US withdrawal from TPP to impact steel sector — Wood Mackenzie

London-based diversified miner Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) is taking a page out of BHP Billiton's playbook and is looking at selling some or all of its diamond mines.

Chris Berry, founder of Mountain Partners asset management company, provided an interesting summary of the graphite space while speaking at the recent Graphite Express Conference in Vancouver.

"Shenhua is the most competitive bidder for the project given its technology, transport infrastructure, access to the Chinese market and the backing of the Chinese government," Shenhua CEO Ling Wen told reporters.

In January last year local radio broadcaster Gerry Ortega, who fought hard for a ban on mining on Palawan was slain and now the Philippines' Department of Justice asked for murder charges to be filed against former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes and four others in connection with his death.

Japan and Canada have formally agreed to launch negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) to eliminate import tariffs on most products and cooperate on developing energy resources, including natural gas and minerals, reports Platts.

Nautilus Minerals Inc. shares were up almost 24% this morning (TSX:NUS), after the company released solid year end results with, narrowing its full-year loss in 2011 to US$34 million.

Nick Holland of CEO Gold Fields said on Monday the company has plonked $63 million on a second gold-copper project in the Philippines. The globe's fourth-largest gold miner also announced it is suspending drilling in Mali, Africa's third largest gold producer following a military coup.

Canadian-based gold producer Monument Mining Limited (TSX-V: MMY) informed it busted a gold stealing syndicate at the Selinsing Gold Mine in Malaysia.

A legal clash between Brazilian mining giant Vale (NYX:VALE) and Australia's Aquila Resources (ASX: AQA) has taken a step towards resolution this morning after the companies announced they’ve reached an agreement on coal shipments from their co-owned Isaac Plains mine in Queensland.