Canadian mining equities improve in Q1, but companies remain cautious

Unsafe operating conditions in an unsanctioned gold mine have claimed at least 20 lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Centerra Gold, a Toronto-based Canadian company, appears in the news regarding its troubles in Kyrgyzstan and its operations at the Kumtor gold mine.

Wright, who joined Eldorado in 1996 and has held several management positions prior to becoming its president and CEO in 1999, will be the company's new chairman.

Over 1,000 Thai miners will be out of a job come January, when the Chatree mining complex shuts its gates.

Now that commodities are climbing out of a five-year-long trough, investors that shunned the junior mining sector are looking to get back in on the game.

Two federal agencies said the mineral leases for Twin Metals, a subsidiary of Antofagasta plc, will not be renewed.

The project, discovered in 2006, is one of the world’s biggest recent gold findings, with reserves estimated at about 4.8 million ounces of gold and 6.3 million ounces of silver.

According to the country's chamber of mines, more than a million artisanal miners currently work at about 350 sites, producing between 10 and 15 tonnes of gold a year.

The long-anticipated interest rate increase by the U.S. Federal Reserve has had the predicted impact on gold.