A small silver mine in the British Columbia Interior is a step closer to production after the BC government granted a mining lease and permit.

Zimbabwean miner RioZim Limited is negotiating with global giant Rio Tinto in an attempt to acquire the now jointly own Murowa diamond mine in the in south central region of the country.

Stornoway Diamond Corp will spend $28.4 million to advance its Renard diamond project in northern Quebec, the Vancouver-based company (TSX:SWY) announced yesterday.

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) is encouraging more women to learn a trade and start working in the mining industry - an important part of the strategy to combat the mining skills shortage in Australia, reports Australian Mining.

The QRC said women were already starting to fill more jobs in the industry, and higher participation would benefit men in the sector by making it easier for families to move. "We're starting to see a shift in women coming into these non-traditional roles," it told ABC News. "If a woman is looking at applying for a job, we're also offering a position for their partner so that the family can shift."

Students in the mining and nuclear engineering department at Missouri University of Science and Technology will soon gain valuable hands-on training in heavy mining machinery, surface mining methods and materials handling systems in Missouri S&T’s new Virtual Surface Mining Facility.

Xstrata Plc (LON:XTA), the fourth largest copper producer in the world, said it is analyzing political risks in Argentina, where the company has two major copper projects on the go with an estimated investment of $5.5 billion.

The world's top copper producer, Chile's Codelco, said on Wednesday its output fell 10 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier to 373,000 tonnes, but said it was on target to produce 1.708 million tonnes this year.

With a total investment of $406 million, Canadian based mining exploration company Tahoe Resources (NYSE:TAHO), through its subsidiary Minera San Rafael SA, could become one of the largest silver producers in the world thanks to its El Escobal project in southeastern Guatemala, approximately 70 kilometres from Guatemala City.

World number two gold producer, Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE:NEM), will spend $440 million on the controversial Conga mine project in Peru over the next 18 months, about two-thirds less than the $1.5 billion initially budgeted.