Denison Mines begins environmental process for Wheeler River

Canada’s Osisko Mining Corp. (TSX:OSK) announced Monday it will buy Queenston Mining Inc for about $550 million to get access to gold-rich properties in the Kirkland Lake area in north-eastern Ontario.

The United States will surpass both Saudi Arabia and Russia becoming the world’s top oil producer by 2017, says the latest yearly world energy outlook published Monday by International Energy Agency (IEA).

Canadian miner Yamana Gold Inc. (TSX:YRI) (NYSE: AUY) is refusing to give up on its plans to re-open the old “Agua de la Falda” gold mine in Chile’s northern Atacama region, a particularly sensitive area in terms of energy costs.

The company pockets about a quarter of a percent of its precious metal sales—less for the gold it sells to the Mint.

Accusations of Chinese miners being dubiously brought into the Canadian province of British Columbia to work in coal mines has prompted the federal government not only to investigate the issue, but to review its entire temporary foreign worker program.

Peruvian precious metals miner Hochschild (LON:HOC) is acquiring Canadian Andina Minerals (TSX-V:ASM), after the junior gold miner agreed late Thursday to a friendly takeover.

While Calgary-based TransCanada (TSX, NYSE:TRP) remains optimistic about its Keystone XL pipeline’s prospects, given Obama administration’s focus on moving the U.S. away from its dependence on foreign oil, uncertainties around the project remain.

A new report by Johannesburg-based South Africa Resource Watch (SARW) claims that China is exploiting cheap labor in the sub-Saharan nation and subjecting employees in the mining industry to harsh working conditions.

Rare earth producer Molycorp reported a Q3 loss on Thursday, but investors liked top line growth that jumped 49% to $205.6 million.