December gold added $35 or 2.2% to trade at $1,657.10 an ounce in noon dealings in New York on Monday regaining a sliver of the ground lost during September, the worst month for the precious metal since the start of the 2008 recession. September was a particularly volatile period for gold. Early on the metal hit an intraday record of $1,923.10 only to shed 17% over the course of the month. Today's dealings are also in sharp contrast to a week ago: in Asian trade on Monday September 26 bullion plunged $130 within a few hours, a move which many gold bugs are now saying had nothing to do with fundamentals but was intended to send a message.

The Hang Seng Index was down 4.38% and S&P/ASX 200 slid 2.78% over fears of euro zone contagion and the risk another recession may be looming. Gold is up and at $1657/oz. It closed last week at $1624/oz. Hang Seng was also hit by worries about the casinos in Macua. There is less credit available from China, which may dampen revenue from gambling.

Late last week Ivanhoe Mines (TSX:IVN)(NYSE:IVN)(NASDAQ:IVN) and Rio Tinto received a letter from a representative of the Mongolian Cabinet inviting the companies to discuss potential changes to the Oyu Tolgoi Investment Agreement. The changes related to the conditions under which the Mongolian Government may negotiate with Ivanhoe Mines to acquire, on mutually agreed terms, an additional 16% interest in the project and the application of a sliding-scale royalty to the project. In response to this letter, Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto have formally advised the Mongolian government that the companies are not prepared to renegotiate the investment agreement.

Tom Scholl, CEO of Keystone Industries, told CNBC that he could put more people to work but the U.S. federal government is standing in the way. Scholl said the states are working "pretty close" with the mining companies. It is the federal government that is holding up mining and not working fast enough on permitting. Scholl singled out the US Army Corp of Engineers as creating the slowdown. "We are the Saudi Arabia of coal in the United Stats. It is a great export commodity. And any time you export it it is going to create a lot of jobs."

The Renewable Energy Accountability Project has developed some hit and miss advocacy ads. The latest attempt at producing a viral video takes aim at coal. Renewable Energy Accountability Project is lobbying for greater use of renewable energy sources.

SBS World News Australia reports that Bouganville copper mine, one of the world's largest deposits of copper, could open if past combatants could be fairly compensated. The report also alleges new complicity in the conflict that cost the lives of around 15,000 to 20,000 people. The open pit mine was established in Papua New Guinea in the early 1970s by Bougainville Copper Limited, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto. While operating, it accounted for 20% of the country's national budget.

Canadian Zinc Corporation CA:CZN -14.75% (otcqb:CZICF) ("the Company" or "Canadian Zinc") is pleased to report positive results from its diamond drilling activities at the Company's 100% owned Prairie Creek Mine in the Northwest Territories.

Northern Dynasty's proposed Pebble Mine hears from local residents on Tuesday when the results of a referendum will be announced. Residents in southwest Alaska, the Lake and Peninsula Borough, are being asked to ban the granting of mine permits that could significantly impact salmon streams. While a successful referendum would be a set back to Pebble mine, the referendum results are not the last word. It is one of many decision points that the mine has to face. Regulatory bodies, the judiciary and other levels of government still have to weigh in.

Only four to six new producers might emerge outside of China to serve the demand for rare earth metals over the next five to ten years, according to analysts at a rare earth conference in China. The Metal-Pages(TM) Minor Metals and Rare Earth Conference was held in Beijing, China on September 13-17, 2011. The main reason cited for so few mines is the relatively small demand for rare earth metals outside of China. Most of the major electronic manufacturing resides within China.