After pre-marketing their latest venture, Denham Capital, which is one of the largest resource-focused private equity firms, announced the formation of Auctus Minerals, to focus on acquiring underperforming operations across Australia and applying operating efficiencies to them in order to turn a profit. The venture is being funded with US $130 million (initially) from Denham and will… Continue Reading

For those that haven’t had access to the internet or TV today, the West African country of Burkina Faso’s government has collapsed and is essentially in complete disarray. After a day of violent protests, the military seized power and effectively dissolved the country’s parliament. This is a surprise, coming out of one of the more… Continue Reading

The Lundins focus on Chile is continuing today, this time with more news from portfolio company, NGEx Resources (NGQ:TSX). “Chile’s biggest new copper-gold camp” is posted all over NGEx’s website and the company believes that they not only have large deposits (3 of them to be exact), but that they are sitting on an entire… Continue Reading

The Lundin name has been synonymous with large deals in the mining space (Lundin Mining and Fortress Minerals) as well as big new oil discoveries in Norway (Lundin Petroleum) over the past few weeks, however, today that trend was bucked with their African oil explorer (aptly named Africa Oil (AOI:TSX)) trading to new 52-week lows… Continue Reading

A standout among three of the best Alaska and Yukon gold juniors today. Also, a picnic. Last month I had the opportunity to attend an analyst’s tour in Alaska and the Yukon on behalf of CEO.ca / Resource Opportunities where we checked out three of the North’s most interesting projects, run by three different companies. Each… Continue Reading

Pioneering Yukon mineral and mushroom prospector Shawn Ryan hosted Bob Simon of 60 Minutes recently. The media love Mr. Ryan. He made the cover of New York Times in 2012, and now he’s been immortalized on the most successful TV newsmagazine in history. “The norm is to fail,” Ryan told Simon on prospecting. “If you play one… Continue Reading

On the back of Mexico opening up its oil sector to foreign investors for the first time in 76 years, Colombia’s largest state-owned oil company, Pacific Rubiales (PRE:TSX) has decided to join in. The company, which produced 149,011 boepd (net) in Q2, signed a 3-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mexico’s state oil company Petróleos… Continue Reading

Globe and Mail mining scoop queen Rachel Younglai is reporting that the Lundin family are in talks to buy Ecuador’s Fruta del Norte gold deposit from Kinross Gold, one of the richest undeveloped gold mines in the world, albeit in a challenging mining jurisdiction. Kinross acquired the project for $1.2 billion in 2008 and have regretted the decision… Continue Reading

If you’ve been watching the medical marijuana market from afar these last few months, wondering when the rubber might hit the road (or if it might skid off into a wall), today is the day that many of your questions will be answered. In the movie business, the last thing you want is two huge… Continue Reading

Science has a new piece out on Afghanistan’s mining potential. Read: Mother of all lodes (behind paywall) According to the article, the US Department of Defence has the country’s mineral wealth tapped at $908 billion. The Afghans prefer the figure of $3 trillion. That bounty is a product of a tortured tectonic history: Afghanistan is an amalgam… Continue Reading

Peter Koven of the Financial Post reminds us why he is one of the best mining reporters, distilling Cameco’s Cigar Lake uranium mine, one of the most complicated and significant mining operations on earth, down to a succinct 61 second video. Watch it over at FP’s site, or read the transcription below. “The cigar lake… Continue Reading

Sentiment in the thermal coal market is nearly as poor as it gets right now. The mood has been further dampened this week by price cutting from Chinese coal producers. With sellers slashing prices in an attempt to clear out inventory. That’s led to an almost complete loss of appetite for imports into China. With… Continue Reading

A new uranium exploration junior is about to start trading, and the CEO has a lot of experience with exploration promotions. The company is Westham Resources Corp, about to be renamed Roughrider Exploration Limited, which has an option to earn up to an 85% interest in in Kivalliq’s “Genesis” uranium project in Saskatchewan’s Athacasca Basin, not far… Continue Reading

This morning, Dominion Diamond (DDC:TSX), the operator of the Ekati mine which was Canada’s first diamond mine, announced that it had come to an agreement with Chuck Fipke to buy his remaining 10% participating interest in the mine for $67 million. Charles E. (Chuck) Fipke’s Dia Met Minerals discovered what would become the Ekati Mine in the Northwest Territories in… Continue Reading

“A miners’ legend has it that Satan lives in gold mines.” The New Yorker is out with an incredible long form survival story. In 2010, 33 workers at the San José Mine in Chile’s Atacama desert were trapped 2000 feet below the surface for 69 days with barely enough food to keep them alive, and only oil tainted… Continue Reading