Peru's Minister of Energy and Mines Jorge Merino Tafur said the government is working hard on creating social programs for the communities and towns of La Oroya, which has been severely affected by the closure of Doe Run’s metallurgical complex three years ago.

As families and friends of dead miners mark the second anniversary of the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster in West Virginia on April 5, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration announced it would issue its final set of rules for inspecting underground coal mines on Friday.

Australian coal mines owned by BHP Billiton (ASX:BHP) and Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd (TYO:8058) in the Bowen Basin area voted to resume their strike, momentarily stopped this morning, right after Easter.

While speculation about the Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on the Affordable Care Act has been getting all the attention, there is a little known provision in the law that reinstates an old protection, an expansion of benefits for victims of black lung.

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 3, 2012) - Lake Shore Gold Corp. (TSX:LSG)(NYSE Amex:LSG) Lake Shore Gold Corp. ("Lake Shore Gold" or the "Company") today held a brief press conference to respond to enquiries from the media, and Dan Gagnon, Senior Vice-President of Operations, issued the following statement:

Ecometals Limited (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:EC)(BERLIN:GDQ)(FRANKFURT:GDQ) - The Company is pleased to announce that it has received the Environmental License from the Ministry of the Environment for advanced exploration for its Rio Zarza project in Zamora, Ecuador. The Environmental License encompasses the Rio Zarza and Valle del Inca I licenses and authorizes advanced exploration activities as per the Company's Environmental Impact Study which includes, but is not limited to, diamond drilling.

The relocation of the mining giant's sales and marketing arm's headquarters to the Botswana capital could lead to around $6 billion flowing though the country’s banking system, compared to the $2 billion or so the country earns from rough sales at the moment.

"We thank shareholders for their support during this unnecessary proxy contest, which has been challenging, costly and disruptive for Baja," said John Greenslade, President and CEO of Baja. "We also caution that strong shareholder support may again be needed at the upcoming Annual General Meeting."

President Ollanta Humala’s administration wants the the South American nation's highest court to throw out an ordinance by the region of Cajamarca banning work on the $4.8 billion copper-gold project.