Have been a frequent weapon of militants in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen once published an online manual on how to make one.

Proposed $36 billion merger of commodities trader and miner Xstrata clears final regulatory hurdle. | Glencore and Xstrata’s combined copper assets

U.S. gold futures hit 15-month low as Cyprus gold sales spook market. | Blouin Business: Gold bears

Port strikes that recently hit top copper producer Chile held up an estimated 9,000 tonnes of the metal's exports a day.

Geology and cost seen as main obstacles; the rest of the mining industry, from copper to coal, not hampered.

Dow closes at another high; S&P 500 reaches highest intraday level since Oct. 2007.

The Nobel Laureate discussed writing and innovation with the search engine's employees.

Gold tumbles nearly 3% after Federal Reserve minutes show central bank may slow or stop buying assets before a pick-up in the job market.

Greeks are targeting many infrastructure projects, gouging out the metal and selling it for scrap to feed ravenous demand driven by China and India.

An army of dedicated workers spend their days, and, as Carnival approaches, their nights, designing, welding, carving, cutting, sewing and embroidering.