Esther Tanquintic-Misa

With rare earths getting more controversial, what with last week's gung ho complaint filing of economic leaders U.S., the European Union and Japan against China before the World Trade Organization (WTO) because of its supply restrictions of the precious metal, Canadian-based rare earths miner Pacific Wildcat Resources Corp. could just be in the nick of time as it announced of a potential second mine in Kenya this year.

The Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) of Malaysia has been ordered by a High Court Judge to render the details of the controversial temporary operating licence (TOL) it awarded to Australian miner Lynas Corp. in relation to its Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) rare earths facility in Gebeng, near Kuantan.

Chinese car aficionados who have been long eyeing that Daimler, Volkwagen and BMW, among a few, may very well decide to purchase that dream car now as Western automobile makers may likely reduce certain percentages off the selling price of their products in a bid to meet sales quotas amid the economic cuts and rising fuel costs in China.

Combined steel output by the world's various steel-making countries grew marginally in February, up by 1.9 per cent to 119 million tonnes compared from a year ago, the World Steel Association (WSA) said on Tuesday.

Australia is getting spooked, after global mining, oil and gas company BHP Billiton revealed observing signs of a further weakening demand of iron ore from China, instantly kicking the Australian dollar to plummet against the U.S. dollar to below $1.0600.

Canada-based Ucore Rare Metals Inc. has put up a new team of mine-development specialists to facilitate the immediate production of its rare earths project at Southeast Alaska.

Australian rare earths miner Lynas Corp. welcomed the creation of a Malaysian parliamentary select committee (PSC) to intervene on its beleaguered Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) facility, saying it is confident the committee will not be used as mileage to further harass the existence of its yet to be operational plant in Gebeng, Kuantan.

With Pakistan having awarded some 47 exploration licences to various oil and gas exploration companies from 2007 up to last year 2011, a total of 38 new oil and gas reservoirs have been unearthed that helped boost the country's combined oil and gas production to 4,165 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd) from the previous 3,973 MMcfd.

Indian gold jewelers led by members of the All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (AIGFTF) staged a protest action over the weekend to complain the 2 per cent increase on basic customs duty onstandard gold bars, gold coins and platinum that is proposed by the Indian government.

Amid posting a favourable fourth quarter 2011 net profit that soared more than triple from a year ago, Aurizon Mines Ltd. said it is very much amenable to merger talks with other companies.

A day after announcing itself up for sale, shares of Montreal-based gold miner La Mancha Resources Inc. jumped 19 per cent on Thursday, the most in 17 months.

Spurred by China's renewed growing appetite for iron ore plus gaining prices in the Asian market, Ukrainian iron ore miner Ferrexpo Plc has projected to increase its output generation of iron ore to 12 metric tonnes a year effective 2013.

Brunei has renewed a supply contract agreement with a Japanese consortium this week to deliver some 3.4 million metric tonnes annually of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 10 years, effective early 2013.

The Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) of Malaysia is poised to invite international observers to come over Malaysia to help the board come up with the most appropriate project to monitor the supposed radiation emissions of the highly debated rare earths processing plant of Lynas Corp. in Gebeng, Kuantan, Malaysia.

The Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA), a nongovernment orgnaization, has alleged Australian rare earths miner Lynas Corp. will not stop to pause and follow the suspension order imposed by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) from importing its rare earth concentrate into Malaysia.

Disregarding post-Fukushima shocks, China is determined to include nuclear power in its energy generation mix and has been busy eyeing to acquire uranium mines overseas to support this plan.

The battle for accessibility for rare earths supply got nastier on Tuesday in what could be a show of force majeure when three economic powers - the U.S., the European Union (EU) and Japan - lodged a complaint before the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the world's stronghold of rare earths, China.

Overall investments of mining firms in Peru reached $7.2 billion in 2011, representing a hike of 77 per cent over a year ago, data from the country's Mines and Energy Ministry showed.

South Korea's SK Networks Co., the country's third largest conglomerate, is set to dramatically increase its holding stake in Australian mining company Cockatoo Coal to 40 per cent, a deal that just about saves the beleaguered Australian firm from a A$85 million loan it entered into late last year.

Nordgold NV is looking into emerging markets for potential mining acquisitions as it seeks to increase its overall mineral reserves in the next four years with an $800 million budget spending to boot.

Guided by findings of a new research study, Australia will expand its tourism machinery to include enticing those in China's growing second-tier cities which ironically have a population bigger than New York City in the U.S.

From mining rare earths to producing magnets with rare earths, name it and Molycorp Inc., the world's largest non-Chinese rare earths miner, just could already possibly have it.

China, the world's number 2 economy, plans to hurtle 100 rockets and 100 satellites by 2015, including sending out its first manned spacecraft Shenzhou-9 sometime middle this year, in a bid to surpass the U.S. and Russia in the space exploration game.

Australian federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has approved the$2.2-billion worth merger deal between China's Yanzhou Coal Mining Co.'s Australian unit Yancoal and Gloucester Coal, and has even offered the Chinese firm an extension until the end of 2013 to bring down its stake ownership in Yancoal to not more than 70 per cent.

The Australian unit of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., Ivanhoe Australia Ltd., has generated its very first gold and copper concentrate at its Osborne processing facility bought roughly 18 months ago.

The choice to construct the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Malaysia rather than in Meenar, Western Australia as earlier contained in the blueprint of Australian rare earths miner Lynas Corp. stemmed from "a business decision," the company's general counsel told a Malaysian news agency on Thursday.

Any global effort to save and prolong the life of Mother Earth, such as investing into and inventing technologies that use clean fuel and green energy are most welcome. But with the world still yet to determine a suitable, dependable and reliable source of rare earths outside of China, these efforts could prove detrimental to the rare earths supply chain.

The highly debated rare earths processing plant of Lynas Corp. in Malaysia was never part of the Australian miner's overall blueprint submitted and approved a decade ago. In fact, according to the original plan, the now known Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) should have been erected at Meenar, Western Australia.