Mining

Perth-based oil and gas company Antares Energy has received a fresh $US300 million offer from an undisclosed party for its Permian Basin oil and gas assets in Texas, less than six months after it backed out of a previous sale agreement.

China's Baosteel and Aurizon are in control of miner Aquila Resources after increasing their stake to 81 per cent.

Fiscal year 2014 saw record gold production for Evolution Mining, a Perth-based operation with five mines across Queensland and Western Australia.

Norton Gold Fields is poised to succeed in its Bullabulling Gold takeover bid after the Perth explorer begrudgingly accepted the increased takeover offer of 8 cents per share.

Graphite and nickel exploration company Kibaran Resources has raised $3.1 million through a share placement, just months after it completed a similar placement in February.

Western Australian small-cap explorer Impact Minerals has announced a successful $2.59 million capital raising to fund drilling projects in New South Wales.

Woodside Petroleum has signed an agreement with London-based Chariot Oil & Gas to farm-in to the Doukkala basin off the coast of Morocco.

Gold prices have ended lower, after better-than-expected jobs data showed the US recovery may be gaining traction, prompting traders to take profits on the precious metal's recent gains.

Oil has extended losses on prospects that Libya will begin exporting more crude and as concerns eased about the Iraqi crisis.

Silver Lake Resources has flagged more job losses in July with the announcement that it plans to close its Lakewood facility in Kalgoorlie, which is the company’s second plant to shut down this year.

Western Australia-based Southern Cross Electrical Engineering has won a $25 million contract with BHP Billiton Iron Ore for electrical and instrumentation works at the Yarnima power station near Newman.

Doray Minerals’ founding directors Allan Kelly and Heath Hellewell have won the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies’ prospector of the year award for 2014.

Exploration firm Red River Resources has seen its share price jump by over 80 per cent after it entered into a $6.5 million agreement with the administrators of collapsed explorer Kagara, for the sale of its projects in northern Queensland.

Oil prices tumbled on Wednesday on the prospect of higher Libyan output joining ample global supplies and as traders continued to book profits from a sharp rally a week ago.

Gold prices have shuffled between gains and losses, as traders weigh violence in Ukraine and the Middle East against the possibility of a stronger-than-expected US jobs report.

BHP Billiton has celebrated sending its one-billionth tonne of iron ore to Japan at a ceremony in Port Hedland to mark almost 50 years of the business partnership.

Buru Energy managing director Keiran Wulff announced his resignation today as the oil and gas exploration firm appointed two new non-exececutive directors.

Rare earths miner Lynas Corporation had warned of job cuts as it plans to relocate its head office from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur.

Perth nickel miner Western Areas has made a $95 million repayment of convertible bond debt from its existing cash reserves, with a $125 million bond repayment still remaining.

Australia's international trade balance has spent a second consecutive month in the red following a fall in mining exports.

Woodside has discovered a substantial amount of gas at its Toro-1 exploration well about 150 km north of Exmouth.

Wesfarmers is facing a $774 million hit to its bottom line from its struggling Target chain and the restructure of its liquor business.

World oil prices have slipped on profit taking and marginally easing concerns about the Iraq crisis, while in the US a storm sparked fears about lower gasoline demand.

A convoy of truck drivers headed by WAFarmers and the Wheatbelt Railway Retention Alliance drove through parts of Perth today to demonstrate their opposition to the closure of the Tier 3 rail lines.

Western Australia’s gold producers continue to suffer at the hands of a strengthening Australian dollar, with more job losses revealed across the sector last week.

There is a fine line between success and failure in the minerals exploration game, however Bentley-based firm HiSeis is helping companies to hit pay dirt faster and more frequently.

Woodside Petroleum has turned the threat of cheap liquefied natural gas exports from the US into an opportunity for the producer to resell some of that LNG at a higher price.

Former premier Richard Court has renewed his calls for the federal government to share half the revenue from offshore oil and gas projects with the states, while also expressing confidence about the future of the mining sector.

Nedlands-based TFS Corporation has announced the purchase of an established Indian sandalwood plantation, with the purchase expected to boost its net profit as a result of a revaluation of the trees.

Global oil prices have slipped amid new signs of higher OPEC production but the market was still cautious amid ongoing Iraq violence and a rebel attack on a Colombian pipeline.

Georgiou Group has announced a multi-million dollar joint venture with indigenous contractor Gumala, to provide de-watering services at Fortescue Metals Group's Christmas Creek mine in the Pilbara.

Chevron has marked a significant milestone at its 80 per cent completed Gorgon liquefied natural gas project, receiving the final module required for its gas processing train on Barrow Island.