By John Helmer in Moscow Russian regulator Oleg Mitvol wins battle for tougher federal mine licensing. Little children trying to sleep in the bungalows of the British colonial territories in India were once entranced by the tale of Little Black Sambo, whose story was first published by Helen Bannerman in 1899. Pursued by four tigers, […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Another Xmas mystery at Oxus – CEO leaves, unlocks value. The idea that Santa Claus brings presents to those who deserve them comes from the original St. Nicholas, a bishop of the Byzantine era. He was famous for his gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three miserable daughters […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, December 26th, 2007
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russian PGM sales controller complains market reaction isn’t cricket. A one-line decree, issued by Russian Prime Minister Victor Zubkov, has stumped Russia’s platinum producer, Norilsk Nickel; the state agency for export sales of platinum, Almazjuvelirexport; and the government body in charge of issuing export licences, the Ministry for Economic Development […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
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By John Helmer in Moscow London market plays Scrooge as RAB sells Oxus Gold for 100% premium. The streets of all the Christian cities of the world are filled at this time of year with buskers singing carols, holding out hands or buckets to receive offerings of money for the less fortunate in this world. […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
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By John Helmer in Moscow The casebook of the great modern neurologist, Oliver Sacks, contains the extraordinary case of Dr Tony Cicoria, who was struck by a bolt of lightning, and left for the rest of his life with an insatiable desire for classical music. Uncontrollably, he heard a piano playing in his head, and […]

by John Helmer - Monday, December 17th, 2007
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By John Helmer in Moscow Ivanov tries a second board meeting to push through mine licence and share transfer. In Russian villages, they say the law is like a sleigh. A clever man can steer it either way. If the villagers knew about share emissions, their suspicion would be the same. On December 18, the […]

by John Helmer - Friday, December 14th, 2007
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By John Helmer in Moscow The war over Norilsk Nickel’s shares to trigger owners’ battle on Friday. “Let the man who seeks revenge,” the old Chinese proverb warns, “remember to dig two graves.” For months now, Russia’s most valuable mining asset, Norilsk Nickel, has been the object of a bitter personal war between the two […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, December 12th, 2007
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By John Helmer in Moscow Silvinit, until now a second string potash producer, challenges Uralkali, with state help. Until recently, Silvinit, a major Russian potash miner, appeared to be playing second-fiddle to its larger, and financially more powerful mining neighbour in the Urals, Uralkali. But in the hungry Russian resource market, with potash’s accelerating value […]

by John Helmer - Monday, December 10th, 2007
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By John Helmer in Moscow Confidence in Roman Abramovich’s staying power supports Highland Gold’s value Top-secret documents have recently been discovered, proving that sex between consenting adults cannot be managed in space. That’s because zero gravity makes the normal positions impossible. US and Russian experiments are also reported to have been carried out to determine […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, December 6th, 2007
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By John Helmer in Moscow Is holding hedge fund a gold share price hawk or a vulture? On Thursday of last week, Oxus Gold, a junior gold miner listed on the London Alternative investment Market (AIM), lost 18% of its market value, pricing at 25.5 pence, with a market cap of GBP93 million. The chart […]

by John Helmer - Monday, December 3rd, 2007
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