Luxembourg joins race to conquer space mining

Alberta Oilsands  (TSX-V:AOS) added 9% on Wednesday, after a group  of  "concerned shareholders" said they are filing a dissident circular and are in the process of mailing to shareholders of the tiny bitumen explorer a letter demanding the resignation of the board.

The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has condemned unions, saying they are running a nonsensical "race-based" campaign.

Copper dropped sharply on Friday after China's decision to cut interest rates suddenly revived fears of a slowdown in the world's second largest economy.

The London-based diversified miner wants to triple production of met coal in Australia over the next 8 years.

An additional $10 million in funding has been approved for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to complete its review of the licence application for the Yucca Mountain repository. Last year, the NRC shelved the review after funding was slashed.

Announced yesterday, the government of Nunavut is in favour of uranium mining on the condition that the radioactive ore be used for peaceful and environmentally responsible purposes only.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik has denied any plans to tax thermal coal exports after hinting at the move last May.

“The economics of some of these projects has changed,” he said. “I think for the next two years, 18 months perhaps, we will just wait and see how things develop.”

With the shift in research and development (R&D) policies – more grants and fewer tax breaks – announced in March by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, the latest report from Deloitte & Touche LLP says Canada is putting the future of its oil sands industry at risk.