Atlas Iron Limited (“Atlas”) [ASX: AGO] has today declared its recommended off-market takeover offer (“Recommended Offer”) for all of the fully paid ordinary shares in FerrAus Limited (“FerrAus”) [ASX: FRS] free of all defeating conditions. Additionally, Atlas confirms that FerrAus Shareholders who validly accepted the Recommended Offer before it was declared unconditional will be issued their consideration within 3 business days of today’s date (13 September 2011). FerrAus Shareholders who now validly accept the Recommended Offer will be issued with their Atlas Shares within 3 business days of their acceptance being processed.

Bloomberg reports Silvercorp Metals was contacted by a Canada police unit called the Integrated Market Enforcement Team on Wednesday offering to help find the person behind an anonymous letter alleging a “potential $1.3 billion accounting fraud” at the company. Silvercorp Metals was forced on Friday to make public the letter, also sent to the Ontario Securities Commission, presumably from a shorter of the company's stock as it was also disclosed at the time that someone had built up a short position of some 23 million shares over the preceding two months. The firm with projects in China and Canada plunged 10% after the news broke, but has since regained much of the lost ground.

HOYT LAKES, MINNESOTA--(Marketwire - Sept. 7, 2011) - PolyMet Mining Corp. (TSX:POM)(NYSE Amex:PLM) ("PolyMet" or the "Company") today reported its financial results for the three months ended July 31, 2011, which have been filed at www.polymetmining.comand on SEDAR and EDGAR. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). All amounts are in U.S. funds.

Reuters reports Indonesia may impose a tax or quota on mineral ore exports ahead of a planned regulation to ban all exports of raw minerals by 2014, the industry ministry said on Wednesday. The planned ban is part of a mining and coal law introduced in 2009 that requires miners to process minerals into higher value products before exporting them. The move would negatively impact copper miners Newmont and Freeport as currently only 30% of output is processed domestically and comes on top of news that workers at Freeport's massive Grasberg mine in the Papua province plan a second strike next week after wages negotiations broke down.

Dow Jones reports Norilsk Nickel's (PINK:NILSY) board will consider a buyback at $306 a share next Tuesday, a source close to the company's board said Wednesday. Norilsk may spend up to $4.5 billion on the buyback of a 7.7% stake in the company.

The Canberra Times reports Australia's proposed emissions trading scheme – which will evolve from the carbon tax being implemented next year – has won praise from Beijing, where it will be the model for one of six Chinese pilot programmes to be introduced in 2013. Earlier this week the EU also endorsed the controversial Australian plans and announced the start of talks for the eventual linkage of carbon trading by 2015. The carbon tax is vociferously opposed by Australia's coal export industry, the world's largest, which will be forced to pay a levy of $25 per metric tonne of carbon pollution next year.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Sept. 7, 2011) - Columbus Silver Corporation (TSX VENTURE:CSC) ("Columbus Silver") has entered into a memorandum of understanding (the "MOU") under which the publicly-listed U.S. company Santa Fe Gold Corporation (OTCBB:SFEG) ("Santa Fe") has conditionally agreed to acquire all of its outstanding common shares ("Shares") for CDN$0.20 per share in cash (the "Acquisition"). If successful, the Acquisition will be completed as a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia).

The price of December gold – the most actively traded contract – dropped by almost $80 to trade below $1,800 an ounce on Wednesday morning. By midday bullion had regained some of its footing but was still down just over 3% or $56.60, at 1,816/oz in New York as traders banked profits. Gold has declined $120 in less than 24 hours after setting an intraday record of $1,923.10 an ounce on Tuesday. During August the metal added 12% as investors sought a safe haven from the slumping US economy and the continuing debt crisis in Europe. Despite the losses many analysts believe gold will hit $2,000 an ounce soon as talk of another round of monetary stimulus or a direct injection into the economy as part of a jobs programme lead to more cheap money entering the financial markets.

ABC News reports that Queensland is looking to the private sector to help it build a $2.6 billion dam and $2 billion off-shore cargo facility. Premer Anna Bligh said on Tuesday that the Queensland Treasury had been tasked with investigating investment opportunities to fund the Connors River Dam and proposed multi-cargo facility at Abbot Point. The government expects to approach the market in early 2012.