As the country still reels from the devastation of a massive earthquake and tsunami, we provide a brief view of where Japan […]

Are we headed for a major stock market downturn? If so what could be the effect on gold and silver? The portents are there for problems ahead short term, but probably are positive for gold at least longer term. The global political situation, with unrest still simmering in the Midde East and the fighting in Libya, will have a continuing impact and even the slight dissent seen so far in Saudi Arabia's oil producing area does raise some serious warning flags.

Investors banking on an across-the-board rise in commodity prices this year are setting themselves up for a fall and they should instead be actively managing for winners, Investec Asset Management said. After several years of commodity prices moving largely as one, Investec's co-chief investment officer Mimi Ferrini looks favourably on active strategies that are bullish on natural gas and crude oil, while playing the interaction between the asset class and related equities, like gold mining companies.

The Brisbane-based explorer has reported positive infill drilling results on its Zeta underground project on its 100% owned Boseto project in Botswana.

Brazilian mining giant Vale (VALE5.SA: Quote) said on Thursday the government is overcharging it for mineral royalties and will seek a legal review of some the requested payments amid a dispute over debts to the government that could reach $2.4 billion. Vale, the world's largest iron ore miner, insisted it had made payments according to the law and said it disagreed with the government over criteria for calculating what it owed.

The gold:silver ratio, which describes silver's buying power by dividing the per-ounce price of gold by that of silver, has averaged 60:1 over the past 35 years, meaning it's taken 60 ounces of silver to purchase one ounce of gold. Though with silver's most recent push to the $36/oz level, it now takes much less.

Denison Mines reported 1,442,000 pounds of uranium oxide and 2,347,000 pounds of vanadium blackflake last year. The company had originally forecast 1.6 million pounds U3O8 and 2.8 million pounds of vanadium production for 2010. Production for the fourth-quarter totaled 234,000 pounds of uranium oxide and 391,000 pounds of vanadium.

Aquarius Platinum South Africa (Proprietary) Limited ("AQPSA") is pleased to announce that two of its operations have simultaneously achieved one million fatality-free shifts. The Everest Mine reached this milestone on 1 March 2011 for the first time since commencing operations in 2004, while the Kroondal Mine achieved it once again on 4 March 2011.

The spectacular Carapateena discovery that Canadian Teck Resources had seen as its big foreign play until the global financial crisis, is now passing into the hands of OZ Minerals Ltd (ASX: OZL). OZ Minerals said this week it had paid $US240 million for the project, making an immediate deposit of $US10 M.

The Western Hemisphere’s sole rare earths producer has already sold 100% of its rare earths production this year to three major companies, […]

South Africa's gold output rose 15.1 percent in volume terms in January while total mineral production rose 4.3 percent compared with the same month a year earlier, data showed on Thursday.

Brigus Gold (BRD.TO: Quote) plans to sell or set up a joint-venture for its gold project in southern Mexico, in a move to focus on its main assets in Ontario and Saskatchewan, said Chief Executive Wade Dawe.