Mergers and acquisitions in Canada stage exceptional comeback in Q1

Sherwin Iron Limited (ASX: SHD) is pleased to announce that it has successfully undertaken a $8.5 million share placement at 16 cents a share to institutional and sophisticated investors as part of its strategy to accelerate drilling and development of its Roper River Iron Ore Project (Project) in the Northern Territory. Image by Sherwin Iron Limited

Shares in Equinox Minerals (EQN.AX) jumped 7 percent in Australia on Wednesday after the copper miner accepted a $7.7 billion takeover offer from the world's largest gold miner, Barrick Gold (ABX.TO).

A huge magnetite project in Western Australia could produce one and a half billion tonnes of magnetite and have a mine-life of 30 years, according to a story in The Kalgoorie Miner, posted on Mindax's website: A sleeping giant in the Yilgarn iron province is quietly ticking all the boxes on its way to production. Mindax's 1.48 billion tonne Mt Forrest magnetite project is the biggest JORC compliant iron resource in the region.

TNG Ltd (ASX: TNG), which recently released a positive scoping study review of Mt Peake said today it had a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a major Chinese engineering and development company. It was also now in discussions with other potential funding/development partners.

Miner Anglo American stuck to its production targets on Thursday despite a first quarter that saw floods and heavy rains hampering output, with coal output from its Australian operations down by over a third. Anglo, the world's fifth-biggest diversified miner, is the latest operator to detail the impact of freak weather across its operations. Image by Jam343.

Brazilian steelmaker CSN (CSNA3.SA: Quote)(SID.N: Quote) struck a deal to sell its 19.9 percent stake in Australian coal miner Riversdale to mining giant Rio Tinto for A$780 million ($830 million), according to a securities filing. Sao Paulo-based CSN, Brazil's largest diversified steelmaking group, sold 47.29 million Riversdale shares at a price of A$16.50 each, the filing said. The shares (RIV.AX: Quote) closed little changed at A$16.50 in Sydney on Wednesday.

Ivanhoe Australia Ltd (ASX & TSX: IVA), controlled by North American-based Ivanhoe Mines, today put out what it quaintly described as a clarification of its position on Exco Resources Ltd (ASX: EXS) selling the Cloncurry copper project to Xstrata Copper. Ivanhoe, which is Exco's major shareholder made it clear it was not supporting the sale, pointing out that the company's chief executive Peter Reeve, as a director of Exco, excused himself from the deliberation of this transaction.

Dampier Gold Limited (ASX:DAU) is pleased to announce the results of recently completed resource estimates for the K1 and K2-K3 deposits located within the company’s 100%-owned Plutonic Dome project. These updated estimates continue Dampier’s methodical review of previous models generated for the significant gold deposits within the Plutonic Dome project area. The new resource estimates are based on drilling completed by the previous owners and by Dampier in 2010 and incorporates updated interpretations of the mineralization. Image by Dampier Gold

Talison Lithium Limited ("Talison") (TSX:TLH) announces its preliminary production and sales results for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2011 from its Greenbushes lithium operations in Western Australia (the "Greenbushes Lithium Operations").For the three months ended March 31, 2011, production increased 33%, and sales increased 74% over the three months ended March 31, 2010.