Here’s why some say oil sands producers may never recover

South Africa's gold output continues to fall, dropping a further 2.9% in May. The last time the country's mines produced this little, the nation was still ruled by the Queen of England.

The Chinese economy logged 7.6% of growth in the second quarter, falling beneath the 8% threshold for the first time in three years, and hitting its lowest level since the first quarter of 2009, when the global financial crisis was still raging.

When it comes to buying gold, central banks have such a poor timing record that they're frequently joked about as a contrary indicator. Recently, they have been buying, quite literally, tonnes of it.

Glasgow residents could have a convenient and plentiful source of geothermal energy right beneath their feet, in the abandoned mineshafts and mining structures buried under the city’s streets.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has announced a proposal for the simultaneous development of oil, gas and potash in the southeast of New Mexico which could bring an end to long-standing legal wrangles over resource extraction, in a region which is host to the USA’s largest potash reserves.

Market pressure from high inventories and a flood of cheap overseas supply, as well as the lackluster performance of the Chinese economy were to blame for sending the average price to its lowest point in over two and a half years.

US Oil Sands (TSX-V:USO) gave up 20% on Thursday on nine times its usual trading volumes despite the lack of fresh news from the company.

Rio Tinto's long-standing Chief Financial Officer, Guy Elliott, will retire at the end of 2013 announced the miner on Thursday, along with a few other senior management changes.

The federal Liberals have shunned both of the antagonistic stances of the Harper government and the leading opposition party on Alberta’s oil sands, by announcing a “new approach” which will seek to pursue oil sands development while minimizing any adverse environmental impact.