Public Company News

It seems that Blackham Resources can walk and chew gum at the same time. Even though the company is furiously preparing for the commencement of mining in 3 weeks at the Matilda Gold Project in Wiluna, they have still managed to add another 106 000 ounces of gold to their mining inventory since the delivery of their Definitive Feasibility Study just 4 months ago.

Many companies that list on the ASX do so with the promise of “going global” once they are listed but don't manage to live up to that promise. One recent ASX listing that looks like it might be good for its word is Perth based Shark Mitigation Systems who have just secured a contract to protect the world's best surfers with their “Clever Buoy' shark detection technology.

Fresh from exploration success at their Ugandan base metals play, Sipa Resources are now about to drill their highly prospective new West Australian project in the Paterson region as the wet season takes hold in Uganda. The area is attracting the interest of the majors with Rio Tinto recently agreeing to spend $60m on neighbouring Antipa Mineral's ground to earn a 75% interest.

Junior explorer Hammer Metals has accessed a little known Federal Government program to give their shareholders a tax windfall worth nearly half a cent per share. Hammer successfully applied for inclusion in the federal Government's “Exploration Development Incentive Scheme” which effectively allows exploration companies to pass on some tax losses to their shareholders.

Perth based Pharmaust has received a $250k Federal grant to conduct a research program into a little known illness known as Leishmaniasis disease. They will work in partnership with a Swiss not for profit who will retain rights to any drugs produced for humans with Pharmaust retaining the rights to any drugs developed that cure Leishmaniasis in animals.

Sipa Resources might be onto something at their Akelikongo Nickel/Copper prospect in Uganda. The company recently completed a 12 hole RC drilling program returning solid numbers across very wide intercepts at the project, many of which start from surface. With mineralized intersections up to 120m thick, if they find something at Akelikongo it is likely to be damn big.

Perth based MGC Pharmaceuticals have planted their first medical cannabis crop at their licensed growing facility in Slovenia. The company's first crop will be around 5000 square meters in area and will be used to evaluate the best soil, nutrients and growing conditions for the planting of future large scale crops. The harvest will be used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes.

Red Mountain Mining have released the results from their much anticipated pre-feasibility study into the Batangas Gold Project just two hours drive south of Manila in the Philippines. The PFS shows the mine will churn out $46m in free cash over the initial 7 year mine life and produce gold at USD$735 an ounce from a maiden reserve of 128 000 ounces of gold. The project has plenty of upside from a further 320 000 ounces still sitting at inferred status.

Blackham Resources will make the leap from explorer to producer in September this year after the final approval to crank up the old Wiluna Gold plant was granted this week at the company's Matilda Gold project in W.A. The company says the mine will churn out $234m in free cash over the initial 7 year mine life and will produce 100 000 ounces per annum.

Sky and Space Global have passed a major milestone in their quest to catapult three miniature satellites, known as “nano-satellite's” into space. European aerospace company GomSpace, who are contracted to manufacture the company's first three nano-satellites, recently announced that the Preliminary Design Review for the first three nano-satellites was complete.

Avid market followers will no doubt look to punt Legend Mining's stock today at around .008c/.009c a share after the company announced they were commencing a 1050m drilling campaign to identify the source of three conductors at the Fraser Range. The ground is just 120km from Sirius Resources goliath Nova Bollinger nickel find and it is on a simular gravity tenor ridge.

Anti-Cancer drug hopeful Pharmaust will be fully funded to enter into Phase 2 human trials after well established New York investment bank Joseph Gunnar and Co agreed to underwrite the company's next capital raise which will be done in the USA. Phase 2 trials are expected to start in a couple of months after their anti-Cancer drug is reformulated to make it more palatable.