The Kodieran gold deposit in Mali never produced much gold beyond the specks that locals panned from this remote corner of Africa. Yet in 2012, the mine gained a curious shareholder: Airbus.

The French aviation giant bought its stake in a round-about way, moving 15 million euros from an internal fund through a series of entities in the British Virgin Islands, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Germany.

Russia’s biggest bank Sberbank said on Thursday its Swiss subsidiary had begun trading physical gold on the Shanghai Gold Exchange.

Sberbank was granted international membership of the Shanghai exchange in September last year and in July completed a pilot transaction with 200 kg of gold kilobars sold to local financial institutions, the bank said.

HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#ContractedServicesManagement–Management Controls, Inc. (MCi), Maker of Track Software Platform, Announces Change of Control, New Investment for Product Offerings for Customers

JSE- and NYSE-listed precious metals miner Sibanye Resources has appointed Robert van Niekerk the company’s executive VP for the Southern Africa region. Van Niekerk joined Sibanye in February 2013 as part of the executive team, fulfilling various roles within the organisation, including, most recently as CEO of the company’s platinum division.

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Following Pallinghurst’s restructuring and successful acquisition of emerald miner Gemfields, the JSE-listed diversified miner will now commence with the preparatory work to potentially obtain a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange, with Gemfields delisting from London’s Aim stock exchange by month end. Following the takeover offer by Pallinghurst in May to acquire the entire issued and to-be-issued share capital of Gemfields, almost 90% of Gemfields’ shareholders have accepted Pallinghurst’s offer.

SANTIAGO, Chile–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GeoPark Limited (“GeoPark” or the “Company”) (NYSE: GPRK), a leading independent Latin American oil and gas explorer, operator and consolidator with operations and growth platforms in Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Peru, today announced its operational update for the three-month period ended June 30, 2017 (“2Q2017”). All figures are expressed in US Dollars and growth comparisons refer to the same period of the prior year, except when specified. Quarter

Mining and metals companies operating in Europe are set to remain in recovery mode, as a sluggish recovery in mineral prices keep investment activity subdued, while environmental regulations will pose headwinds for coal-producing countries.

BMI Research said on Thursday that mineral prices were unlikely to recover over the coming quarters, citing a drop in Chinese demand owing to an economic slowdown in that country. Poor short- to medium-term growth prospects in Europe’s two mining powerhouses, Ukraine and Russia, over the next five years would further hinder mining development in the region.

TSX-V-listed project developer Rathdowney Resources has announced a private placement to raise $600 000, which it plans to use to advance its Ola zinc/lead/silver project, in Poland.
Rathdowney will use the proceeds of the placement of about 3.16-million units at $0.19 a unit to advance engineering work to progress the Olza project towards feasibility study and the completion of permit licensing.

Having recently recovered full ownership of the Alvalade copper/lead/zinc project in the Iberian Pyrite Belt of southern Portugal, exploration and development company Avrupa has said it is open to finding new partners for the project.

The company has assembled a data set for potential partners to review and reported this week that interest in the project was strong.

ASX-listed Cape Lambert has entered into a binding term sheet with fellow-listed FE Limited to assign its rights over the Kasombo copper-cobalt project, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Cape Lambert established rights to the Kasombo project in May this year after signing a joint venture agreement with Paragon Mining.

ASX-listed gold producer Pantoro has continued to increase production at its Nicolsons project, in Western Australia, beating its previous production record during the three months to June.

The miner on Thursday reported that the Nicolsons project delivered 11 828 oz of gold during the June quarter, which was up from the 10 348 oz produced in the previous quarter, and which was up by 77% on the previous corresponding period.

ASX- and TSX-listed Champion Iron has secured $180-million in debt financing to support the restart of operations at its Bloom Lake iron-ore mine, in Quebec.

The financing, secured from Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec and Sprott Resource Lending, will be undertaken in two tranches, the first of which was an $80-million five-year senior secured loan provided by Sprott.

Mineral sands producer Base Resources has reported record quarterly revenue for the three months to June, as ilmenite and zircon prices continued to improve.

The unit revenue per tonne of product sold during the quarter increased to $297/t, compared with the $258/t reported in the previous quarter.

Gold miner Northern Star Resources has reported record gold production for the quarter ended June, allowing the company to reach the top end of its full-year guidance.

Gold production during the June quarter increased to 154 116 oz, from 125 753 oz in the previous quarter, with full-year production reaching 514 735 oz, which was within the guidance range of between 485 000 oz to 515 000 oz.

Construction has started on the A$800-million Northern gas pipeline, in the Northern Territory, with Chief Minister Michael Gunner saying the project would create hundreds of jobs and underpin development in the region.

The 622-km pipeline will link Tennant Creek in the Territory to Mount Isa, in Queensland, with first gas expected to flow in 2018.

The share price of graphite developer Graphex Mining rose by nearly 35% on the ASX on Thursday after the company’s Chinese partners reaffirmed their commitment to the Chilalo project, in Tanzania.

Graphex told shareholders that it had revised the terms of a proposed joint venture (JV) and equity investment agreement previously reached with the syndicate of investors, led by CN Docking Joint Investment & Development.

Iron-ore imports by China this year are on course to exceed one-billion metric tons by a comfortable margin, breaking 2016’s record, after figures for the first half showed another jump in cargoes and highlighted the ability of the largest steelmaker to absorb rising seaborne supplies.

Shipments in June were 94.7-million tons, up from 91.5-million in May, according to customs data on Thursday. In the first six months, imports rose to 539-million tons, 9.3% higher than the same period in 2016.

Rio Tinto’s proposed Resolution Copper Mine in Arizona would tunnel 7 000 feet underground, where rocks radiate heat from the earth’s molten core. It would suck up enough water to supply a city and leave a crater a mile and a half wide and 1 000 feet deep.

Planned for more than a decade, the project would be a prototype for a looming era of more invasive US mines as companies run out of easy-to-reach deposits, geologists say. It is also the project President Donald Trump’s Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, had in mind as he began crafting a “hit list” of regulations that should be killed to speed industrial permitting.

Executives from Sibanye Gold Ltd., South Africa’s biggest gold miner, were in Los Angeles in the final stages of a roadshow with U.S. bond fund managers last month when a bombshell hit from back home. The government had introduced shock new rules requiring local mines be 30 percent black-owned in perpetuity, toughening existing requirements and implying hefty dilution for shareholders. South African stocks tumbled and bond yields rose that day. The measures, called Mining Charter 3, put at risk funding for Sibanye’s $2.2 billion acquisition of Stillwater Mining Co. of the U.S., the biggest foreign takeover by a South African mining company in 16 years.

Russia’s Rusal has resumed construction of its long-stalled Taishet aluminium smelter project in Siberia in expectation of a widening global aluminium deficit, the company said on Wednesday.

The world’s second-largest aluminium producer behind China’s Hongqiao needs a further $700-million to complete the project, having invested about $800-million in Taishet before it was halted because of falling aluminium prices.

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) will pay nearly C$1.2-billion to become the largest partner in the Corrib offshore natural gas field, 83 km offshore Ireland. The Toronto-based fund manager will initially buy a 45% interest in the project from a subsidiary of the Dutch exploration and production giant Shell for €830-million.

The first new gold mine in 12 years for the Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek enters production today, with a life expectancy of six to eight months.

Kalgoorlie, Bunbury and Perth have been short-listed for a proposed multi-million-dollar lithium refinery, predicted to provide jobs and investment for the next 50 years.

Shareholders rewarded Canadian copper producer Capstone Mining on Wednesday, pushing its TSX-listed stock up some 11% following the Vancouver-headquartered company reporting improved second-quarter production results.
Copper output rose 15% quarter-over-quarter in the three months ended June, hitting 24 000 t of red metal, compared with 20 900 t in the first quarter. That brings the year-to-date total to 44 900 t.

Base metals producer Taseko Mines has scaled-back mining and milling operations at its cornerstone Gibraltar mine, in response to the severe wildfire conditions in the Cariboo region of British Columbia.
The Vancouver-based company reported that despite there not being any fires in the immediate vicinity of Gibraltar and receiving supplies is not an issue at this time, the severity of the situation has impacted its employees’ ability to travel to the mine.

Chilean copper mine Collahuasi, a joint venture of Anglo American and Glencore, said on Wednesday it will cut 115 jobs, including executives, as part of a plan to boost efficiency amid low prices for the metal.
Collahuasi, one of the world’s largest copper mines, said in a statement that its staff had been structured when the mine was planning an expansion that never came about, necessitating the cutbacks.

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) will pay nearly C$1.2-billion to become the largest partner in the Corrib offshore natural gas field, 83 km offshore Ireland.
The Toronto-based fund manager will initially buy a 45% interest in the project from a subsidiary of the Dutch exploration and production giant Shell for €830-million.

State-controlled mining firm Saudi Ma’aden plans to develop the Mansourah, Massarah gold mine, industry sources told Reuters.

Ma’aden operates six gold mines in the Central Arabian Gold Region, western Saudi Arabia which contains much of the Kingdom’s gold-rich ore deposits. It has recently started operating the Ad Duwayhi gold mine.

Canadian vanadium producer Largo Resources’s syndicate of lenders under existing debt facilities have agreed to terminate and defer capitalisation requirements totalling $10-millionon the back of rising vanadium prices.
The TSX-listed firm, which built and operates the Maracas Menchen mine, in Brazil’s state of Bahia, was required by the lenders of its 2017 facilities to recapitalise the project by $5-million in March and by another $5-million in June.

The biggest oil traders feeling the squeeze in a world awash with crude are seeking an edge by offering tailor-made cargoes in an offshore megastore.

By selling bespoke from a fleet of ships anchored off Singapore and Malaysia, the likes of Vitol Group, Trafigura Group, Glencore and Gunvor Group are seeking to lure buyers who are becoming more demanding. With crude from the US to Africa and Europe stored in their tankers, the traders can mix and match oil of differing quality and characteristics to offer made-to-measure cargoes that meet their customers’ niche specifications.

CALGARY, Alberta–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Parkland Fuel Corporation Announces July 2017 Dividend

CALGARY, Alberta–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Parkland Fuel Corporation Announces July 2017 Dividend

Major pipeline companies in western Canada have created fire breaks, installed sprinklers and taken other measures to protect operations as raging wildfires spread to more than 38 000 ha, in British Columbia.

Enbridge has taken a natural gas compressor station offline but it said on Wednesday that there had been no significant reduction in volumes shipped.