Mining

Australian mining executive John Carr-Gregg, tragically killed in a plane crash in West Africa, has been remembered as a gentleman and family man at a memorial service in Sydney.

Apex Minerals has appointed Resolute Mining general manager Allan King as chief operating officer.

The ASX Appeal Tribunal has overturned the Exchange's earlier decision to ban the relisting of shares in two Tony Sage companies, International Petroleum and Global Iron.

Swick Mining Services has announced a downgrading of its revenue guidance for the 2009-10 financial year as a result of delays in several drilling programs.

Aspiring manganese miner Mesa Minerals has cancelled its extraordinary general meeting scheduled for tomorrow after significant shareholder Mighty River International requested resolutions for the meeting be withdrawn.

Fox Resources says it is in talks with shareholder Jinchuan Group to extend a current offtake deal and a possible $20 million funding agreement for its Radio Hill nickel-copper project in the Pilbara.

Western Australia's title as the resources state was further cemented today with new figures showing it accounted for 79 per cent of the $109.6 billion committed to projects across the country.

Shares in Balcatta-based minerals tester Ammtec have soared 30 per cent after it received a $123 million takeover offer from laboratory services and chemicals producer Campbell Brothers.

The Northern Territory government has launched a concerted campaign to poach business from Western Australia and rival Perth as a regional oil and gas capital.

Treasurer Wayne Swan has again defended the proposed resources super profit tax, saying today it was what the mining industry had asked for.

West Perth-based Aphrodite Gold has today opened its $10 million initial public offer to progress exploration and development at its namesake deposit which it recently bought from Apex Minerals.

West Perth-based Adelphi Energy has urged its shareholders to take no action regarding an on-market takeover offer launched today by its major shareholder, oil and gas company AWE.

Up to half of the 500-strong workforce at collapsed Griffin Coal is reportedly at risk of losing their jobs next month as customer Worsley Alumina talks to Wesfarmers' Premier Coal about switching its coal supply.

The founding managing director and chief executive of NRW Holdings, Jeffrey McGlinn, has resigned from the mining services company to pursue other private business interests.

UPDATE: Japan's Inpex has pushed back its planned first gas date from its $20 billion Ichthys project by one year to 2016.

Gindalbie Metals plans to tap the market for up to $206 million to fund its Karara iron ore joint venture, days after it announced a capital cost increase at the Mid West project.

Subiaco-based explorer TNG has sold its Manbarrum zinc-lead-silver project in the Northern Territory for $US8.5 million ($A9.5 million) cash to China's Teng Fei Mining, and has flagged more potential deals.

Fox Resources has potentially doubled the mine-life for its Radio Hill copper and nickel operation in the Pilbara following an evaluation of the Sholl B2 deposit.

Global Iron and International Petroleum will continue their quest to be reinstated to the Australian Securities Exchange after an appeals tribunal said the stock market regulator should have taken additional information into account.

Canada's Uranium One continues to increase its shareholding in Paladin Energy, lifting its interest by 1.3 per cent over the past day.

Shares in Range Resources surged up to 30 per cent today after an investigation into its jointly owned Texas field estimated a potential cash flow of $US363 million ($A402 million).

Cape Lambert Resources has lifted its takeover offer for DMC Mining to the same level as the endorsed offer from Meijin Energy Group while the target ups the ante, saying that other parties could make rival offers.

The environmental watchdog has conditionally recommended the development of the $US2.7 billion ($A3 billion) Collie urea operation by private company Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers.

Swiss mining giant Xstrata says it has suspended a $30 million copper exploration project in Queensland because of the proposed resources super profits tax.

Treasurer Wayne Swan has launched a salvo at mining executives from his "Treasury bunker" as the war of words over federal Labor's proposed resources rent tax intensifies.

Atlas Iron chief David Flanagan has taken the next step in a growing mining industry campaign against the proposed resources super profit tax, penning an open letter to the prime minister that will be published in newspapers tomorrow.

Mincor Resources says it will restart its Miitel nickel operation, more than a year after it halted production due to the financial crisis, but warns the proposed super profit tax places the mine in a precarious position.

Galaxy Resources says the proposed resources super profit tax will not affect its operation near Ravensthorpe, with profits from the mine to come from a Chinese entity not subject to Australia's tax laws.

Shares in Perth-based Northern Star skyrocketed today after it agreed to buy the Paulsens gold operation in the Pilbara from Intrepid Mines for $27 million.

Leighton Holdings' value of work at Chevron's massive Gorgon gas project has risen past $1 billion after it, in consortium with Saipem, was awarded a further $150 million of work to build the project's liquefied natural gas jetty and marine structure.

Iron ore veteran George Jones says the next resources boom is being threatened by the proposed super profit tax as a group of fired-up mining executives today gathered to again express their anger at the Rudd government.

The capital cost of stage one of Gindalbie Metals' Karara iron ore project in the Mid West has risen by 20 per cent after accounting for increases to the operation's scope and infrastructure capacity.