Frik Els , Editor

China said on Wednesday that it would appeal against a World Trade Organisation ruling that it illegally restricted exports of certain rare and speciality metals and minerals including bauxite, coking coal, fluorspar, magnesium, manganese, silicon metal, silicon carbide, yellow phosphorus and zinc. The United States, European Union and Mexico argued that the minerals are key inputs for numerous industries and any cut in supplies could lead to sharp spikes in world prices. The complainants fear a similar situation to rare earths where the price of certain elements have tripled thanks to export cuts and China's virtual monopoly on production.

Potassio do Brasil, partly owned by Canadian merchant bank Forbes and Manhattan, is seeking to renew negotiations with Brazil's government over rights to a potash reserve in the Amazon currently held by state oil company Petrobras adjacent to what it called a 'world class' potash discovery last week. The Potassio do Brasil mine will take $4 billion to develop and follows news earlier this month from Toronto-listed Verde Potash which announced a 1.1 billion tonne resource at its Amazon Cerrado Verde project that is suitable for open pit mining. The discoveries come as Brazil readies a new mining royalty regime – in certain instances doubling the rate – which would be managed by government decree. Mining investment in the world's fifth largest economy is also predicted to accelerate to $68.5 billion through 2015.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency announced on Monday it is conducting a comprehensive study, which is a type of environmental assessment, for the proposed Canpotex Potash Terminal Project located on Ridley Island, in the Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The Agency is also making available $50,000 under its participant funding program to assist groups and individuals to take part in upcoming steps in the federal environmental assessment of this project. Construction is projected to start in 2013 and to be completed three years later.

China Daily reports local land and mineral resource officials in the Qinghai province estimate that the Dachang gold mine in the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Yushu is likely to become one of the largest gold mines in Asia with 300 tonnes in proven reserves. The geological exploration was conducted jointly by Qinghai mining development bureau and TSX-listed Inter‐Citic Minerals with a total investment of $31.3 million. The project is at an elevation of approximately 4,500 meters and consists of five exploration licenses covering some 279 square kilometers. Tiny Inter-Citic says it allocated $6.3 million in exploration expenses for this year.

Mining Review reports Impala Platinum ‒ the world’s second-largest producer of the precious metal ‒ may invest as much as $10 billion in Zimbabwe to expand production if the government backs down on its controversial indigenization policy. Earlier this month Zimbabwe's government gave foreign companies including miners and banks a 14-day ultimatum to submit plans on how they propose to transfer majority stakes to local owners or risk losing permits. Impala is already the biggest investor in Zimbabwe's mining sector.

Woulfe Mining announced Monday it is fast-tracking the evaluation of its Muguk gold project in South Korea, the largest gold mine in South Korea until its premature closure in 1997 due to low gold prices. The TSX-listed company says it is now able to focus on Muguk as its Sangdong tungsten-molybdenum project, is progressing at a rapid rate with production scheduled to commence in early 2012. The mine, believed to be one of the largest in the world, would produce about 4,000 tonnes of tungsten worth $180 million per year.

Shares in Ivanhoe mines closed up just over 5% in Toronto on Monday outperforming the broader market and bringing the counter's gains to 23.2% over the last week. At a time when many miners across the developing world struggle to preserve their social licence, the impact of Ivanhoe's Oyu Tolgoi on the people of Mongolia stands in stark contrast: the mine will contribute a third of the country's GDP when it goes into full operation, will be mined until at least 2060 and increase the average earnings of Mongolians by 60% according to a new CNN report.

According to a new report by GIA the global market for heavy-duty diesel (HDD) catalysts is forecast to reach $2.6 billion by the year 2017, spurred by rigorous emission control regulations for heavy-duty on-road and off-road vehicles across the world. Catalysts with a high palladium content are fast replacing platinum catalysts in gasoline exhaust systems, while demand for platinum increased due to its increasing usage in catalysts for diesel exhaust systems.

Confirming details leaked to the Washington Post on Wednesday the US State Department said on Friday a proposed $7 billion extension of the Keystone pipeline to US Gulf Coast refineries would not likely boost the amount of crude produced from Alberta's oil sands, suggesting it would have limited impact on the environment. A final decision on the controversial pipeline could come as soon as the end of the year. The news comes as demonstrators in front of the White House continue being arrested in efforts to convince President Barack Obama of Keystone XL’s dangers. The price Canada can charge for crude exports to the US is falling further behind the international benchmark because of a glut in the Midwest and some hedge funds have started to bet that the spread could go as high as $50/barrel leaving Alberta producers millions of dollars out of pocket per day.

In a sign that consolidation in the uranium sector is gathering pace, world number one uranium producer Cameco announced on Friday it is extending a $527 million cash offer to shareholders of Hathor Exploration, after talks with the board of the junior explorer failed to result in a deal.