Phoenix Gold Fund, one of the most successful gold focussed funds in the world, has taken a 5% in AIM-listed Peninsular Gold which is seeking to develop gold projects inMalaysia.

The Phoenix Gold Fund is managed fromKuala Lumpur and has delivered a 1000% return to its investors since inception in 2001.

A new nickel exploration initiative in Western Australia"s acclaimed Forrestania Greenstone Belt - currently one of Australia"s fastest growing nickel exploration and mining regions - is set to start soon after the planned May 2007 ASX listing of Perth-based Great Western Exploration Limited.

Hambledon Mining plc which is developing precious metal deposits inKazakhstan has discontinued negotiations with a second Kazakh company it was negotiating with for another project acquisition inKazakhstan.

Mindax has received encouraging results from water sampling conducted throughout its Yilgarn Avon Uranium Joint Venture Project I Australia, during February.

A sample from theLake Campion project area measured 1128ppb U, the highest value to date from the Yilgarn Avon Uranium Project and directly comparable to the 1200ppb U historically reported from waters within the Yeelirrie uranium (carnotite) orebody.

Mindoro Resources has reported high gold recoveries from a third round of metallurgical tests of large diameter drill core composites from both oxide and mixed (transitional) oxide and sulphide mineralized material from the Kay Tanda gold-silver prospect in thePhilippines.

Moly Mines has successfully completed an Aus$24 million capital raising on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The placement was lead by Paradigm Capital Inc and included Haywood Securities Inc., GMP Securities LP and Wellington West Capital Markets Inc.

Ivanhoe Mines and strategic partner, Rio Tinto, have reached agreement in principle with the Mongolian Government"s Working Group on a draft Investment Agreement for the development of the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold project inMongolia"s South Gobi Region.

Western Areas has announced a major upgrade in mineral resources at the New Morning and Daybreak nickel deposits located 3km south of the Flying Fox mine.

Current mineral resources at New Morning and Daybreak contain 30,700 tonnes nickel.

Asian Mineral Resources Limited has appointed Robert D. Guest general manager of the Ban Phuc Nickel Mines joint venture in which Asian Mineral has a 90% interest. 

Robert Guest is a mining engineer with more than 25 years" experience in mining projects in various parts of the world, including more than 15 years inSouth East Asia.

He will take up full-time duties on May 15.

El Dore"s Nalesbitan project final feasibility study will be undertaken from June to December this year.
The property, located in the Bicol Peninsula some 300km east of Manila, Project in theMunicipality ofLabo,Province of Camarines Norte,Philippines, comprises a granted mining lease (about 481ha current to October 2012) surrounded by Mining Claims for a total area of 11.46sqkm with major gold-copper prospectivity.

InterCitic Minerals has updated its mineral resource estimate for its Dachang gold project located inQinghai,China.

The project now has a total Inferred mineral resource of 16.1 million tonnes with an average grade of 3.88 grams/tonne gold (some 2,008,000 ounces contained). The Dachang Main Zone (DMZ) inferred mineral resource estimate has increased to 14.8 million tonnes grading 3.71 grams/tonne gold (about 1.8 million ounces contained).

Mindax has received encouraging results from water sampling conducted throughout its Yilgarn Avon Uranium Joint Venture Project I Australia, during February.

A sample from theLake Campion project area measured 1128ppb U, the highest value to date from the Yilgarn Avon Uranium Project and directly comparable to the 1200ppb U historically reported from waters within the Yeelirrie uranium (carnotite) orebody.

Murchison Metals first shipment of iron ore to POSCO under the strategic alliance between POSCO and Murchison Metals left thePort ofGeraldton earlier this month.

The 61,500 tonne shipment of iron ore to POSCO is the third shipment from the Jack Hills Project to leave thePort ofGeraldton bound for customers inNorth Asia.

DCDDorbyl Heavy Engineering inSouth Africa has received an order from FFE Minerals for a 10.4 x 6.1 metre (SAG) mill shell and a 7.3 x 12.2 metre ball mill shell for Pan Australian Resources Phu Kham copper-gold project inLaos.

Indophil Resources, has increased its direct interest in the worldclass Tampakan copper-gold project in the southernPhilippines by agreeing to buy Filipino partner Alsons" 5% interest.

Under the agreement, Indophil will progressively lift its stake in the Tampakan project from 32.5% to 37.5%.

Mindoro Resources has started drilling at the Agata nickel laterite prospect with five coring drill rigs in operation.

The objective is to define a NI 43-101 compliant resource, adequate initially for three to five years of production at a rate of 500,000 to 700,000 wet metric tones per annum of direct shipping-grade material for the very high demand ferro-nickel markets ofChina andSE Asia.

BHP Billiton will go ahead with the Rapid Growth Project 4 (RGP4) which will increase system capacity across its Western Australian iron ore operations to 155 million tonnes/year. Initial production is expected to start in the first half of the 2010 calendar year.

Kentor Gold managing director, David Royle, has resigned due to personal reasons vacating the position on March 30.

David Royle was with Kentor Gold four years with with the last three years as managing director.

ASX-listed Oropa recently made a placement of 10 million shares through Patersons Securities Limited to raise $400,000.

The additional funds will be used to advance Oropa"s new drilling program which starts mid this month at the Sambung Prospect in the North Block of the Pungkut 7th Generation Contract of Work (CoW) in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. Pungkut is 75% owned by Oropa, 25% by PT Antam Tambong.

Diversified minerals group Northern Star Resources has added a further significant dimension to its East Kimberley exploration portfolio in Western Australia after reaching agreement with ASX-listed uranium explorer, U3O8 Ltd, on the uranium rights within its portfolio. The agreement will provide a platform to significantly accelerate uranium exploration on the highly prospective tenements.

Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services Group has received an order to supply two high-performance mine winder systems for the main production shaft of a new coalmine belonging to Shanxi Gaohe Energy Co Ltd, China.

Drilling at Mindoro Resources Calo prospect within the compay"s Batangas project on Luzon Island in the Philippines has encountered porphyry-related alteration.

Tin-focused exploration company, YTC Resources Limited has lodged a prospectus with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to raise Aus$3.5 million through an Initial Public Offering of ordinary shares at A$0.25 per share.

BHP Billiton has expanded its Petroleum exploration portfolio with the addition of deepwater offshore acreage in Malaysian waters. Petronas, Malaysia"s national oil company, awarded BHP Billiton two offshore blocks, Block N and Block Q.

Tri Origin Minerals Limited is moving quickly to advance the feasibility study for its Woodlawn Underground zinc project near Goulburn, NSW, following successful completion of the prefeasibility study, with a target of 440,000 tonnes of annual ore production and an initial mine life of eight years.

Fox Resources diamond drilling at its Conquest Electromagnetic (EM) target, located 2km north west of the company"s Elizabeth Hill plant in the Pilbara, Western Australia, has intersected two zones of mineralisation as follows which include 144.4 to 169.2 metre downhole depth, (24.8 metres) and 182 to 193.1 metres downhole depth, (11.1metres).

TVIRD has moved to infill drilling (at 25-metre spacing) on the Tinago-Miswi-Lalab veins at its Balabag Property, located in the Zamboanga Peninsula in Southern Philippines, to delineate to determine if minerals are present in sufficient quantities to support a second mine.

PolyCom DPP pavement restoration trials have indicated strength and durability improvements realised in asset management cost savings in the longer term.

Asian Mineral Resources continues to progress the Ban Phuc nickel project at its 90%-owned subsidiary, Ban Phuc Nickel Mines Limited in Vietnam.

Asian Mineral Resources president and CEO Rob Thomson will showcase the developments at its Ban Phuc nickel project at The ASIA Miner Investing in Mining Conerence on May 7-8 in Sydney. To register to attend this conference go to the Investing in Mining page on The ASIA Miner website.

Jabiru Metals has almost completed its Jaguar copper-zinc-silver mine decline.

The project located near Leonora in Western Australia has progressed 1800 metre from the portal in the construction of its decline. It is currently within 50m of the bottom of the primary ventilation and emergency egress shaft.

Sino Gold has released an initial White Mountain reserve of 434,000 ounces at 4.2 grams/tonne gold.

Sino Gold CEO Jake Klein will showcase the company"s China operations at The ASIA Miner Investing in Mining Conference on May 7-8 in Sydney. For more information go to the Investing in Mining page on this website.

Marathon Resources plans to make its Mt Gee project in South Australia one of Australia"s next wave of uranium mines.

In a recent interview, Marathon Resources CEO John Santich said: "No uranium mine has been developed in Australia for the last 20 years, really. So we are looking forward to developing production at Mount Gee which will be available for export of at least 1000 tonnes of uranium a year.

TVI Resource Development recent drilling at its Canatuan property in the Philippines suggests that the ore body associated with the sulphide zone at Canatuan extends laterally, in the north-west quadrant, to a distance of approximately 150 metres further than previously estimated.

Nautilus Minerals has started its 2007 exploration and development program with the mobilisation in Papua New Guinea of the 141 metre vessel "Wave Mercury" and the 50 metre Aquila from Washington.

Emerging Australian nickel miner, Allegiance Mining NL has expanded the North Avebury Extended nickel ore zone at the Avebury Nickel Mine located near Zeehan, West Coast Tasmania.

Austrade is conducting a number of seminars around Australia for companies who are interested in growing their business export to the Philippines. This will be followed by a trade mission to the Philippines in June.

South China Resources exploration activity for the Danfeng Project in China has been promising and the company has now begun modelling the copper mineralization.

During last year, South China Resources completed major exploratory work at the Danfeng copper and molybdenum project. SRK Exploration Services is auditing the drilling, handling and assaying of copper and molybdenum in diamond drill core and underground channel sampling at the Danfeng Project.

Fox Resources recently announced a significant upgrade to the indicated Resource at its 100%-owned Whundo copper-zinc deposit located just 12km from the company"s Radio Hill treatment plant in the Pilbara,Western Australia.

Whundo is a key deposit in Fox"s emerging new Whundo Volcanic Massive Sulphide (VMS) copper-zinc project area. The resource upgrade is based on results from a successful drilling program that concluded in the December 2006 quarter and the resulting assays.

The leases for Moly Mines Spinifex Ridge molybdenum-copper project mining areas have been granted by the Western Australian Department of Industry and Resources.

Moly Mines managing director Derek Fisher says this major milestone for the company is indicative of the continuing transition of the Spinifex Ridge Project from feasibility to development.

The leases, which total 20.75sqkm, cover the entire 469 million tonne measured and indicated molybdenum ad copper resource and all indicated mining activities for the 20-year plus mine life outlined by studies currently under way by the company.

Dynasty Gold Corp has signed a Letter of Intent to enter into a friendly merger with Buffalo Gold Ltd.

Under the agreement, Buffalo will acquire all of the outstanding securities of
Dynasty in exchange for common shares and common share purchase warrants and options of Buffalo.

Global Coal Management, formerly Asia Energy has acquired some new assets to the company"s portfolio and reports it has witnessed many dynamic changes in the political and investment climate in Bangladesh in the past six months.

Uranium exploration company, Epsilon Energy Limited has started ground radiometric survey and uranium sampling programs at its Mt Phillips project and its Ida Valley project in the Gascoyne and in the Yilgarn Craton regions of Western Australia.

Epsilon Energy managing director Matt Gauci said the programs will pave the way for drill programs currently planned for the March quarter.

Grange Resources Ltd which is building the 6.8 million tonne per annum iron or pellet plant at Kemaman in the State of Terengganu in Malaysia has been successful in its appeal to a condition imposed on its environmental approval.

An Australian company behind one of the cleanest fuel technologies in the world has secured its second major breakthrough in the huge Indian transport market.

ASX-listed Eden Energy Ltd through one of its wholly owned subsidiaries has secured an agreement with one of India"s largest natural gas groups, Gurjarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd (GSPC) to market Eden"s Hythane® fuel technology throughout Gurjarat - a heavily industrialised state in north-west India.

Ivanhoe Mines next major milestone in the development of the Oyu Tolgoi project, in Mongolia is the granting of all remaining government approvals.

Senior representatives of Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto began detailed discussions in January with a nine-member working group of Mongolian Government officials. The discussions, which remain ongoing, are intended to produce a draft investment agreement for Oyu Tolgoi that will be submitted for approvals by the Cabinet of the Mongolian Government and the national Parliament.

Medusa Mining has been granted two Small Scale Mining Permits over prospective areas at the Anoling Gold Project in the Philippines.

The company will immediately begin exploration via exploration shafts and underground development of some of the abandoned mines, as well as start diamond drilling.

Jinshan Gold Mines has begun its 2007 drilling campaign at the Chang Shan Hao (217) Gold Project in Inner Mongolia, China.

The 5000-metre drilling program, budgeted at US$800,000, is concentrated on the Southwest Zone, including 50-metre spaced in-fill drill holes designed to upgrade resources from the inferred category to the indicated category, and step-out drilling to test the south-west extension of the mineralized zone.

Thor Mining has completed the resource extension drilling program at its 100%-owned Molyhil Tungsten-Molybdenum Project in the Northern Territory, Australia.