Vale’s New Caledonia nickel plant under siege, up to $30m in damage

BHP Billiton Ltd says it achieved production records in four commodities in 2010/11, with production of iron ore posting its 11th consecutive record. BHP said annual production of iron ore was 134.406 million tonnes (MT), up eight per cent on 2009/10.

NineMSN reports that shares in Meridian Minerals (ASX:MII)jumped after a Chinese state-owned entity, revealed plans to takeover: Shares in Meridian Minerals jumped after the junior explorer's largest shareholder, a Chinese state-owned entity, revealed plans for a $67.5 million takeover offer. Meridian shares were up one cent, or 8.7 per cent, at 12.5 cents at 1343 AEST after an earlier high of 13 cents.

The West Australian Government has announced it will levy a 5 per cent royalty on uranium and magnetite iron ore. By 2014-15 the State Government expects to reap more than $160 million a year from magnetite royalties and $28 million from uranium.

Thunder Bay-based Zenyatta Ventures has ended its dispute with Constance Lake First Nation after the leadership of the 1,470-strong community decided to no longer pursue a motion of injunction against the junior explorer in exchange for better co-operation and preferential job opportunities. Zenyatta can now advance its Albany project south of the so-called Ring of Fire in the James Bay lowlands where it is exploring for nickel and platinum group metals with a purported value in excess of $1 billion.

Interfax reports a few dozen people protested Tuesday outside Romania's Culture Ministry in Bucharest against its approval of the archaeological discharge certificate for the Carnic Mountain, where extensive tunnels used by Roman miners during the rule of emperor Trajan (pictured) still exists. Rosia Montana Gold Corporation, controlled by Canada's Gabriel Resources which first obtained the concession in 1999, needed the permit for its project to establish an open-cast mine in the area believed to hold some 300 tonnes of gold, one of the largest deposits in Europe.

Copper hit its highest since mid-April on Tuesday on better-than-expected U.S. housing data, a weaker dollar and hopes Chinese demand will remain firm, helping offset investor anxiety over U.S. and European sovereign debt concerns.

The head of the Atomic Energy Commission said a four-year study has indicated that the Tumalapalli mine near the Indian state capital Hyderbad, which is scheduled to begin operating later this year, could produce up to 150,000 tons of uranium. The Daily Telegraph reports: "It's confirmed that the mine has 49,000 tons and there are indications that the total quantity could be three times that amount," Mr Banerjee said on a visit to a nuclear plant in the western state of Rajasthan on Monday. If that is the case, it will become the largest uranium mine in the world, he added.

Alberta should establish an independent agency to monitor the environmental impact and pollution from oil sands development, an independent panel told the provincial government in a report released Tuesday. The Alberta Environmental Monitoring Panel was formed in January under pressure from environment groups when questions emerged over the quality and comprehensiveness of environmental reporting on the oil sands. Canada's oil sands also come under fire recently when it was revealed that the federal government deliberately excluded data indicating a 20% increase in pollution in a climate change report to the UN.

Oilsands Quest stock was trading down around 15% in early afternoon trade on Tuesday after the company announced it was hoping to raise $60 million in a rights offer to advance its flagship Axe Lake oil sands project in Saskatchewan. The company is offering existing shareholders 300 million rights at a 40% discount to the share price last Friday, a day on which Oilsands Quest rocketed more 61% on 10-times usual volumes after Saskatchewan converted its Axe Lake permits to 15-year leases. The company has been forced to raise money and go it alone after a fruitless 11-month quest to find a strategic partner.