Orestone closer to drilling at Captain project in British Columbia

Chile's deputy mining minister, Pablo Wagner, resigned a day after the government decided to revoke the lithium mining concession awarded to a local company last week, acknowledging problems with the tender process.

A record number of skilled New Zealanders involved in trade are leaving their country to take up higher paying jobs in Australia.

The government of British Columbia has rejected plans for a combined copper-gold mine in the province's north-west due to fears it could threaten salmon populations in the Skeena River.

Leading investors in Swiss commodities giant Xstrata (LSE:XSTA) have expressed their disappointment and frustration at the board's recommendation of a merger with Glencore (LSE:GLEN) for what they believe to be a takeover "on the cheap."

Australia's largest gold miner Newcrest will pour a total of $3.3 billion into its East Cadia copper-gold project, the subject of a lawsuit from a well-connected privately owned explorer.

Diversified mining giant BHP Billiton (ASX:BHP) has expressed strong confidence in the long-term outlook for the global copper market.

Newcrest Mining (ASX:NCM) is accused of licensing breaches by a private exploration company seeking to scupper the gold mining giant's $2 billion Cadia East project.

Xstrata's board will recommend the merger of the company with fellow Swiss commodities giant Glencore.

Harmony Gold says the Wafi-Golpu deposit in PNG could support a $9.8 billion mine with peak annual production of 560,000 gold ounces and 335,000 tonnes of copper.