By John Helmer in Moscow Norilsk/BHP Billiton “alliance for development of huge Russian nickel deposit raises some questions. Norilsk Nickel, Russia’s leading mining company, has announced that it has won a regional auction for exploration and mining rights to Russia’s largest undeveloped nickel prospect. The Iisko-Tagulsk deposit, located in the Irkutsk region of southeastern Siberia, […]

by John Helmer - Saturday, March 15th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russia’s new parliament reopens debate on proposed limits on foreign mining. A new round of debate on proposals to regulate access by foreign mining companies to the Russian resource sector has begun, this time with a set of legislative amendments that were submitted to the newly elected State Duma last […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, March 13th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Potanin’s cash and shares deal puts Deripaska in the hole. Just two things are remembered about King Canute, a Viking who invaded England in 1013. One is that he had a large hooked nose. The other is that he tried to command the sea tide not to roll into shore. […]

by John Helmer - Monday, March 3rd, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Eric Ambler once told the tale of a clapped-out Australian reporter, based in Hong Kong, whose near-bankrupt newsletter suddenly starts to make a fortune on its classified advertisements. The journalist couldn’t understand why, but didn’t want to look his gift horse too closely in the mouth. It turned out that […]

by John Helmer - Monday, February 25th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow It’s never been the custom of Russian hunters to speak of hitting two birds with one stone. Instead, the Russian expression is to kill two rabbits with one shot. Lest anyone think that President Vladimir Putin is losing his grip, the Kremlin last evening revealed a move that firmly knocks […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Potanin gathers Kremlin support for blocking Norilsk Nickel takeover by Deripaska’s Rusal. One of the key Kremlin figures, who intervened last autumn in the fight between Vladimir Potanin and Mikhail Prokhorov, has decided not to back Oleg Deripaska in his hostile takeover bid for Norilsk Nickel. The figure, who declined […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, February 14th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow The latest in Russian checks on penny gold stocks ABV Gold and Aurus fail to support gold resource and other claims made by the companies concerned. Following Mineweb’s previous reports on the companies, fresh announcements from ABV Gold and Aurus have had mixed impact on the US over-the-counter pinksheets market. […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Polyus Gold’s rival owners appeal to the London market and the London High Court to resolve asset-stripping charges. It’s an entirely new version of the tale of Dick Whittington and his cat. In the 17th century story, a poor orphan boy goes to London where he dreams the streets are […]

by John Helmer - Monday, February 4th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Part-2 investigation of the Russian gold assets backing OTC traded gold shares – ABV Gold, Aurus, and Golden Share Alexei Ivanovich, the hero of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, The Gambler, played roulette – desperately, but more fortunately than Dostoevsky himself. In Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s opera, Queen of Spades, the heroine played the […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, January 24th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow ABV Gold cannot substantiate its market claims to a multi-billion dollar gold and silver property in Russia. In the folk history of the Russian trades, it was always said that a tailor lacks trousers, and the shoemaker lacks shoes. A Canadian from Montreal, promoting a penny gold mining stock registered […]

by John Helmer - Friday, January 18th, 2008
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