Leighton Contractors has been awarded two new gold mining contracts, one in Western Australia andone in the Northern Territory, totalling $317 million. The first, a $200 million contract awarded by Newcrest Mining Ltd, is for works at Telfer – one of thelargest gold mines in Australia, located 450km ESE of Port Hedland on the edge of Great SandyDesert. Under the 27-month contract, Leighton Contractors will provide mining equipment, operators,maintenance and supervisory personnel, and infrastructure including workshops and offices to theproject.

Crocodile Gold announced today that it closed a Can$85 million bought-deal closing of 81 million units at Can$1.05 per unit. Each unit consists of one common share of the company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant. The syndicate of underwriters was co-led by GMP Securities L.P. and Cormark Securities Inc.

The commonwealth is accepting all of the 31 recommendations made by the National Resources Sector Employment Taskforce.

Initially it will invest $200 million in a Critical Skills Investment Fund (CSIF), which will co-fund with industry a range of training and employment programs.

The Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) said the adoption of the Taskforce’s recommendations and initial investment in targeted training is the first step in the National Resource Sector Workforce Strategy.

Shares in South African gold miner, Harmony Gold, rose just over 5% on the back of a positive investment rating by RBC Shares in Harmony Gold Mining (HARJ.J: Quote) rose by over 5 percent in early trade on Thursday with dealers attributing the rise to an

A training centre for unemployed people in north-west Queensland is pushing for mining and liquefied natural gas (LNG) companies to give its trainees jobs, rather than sourcing overseas labour.

The Myuma centre in Camooweal, north-west of Mount Isa, is training 30 people in roadworks, hospitality and administration industries.

Spokesman Colin Saltmere says it is negotiating with several resources companies to employ its graduates.

"The LNG [industry] need a lot, a lot of, a lot of, a lot of people and you need to be aligned with that sort of stuff," he said.

Kinross Gold Corporation (TSX:K)(NYSE:KGC) announced today that it has sold its approximate 8.5% equity interest in Harry Winston Diamond Corporation ("Harry Winston"), consisting of approximately 7.1 million Harry Winston common shares, on an underwritten block trade basis, for gross proceeds of CDN$100 million. On August 25, 2010, Kinross announced that it had completed the sale of its former 22.5% interest in the partnership holding Harry Winston's 40% interest in the Diavik Diamond Mines joint venture to Harry Winston for US$50 million cash, 7.1 million Harry Winston common shares, and a note payable in the amount of US$70 million maturing 12 months from the date of the sale.

A world breakthrough in extracting uranium from hyper saline water - previously not possible with conventional technology - has been announced in South Australia by uranium developer, UraniumSA.  Addressing the first day in Adelaide of the Paydirt 2011 Uranium Conference, earlier this qweek, UraniumSA’s Managing Director, Russel Bluck, said the breakthrough had been achieved after collaborative metallurgical research with international and Australian suppliers of the special chemicals used to help extract uranium.

Ausenco has been awarded a $15 million operations and maintenance service contract for the Tonkolili iron ore project in Sierra Leone. The Optimise phase contract involves the provision of operations and maintenance services to two onsite mobile crushing and screening modules for phase 1A of the Iron Ore Project. The contract commences immediately and runs until July 2012, providing an additional boost to Program Management’s growing recurring revenue base.

South Africa's National Union of Mineworks said on Wednesday that 4,200 workers at DRDGold's(DRDJ.J: Quote) Blyvoor mine would down tools for a day on Thursday to mourn eight miners who died in a bus accident last week.