Esther Tanquintic-Misa

Australian miner Lynas Corp. may already receive the highly disputed temporary operating license (TOL) for its Malaysian rare earths processing plant before the year ends, depending on how fast it can expedite its compliance to the conditions needed to release the TOL.

China will be imposing stricter standards and regulations in its rare earths mining to salvage what remains of its rare earths reserves amid continued rampant illegal mining activities, even at the expense of a massive shakeup in the global supply and demand for the precious raw commodity.

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto is poised to spend $4.2 billion to support increased iron ore output from its mining operations in Australia and Guinea amid global concerns of a manufacturing slowdown in China, the world's biggest consumer of the steelmaking key ingredient.

Indian developer of airports, power projects, roads and mines GVK Power and Infrastructure will be selling a minority stake in its Singapore unit to raise funds to support its Australian projects as well as reduce outstanding debt dues.

The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) created to look into the safety of the highly disputed $200-million rare earths processing plant of Lynas Corp. in Malaysia has concluded that the facility is safe and has strongly urged for the immediate release of the temporary operating license (TOL) to finally start the plant's delayed operations.

Russian firm Gazprom, also the world's largest extractor of natural gas, is mulling to build a gas pipeline to Japan as part of a memorandum of possible liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects expected to be signed between Russia and Japan next week.

Massively knocked down by its own government's ruling to phase out nuclear power, Germany's second-biggest energy supplier, RWE, announced on Monday it will no longer build nuclear power plants, both domestically and overseas.

Tanzania has uncovered new additional reserves of natural gas off its Lindi coast, the country's Minister for Energy and Minerals Sospeter Mohongo announced over the weekend.

Current energy woes have forced the Kingdom of Jordan to decide on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2014, energy officials announced over the weekend.

More and more non-Chinese rare earths related projects are starting to get off the ground, proof that the world is determined to reduce its dependence on a China for rare earths, as Japan and Vietnam launched over the weekend its very first rare earth research and technology transfer facility.

Rio Tinto, the world's third-largest mining company, is in talks to acquire the mining rights for uranium, base metals and rare metals of Toro Energy in Namibia, Proactive Investors UK reported.

It won't be long before the controversial rare earths processing plant of Australian miner Lynas Corp. goes full blast in Malaysia even if protesters are sure to mount various objections to challenge its eventual kick-off, after the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) ruled out the appeal of locals against the temporary operating license (TOL) issued in January by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB).

As the world anxiously await the restart of two of Japan's idled nuclear reactors, the rest of globe continue to step up working on improvements and safety checks on their respective nuclear power plants.

The Aditya Birla Group, an Indian telecom-to-cement conglomerate, wants to foray into the U.S. coal industry, currently negotiating with thermal coal miner Drummond Company for a significant number of stakes in Colombian-owned mines for a total of $1 billion.

With its Malaysian plant still yet to process rare earths ore from its Mount Weld project, Lynas Corp. is now eyeing on the adjacent Duncan deposit and it most likely to develop it within the next four years.

Global miner BHP Billiton Ltd had expanded its control on the Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine project after it bought for $3 million, some five exploration licenses and one license application from junior explorer Tasman Resources Ltd.

There's no more stopping Japan from restarting and blasting again online its suspended nuclear reactors.This weekend, Japan, a year after being struck by a debilitating earthquake and tsunami that destroyed one of its nuclear reactors, is ready to bring back to life two of its suspended nuclear power plants.

Global miner BHP Billiton Ltd., which said in May it is safekeeping for the meantime some $80 billion it had earlier allotted for investment on new mining projects, had just expanded its control on the Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine project after it bought for $3 million five exploration licences and one licence application from junior explorer Tasman Resources Ltd.

The central bank of Kazakhstan announced it will further build up its official gold holdings by as much as 20 per cent in 2012 from the previous year'a 15 per cent, as well as reduce its holdings of the euro currency to 25 per cent from the previous 30 per cent.

With its highly-controversial Malaysian rare earths processing plant an already ample source of headache, Lynas Corp. has been reported to be likely backing out from another rare earths project, this time in Africa.

More than 1,000 workers at the Modder East mine operation of Gold One International's South African mine have been terminated from their jobs as an aftermath to their week-long illegal protest action.

Australia faces potential revenue stream going down the drain again as workers for another coal miner based in central Queensland state goes on strike effective Monday next week.

China might get dumped over the potentially big Belinga iron ore in Gabon, the AAP news agency reported, quoting Raymond Ndong Sima, Prime Minister of Gabon.

Molycorp, Inc.'s takeover bid over Canadian rare earths processor Neo Material Technologies Inc is now a done deal.

Guinea is now ready to produce its first iron ore through its joint venture Guinea Development Corporation, with the first shipment expected to be loaded by June 30.

It has been seven years since Australia and China first conducted their bilateral talks towards a possible free trade agreement (FTA). This year, Australia wants that FTA officially and formally signed.

The Australian market is abuzz with activity after it received a much needed shot in the arm when TRUenergy, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed power utility CLP Holdings Ltd., on Thursday declared it will undertake an A$3 billion (US$2.98 billion) initial public offering (IPO) listing in November this year.

The government of Australia's state of Queensland, currently embroiled over a nasty feud with the federal government over the highly controversial $6.4-billion coal mine project between India's GVK Power & Infrastructure, and Hancock Coal owned by Gina Rinehart, the world's richest woman, has given its go-signal to a proposed rail link system that will supplement the coal mine project.

The state government of Queensland has been stripped of its regulatory approval powers over the $6.4-billion Alpha Coal Mine project betweenHancock Coal owned by Gina Rinehart and India's GVK Power & Infrastructure, Australia's federal government said on Thursday.