Australia and NZ

Mining appears straightforward, but success depends on a host of different activities and disciplines, making it difficult to predict future performance and easy to hide uncomfortable facts. MICROMINE produces a software suite that draws an accurate picture to support sustainable business and sound investment decisions.

Qantas and Emirates airlines have joined forces to create a new global aviation partnership, it has been announced.

Under the terms of the agreement, Qantas will move its hub for European flights to Dubai and enter an extensive commercial relationship with Emirates.

ATMOS Global’s new VerifiedDust platform is a journey in the pursuit and discovery of environmental excellence, says its global president and CEO Dr Orestis Valianatos.

Australia’s Sundance Resources has accepted a takeover offer from China’s Hanlong (Africa) Mining Investment.

Hanlong will acquire 100 per cent of the company for A$0.45 per share, a lower price than previously offered last October.

India’s GVK has been granted environmental approval for its Alpha Mine and Rail Project in Queensland, Australia.

Following a four-year long assessment process, Australia’s federal environment minister Tony Burke has given an approval decision to construct and operate the Alpha Coal Mine and a railway line between the mine and the port at Abbot Point, near Bowen.

The role of junior exploration companies is to find something to mine; but there is one such company planning to use the finds it has made to transform into a major mining operation.

Australian bottling company Coca-Cola Amatil has agreed to lend around $46 million to the Australian Beer Company, it has been announced.

The company said the loan is a preparatory step towards its re-entry into the Australian premium beer market and will be used by the Australian Beer Company (part of the Casella Group) to assist with the acquisition and expansion of a state-of-the-art brewery in Griffith, New South Wales, into a 500,000 hectolitre annual capacity brewery. 

Bluescope and Nippon Steel have formed a $1.4 billion joint venture encompassing BlueScope’s ASEAN and North American building products business.

Australia’s Origin Energy has announced the commencement of drilling at the Mbawa prospect offshore Kenya.

Drilling at the prospect is expected to take about 60 days, which will reach a total depth of 3,250 metres subsea in water depths of 864 metres.

The Mbawa joint venture consists of operator Apache Kenya, which holds a 50 per cent interest; Origin Energy, with 20 per cent; Pancontinental Oil and Gas, with 15 per cent; and Tullow Kenya, which holds 15 per cent.

The drilling is being carried out by Apache on behalf of the joint venture.

Australia’s Bannerman Resources has announced an update on its discussions with Namibian state-owned mining company Epangelo Mining Company.

Bannerman and Epangelo signed a non-binding agreement, or term sheet, in April this year setting out the terms and conditions offered to Epangelo for it to acquire an initial five per cent interest (plus a follow-on option for  an additional five per cent) in Bannerman's 80 per cent-owned Namibian subsidiary, the sole owner of the Etango Uranium Project.