The Economic Times reports Botswana is the world’s biggest rough diamond producer by value in 2010. According to statistics release by the Kimberley Process, a UN certified scheme, despite Russia producing more rough diamonds in 2010 at 34 million carats worth around $2.38 billion, Botswana’s 22 million carats mined in 2010 were worth around $2.59 billion — $210 million dollars more than Russia.

Eira Thomas, the renowned diamond geologist whose spectacular success in the diamond exploration game earned her the moniker 'Queen of Diamonds', has resigned from the company she helped found, Stornoway Diamonds. In a news release yesterday, Stornoway published a statement from Thomas, who served as CEO until 2008:

Talon Metals has cranked up the resource estimate for its Trairão iron ore project in Brazil by 60%, the company said today, which puts the inferred resources at over a billion tonnes. Talon, based in British Virgin Islands, added another 414 million tonnes with an average grade of 33% Fe to its existing two target areas, bringing the total amount of iron ore to 1.102 billion tonnes.

Canada's largest uranium producer lost 23% of its profits in the second quarter, as uranium sales volumes declined. In announcing its second-quarter results Thursday, Saskatoon-based Cameco also lowered its industry forecast in the wake of the Japan Fukushima nuclear crisis, which has slowed the expansion of nuclear power in Japan and resulted in Germany deciding to move away from atomic energy by phasing out and shutting down nuclear reactors.

Sunday's resignation of a state-level Indian politician brought down by a fraud scandal related to iron ore exports is likely to shake the confidence of foreign investors in Canada, says a top Indo-Canadian banker. Hari Panday, founder of the ICICI Bank in Canada, urged the Indian government to explain its mining policies to Canada — the "mining guru of world" — as well as to important mining jurisdictions Australia and South Africa.

A grassroots movement opposed to coal-seam gas (CSG) mining got a boost of star power on Saturday, when 70s pop singer Olivia Newton-John panned the controversial practice. The Australian singer, who starred alongside John Travolta in the hit movie-musical Grease, launched a scathing attack on the mining industry after learning several sites near her luxury Byron Bay resort were under threat, The Sunday Telegraph reported. In an open letter to Australians warning about the health effects of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, Newton-John says she is "horrified to learn of the extensive plans for coal-seam gas and shale gas exploration in Australia." Image of Olivia Newton-John is from Wikimedia, by gdcgraphics.

Putting Galore Creek into production would cost a whopping $5.2 billion in capex, NovaGold Resources said this week in announcing their prefeasibility study of the substantial copper--gold- silver project in northern British Columbia. The proposed mine, located 200 kilometres north of Stuart, BC, is 50%-owned by NovaGold and 50% by Teck Resources. Image of the proposed pit design for Galore Creek, courtesy of NovaGold Resources Resources Inc.

Finnish mineral processing company Outotec more than doubled its profits for the first half of 2011.

Xstrata, the world's largest exporter of thermal coal, has agreed to acquire Canadian coal company First Coal for US$153 million, the Swiss miner said on Thursday.

Diversified miner Teck Resources doubled its quarterly profit on higher copper and coal prices, the company announced on Thursday. Teck said it brought in $756 million in profits in the second quarter of 2011, a 90 percent increase from the same period in 2010, or $1.12 a share compared to 59 cents per share in Q2 2010. President and CEO Don Lindsay attributed the doubling of profits to higher prices for coal and copper — the company's chief commodities — along with a US$2 billion rights offering in July that cashed up the company to the tune of $3.4 billion. Photo of Teck's Elkview operation in southeastern British Columbia, by Teck Resources Limited.

One of the largest metallurgical coal deposits on earth could soon be producing coal for export, thanks to London, Ontario-based Fortune Minerals Limited (TSX-FT). Fortune recently signed a joint venture agreement with POSCO, the third largest steelmaker, whereby POSCO will pay 20% of the capital costs in developing Fortune's Mount Klappan anthracite coal deposit, located in northwest British Columbia, Canada

Vanderhoof, a small community in northern British Columbia, has been told to expect a gold mine on its doorstep within 6 years. New Gold President and CEO Bob Gallagher paid a visit to Vandherhoof town council on July 20, telling local politicians the Blackwater gold mine should be up and running by 2017.