Gold rush in Nicaragua — production doubles in little over 10 years

Barrick's Q1 earnings rose 22% to $1.0 billion, up from $820 million a year ago. The company, which released its quarterly financial results on Wednesday, said the rise was due to better than expected production results and higher prices for copper and gold. Barrick's earnings per share were an even $1.00. The total cash cost per ounce of gold is $437 while net cash cost is $308. Barrick said cash costs were ahead of budget due to higher production at its Cortez, Goldstrike and Veladero operations.

La Quinta Resources Corporation (TSX VENTURE:LAQ) ("La Quinta") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire the Carruthers Pass, B.C. massive sulfide project from Cariboo Rose Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:CRB) ("Cariboo Rose"). Under the terms of the LOI, the Company can acquire 90% of the project from Cariboo Rose over a six (6) year term by spending $2 million in work commitments on the project, and making payments of $470,000 cash and issuing 2 million shares of the Company's common stock to Cariboo Rose.

Troy Resources NL (ASX & TSX: TRY) disclosed today that follow up drilling on the Kamila South East zone produced more significant results from the high grade Inca Vein. An earlier assay produced 14.7 metres grading 7.79 grams/tonne gold and 1,292 g/t silver (26.24 g/t Au equivalent), and subsequent drilling produced more positive results.

Colossus Minerals Inc. (the "Company" or "Colossus")(TSX:CSI) is pleased to announce additional assay results from the 25,000 metre surface drilling program at the Serra Pelada Gold-Platinum-Palladium Project, the Colossus-COOMIGASP Joint Venture located in Para State, Brazil. "Drilling such high-grade gold, platinum and palladium approximately 700 metres down plunge from the outcrop of the Central Mineralized Zone in the historic Serra Pelada pit continues to demonstrate the robustness of this mineralized system," commented Ari Sussman, Colossus CEO. "We wait with great anticipation for early 2012 when construction of the underground decline advances to the point that enables the Company to see the Central Mineralized Zone first hand and extract the first of three 2,500 tonne bulk samples from it."

Has world top gold miner, Barrick Gold, given up on its principles to remain predominantly a gold producer? While the copper content of Barrick's business has been growing in recent years as the acquisition and development of some of its biggest new gold projects involve the co-mining of copper from big gold/copper porphyry type orebodies, today's announced agreement to acquire copper miner Equinox seems designed to move it even more into the polymetallic production space.

Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:ABX)(TSX:ABX) ("Barrick" or "the Company") announced today that it has entered into a support agreement with Equinox Minerals Limited (TSX:EQN)(ASX:EQN)("Equinox") for Barrick to acquire, through an all-cash offer, all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Equinox (including the shares represented by Equinox's CHESS Depositary Interests) by way of a friendly take-over offer (the "Offer"). The Offer is for C$8.15 per Equinox share in cash, or a total of approximately C$7.3 billion. The Offer represents a 30% premium based on Equinox's closing share price on the Toronto Stock Exchange on February 25, 2011 (the last trading day before Equinox announced its intention to make a take-over bid for the common shares of Lundin Mining Corporation).

Mid-tier gold miner Iamgold's quarterly gold production rose 41 percent on strong performance at its largest assets, the Rosebel mine in Suriname and Essakane mine in Burkina Faso. Toronto-based Iamgold, which also has mines in Canada, South America and Africa, said gold production came in at 290,000 attributable ounces at a cash cost of $570 to $580 per ounce.

Rescuers and heavy equipment are picking through the debris in hopes of finding more survivors after a landslide thundered down a mountainside in the Philippines on Good Friday. The avalanche of mud hit the mining village of Panganason around 2:30 am Friday morning, according to a story posted on Inquirer.net. Clad in orange suits, the rescuers sifted through the rubble in the hope of adding more survivors—15 so far—plucked from the mud and rocks. But 21 people remained unaccounted for, according to Maj. Jake Obligado, commanding officer of the 71st Infantry Battalion.

Academy-award winning director, actor and environmental activist, Robert Redford, Thursday became the latest face of those opposed to the development of the massive Pebble copper-gold mining project near Bristol Bay in Alaska. In a blog published on the Huffington Post political website, Redford claimed, "I am not against mining. I am against putting mega-mines where they don't belong."