Luxembourg joins race to conquer space mining

Verde Potash shares fell 2.8% to $6.51 by lunchtime on Thursday after the company announced bought deal financing of $25 million. In the run up to the release of a preliminary economic assessment report for its Amazon project a month ago, Verde Potash's shares were driven all the way up to $8.95, only to come crashing down after the study disappointed investors all round.

Western Potash has brought in one of the big guns in the mining industry to develop its Milestone potash project in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Brazil, now the envy of debt-ridden nations, is scrambling to strengthen its control over domestic food production. This move became a matter of national security as the country saw 2008’s increased fertilizer prices threaten its agricultural sector.

On much heavier volumes than usual Grizzly Discoveries shed 3c or 6.52% by midday Tuesday. Before the market open the Edmonton-based company announced a potash discovery near Medicine Hat in Alberta Canada that wasn't as exciting as investors had clearly hoped – drilling yielded potash grades up to 31.1% K2O, but only over 0.3 metres.

Elemental Minerals Ltd. (ELM), owner of a potash project in the Republic of Congo, plans to raise about $1.7 billion next year to develop production by 2015, Chief Executive Officer Iain Macpherson said.

The Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS) has announced a reduction of up to 20 percent in planned potash production from February through May 2012.

Glencore International is in talks with Xstrata to merge in a deal that would create a $80 billion rival to BHP Billiton, Vale, Rio Tinto and China's Shenhua. Here's a wrap-up of what people are saying about the birth of the globe's first vertically integrated resource giant.

llana Potash Corp (TSX:AAA) is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced public offering of common shares of the Company. Pursuant to the terms of the Offering, the Company has issued 25,000,000 Common Shares at a price of $0.80 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of $20,000,000.

Verde Potash shares fell $1.66 or 19.4% to $6.90 on Tuesday, recovering from even steeper losses earlier in the day, after the company released a preliminary economic assessment report for its Brazil project that disappointed investors.