MINING.COM Staff Writer

Oilsands Quest stock was trading up more than 60% at the close on Friday on more than 10-times usual volumes after the company announced it has received approval from the Government of Saskatchewan to convert portions of permits for its flagship project at Axe Lake to 15-year leases, the first oil sands leases in Saskatchewan. The stock was clobbered earlier this week after the company said it will ask for more cash from investors because its almost one-year long global quest to find a heavyweight partner had come up empty handed.

Gold futures pulled back early on Friday after adding over $50 an ounce since Monday and more than a $100 since the start of July, but in after hours trade in New York had reached $1,594.50, adding a solid $5 to Thursday's record high of $1,589.30 an ounce. Thursday's gains were sparked by rating agency Moody's saying US bonds were on review for possible downgrade which followed similar warnings by S&P. Although Fed chief Ben Bernanke has downplayed talk of fresh stimulus for the US economy ongoing political wrangling about the US's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling are sending investors into safe havens like gold.

Norilsk Nickel, world number one nickel and palladium producer and Russia's biggest miner, announced on Friday it is restarting operations at its Maggie Hays mine near Lake Johnston in West Australia. Norilsk mothballed Maggie Hays bought from BHP and the other Australian operations it acquired in 2007 two years later as the financial crisis cut demand. Stainless steel production accounts for around two-thirds of nickel consumption.