Champion Bear Is Encouraged by Preliminary Assay Results From Its Definition Drilling Program at Eagle Rock Cu-Ni-Pge Property

Champion Bear Resources Ltd. ("Champion Bear" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: CBA) is encouraged by the preliminary assay results from the first phase (3211m) of its planned 10,000 m definition drilling program at its Eagle Rock property south west of Dryden, Ontario and expects to be able to define a bulk mineable open pit mineral resource.

The 13 recently completed drill holes were restricted to testing only the eastern portion of the property between Section 0+50W and 3+50E. All other areas of the Campbell Zone (1,100 metre zone between sections 7+00W and 4+00E) were inaccessible due to heavier than normal rains flooding the western area.

Mercator Minerals Ships First Copper Concentrates at Its Mineral Park Mine

Mercator Minerals Ltd. ("Mercator") is pleased to announce that it has commenced shipping copper concentrates from its newly expanded Mineral Park Mine in Arizona, less than two years from completion of its December 29, 2006 Technical Report.

The commencement of concentrate shipments from the Mineral Park copper-molybdenum milling facility marks the completion of the construction/development phase of the project and the operations team will now focus on ramping up production to design levels. In accordance with the copper off take agreement that Mercator has with MRI Trading AG of Zug, Switzerland, the concentrates are being trucked into Mexico and delivered to the Port of Guyamas. Provisional payments are due four days after delivery of each 1,000 lot to the Port of Guyamas.

Regional Drilling at Halilaga Intersects New Areas of Copper-Gold Mineralization

Fronteer Development Group Inc. ("Fronteer" or the "Company") (TSX: FRG)(NYSE Alternext US: FRG) is pleased to announce that widely spaced regional drilling at its Halilaga Project in northwestern Turkey has intersected encouraging new copper-gold mineralization, reinforcing the prospectivity of this emerging mineral belt.

Teck Cominco Limited's Turkish subsidiary ("TCAM"), Fronteer's 60% joint venture partner, is currently testing a series of geochemical and geophysical anomalies within an eight-square-kilometre area believed to have the potential to host porphyry and skarn-style mineralization.

First Quantum Increased Shareholding in Equinox

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Equinox Minerals Limited (TSX and ASX symbol: "EQN") ("Equinox" or the "Company") notes the recent filing on December 16, 2008 of insider trading reports by First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ("FQM") indicating an increase through 13 trades over a substantial period of time from January 24, 2008 to July 28, 2008.

The SEDI reports show an increase in shareholding in Equinox from the 97,556,700 common shares disclosed in FQM's early warning report filed on December 6, 2007 which at that time represented 17.27% of the then outstanding Equinox common shares on an undiluted basis. This position was subsequently diluted to 16.45% of Equinox's issued and outstanding common shares following the conversion of Equinox's outstanding warrants prior to their expiry on May 6, 2008.