The Royal Canadian Mint displayed its $1-million face value, 100 kg Gold Maple Leaf Bullion coin at Richmond Hill on Thursday. It […]

Anglo American (LON:AAL) increased its interested in De Beers from 45% to 85% by buying out the Oppenheimer family for US$5.1 billion. De Beers is looking to Anglo American for better operational management. "Anglo American is well positioned to enhance the value of De Beers through its expertise and scale in such areas as technical, supply chain and financial management functions as part of a simplified and more integrated ownership structure," said the company in a statement.

he Quebec government is expected to make a decision within a few weeks on whether to grant loan guarantees to a consortium of investors seeking to re-open the Jeffrey asbestos mine. The lead investor, Montreal-based Balcorp. Inc., is trying to raise $25 million from the private sector to help secure a $58 million loan guarantee from the province, Canadian Press reported back in August. If successful, the investors would purchase the Jeffrey Mine, which has operated infrequently in recent years.

Uranium miner Denison Mines (TSE:DML) announced a $15 million profit or four cents a share for the three months ended September 30. During the same period last year the company had a net loss of $5.5 million. The company's stock was unchanged at $1.55 a share. The company is deferring uranium sales. "As a result of the events in Japan in March 2011, the uranium spot market demand has declined and the price has been trading in a range of $50.00 to $55.00 per pound. In response to these weaker market conditions, Denison has deferred uranium sales to later in the year," said the company in a statement.

Anglo American (LON:AAL) has discovered what could be Europe's largest nickel deposit in a bog in Finnish Lapland. Helsingin Sanomat reports exploration drilling by the British-American mining giant has found samples of ore containing 4% nickel in the Viiankiaapa mire area north of Sodankylä. That compares to 0.4% nickel in the nearby Kevitsa deposit being developed by First Quantum Minerals (TSE:FM), which has spent about 300 million euros constructing a new copper-nickel mine. The news site says Anglo American plans to double the number of drill holes to chart the width and depth of the deposit. The ore body is believed to extend to the surface and measure one kilometre long by half a kilometre wide.

Peru can remain competitive with neighbouring Chile despite a recent decision to hike mining taxes. Peru, the world's third largest copper producer, is able to offset its higher tax on mining companies (which is 3.8 percentage points higher than Chile's) recently imposed by new President Ollanta Humala, because it has cheaper labour and electricity costs, reports Bloomberg:

South Africa's mineral resources minister Susan Shabangu is on a road show in Australia and the UK to quell fears of mine seizures and drum up new investment for the country. So far few are suspending their disbelief over nationalization.

Stock in Formation Metals (TSE:FCO) plunged 13% today after a European bank decided to terminate its loan agreement with the Vancouver-based company. The $79.5 million loan from BNP Paribas was to go towards construction of Formation's Idaho cobalt mine. Formation said the credit facility was terminated without the closing of the subject financing.

BusinessDay reports De Beers has no intention of reducing its interests in South Africa and will up planned investment in its new Venetia underground mine by more than $600 million to $1.9 billion. The Venetia expansion comes after the company this week signed a new $2 billion multi-currency credit facility and the sale of its disused SA mines. De Beers Consolidated Mines delisted from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in May of 2001 after more than a hundred years on the South Africa bourse when the Oppenheimer family took the firm private.