The Aurcana Corporation operates the La Negra mine in Mexico and is developing and constructing the Shafter Mine in Texas, which will quadruple the company’s silver output and raise it from junior to mid-tier status. The road to success will face challenges, though, as Gay Sutton hears from VP Operations Andy Nichols.

Netherlands-based Doedijns Group has announced the opening of its new premises in Dubai, UAE.

The company, which specializes in hydraulics, instrumentation, pneumatics and controls, carries out customer-specific system engineering, manufacture, procurement, installation, commissioning and maintenance to clients in the energy, petrochemical, and maritime and dredging sectors.

Mid-tier Canadian mining company Taseko Mines Limited has submitted a revised project description to the Federal Government in pursuit of final approval of its New Prosperity gold-copper project.

The New Prosperity project addresses the concerns identified during the original federal review process while building on the core strengths and benefits of the original Prosperity proposal.

Canadian resource company Copper Mountain Mining Corporation announced today that construction of its processing plant is now complete and production has commenced.

Mining has been proceeding as planned and has been delivering ore to the primary crusher since mid April. The company has been stock piling ore as part of preproduction mining activities.

UK-based drinks giant Diageo has agreed to purchase a 20 per cent share in Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) from SABMiller, through its subsidiary East African Breweries Limited (EABL).

The sale, announced today, is subject to KBL agreeing to terminate a brewing and distribution agreement with SABMiller, which will also see it ceasing to distribute SABMiller's brands in Kenya after a short transitional period.

NASA is due to test a range of new rocket technologies from its facility in Virginia next week.

The technologies will be tested on a Terrier-Improved Orion suborbital sounding rocket, from NASA’s launch range at its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The new technologies being trialed include the Small Rocket/Spacecraft Technology (SMART) platform, Autonomous Flight Safety System, Low Cost Telemetry Transmitter, and an electrohydrodynamic-based thermal control unit.

UK-based Cairn Energy has commenced drilling operations on two wells offshore West Greenland, it was announced today.

Operations will commence on the AT-7 well in the Atammik Block and the LF-7 well in the Lady Franklin Block, approximately 160 and 300 kilometres offshore Nuuk respectively.

The AT-7 prospect lies at a depth of 905 metres and the LF-7 prospect at 989 metres.

Drilling will be carried out by a fifth generation semi-submersible, the Leiv Eiriksson, and the Ocean Rig Corcovado, a sixth generation drillship.

Texas-based Treaty Energy Corp. has acquired its own drilling rig ahead of commencing operations in Belize, it has been announced.

The Schramm Rig, purchased in Alabama, has been shipped to a service center for inspection and upgrades as needed, prior to its shipment to Belize in June.

The rig is capable of drilling with either air or mud, and is thus able to drill with either method if on-site conditions change, the company said.

Building supplies specialist Wolseley has reported a jump in trading profits on the back of healthy growth in the US, it has been announced.

The UK-based company’s trading profits for the three months ending 30 April rose to £131 million, up 30 per cent from a year earlier. Revenue also rose, by one per cent to £3.27 billion.

Growth of 10 per cent in like-for-like revenue in the US helped to offset weaker growth in the UK, due to a slowdown in the construction industry.