Palladium price hits fresh highs: record deficit predicted

Imperial Oil’s plan to truck huge pieces of oilsands mining equipment through Montana and into Alberta has hit a speed bump. Montana Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Ray J. Dayton issued a ruling Tuesday that prevents the state’s Department of Transportation from granting the permits required to transport the oversized loads.

Paladin Energy, the ASX- and TSX-quoted uranium miner, said on Wednesday that production for the year ended June rose 32% to 5.7-million pounds, but was lower than expected because of heavy rainfall at its Namibian mine and “mechanical issues” at the Kayelekera operation in Malawi.

When news broke Thursday last week that China was raising REE export quotas for the second half of the year, ostensibly in reaction to a WTO ruling, it was greeted with some surprise and a measure of relief by the makers of anything from iPods to lasers to stealth helicopters. But as the implications of the announcement on future pricing of the 17 elements begin to sink in some analysts are pointing out that rather than easing the pressure on manufacturers who need rare earths, China's move was aimed at cutting off at the knees development of mining projects outside its borders.

Reuters reported that Extorre (CVE:XG) has discovered additional gold and silver deposits at the Cerro Moro mine. Image by Extorre

Employees of diamond mining company De Beers are set to go on strike on Friday after wage talks broke down on Wednesday. The workers follow tens of thousands of others in South Africa's coal, metals and petroleum industries who have been on strike for weeks. The strikes come at a time when the country's mining output is slowing and new investment in the industry is drying up amid uncertainty about state ownership, taxation, an ever-changing regulatory environment and corruption. A recent ranking of top global mining investment destinations that puts Alberta at the top relegates South Africa to number 63 alongside Zimbabwe, Guatamala and Venezuela.

South Africa's Environmental Affairs department on Wednesday defended granting Coal of Africa approval to resume construction at the controversial Vele opencast project near Mapungubwe, saying science, not emotion, was behind the decision. Mapungubwe is a World Heritage site and home of the golden rhino figurine (pictured) that dates back to around 1000 AD when Southern Africa's earliest kingdom flourished. Construction of the mine were halted in August last year when it was discovered the Australian company did not comply with aspects of environmental management laws.

OPTI Canada, a bankrupt oil sands producer, has agreed to sell itself to a wholly-owned subsidiary of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, in a deal worth $2.1 billion, the company said on Wednesday. Cnooc, as the Chinese oil giant is known, has been an active deal maker as it seeks to feed China’s ravenous demand for energy.

Curis Resources Ltd. (TSX: CUV) ("Curis" or the "Company") reports a formal update on activities at the Company's flagship advanced stage Florence Copper project in central Arizona, USA.

Latin American precious metal producer Hochschild Mining said output fell 13 percent in the first half, as expected, and that it was on track to meet its full-year target. It produced 11.1 million silver equivalent ounces in the first half due to lower grades at the company's two main Peruvian operations, declining output from its two ageing Ares and Moris mines, and industrial action at its San Jose mine.