Global demand for gold in 2011 rose to 4,067.1 tonnes, worth an estimated $205.5 billion—the first time global demand has exceeded $200 billion and the highest tonnage level since 1997, according to the World Gold Council's Gold Demand Trends.

The main driver for the increase was annual demand in the investment sector, which hit 1,640.7 tonnes—up five per cent on the previous record set in 2010 and with a value of $82.9 billion.

Toronto-based exploration company Unigold is poised to begin an exciting phase of exploration and development in the Dominican Republic. CEO Andrew Cheatle talks to Gay Sutton about the latest gold discoveries.

The first phase of a luxury new residential block is rapidly rising from the ground in NoMa, the fastest growing neighborhood in Washington DC.Hosein Omidi-Shal, project manager at Paradigm Construction, explains how the work has been accelerated ahead of schedule by creative task assignment.

Paul Benson, CEO of junior Australian gold mining company, Troy Resources, talks to Gay Sutton about the challenges and rewards of low cost gold production.

There are not many gold mining companies, large or small, that have been able to deliver cash dividends to their shareholders 12 times over the last 12 years. Australia-based Troy Resources has not only achieved this, but continued to do so during 2008 when the world slipped into global recession. So what is the secret behind this impressive track record? 

The Dominican Republic is enjoying a period of investment in infrastructure and mining activities. Executive director Alejandro Gil tells Martin Ashcroft how Geocivil is growing along with it.

The Dominican Republic is attracting a great deal of attention at the moment, not least for the gold discoveries made by various mining operations, including Barrick Gold’s Pueblo Viejo.

While governments struggle to prop up their currencies in a recession, producers of precious metals see nothing but upside. Endeavour Silver Corp. has a business model tailored to the times, as Godfrey Walton explains.

Western Australia is one of the boom regions of the world, and its capital city Perth—home to 75 per cent of the state’s inhabitants—is the epicentre of its economic growth. Over the next three years, A$750 million is being invested in improvements to Perth Airport and its accessibility.

With diabetes on the rise across the Middle East, one company is hoping to help meet soaring demand for insulin with a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that is the first of its kind in the region.

Obesity-related diabetes is on the rise in the Middle East. The World Health Organisation estimates that almost one-fifth of the region’s population is affected by the disease. And the International Diabetes Federation believes that the number of diabetics in the UAE will soar by a staggering 80 per cent by 2030.

When it comes to issues such as safety, security and emergency/crisis management, in-house knowledge may not always be enough. Bringing in specialist expertise ensures that no stone is left unturned in the implementation of robust and comprehensive systems to cover every eventuality.

Perth, Western Australia-based Alegra Safety is a consultancy offering safety management, risk management, emergency management, security management and OHS auditing to businesses of all sizes across the world.

The Scottish government has announced that Scotland’s first near shore commercial wave power array has been approved by energy minister Fergus Ewing.

Two new Oyster wave energy converters are to be added to an existing device at the European Marine Energy Centre at Billia Croo, Orkney, to allow operators Aquamarine Power to test the devices as an array.

Each machine has a capacity of 800 KW, bringing the total capacity of the array to 2.4MW.