As production begins at Shell’s Pearl project, Qatar looks set to soon become the “GTL capital of the world”

The first step in developing a gold mine is selecting an area for prospecting. While this may seem boring and irrelevant to an investor looking into gold miners, this preliminary phase is the very foundation of a successful mining venture.

Business Standard reports that tin and nickel saw a sudden jump in prices today in India after steady trading in London.

The Financial Post reported a Citi analyst’s case for bullishness on potash: Fall is expected to be a strong season for fertilizers after spring application came in 10% lower that expected because of a slow start to planting. With grain prices riding high, farmers are expected to use more fertilizers to maximize yields.

Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp.’s primary focus is developing its Round Top Mountain rare earth—beryllium-uranium project which also includes niobium, tantalum and gallium. Round Top is located in Hudspeth County, Texas, 85 miles east of El Paso. Independently published data indicates the property may contain more than one billion metric tons of rhyolite containing rare earths with a 67% ratio of heavy to light rare earths.

Reuters reported that Scorpio Mining's (TSE:SPM) second quarter silver recovery doubled. Continue reading... Image by Scorpio Mining

Reuters reported that the EU lifted trade barriers from Russia and Belarus by cutting import duties on potash. Continue reading...

Daily Yomiuri Online reported that the World Trade Organization says China must eliminate rare earth export restrictions. Continue reading...

Sandstorm Gold shares were one of the most heavily traded on the Toronto Venture Exchange on Wednesday morning, while Donner’s stock was one of the top traded with a 15 percent rise.

Bloomberg reported that gold exports from Sierra Leone are up 25%.

ESO Uranium Corp. CVE:ESO) reports that it has began drilling at the Donna gold property on Monashee Mountain, Vernon, BC.

Calibre Mining Corp. (CVE:CXB) announces results from the Santa Rita open pit copper-gold mine.