Japan will find itself without nuclear power for the first time since 1970 as the last of its currently operating nuclear reactors prepares to go offline.

Hydraulic fracturing companies must publicly disclose the chemicals they use, according to new regulations announced by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The CEO of management leadership consultancy Louis Allen, Nico de Kock, says South African mining companies need to focus more on their management capability and leadership skills, reports Mining Weekly.

Management and leadership should not be seen as separate skills, as they are interlinked and necessary to improve productivity to achieve better results, he explains. “The key driver of any effective input-throughput-output process is the manager. If a management team implements more effective planning, organising, leading and controlling practices, it will improve business results,” notes De Kock.

A weak job's report weighed on oil, which dropped below $100, a first since February.

Trading has been suspended for Focus Metals (CVE:FMS) pending a material announcement.

Shares of Chilean miner Antofagasta PLC (LON:ANTO) were down over 4% at 11:20 ET after the company announced yesterday that its first-quarter copper production fell almost 13% amid rising development and maintenance costs.

Argentina's Congress voted 208-32 to move forward with a bill giving President Cristina Kirchner the green light to seize a 51% stake in the country's largest oil and gas producer, YPF SA from Spain's Repsol YPF SA.

Once tinted by drug cartels and civil war, Colombia is now one of Latin America’s fastest growing markets and, according to the World Bank, the most secure country in the region in which to do business. Since yesterday, the country also has a new national mining agency, which is already looking for foreign investments to expand existing production and explore areas where rich deposits of key resources are suspected.

Matt Manson, Stornoway's President and CEO, stated: "This financing announcement is another important milestone in the development of Quebec's first diamond mine. This loan will provide Stornoway with good funding flexibility as we begin the ramp-up to the capital programs anticipated at Renard in 2013 and 2014.