead on Resolution Copper would mean it will at last have something to show for a disastrous acquisition it made more than 15 years ago.

Just a few weeks ago analysts thought the jobs – 20,000 during the building phase alone – and economic benefits would easily outweigh environmental concerns and push the Obama administration to approve Keystone XL. But now, after a summer of protests culminating in Sunday's 10,000 strong White House encirclement and on top of Nebraska's vow to force a rerouting, the US State Department’s inspector general on Monday ordered a "special review" of the Obama administration’s handling of Keystone XL following complaints from members of Congress that the process has been tainted by conflicts of interest.

The CourierMail reports fly-in, fly-out "working girls" travelling from as far away as New Zealand to the remote mining regions of Queensland and Western Australia are making as much as $2,000 a day from mine labourers who have lots of cash but are deprived of female company for weeks on end. Fifo prostitution is just the latest concern for rural communities in the country's mineral-rich states who are becoming increasingly unhappy about mining firms like BHP that set up self-contained mining towns cut off from locals or let miners fly in and out without ever investing in existing communities.

ComputerWorld reports Anglo American has said optimising its procurement, asset management, knowledge systems and shared services will be vital in making the most from its $5.1 billion takeover of De Beers, announced on Friday.

The cash at the world's top six mining companies is estimated to top out at $144 billion by end 2013 and M&A activity this year is already up 67% over 2010. The gold sector has been leading the frenzy and the stock market is where they will be looking to find additional ounces.

Top management and eight shareholders who control 73.9% of the outstanding shares of TSX-Venture listed Sino Vanadium on Friday announced that they are taking the tiny firm private. The company first listed in June 2009. The share tripled on Friday to 21c and 108,200 shares changed hands compared to the usual 1,000. The company is offering 27c to shareholders who turn in their shares over the next month, so some investors appear to be cashing in early. Sino Vanadium owns 100% of a project in China's Shaanxi Province in the feasibility stage which it says could produce 14% of world vanadium supply.