Polish parliament’s lower house approves 15% cut to copper tax

Pro-and anti-mining forces are clashing once again over a proposed copper-gold mine in northern BC. On Monday Taseko Mines, the proponent of the New Prosperity mining project, said it has started legal action against people it alleges have obstructed preparations at the minesite. In response, the Tsilhqot’in Nation filed an injunction against the company "to halt its plans for extensive road-building, drilling, excavation of test pits, and timber clearing in support of its unprecedented and controversial resubmitted bid for approval of its soundly rejected Prosperity Mine project," the Tsilhqot’in, which represents six First Nations, stated in a press release.

In an article published on BNWnews.ca focussing on potash industry developments in the wake of continuing high prices and record food demand, Western Potash, with arguably the world’s most advanced ‘independent’ potash project, is highlighted as a company getting a lot of attention from potential state-funded buyers.

The Alberta oilsands and Bakken oil fields in North Dakota put on a good show 278 km above earth. Ken Paulman, writing for Midwest Energy News, conducted some cartographic detective work on a video that went viral, a time-lapse video of the earth's surface shot from the International Space Station.

TransCanada Corp. (TSE:TRP), the company behind the $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline project, has reached a deal with the state of Nebraska to reroute the proposed pipeline around an environmentally sensitive aquifer. The decision was announced late Monday at a news conference from the Nebraska state legislature. A bill was earlier introduced that would divert the pipeline away from the ecologically sensitive Sandhills area. Under the deal reached today, and to be voted on Tuesday, the state will pay for studies to find a new route to avoid the Ogallala aquifer which provides water for millions of people in the area.

Goldcorp said on Monday that the Quebec government has given the green light to its Eleonore project, allowing Canada's second largest gold producer to start full construction at the mine in Northern Quebec. The project, which is located in the James Bay region of Quebec, is expected to boost Goldcorp's output by 600,000 ounces of gold a year, with cash costs under $400 per ounce.

Cameco (TSX:CCO) (NYSE:CCJ) announced today that it has increased its all-cash offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Hathor Exploration Limited to $4.50 per share, which values the fully diluted share capital of Hathor at approximately $625 million.1 Cameco's increased offer will expire at 12:01 a.m. (Vancouver time) on November 29, 2011, unless further extended or withdrawn. "Cameco's increased offer to Hathor shareholders provides an attractive premium over Rio Tinto's offer and makes sense for Cameco given our unique position in the Athabasca Basin," said Tim Gitzel, president and CEO of Cameco.

Overall construction at Oyu Tolgoi continues to advance on budget and reached a 54.4% level of completion at the end of Q3'11. Key elements of the project, including the concentrator complex, primary crusher and tailings-thickening ponds, remain ahead of schedule. Total capital invested in the project to the end of Q3'11 was approximately $3.2 billion. Facilities required for first ore production in mid-2012 remain on schedule and commercial production is expected to commence in the first half of 2013.

Business Live reports De Beers high-quality diamond retail arm Forevermark will not sell any diamonds from Zimbabwe's controversial Chiadzwa and fields, CEO Stephen Lussier said at the launch of the exclusive brand in South Africa. This comes after the industry regulator, the Kimberley Process, gave Zimbabwe the green light to resume diamond exports from Marange last week. The decision is already being questioned, after the country's mines minister admitted on Thursday that smuggling was still rife. International sales from Marange were banned in 2009 after hundreds were killed and thousands of local miners were driven off claims when the army seized control of the area.

The Globe & Mail reports this week, British Columbia premier Christy Clark announced during her China trade mission that she has secured $860 million in financing to build a coal mine in northeast BC near Hudson’s Hope which will eventually create 4,800 jobs. What Clark didn’t mention is the hitch: The proposed Gething mine would be built in the West Moberly First Nation’s territory. The province knows full well that the native band – one of a small number with a treaty in BC – opposes the plan.