Gold and graphene now used in biosensors to detect diseases

After the market close on Monday Oilsands Quest announced it is cancelling a $60 million rights offer that only two weeks ago it extended for a second time. The embattled firm's shares spiked higher 22% to 25c, five cents above the offer price, in after-hours dealings following the news. Oilsands Quest said it was working with a third party on a deal that would "change the company's financial position and funding requirements," but has not ruled out a new rights offer. Investors in the AMEX-listed firm have been on a bumpy ride. The stock is down some 70% from its January highs of 64c and gained 63% in a single day after Saskatchewan granted the company 15-year leases, the first in the province. But recent investors can feel smug about the fact that they did not buy into the junior during the frothy 2006 market – the counter hit a peak of $7.76 in March that year.

Shares in China-focused miner Silvercorp Metals slumped over 7% on Monday after British Columbia security regulators said they were joining the investigation into an anonymous letter accusing the company of a $1.3 billion fraud. Silvercorp was forced on Friday 2 September to make public the letter and at the same time disclosed that someone had built up a short position of 23 million shares – more than 13% of the number outstanding. The firm with projects in China and Canada plunged after the news broke and Monday's drop brings year to date losses close to 40% despite the firm's ongoing buyback programme.

Stornoway Diamond Corporation involved in the discovery of over 200 kimberlites in seven Canadian diamond districts will join S&P/TSX SmallCap Index at the end of the week, a move which should increase the appeal of the counter among institutional investors. It's a new milestone for Stornoway which flourished under the leadership of Eira Thomas, the renowned diamond explorer whose spectacular success in the 90s transformed Canadian diamond mining. Thomas left in August following the acquisition of Stornoway's lead asset – the 100%-owned Renard Diamond Project – on track to become Quebec's first diamond mine.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Sept. 12, 2011) - Confederation Minerals Ltd. ("Confederation") (TSX VENTURE:CFM) is pleased to report additional drill results from the on-going drilling program at the Newman Todd property in the Red Lake Gold District, Ontario. These results are from five holes, completed in wide spaced drilling along the Newman Todd Structure ("NTS"), another 11 holes have been completed and assays are pending. The highlight hole from the latest results returned 7.06 oz/ton (242.0 g/t) gold over 0.50 metre.

VANCOUVER, Sept. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Taseko Mines Limited (TSX: TKO) (NYSE Amex: TGB) ("Taseko" or the "Company") announces an inferred resource of 159 million tonnes grading 0.43% Nb2O5 at the Company's wholly-owned Aley Niobium Project, approximately 130 km north of Mackenzie, B.C. The resource estimate is based on drill data gathered from Taseko's 2010 drilling program, along with historical drill data. The data formed the basis for the development of a geological model incorporating mine engineering studies.

Bard Ventures (CVE:CBS) was up 7.69% on Friday, bucking a down day in the markets when the S&P/TSX Composite index was down 2.34%, after the company announced drill results of 70.49 gm/t silver over 214.7m at Lone Pine Property. Bard Ventures said that the positive results received from drill hole BD-11-69 demonstrate the continuity of high grade molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) mineralization over a horizontal distance of 131 meters from drill hole BDQ-08-03 through BD-11-69 to BDQ-08-04.

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 9, 2011) - Romios Gold Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE:RG)(OTCBB:RMIOF)(FRANKFURT:D4R) ("Romios" or the "Company") is pleased to report that on September 2, 2011 Valard Construction Ltd., one of Canada's largest power line contractors, announced that the team of Valard Construction Ltd and Burns & McDonnell, two high-quality contractors capable of providing turnkey solutions for power system requirements, have finalized a contract with BC Hydro for the engineering, procurement and construction of the Northwest Transmission Line (NTL), a 344-kilometre (213-mile), 287- kilovolt transmission line between Skeena Substation and a new substation to be built near Bob Quinn Lake in northwestern British Columbia.

A new study says the oil sands will boost the economy by two trillion dollars and add more than 900,000 new jobs over the next 25 years.

Authorities in Belgium are investigating a case that may turn out to be the country's largest ever fraud. De Tijd this week published some of the names from a list of 170 of Antwerp diamond traders who it claims are being investigated by authorities for spiriting almost $1 billion (€700 million) in unpaid taxes into secret Geneva bank accounts. Approximately 80% of the total world production of rough diamonds is traded by the 185 gem companies operating in Antwerp (pictured) and 50% of the globe's polished diamonds pass through the Flemish town. The Antwerp traders are among a much larger roster of at least 24,000 HSBC Private Bank clients from Canada, India and Germany under investigation by French authorities since 2009.