Nickel

Baja Mining is fighting attempts by Mount Kellett, a $6 billion asset manager, to stack the miner's board with its own nominees. Baja is accusing Mount Kellett of a takeover by stealth while MK says Baja is a web of conflicts.

Mining and processing rare earths is a tricky business. Processing the materials is costly, and the supply of the 17 elements used in manufacturing everything from smart phones to electric cars and missile guidance systems is pretty much sewn up by China, which has 95% of the production.

Malaysian residents opposed to a rare earths processing facility have launched a legal challenged that threatens to delay the project put forward by Australia's Lynas Corp.

Nearly 13.7 billion years ago, the universe was made of only hydrogen, helium and traces of lithium — byproducts of the Big Bang. Some 300 million years later, the very first stars emerged, creating additional chemical elements throughout the universe. Since then, giant stellar explosions, or supernovas, have given rise to carbon, oxygen, iron and the rest of the 94 naturally occurring elements of the periodic table.

Brazillian miner Vale SA said Tuesday it is gradually resuming mining at its underground nickel operations in Sudbury, Canada.

Augustin Katumba Mwanke, the former governor of copper-rich Katanga province and go-to guy for resource deals, was seen by many as the power behind the throne.

A $4 billion rare earths deal signed this week between Germany and Kazakhstan is being criticized by human rights groups.

Nickel major Norilsk is preparing to start its Honeymoon Well project, in Western Australia, following positive studies completed in 2011, director of overseas operations Roman Panov said this week.

BHP Billiton raked in US$18.7 billion in the half-year ended December 31, 2011 — an 8.3% increase in Underlying EBITDA from the second half of 2010.