Medusa Mining has successfully raised Aus$3.356 million to help fund its major expansion program of the Co-O gold mine on the sourthern Philippines Island of Mindanao.

There is never any shortage of great one-liners when you attend a conference. In particular when sharing information on a panel. Maintenance know-how, knowledge and information was at its premium best at the recent Global Executive Mining Maintenance Summit held in Singapore this month. Following are some more one-liners that depict the industry.

Bateman Settler offers enhanced efficiency

The Bateman Settler ® was initially introduced to the mineral industry in the early 1990s by Bateman which patented the design in the USA, Mexico and Australia.

Austindo Resources has appointed Brad Wake as its Indonesia exploration manager.

Extract of paper presented at Coaltrans India  By Chandrakant Bhima

Merrill Lynch Global Markets and Investment Group  Merrill Lynch Global Commodities

Sparton Resources recently completed 9 hole program in the Bajoawa area at its Luxi Gold Project in south-west Yunnan Province China.

Emerging Philippines-focused mining company, Climax Mining has appointed East West Drilling to undertake the company"s expanding exploration programme.

By Greg Peel of FN Arena

When everyone talks of China, constantly, India is always mentioned in the next breath. The world"s two most populous nations are vying for world attention. China has the jump on India, but China is also very much in focus as having a huge current account surplus that goes a long way to being the flipside of the US current account deficit. Unlike China, India runs a current account deficit.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck of FN Arena

Stop scratching your head, trying to figure out what exactly caused significant turmoil on global equity markets over the past few weeks. Insiders at some of the world"s largest financial institutions have already done the thinking for you: it all has to do with money flows. Money flew out of the markets from May 10 onwards, asset prices tanked. It"s as simple as ABC.

By FN Arena

With Asian markets being among the hardest hit in the current global correction in equity prices, it is fair to ask whether the scale of the falls in the region are justified based on the outlook for economic growth and corporate profits in the region.

By FN Arena

One feature of the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s was its unexpectedness, as financial indicators available at the time failed to identify its emergence.

By FN Arena

Risk measurements are many and varied. Some economists measure "risk appetite", some "risk aversion", some "investor confidence" and others whatever they will. FN Arena has been following the path of risk measures all this year, and suffice to say there is contradiction amongst them.

By FN Arena

The shakeout in global equity markets over the past month or so has not spared the South Korean market, where the index has lost about 17% since May 8. In the view of HSBC such a move is an overreaction, as in its view the market is now the best value in the Asian region.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck

At least one commentator has dared to ask the question: will the Chinese steel mills still honour their contracts if the iron ore spot price would fall below the contract price?

It"s a no brainer, really: they won"t.

Sandvik"s acquisition of Australian SDS Corporation and Swedish-Japanese Hagby-Asahi has elevated the company into offering a fully comprehensive exploration service to add to its already well established, construction, mining and mineral processing business.

Buoyant conditions in the mining sector in 2005, together with Rio Tinto"s strategic positioning and strong operating performance, resulted in a second successive year of record profits, the chairman of Rio Tinto Paul Skinner told the annual meeting of shareholders in Melbournelast month.

Prospects for thermal coal imports intoPakistan

by Pakistan Seatrade Group chief executive Muhammad Najib Balagamwalla

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck of FN Arena

It doesn"t take a genius to figure out the Chinese steel mills are not happy with how this year"s annual contract negotiations have developed with the world"s three dominant suppliers of iron ore.

The SAG (Said and Grab) Mill continues on last week"s GEMMS (Global Executive Mining Maintenance Summit) quoteable quotes by speakers and attendees.

Drill intercepts of 10m at 19.1grams per tonne gold and 19.5m at 3.1 grams per tonne gold have extended known mineralisation at Sino Gold"sWhite Mountain project area inChina by approximately 350m to the north-east.

Asia Energy has appointed Gerard Holden as the company"s new non-executive chairman.

Gerard Holden, 42, joins the company following a career with Barclays Capital. He has worked for the Barclays Group for more than 20 years with his most recent role being managing director and global head of mining and metals.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck of FN Arena

Don"t get confused by commentators calling for the end of the resources boom era, if anything the underlying trend for metals and other commodities is only getting stronger and stronger, commodity specialists at Barclays Capital state in their latest update on matters.

By FN Arena

"The entire global financial system is on the verge of disintegration, as the result of the imminent collapse of the yen carry trade." Daily Telegraph (UK), 24th February.

Malaysian deputy prime minister Sri Najib Tun Abdul Razak officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony of Mission Biotechnologies Sdn Bhd"s ( MissionBiotechnologies)

By FN Arena

The correction is unlikely to be over yet, ABN Amro analysts say, advising Asian investors to sell into the expected upcoming bounce.

Olympus Pacific Minerals has increased its measured and indicatedresource at the North Deposit on the 85% owned Phuoc Son Gold property located inCentral Vietnam by 80%.

Australian gold production declined sharply in the March 2006 quarter following heavy rain from six tropical cyclones and a tropical low in Western Australia, the Northern Territoryand northern Queenslandaccording to Melbourne-based mining consultants, Surbiton Associates Pty Ltd.

By FN Arena

"The current correction is going to end up [as] the last great buying opportunity in what…remains the greatest secular bull market in gold"s history." Peter Grandich, Grandich Letter (as reported by TheStreet.com)

By FN Arena

Unlike other periods of extreme financial market volatility, this one was not triggered by some 9/11-esque shock. Energy prices, leading to inflation fears, are seen as the culprit, but then energy prices were equally as threatening post-Katrina with little of a similar response. The only difference this time was the hysterical run-up in early 2006 and the fact that many observers were calling for a necessary correction.

By FN Arena

Despite all time high nickel prices Chinais set to continue to expand its stainless steel production capacity at a rate of 25% per year up to 2009, analysts at Citigroup say.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck of FN Arena

The US Federal Reserve may find itself behind the cyclical curve in the coming months, as suggested by several commentators who believe the combination of slowing economic growth and rising inflation is about to put Fed chair Bernanke and Co in serious limbo.

By FN Arena

With exceptionally strong stainless steel demand from the EU and a pick-up in activity from China, steel industry consultants MEPS expect production to rise by 7.4% in 2006 to 26.25 million tonnes.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck of FN Arena

The latest update on market statistics and forecasts by Deutsche Bank reaffirms the bank"s bullish outlook for gold. Deutsche Bank is forecasting an average spot gold price of US$582/oz for the current calendar year.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck of FN Arena

Wells Fargo economist Michael Swanson believes the oil market is in for a "shocker". Too bullish for too long would be his summary of current market opinion.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck of FN Arena

Yes, they saw this one coming over at USinvestment bank Julius Baer. In its June strategy update, the bank"s equity strategists report Julius Baer had taken the strategic decision to pull back some of its equity exposure in early May. Immediately after that the world experienced possibly the most severe global correction in equities and commodities over the past half decade.

By FN Arena

SB Citigroup suggests the big copper miners are currently in a strong bargaining position with respect to the next round of 6-monthly contract treatment and refining charges (TC/RC) negotiation with the smelters. Smelter concentrate stocks have declined and supply has been disrupted by operational difficulties and strike action.

THE USE OF COAL WASHERY REJECTS.

By C.G. Mrig Managing Director Aryan Coal Benefications Pvt. Ltd.

TVI Pacific Inc has completed its Canatuan Sulphide Project feasibility study.

The study prepared by Norwest Corporation details the project mine life to be 6 ½ years at a 1300 tonne per day production rate producing a total of 51,600 ounces of gold, 84.4 million pounds of copper, 3 million ounces of silver and 21,400 tonnes of zinc.

The Malaysian Government has approved Mission Biofuels licence application to establish an additional 200,000 tonnes per annum biodiesel facility adjacent to its current site at Kuantan Port in Malaysia.

Downhole survey tools take a new direction with GyroSmart

FlexIT has introduced GyroSmart® which will take downhole survey tools into a new direction.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck of FN Arena

To market strategists at BCA Research the conclusion to draw from the renewed turbulence on commodity markets is that investors had simply taken too bullish a view, ignoring warning signals on the way up.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck of FN Arena

It is not exactly news the global investment community is craving for at the moment, but new economic data as amalgamated by CLSA (a leading provider of brokerage and investment banking services in the Asia-Pacific Market) will boost current fears that global inflation will inch up further, soon.

By FN Arena

Recent data from China Customs show that at 752kt, April imports of bauxite were up a staggering 501% compared to April last year. On a year-to-date basis, bauxite imports are up 279% from the corresponding ytd last year at 1.9Mt.

By FN Arena

Following a March quarter GDP growth figure that showed a slowing in its economy, the World Bank and others have revised down their forecasts for growth in Japan while retaining a positive overall outlook.

By FN Arena

China withstood the demands of producers for as long as possible, but its need for iron ore has seen it (soon) agree on 19% price increases, an outcome in line with the settlements reached with Japanese, South Korean and European steel producers.

Magnus International Resources is currently undertaking a detailed ground geophysics survey on the Huidong gold exploration project to follow up on highly anomalous gold-in-soil areas.

Recent drill-testing and analysis at Kentor Gold"s Kyrgyz Republic tenements are indicating that the tenements are on the trend hosting the multi-million dollar ounce deposits of the neighbouring Kumtor gold mine.

Emperor Mines Limited has raised Aus $40 million with the placement of 100 million shares at 40 cents per share.

By F NArena

With markets globally now showing high levels of volatility, ABN Amro notes even the professional investors have had their confidence shaken and are now less certain about the outlook for investment markets. Evidence of this is seen in the fact recent fund inflows have yet to be fully invested and money is now moving into asset and reflation plays in preference to momentum plays.

Indonesia and China will determine the supply and demand balance for thermal coal in the Pacific region.

By FN Arena

Merrill Lynch Investment Managers in theUS are not convinced inflation pressures are the reason theUS market is correcting. Chief Investment Officer Bob Doll suggests that if inflation were truly the culprit, the energy, industrials and materials sectors should have outperformed during the correction, as these sectors benefit from higher inflation.

Boart Longyear has sold its hard materials and soft rock tools division ("HMSR") to Equita Management GmbH ("Equita"), a private equity situated in Bad Homburg , Germany .

Despite heavy rainfall in Indonesia during the country"s wet season from November to March, BDI Mining has successfully managed to maintain full operational status at its Cempaka alluvial gem diamond operation.

Australia "s Austindo Resources plans to begin diamond drilling at the Trenggalek Gold Project in East Java mid this year. The company has been undertaking detailed field mapping of three prospects in preparation of its diamond drilling program.