Silver Standard acquires Claude Resources in $337 million deal

Gold is ringing out the year on a sour note, dropping below $1,550/oz and losing nearly 10% of its value in the last month.

Located at over 4,000 meters above sea level in the Altiplano of the Andes Mountains, the San Cristobal Mine is the largest mine in Bolivia. The open-pit silver, lead and zinc mine’s production process requires the transportation of 150,000 tons of rock, and the processing of 40,000 tons of mineral daily.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Dec. 27, 2011) - Columbus Silver Corporation (TSX VENTURE:CSC) ("Columbus Silver") is pleased to announce that Santa Fe Gold Corporation (OTCBB:SFEG) ("Santa Fe") has announced it has obtained conditional debt financing to complete its acquisition of Columbus Silver.

Crystallex International received protection today under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act of Canada, and the company will also be delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange next month.

Total Return, The Wall Street Journal’s personal-finance blog, recently reviewed presidential candidate Dr. Ron Paul’s (R-TX) investment portfolio.

US-based silver miner Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) says 2011 production remains within the company's estimates, and it expects to produce nine million ounces of silver despite a spate of mining accidents.

South American Silver (TSE:SAC) stock shot up 17% in morning trading today on the Toronto Stock Exchange to $1.62 a share after the company announced the findings from its NI 43-101-qualified resource estimate of the company's Escalones copper-gold-silver project in central Chile.

Seven miners have been pulled from Hecla Mining's Lucky Friday mine after a collapse Wednesday evening. Media reports say that six of the workers were treated at the scene while a seventh was treated at hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) has acquired the remaining 30% interest in the San Juan Silver project in Colorado's Creede silver-producing district, for $33.8 million in stock.