Colombia wants to become player in copper in next few years – government official

While miners and explorers may be hitting the investment conferences looking for funding, NGOs are successfully using crowd sourcing to get projects started.

Pan American Silver is buying Minefinders for $1.5 billion in a cash and stock deal. Markets reacted negatively to the news with Pan American today losing 8.67% of its value and falling to $22.85 a share in morning trading.

SilverCrest Mines (CVE:SVL), a gold and silver miner operating in Mexico, announced today that the inferred resources at its La Joya property increased by 424% from 24.0 million to 126.0 million silver equivalent ounces.

Jose Sergio Gabrielli is no longer CEO of Petrobras, Brazil's state-controlled oil company. He was replaced by Maria das Graças Foster, a business leader with close ties to the president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff.

Stock in both US Gold Corp and Minera Andes charged ahead more than 7% in morning trade on Friday after announcing that their respective shareholders voted in favour of a proposed business combination. The new entity, with projects in the US, Mexico and Argentina will be named McEwen Mining and headed by industry veteran Rob McEwen.

As attractive deposits become harder and harder to find in traditional markets miners are pushing the limits of the political risk they are willing to take on. But things can go spectacularly wrong.

CB Gold was up 4.24% to $1.23 a share on Wednesday after announcing drilling results at its Vetas Gold project in Colombia.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Jan. 18, 2012) - Santa Fe Metals Corp. ("the Company") (TSX VENTURE:SFM) is pleased to report assay results from the November/December 2011 phase of the ongoing sampling program on its Don Indio project at Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila, Mexico.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Jan. 18, 2012) - Baja Mining (TSX:BAJ)(OTCQX:BAJFF) today announced that its 70 per cent-owned Mexican subsidiary, Minera y Metalurgica del Boleo S.A de C.V. (MMB) drew a further US$ 100 million on January 17, 2012, the third draw on its senior debt facilities to date.