Nickel

IAMGOLD Corporation ("IAMGOLD" or the "Company") today announced that it has declared an inferred resource of 466.8 million tonnes at a grade of 1.65% Total Rare Earth Oxides ("TREO") as a result of its 2011 exploration drilling program conducted on the rare earth elements ("REE") zone adjacent to its Niobec niobium mine near Saguenay, Quebec, Canada.

Glencore International is in talks with Xstrata to merge in a deal that would create a $80 billion rival to BHP Billiton, Vale, Rio Tinto and China's Shenhua. Here's a wrap-up of what people are saying about the birth of the globe's first vertically integrated resource giant.

Molycorp on Wednesday built on its strong gains since the start of the year after announcing a $390 million cash injection from Chile's Molymet.

BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s largest mining company and the fourth-largest nickel producer, announced today that is decreasing mining operations at its West Australian locations by 30 percent.

After a recent mining fataility at Vale's Coleman Mine in Sudbury, the Brazillian miner is temporarily shutting down all eight mines in the region while it assesses safety procedures.

In a ruling that will have ramifications for rare earth supplies, the World Trade Organization ruled today that China is improperly restricting the export of minerals.

Newt Gingrich, presidential aspirant in the current Republican contest, wants to see a permanent moon base established by the second term of his presidency that could be used for space tourism and mining ventures.

Global supplies of rare earth elements have been threatened ever since China imposed export quotas in mid-2010. In the aftermath, increased attention was drawn to potential producers like MolyCorp and Lynas Corporation, while the sector was viewed in need of a savior outside of China. Among the juniors aiming to join the fray, Medallion Resources has proposed a unique strategy to gain low-cost production in the very near term.

RBC Capital Markets forecasts copper demand growth of 3.6% in 2011, 5.5% in 2012, 5.6% in 2013, and trend growth of approximately 4.0% in 2014 and 2015.