China’s Zijin pays off stake in Ivanhoe’s Congo copper project

The Directors of Aurelia Resources Limited (ASX:AJU) are pleased to confirm the opening of the company’s Offer Period for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) to raise $3 million, and to undertake a listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Listing on the ASX is expected before the end of June 2011. Fifteen million shares are being offered at 20 cents per share and the company may accept subscriptions for a further 5 million shares to raise an additional $1 million. Also, a loyalty option, priced at 1 cent will be offered to shareholders after three months on a 1 for 2 basis. The exercise price is 20 cents with an expiry date of 30 April 2014. Image by Aurelia Resources Limited

IAMGOLD announced that employees at the Company's Essakane Mine in Burkina Faso are back at work and that the mine has resumed operation. Negotiations are to resume immediately with the intent to resolve all issues within the next 60 days.

Northern Freegold Resources announced that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 22,857,142 units at a price of $0.35 per unit, for gross proceeds of up to $8 million. Each unit will consist of a common share and a share purchase warrant, each warrant being exercisable to acquire an additional share at $0.45 for 18 months following the closing. Net proceeds from the private placement will be applied towards advancement of the Company's Yukon mineral properties and for general working capital purposes.

Franco Nevada reported an adjusted net income of US$21.4 million or 18-cents per share for the first quarter, a 157% increase over the adjusted net income of US$8.3 million or 7-cents per share for the first-quarter 2010. Net income for the first quarter of 2011 was $21.2 million or 18-cents per share, which included a $5.6 million gain, $6.5 million in forex losses and $1.7 million in losses recorded from the equity accounting of Franco's investment in Gold Wheaton prior to the acquisition, which closed on March 14, 201

Richmont Mines Inc. (TSX:RIC)(NYSE Amex:RIC) is pleased to announce financial and operational results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2011. Financial results are based on International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and dollars are reported in Canadian currency, unless otherwise noted.

The wholesale-market gold price continued to fall on Thursday morning in London - hitting a 1-week low of $1480 per ounce - as world stock and commodity markets took another tumble. Silver fell to $32.50 per ounce at the London Fix, nearly $7 down from Wednesday and 33% below the 31-year high of $48.70 set on April 28.

Robert Quartermain's refrain in a Pretium Resources (TSX: PVG) presentation at the Hard Assets conference in New York, May 9-10, was: "This is why I came out of retirement." Quartermain, Pretium president and CEO, was referring to the high-grades of gold at the Brucejack project in BC, Canada, where drillholes have numerous times hit gold measured by kilograms per tonne, not by the usual grams or fractions of ounces per tonne.

Following on the footsteps of an ambitious, $80 billion plan to invest in Quebec's north announced earlier this week, the provincial government is looking at changing its Mining Act, the Montreal Gazette writes: Bill 14, amending Quebec’s Mining Act “in keeping with the principles of sustainable development” was presented Thursday in the Quebec National Assembly.

Silvercorp Metals reported in Q4 that net earnings were up 29% to $12.6 million, or $0.07 per share, compared to net earnings of $9.8 million, or $0.06 per share, in the same quarter last year. It also said that quarterly cash flows from operations up 44% to $34.3 million, or $0.20 per share, from $23.8 million in the same quarter last year. Production was 1.05 million ounces of silver in the quarter, resulting in a record annual production of 5.3 million ounces of silver and achieved the fifth consecutive year of production growth.