Strike at Peru’s top copper mine not hurting output: firm

Kenya is set to join the league of gold-producing nations following the granting of the first mining lease to UK company Goldplat.

Rockland Minerals Corp has completed the definitive agreement for the Blue Lake copper-nickel-platinum group metals project.

Gold hit a 2-week high on Thursday as gains in equities and the euro prompted buying from speculators after major central banks took coordinated action to prevent the euro-zone debt crisis from igniting a global economic meltdown.

More than 150 internationally known writers and artists are urging Mexican President Felipe Calderon to cancel mining concessions in an area of northern Mexico considered sacred ground by the Huichol Indians.

Northland Resources S.A. (NAU.TO) is nearly 5% higher today at $1.29 a share after local officials in Narvik, Norway, approved a construction permit allowing the company to begin work on a new iron ore terminal on the Barents Sea coast.

Canadian manufacturer's confidence is plunging, says Export Development Canada in a survey released today. EDC’s Trade Confidence Index (TCI), a semi-annual survey of Canadian exporters and investors, declined by an overall 12 per cent since the spring of 2011.

Large miners, such as Rio Tinto and BHP, are looking to enter the potash business, or expand existing operations, as they look for increased demand from developing nations such China, India and Brazil.

The Denver Post reports that Federal officials in Commerce City, Colorado are trying to contain contamination in the South Platte River near one of Suncor Energy's refineries. What material is leaking and where it is actually coming from is still to be determined. The EPA has emergency response crew working on the scene. Booms and barriers have been set up to contain the spill, which was first reported on Sunday.

Bloomberg reports that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) has released its 2012 forecast on commodities. The document predicts commodities may rally 15 percent in the next 12 months, foresees an “overweight” recommendation on raw materials and expects Brent crude to surge to highest level since 2008. In contrast, JPMorgan Chase & Co cut commodities to “underweight” last week, quoting policy failures in the U.S. and crisis-hit Europe.