ABC News reports that Queensland is looking to the private sector to help it build a $2.6 billion dam and $2 billion off-shore cargo facility. Premer Anna Bligh said on Tuesday that the Queensland Treasury had been tasked with investigating investment opportunities to fund the Connors River Dam and proposed multi-cargo facility at Abbot Point. The government expects to approach the market in early 2012.

Kivalliq News Online: The Kivalliq Mine Training Society, which provides Inuit in the Kivalliq with mining skills, knowledge and experience, will lose Canadian government funding in 2012, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made no mention of continuing it.

In the year and a half the society has been operating, more than 680 Inuit have been trained, 350 of which have gained meaningful employment in mine-related jobs. "A renewal of the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership Program or the development of a program of similar nature is an essential step in protecting that training," stated Geoffrey Qilak Kusugak, the mine training society's chair person.

Regional mining sites across South Australia will be able to partner with Registered Training Organisations to apply for funding to train Aboriginal job seekers, Government News reports.

Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation Minister Grace Portolesi said the Commonwealth will provide $500000 to the program in 2011-12 in addition to the state government’s equivalent amount. “The State Government is working with the Commonwealth, Aboriginal communities and industry to halve the gap in employment outcomes in the community between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people by 2018,” Ms Portolesi said.

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 7, 2011) - Advanced Explorations Inc. (the "Company" or "AEI") (TSX VENTURE:AXI)(FRANKFURT:AE6) is pleased to announce that work continues in support of the Roche Bay Feasibility Study ("FS"). In addition to this summer's resource and geotechnical drill programs the Company has initiated a number of metallurgical studies looking to optimize concentrate process and quality while reducing the associated operating and capital cost. To date there have been five independent metallurgical studies undertaken (two in Canada, two in Germany and one in China) which support the previously reported results that a high quality concentrate can be produced. The Company does expect to provide a further update on the C- Zone resource as part of this ongoing work with the intention of expanding the FS resource base.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Sept. 7, 2011) - Astral Mining Corporation (TSX VENTURE:AA)(TSX VENTURE:AA.WT)(PINK SHEETS:AAMJF)(FRANKFURT:A7DA) ("Astral" or "the Company") is very pleased to announce commencement of diamond drilling on its 4,168ha Los Crestones gold-silver project, located within the Sierra Madre gold-silver belt of western Mexico in Sinaloa state. Three parallel vein/breccia zones, named Corona, Bohemia and Indio will be tested in this first-ever drilling program at Los Crestones. Astral plans to complete a minimum of 2,500m of HQ and NTW sized diamond core drilling during the program using a highly mobile diamond drill supplied by Energold Drilling Mexico.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Sept. 7, 2011) - ("Stronghold" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:Z) The Company is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Letter of Intent with Mowasi Gold Corp. ("Mowasi") whereby Stronghold has agreed to acquire a ninety-five (95%) interest in the 23 prospecting permits medium scale and 8 mining permits medium scale (collectively the "Concessions") in which Mowasi has an exclusive interest and which are contiguous to the Company's Eagle Mountain Project in Guyana under the following terms and conditions:

African Barrick Gold, which has four gold mines in Africa's fourth largest gold producer Tanzania, said on Wednesday it was planning to cross-list on the country's bourse by the end of this year.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Sept. 7, 2011) - Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:PEX) (the "Company") reports that exploration at the Mariposa Property, located within the Yukon's White Gold District, has seen completion of 34 drill holes for a total of 5350 metres drilled so far this season. Receipt of assay results has seen delays due to high volume and continuous sample submittals, as a result of increased exploration activity in the Yukon. The objective of the 2011 drilling program is planned around completion of approximately 6,000 metres of diamond core drilling to test 5 gold exploration targets located within an approximate 26 square kilometer area of the overall 262 square kilometer Mariposa Property.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Sept. 7, 2011) - NovaGold Resources Inc. (TSX:NG)(NYSE Amex:NG) The feasibility study completed on the Donlin Gold Project (formerly Donlin Creek) in 2009 is being updated to include power generation utilizing natural gas delivered to site via aproposed 500-kilometer natural gas pipeline from the Cook Inlet to the mine site. Utilizing natural gas is expected to lower costs to generate power and reduce operating risk. In connection with this update, Donlin Gold LLC, owned equally by wholly owned subsidiaries of NovaGold Resources Inc. ("NovaGold") and Barrick Gold Corporation ("Barrick"), has provided its owners with preliminary capital cost estimates of approximately US$6billion for the Project with an additional approximately US$1 billion for the natural gas pipeline.