A past-producing gold mine in Canada's Northwest Territories could be back in business thanks to moves last week by Toronto-based Merc International Minerals (CVE:MRK) Inc.

Job seekers in the Australian mining and construction industry were likely to benefit from a favourable hiring climate in the first quarter of 2012, said recruitment solutions provider Manpower.

The intensity of oilsands carbon emissions — the amount of greenhouse gases created per every barrel of oil produced — increased by two per cent between 2009 and 2010, according to an industry report.

Rare earth producer Molycorp (MCP) said Friday it has been granted U.S. government authorization to begin exploratory drilling for heavy rare earth minerals in Mountain Pass, California.

PhysOrg.com reports that researchers have broken through the quantum efficiency barrier, a measure of how efficient solar panels are at absorbing light and turning the photons into electricity.

Chiquita Brands International will work with ForestEthics to eliminate shipping of Chiquita bananas with fuel from refineries that use Canada’s controversial Tar Sands. Chiquita joins a market trend against Tar Sands that now includes 15 publicly confirmed actions by major US companies.

Astur Gold and Gold-Ore Resources announced the joint execution of a binding letter agreement to complete a $150 million business combination.

After discovering a significant deposit in the Ivory Coast, Occidental Gold, a unit of Australia's Perseus Mining said it will seek a mining licence from the West African state.

Gold prices in India have been sliding all week, falling below the crucial $531.66 per 10 grams level for the first time in six weeks in New Delhi on Friday.