Finds at Lucapa’s Lulo project jump on record mined diamonds

NRW Holdings, leading provider of civil and mining services to the resources sector in Australia, in joint venture with the Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd (NYFL) and Eastern Guruma Pty Ltd, has been awarded a contract worth approximately A$80 million for mining at Fortescue Metals Group (Fortescue’s) expansion project the Solomon Hub.

Black Range Minerals announced on Wednesday that the indicated and inferred resource for the combined Hansen/Taylor Ranch Uranium Project comprises of 68.9 Mt at 0.060% U3O8 for 90.9 million pounds of U3O8, representing a 51% increase in the number of pounds of U3O8 previously reported for the Taylor Ranch Uranium Project.

NineMSN reports that shares in Meridian Minerals (ASX:MII)jumped after a Chinese state-owned entity, revealed plans to takeover: Shares in Meridian Minerals jumped after the junior explorer's largest shareholder, a Chinese state-owned entity, revealed plans for a $67.5 million takeover offer. Meridian shares were up one cent, or 8.7 per cent, at 12.5 cents at 1343 AEST after an earlier high of 13 cents.

The West Australian Government has announced it will levy a 5 per cent royalty on uranium and magnetite iron ore. By 2014-15 the State Government expects to reap more than $160 million a year from magnetite royalties and $28 million from uranium.

DAYARNE SMITH Muswellbrook Shire mayor Martin Rush has urged Anglo American to tell the community if it no longer plans to pursue the Drayton South project. The company’s Drayton mine is due to close in 2015, but the company has applied for state

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is reassuring NSW coalminers her carbon tax will not stop their sons from following in their footsteps. Ms Gillard is spruiking her carbon price package in the NSW Hunter Valley today. Image is from MystifyMe Concert Photography (Troy).

Coal Services today announced a reduction of 2.78% to workers’ compensation premium rates for the New South Wales coal mining industry, with the target premium rate set at 3.5% (3.6% in 2010/11). This is the latest in a series of reductions that have seen premium rates fall from a high of 11.5% in 2002/03 to the current rate of 3.5%, equating to almost a 70% reduction over 8 years.

Copper and gold miner OZ Minerals will return up to $200 million to shareholders through an on-market buyback, as booming prices for its products continue to generate cash. Photo of copper concentrates being loaded, by OZ Minerals.

The Australian reports China-backed Citic Pacific's $US5.2 billion West Australian iron ore project has been hit with a $US900 million budget blowout in another sign of growing costs in the booming resource state. The cost increase is the second for Sino Iron – the largest magnetite iron ore project under development globally – whose first production target has been pushed back again.