Bayfield Ventures announced a major gold and silver intercept on its 100% owned Burns Block property in the Rainy River District of north-western Ontario. The Burns Block is situated adjacent to the east and on strike to Rainy River Resources' multi-million ounce gold deposit.

Minera Andes announced drill assay results from the January – May 2011 drill program and a development update for the 100% owned Los Azules Copper Project, in San Juan Province, Argentina. Highlights from the recent drilling include a step-out drill hole, located approximately 250 meters west of the resource that returned 0.50% copper over 269 meters, including 0.95% copper over 45 meters. Infill drilling was generally in line with expectations, for example intersecting 0.66% copper over 395 meters and 0.63% copper over 237 meters.

Calibre Mining announced final assay results for the completed 9 hole, 2500 metre diamond drill program at its 100% owned Riscos de Oro gold-silver property in north east Nicaragua. The results are highlighted by hole RD11-016 that intersected 3.61g/t gold and 518.44g/t silver over 3.68 metres (14.41 g/t AuEq1,2) and hole RD11-017 that intersected 9.31 g/t gold and 336.06 g/t silver over 3.90 metres (16.31 g/t AuEq1,2). Read the full news release here. Photo is from Calibre Mining.

Oakland Resources (ASX: OKL) has commenced a 700m diamond core programme at Spion Kop Gold Prospect (EL 7412, Boorowa Project) where previously reported significant and anomalous gold mineralisation has been intersected in a number of shallow RC holes. Image from Oakland Resources.

In the northern reaches of Alberta lies a vast reserve of oil that the U.S. views as a pillar of its future energy needs. China, with a growing appetite for oil that may one day surpass that of the U.S., is ready to spend the dollars for a big piece of it.

The World Diamond Council has expressed its regret about the inconclusive end to the Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting in Kinshasa last week. The main goal of the meeting was to finally resolve the issue of diamond exports from Zimbabwe. This did not happen.

Cameco invests third tranche investment of $5 million for further development of Uranium Equities’ PhosEnergy Process. Demonstration Plant construction completed and undergoing final commissioning for the recovery of uranium as a by-product of phosphate fertiliser production.

Rio Tinto's $US10 billion-plus Simandou iron ore project in Guinea is rapidly pressing ahead, but not like a typical giant development by the Anglo-Australian mining giant. By the end of the year, Rio is expected to have spent close to $US2bn ($1.9bn) on Simandou, including a $US700 million settlement payment to the government, and to begin construction of a project it has committed to produce from in 2015.

Tata Steel and SAIL's equal joint venture, S&T Mining Company, will set up a 1.8 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) coal washery at Bhelatand, in Jharkhand, through an investment of Rs 200 crore.