Matt Birney

Sky and Space Global have hit a critical milestone in their efforts to revolutionise the telecommunications industry by becoming the first-ever company to facilitate a voice call based on disruptive nano-satellite technology. The landmark achievement now allows Sky and Space to progress the rollout out of their 200 strong, full nano-satellite constellation and rush headlong into commercialisation.

A drilling blitz by Calidus Resources in the so-called Gap Zone at the Warrawoona gold project near Marble Bar has produced a lovely set of numbers for the rapidly developing gold explorer. Calidus now have a 2.6km gold mineralized system on their hands in the East Pilbara that is still open at depth and along strike in both directions. Recent hits include 17m @ 2.54 g/t, 8m @ 4.68 g/t and 9m @ 2.67 g/t.

ASX-listed Nzuri Copper have carved out an enviable position alongside Robert Friedland’s Ivanhoe Mines and their world-beating copper discovery in the Congo. The ASX listed junior is racing towards a development decision for its own Copper-Cobalt project discovered just 15km from Friedman’s miraculous 1 billion tonne copper deposit. Nzuri are also farming into Ivanhoe's ground in a JV partnership.

Auroch Minerals high-impact, deep-drilling exploration program in Portugal for giant copper-zinc deposits has hit encouraging rocks on the way to its target depth of more than 1,000 metres. The aggressive junior explorer reported it had hit sulphidic, highly deformed sediments, which are characteristic of the rocks hosting the “supergiant” Neves Corvo deposit just 20 kms along strike.

Perth-listed biotech PharmAust has signed a deal with a leading Japanese chemical company that will give the ASX listed company rights to a library of 50 patents over promising anti-cancer agents. The new patents will complement the development of PharmAust’s main anti-cancer drug Monepantel, which has already shown positive results in fighting cancer.

Perth-based tech company Peppermint Innovation have gained a key strategic partner after making an equity placement for $1 million at $0.02 a share. The 2c placement, which was done at double the last traded price for Peppermint shares, caused the company’s stock to jump by up to 60% yesterday, touching 1.6c a share before settling back to 1.4c.

ASX-listed Stargroup have signed a deal with blockchain technology company DigitalX to develop ATM machines that can exchange bitcoins for cash and enable cryptocurrencies to be added to digital wallets. Under the agreement Stargroup will lean on its relationship with Korean ATM manufacturer NeoICP to develop a two-way ATM solution for Bitcoin, the leading form of crypto-currency worldwide.

Hammer Metals have opened up yet another new exploration front at their Mt Isa project, with a high grade gold hit at the Kalman West prospect. The ASX listed explorer reported a one metre intercept at 36.9 g/t gold and scored hits from both of the first two holes. Highly encouraging results have also come from drilling at the Revenue prospect, with gold again the main prize.

Perth oil and gas explorer Calima Energy pulled off a seriously successful back-door listing last week amid a red hot market for its new core asset in Canada’s revered “Montney” oil and gas basin. The stock ran from a theoretical relisting price of 3.3c to a high of 5.9c last week before settling back to 5.3c at weeks end. Their ground in Canada is considered to be highly prospective for oil and gas.

Northern Minerals have found an innovative source of advance funding for their $56 million Browns Range pilot project, signing an R&D loan facility to provide up to US$30 million for the project. The new facility will accelerate the flow of R&D tax rebates, which will pile up as the company pioneers Australia’s first heavy rare earths project and works towards a planned full-scale development.

With the electric car market about to hit the stratosphere, a resurgence of interest in wind and solar energy and the phenomenal acceptance of the Lithium powered Iphone, W.A is in the box seat when it comes to Lithium driven business opportunities. The challenge for WA’s mining glitterati is to also harness the downstream processing opportunities that arise from Lithium in addition to just mining and shipping it.

In a sign that employers are becoming increasingly wary about truth stretching job seekers, CVCheck has lifted full-year revenues by 47% to $10.43 million on the back of a growing corporate customer base. $5m in costs were stripped out of the business this year underpinning the technology company’s stated goal of breaking even in the first half of FY18.

Blackham Resources’ planned expansion of the Matilda gold mine to more than 200,000 ounces a year will see the mine churn out an annual EBITDA of more than $118m a year or 36c a share for a stock that can be bought on market today for just 28.5c a share. Blackham are predicting that the expanded mine will produce free cash of $571m or $1.74 a share assuming the $114m capex can be debt funded.

ASX-listed Shark Mitigation Systems has launched its breakthrough anti-shark technology known as “SAMS” directly into the US water sports market, rolling it out to more than 200 US surf stores. SAMS are a series of proprietary stripes that can be attached to marine apparel for the purposes of deterring a shark or camouflaging the wearer.

New assays have backed Auroch Minerals’ hunch that an ancient European Copper mine could be rich in Cobalt with expectations around the upcoming drilling program now elevated. Assays from a second round of samples from waste dumps at the Tisova mine in the Czech Republic have produced economic grades of Cobalt, Copper, Gold and Silver, including a best result of 0.69% Cobalt.

ASX listed Sky & Space Global have progressed the commercialisation of their game changing telecommunications “nano-satellites” by signing their first binding commercial contract with a wholesale customer, Sat-Space Africa. The contract provides confidence in Sky and Space’s nano-satellites and their technical capability as the company works to roll out up to 200 of the miniature orbital devices by 2020.

ASX-listed Stargroup has upwardly re-valued its legacy investment in part owned ATM machine manufacturer and supplier NeoICP after the Korean company posted a robust set of full year accounts. Stargroup has an 11.28% legacy stake in the privately owned NeoICP, which delivered revenues of AUD$23.7 million for the twelve months to June and an EBITDA of AUD$2.1m

Sky and Space Global’s game-changing “nano satellites” have successfully passed orbital testing, keeping the Perth-listed wanna-be telco on track to commence commercial revenue generation. With the orbital testing phase completed, Sky and Space’s miniature satellites will now undergo a battery of commercial testing including the facilitation of phone calls, instant messaging and data transfers.

ASX listed "internet of things" player Connected IO continues to strengthen its relationship with Verizon, with the Perth-listed company receiving its biggest ever purchase order from one of the giant US telco’s preferred distributors, Mach Networks. Management said it received the order from the machine-to-machine solutions provider for 3,000 of its modem like units, worth over $700,000.

Hammer Metals is once again punching above its weight by securing a joint venture with Glencore to explore for high-grade copper-gold adjacent to the old Mary Kathleen uranium mine in Queensland. It is Hammer’s second joint venture with a global mining heavyweight, following a deal with Newmont in late 2015 to explore for base metals elsewhere in the Mt Isa district.

The cleantech boom is taking off in Europe, led by the region’s eco-conscious citizens and indomitable car makers. Perfectly positioned is ASX-listed Auroch Minerals, which appears to have found a Cobalt treasure trove in Europe’s industrial heart. Drilling is about get underway at the historic Tisova copper mine in the Czech Republic, which was never explored for Cobalt but appears to have plenty of it.

ASX-listed Stargroup is launching a range of casino technologies targeted at the Australian gambling market that have previously been successfully rolled out in casinos across Asia. The Perth-based company says it is working closely with major Korean ATM machine and casino settlement solution manufacturer, NeoICP, to tailor the gaming solutions for the Australian market.

Calidus Resources have beaten all expectations in their prospectus with another round of spectacular drill hits from the Warrawoona gold project in the East Pilbara. An eye-popping 6 metre drill intersection grading 63.3 g/t gold has the market sitting up and taking notice with every one of the 40 holes drilled to-date punching through potentially ore-grade mineralisation.

It seems that almost no market is out of bounds for “internet of things” player Connected IO and their wireless command and control technology. In what looks like proof positive that the "internet of things" market has definitely arrived, last week the company announced a major new deal in the military drone market and this week they are selling their technology to 3000 US Burger King stores.

It seems that the mining gods have caucused and the result is that Northern Minerals shall be rewarded for their bold decision to build Australia’s first heavy rare earths mine. In an exquisite piece of timing, a Chinese government crackdown on illegal mining has sent prices soaring for Dysprosium - the key rare earths product to be churned out from the soon to be built Browns range mine near Halls Creek.

Auroch Minerals will begin a major drill program next month at the Czech Republic’s historic Tovisa copper mine, which is also thought to be rich in cobalt and gold. The drill program will start just two months after Auroch snapped up an option over 100% of Tovisa, where surface sampling has already returned grades of up to 0.68% Cobalt, 3.5% Copper and 3.7 grams/tonne Gold.

A $4.8 million grant from the Building Better Regions Fund will help Northern Minerals and the Wunan Foundation create new work opportunities for Aborigines at Browns Range in the East Kimberley. The heavy rare earths developer says the new training-to-work program is essential for the company to meet its target of 20% indigenous employment.

Legend Mining’s drill campaign in the Fraser Range has generated a swag of new clues about the possible location of a major nickel-copper sulphide orebody, including a “very strong” new conductor just 20m below the latest drill hole. The ASX junior is leading the search for the next Nova-Bollinger style discovery and continues to generate positive signs of magmatic nickel-copper sulphides.

Blackham Resources are contemplating an even bigger open pit at their revitalised Wiluna gold mine after another resource upgrade. Open pit gold in the East and West lodes has jumped by a further 70,000 ounces, along with a big lift in the quality of the resource which now boasts an average grade of 2.83 g/t. The company has found a billion dollars worth of in-situ gold in a year.

Auroch Minerals have uncovered important historic drill core up to 27 years old on their Alcoutim licence in Portugal that could provide vital clues as they gear up for the next drill hole along strike from the “supergiant” Neves Corvo deposit. Directors have high hopes for the next drill location, which already boasts multiple coincident anomalies pointing to massive copper-zinc sulphides.

Perth listed Connected IO has announced it will partner with major US drone company AirShip, with the ASX-listed tech player to provide its innovative wireless solutions for use in cutting edge military and commercial unmanned aerial vehicles. Connected IO says Airship drones have already been selected by military outfits around the world to provide covert services on the battlefield.

A new study of various mining and economic scenarios relating to Terrain Minerals’ Great Western gold project near Leonora has given the ASX junior a possible fast tracked pathway to cash flow. The CSA Global study shows the project could pump out up to 36,000 ounces of gold quickly and profitably with onsite processing and would still produce positive cash flows even at AUD$1500 an ounce.