Aurizon Minerals has reported a 44% increase in mineral reserves at its Casa Berardi mine in northwestern Quebec. That brings the gold reserves to 1.457 million ounces, with 370,000 ounces available for open pit mining in the principal zones, which are open laterally.

Inmet Mining is holding firm on the proposed friendly merger with Lundin Mining, saying there are significant risks associated with the hostile Equinox offer for Lundin announced last week. Inmet continues to believe the proposed merger of equals between Inmet and Lundin to create Symterra provides superior benefits to shareholders of both Inmet and Lundin without the risks associated with the Equinox offer, Inmet stated on Thursday.

The Association of American Railroads said that freight railroads will get US$12 billion capital expenditure in 2011. The association released a state of the industry report on Wednesday, Great Expectations 2011. Capital expenditure is rising to keep up with demand for services, namely grain and coal transport.

Cerro Resources NL (ASX:CJO)(TSX-V:CJO) has completed its previously announced acquisition of the Namiquipa Silver Project in Mexico from Minera Tasmania S.A. de C.V. Under the Dec. 13 share purchase agreement, Cerro will acquire all of Minera's shares in consideration for 30,000 shares of Cerro. The transaction is expected to close this Friday.

Crystallex International Corporation (TSX:KRY)(NYSE Amex:KRY) announced today that its February 16, 2011, Request for Arbitration before the Additional Facility of the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes ("ICSID") against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ("Venezuela") has been registered by the Secretary General of ICSID.

The spectacular Carapateena discovery that Canadian Teck Resources had seen as its big foreign play until the global financial crisis, is now passing into the hands of OZ Minerals Ltd (ASX: OZL). OZ Minerals said this week it had paid $US240 million for the project, making an immediate deposit of $US10 M.

Thom Beers, the man behind the popular reality television series Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers, is now producing a series about coal mining in Appalachia. Coal premieres on Spike TV this spring with the first show airing at the end of this month. You can already see episodes on Spike TV's website.

Allied Gold Limited has gone into production with its Gold Ridge mine on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The Australia-based company spent $150 million on the project after acquiring it through the takeover of TSX-listed Australian Salomons Gold in 2009. The mine is expected to produce 120,000 ounces of gold per year.

SEMAFO (TSX:SMF) today announced the discovery of the new Yaho gold zone, located 4.5 kilometers southwest of the Fofina zone and 20 kilometers southwest of the Mana Mill in Burkina Faso. Three Reverse Circulation ("RC") drilling sections were carried out to date across this wide alteration zone with each section returning wide, significant grade intervals such as 2.27 g/t Au across 54 meters (hole MRC10-540 - section 15450N), 2.00 g/t Au across 20 meters (hole MRC10-542 – section 15450N), 1.37 g/t Au across 16 meters (hole MRC10-514 – section 15650N), 4.59 g/t Au (10.73 g/t Au uncut) across 10 meters (hole MRC10-526 – section 15850N), and 1.88 g/t Au across 88 meters (hole MRC10-529 – section 15850N).