When news broke Thursday last week that China was raising REE export quotas for the second half of the year, ostensibly in reaction to a WTO ruling, it was greeted with some surprise and a measure of relief by the makers of anything from iPods to lasers to stealth helicopters. But as the implications of the announcement on future pricing of the 17 elements begin to sink in some analysts are pointing out that rather than easing the pressure on manufacturers who need rare earths, China's move was aimed at cutting off at the knees development of mining projects outside its borders.

Reuters reported that Extorre (CVE:XG) has discovered additional gold and silver deposits at the Cerro Moro mine. Image by Extorre

Mineweb has announced that the Australian federal government will be adjusting its immigration laws to help various industries, including mining, in Western Australia have access to more semi-skilled workers to fill their skills gap.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said he would widen a regional migration scheme designed to make recruitment of semi-skilled foreign workers faster and less restrictive to include the West Australian capital Perth. "The simple fact is that there will not be enough Australian workers to get the job done," Bowen said.

This weekend at the Queensland Training Awards in Townsville, two Xstrata apprentices were recognized for their dedication and hard work, reports The North West Star.

First year Metalliferous Mining Operations apprentice Kieran Punch was awarded the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student of the year award for his dedication in the Xstrata Skills Centre. Colin Phillips was a finalist in the Apprentice of the Year award after completing his apprenticeship in 2010 in Electrotechnology Systems. He was a finalist because of his passion for his trade working as an underground electrician in Copper Mine Maintenance at Xstrata.

This one-day Snowden workshop on December 5, 2011, covers where and how geostatistics fits into mining, assumptions and data integrity, tools for analysis, variography, method of estimation and simulation.

Each aspect is examined using presentations, practical exercises and activities. This is an excellent course for managers, miners, engineers and geologists needing a refresher course in geostatistics.

Employees of diamond mining company De Beers are set to go on strike on Friday after wage talks broke down on Wednesday. The workers follow tens of thousands of others in South Africa's coal, metals and petroleum industries who have been on strike for weeks. The strikes come at a time when the country's mining output is slowing and new investment in the industry is drying up amid uncertainty about state ownership, taxation, an ever-changing regulatory environment and corruption. A recent ranking of top global mining investment destinations that puts Alberta at the top relegates South Africa to number 63 alongside Zimbabwe, Guatamala and Venezuela.

South Africa's Environmental Affairs department on Wednesday defended granting Coal of Africa approval to resume construction at the controversial Vele opencast project near Mapungubwe, saying science, not emotion, was behind the decision. Mapungubwe is a World Heritage site and home of the golden rhino figurine (pictured) that dates back to around 1000 AD when Southern Africa's earliest kingdom flourished. Construction of the mine were halted in August last year when it was discovered the Australian company did not comply with aspects of environmental management laws.

OPTI Canada, a bankrupt oil sands producer, has agreed to sell itself to a wholly-owned subsidiary of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, in a deal worth $2.1 billion, the company said on Wednesday. Cnooc, as the Chinese oil giant is known, has been an active deal maker as it seeks to feed China’s ravenous demand for energy.

Black Range Minerals announced on Wednesday that the indicated and inferred resource for the combined Hansen/Taylor Ranch Uranium Project comprises of 68.9 Mt at 0.060% U3O8 for 90.9 million pounds of U3O8, representing a 51% increase in the number of pounds of U3O8 previously reported for the Taylor Ranch Uranium Project.