Gold

Australia moved closer to introducing a contentious 30 percent mining tax being eyed by other countries, releasing draft laws and seeking reaction from resource companies to legislation expected to be passed later this year. The government unveiled the mining tax over a year ago but modified its plan before last August' s elections after global miners including BHP Billiton , Rio Tinto , and Xstrata launched a public campaign against it. Big miners and minority lawmakers are now broadly supportive and the legislation is expected to pass parliament and take effect on July 1, 2012.

iverstone Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE:RVS)(OTCQX:RVREF)(FRANKFURT:3RV) is pleased to report further results from the drill program on the company's Karma Project in Burkina Faso, West Africa (see map on website: http://www.riverstoneresources.com/i/maps/110608-100504_GG1_2_Cartoon.jpg). The holes are part of an ongoing RC drill program on the Goulagou I zone of the Karma Project. The program is designed to both fill-in and expand the known mineralization at Goulagou I, which remains open in all directions, especially to the west and at depth. Map of the Karma Project by Riverstone Resources Inc.

Ethiopia is set to hit its target of more than doubling mining exports to an annual $1 billion ahead of time, the country's mining minister told Reuters, as it promotes gold extraction, but also fertilizer ingredient potash. Ethiopia, though still reliant on commodities like coffee for revenue, is expected to earn around $500 million from mining exports in the financial year to next July, the minister said. It had targeted doubling that over five years from 2010/11.

Standard & Poor’s has raised its metals price assumptions for 2011 and beyond, citing the increased volatility of the markets but worries […]

Robert Friedland, Chief Executive Officer of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (TSX:IVN)(NYSE:IVN)(NASDAQ:IVN), issued an operations update today that reports on progress being achieved on the development of principal projects in the portfolios of the parent company and its subsidiaries and associated interests. Key developments: Full-scale construction at Ivanhoe Mines' flagship Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold-silver mining complex is continuing toward a projected peak level of activity that is expected to be reached during the third quarter of this year. The total number of workers engaged at the Oyu Tolgoi construction site has more than doubled since March 1, 2011, as part of the build up to the peak of construction and currently stands at 12,497.

Gold–Ore Resources Ltd. (TSX:GOZ) today released Second Quarter (ending May 31, 2011) production results for the 100% owned Bjorkdal Gold Mine in Sweden. During the second quarter the mine produced 11,131 ounces of gold, an increase of 11% over the first quarter; during the month of May the mine set a new monthly gold production record of 4,208 ounces. The company projects 2011 gold production at 44,000 to 46,000 ounces.

Capella Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:KPS)(PINK SHEETS:CPSJF) is pleased to announce that it has discovered two new mineralization zones at its Lajitas gold-copper project in northern Chile as a result of the recently completed airborne hyperspectral imaging survey by SpecTIR LLC of Reno, Nevada.

South African mining output rebounded strongly in April, rising by 12.4% year-on-year, after contracting 1.4% in the previous month, a report by Statistics South Africa showed on Thursday. Year-to-date production increased by 5.2%, on the back of surging output of nickel, manganese, platinum group metals and copper but gold production continued to lag, only managing a 1.5% increase. Analysts warned that the outlook for the rest of year was clouded by scheduled wage negotiations across the industry that could lead to strikes and a strong currency which hampers competitiveness.

On Wednesday the Vancouver Sun released its list of the highest paid executives in B.C. with several miners making it to the […]