Finders Resources’ progress on its Wetar copper project has been sure and steady at a time when other early stage mine projects have stuttered.

EMED Mining’s negotiations to acquire all the land related to the Rio Tinto copper mine are now at a ‘more realistic level’, according to Fairfax Securities.

Metminco today announced a major resource upgrade to its flagship Los Calatos project in Peru - lifting the resource tonnage by 150 per cent. The copper and molybdenum tonnage for the project now stands at 2.32 billion tonnes.

The company today confirmed that it has now gained access to the underground areas of the Namib project after the historic mine was dewatered.

Investors continue to get behind dual listed mine developer Rambler Metals & Mining as the Ming copper-gold mining operation continues to beat expectations.

Shares in the group received a massive boost this morning after the group announced positive results from testwork completed on samples from the Malachite Pan copper project in Namibia, where it will focus efforts this year.

Rambler Metals & Mining today revealed that a China based investor is increasing its stake in the company, buying 10.4 million new shares for just shy of £3 million.

Goldman is lending EMED the project financing money and it will be repaid in copper following the restart of the Rio Tinto mine in Andalucía, Spain.

EMED Mining has agreed a deal with banking heavyweight Goldman Sachs in relation to a US$175 million financing package for the development of the Rio Tinto copper mine

Drilling will test two targets which are believed to host a similar style of uranium rich mineralisation that is present at Extract's nearby Husab/Rossing South project and Rio Tinto's Rossing mine.

The shares advanced 20 per cent today as Weatherly reported a US$13.3 million profit. City broker Collins Stewart believes investors will turn their attention to the firm as an emerging copper producer.

In this morning’s interim results statement Weatherly reported a US$13.3 million profit. It is producing good cash flows from the mines within its central operations and it is on track to complete a feasibility study for the Tschudi open pit in the coming months.

The total resource of the Tschudi copper project in northern Namibia has increased by 5 per cent to 50.1 million tonnes at 0.86 per cent copper, according to its owner Weatherly International.

A new Chinese offtake partner has bought a 10 per cent stake in the company and will provide up to US$30 million to help fund the mine restart project.

A year of recovery in 2011 has put Weatherly in a “pretty good space” and the copper miner is determined to keep enough in reserve to cope if there are any more financial dislocations.

Rambler Metals and Mining's first gold dore from the Ming Mine marks a significant step for the company, as it is now in production from its own mine. So says broker Seymour Pierce, which rates the stock a 'buy', targeting a price of 55 pence a share.

The recent deal between TSX-listed miner Quadra FNX Mining and Japanese giant Sumitomo underlines the intense interest in South American copper at the moment. It possibly also serves as a blue-print for other deals in the sector – one in which an ambitious explorer is able to finance a world class project without giving away too much of the upside.

The success of the placing and open offer serves to underscore the potential of Metminco’s Los Calatos asset, which is one of the largest single copper deposits currently owned by a junior.

The cash is being earmarked for next year’s drill programme on the Los Calatos project. It will also be spent on the ongoing development of the Mollacas and Vallecillo projects.

EMED Mining shares gained around 5 per cent today after it gave an update on permitting process for the redevelopment of the Rio Tinto copper mine in Andalucía, Spain.

EMED Mining today reported significant progress in the past month as it works through the permitting process for the Rio Tinto mine redevelopment programme. Additionally it has now acquired additional mineral concessions adjacent to the mine.

There is now light at the end of the tunnel for EMED Mining as it prepares to restart the development of the Rio Tinto copper mine in the Andalucía region of Spain, according to Fairfax Securities.

Rambler Metals & Mining told investors it has started commissioning the Nugget Pond copper concentrator but that it will begin work by processing ore at a separate gold plant next month. Analysts at Ocean Equities and Seymour Pierce digest the news.

Sampling results from the Ubib copper-gold project have illustrated the group’s upside potential beyond the flagship Namib lead-zinc project, according to analysts at Ocean Equities.

But the investment bank still believes the foundations of the commodities “supercycle” are still in place, stating that the current sell off is “an opportunity in waiting” 

The latest set of drilling results hints at the potential of its assets in Namibia. Here, with the help of management, we take a closer look at North River's projects in the country.

If Frontier can meet both its own and its brokers’ expectations and deliver steadily growing post-tax annual earnings from Benkala, culminating in $50 million in two year’s time, then today’s market cap of just $92 million will look a little silly.

Broker Nomura says the company has the potential to more than triple its copper production in around five years and offers the best "organic growth profile among its copper peers" but Citigroup takes a more bearish stance on the growing firm.

A sell-off on the mining sector over recent months has left many players looking rather undervalued even after factoring in recent earnings downgrades. That means cash rich players will continue to hunt for acquisitions, with Liberium Capital reckoning the likes of First Quantum, London Mining and Centamin are prime potential targets.