GOLD

Gold rose more than 1 percent on Friday but was on track for its biggest quarterly gain this year as concerns that the euro zone debt crisis was far from resolved weighed on stock markets and the euro, lifting interest in bullion as an alternative.

Russian precious metals miner Polymetal is seeking a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange, raising about $500 million in a move it hopes will catapult it into the FTSE 100 bluechip index and hand it currency for acquisitions.

The war-ridden country of Afghanistan has got a shot in its arm with the US Geological Survey releasing a report demonstrating the wealth of the country in the world-class mineral resources.

European stock index futures fell Friday, putting shares there firmly on course to post their biggest quarterly decline since the months following the collapse of Lehman Brothers three years ago.

Gold jumped more than 1 percent on Friday after Germany's approval for expanding the euro zone bailout fund offered temporary relief to investors, but the precious metal was heading for its worst monthly decline in three years.

Asian stocks fell Friday, extending the worst monthly performance since the most volatile days of the global financial crisis in October 2008, with Chinese shares racking up sharp losses.

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Workers at Freeport-McMoRan's Cerro Verde mine in Peru went on strike for better pay on Thursday, but the company said there was no disruption from the mine that supplies 2 percent of the world's copper.

Gold prices hovered in a tight range Thursday as bullish and bearish forces pinned the yellow metal to a virtual standstill.

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Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. said Thursday it plans to spinoff its Yellowjacket Gold Project, located in northwestern British Columbia, to a newly formed unit.

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Gold prices rose on Thursday in choppy trade, with strong physical demand and gains in the euro lending support, but investors remained cautious towards the precious metal after this month's intense volatility.

Small Canadian miner Rio Alto Mining Ltd said on Thursday a strike has halted mining activities at its La Arena gold mine in Peru temporarily.

Gold prices held steady Thursday after German lawmakers, by a surprisingly large majority, accepted a bigger financial burdern in bailing out weak Eurozone economies and strong Asian demand for physical gold offset a weaker dollar.

Up to 1,500 striking workers at Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.'s giant gold and copper mine in Indonesia's remote Papua province protested outside a government office on Thursday, urging authorities to help end a dispute over pay.

Mongolia's quest to renegotiate a 2009 deal to develop the giant Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold deposit might create a crisis of trust for foreign investors, but analysts said the decision could help it through a difficult legislative session starting next week.

Asian technology companies came under pressure on Thursday to slash prices of their tablet computers after Amazon.com launched its Kindle Fire at a mass market-friendly $199.

Freida Pinto's, the face of L'Oreal since 2009, skin seems to be noticeably lighter in a new advertisement for the L'Oreal Colors Take Flight make-up than the actress' natural shading. This is not the first time the company has come under fire.

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Ardent Mines Ltd. expects to buy mineral rights in north-central Brazil next month, the U.S.-based company said Wednesday.