The Proactive news universe today was dominated by energy companies.
Starting with UMC Energy (LON:UEP), which is to focus on further investment and development of its Papua New Guinea petroleum projects and its Morondava uranium asset in Madagascar it said.
In oil news, Baron Oil (LON:BOIL) said it has signed a contractor for a seismic programme at the Block XXI exploration project, in northwest Peru.
Texan firm GSS will shoot 180 kilometres of seismic. The fixed US$1.5mln contract will also see GSS process and interpret the data.
Meanwhile, a new assessment of Europa Oil & Gas’s (LON:EOG) prospects offshore Ireland marks the explorer out as a takeover target, according to chief executive Hugh Mackay.
Mackay said there is a potentially massive prize for Europa in Irish waters and believes there is the opportunity for a ‘Cove Energy style' reward.
Speaking of prospects, Caza Oil & Gas (LON:CAZA) said it could again look to new drilling opportunities in the Bone Springs play.
Chief executive Mike Ford revealed Caza could drill at least one ‘obligation well’ as well as possibly seven new development wells during 2015.
Elsewhere, directors of Range Resources (LON:RRL) remain confident the Trinidad-focused oil company can secure alternative funding in the short-term despite the proposed US$50mln funding deal with Core Capital falling through, after a May 14 deadline passed.
Conversely, EnQuest (LON:ENQ) told investors that the Alma/Galia oil field development is on track for ‘first oil’ in mid-2015.
The North Sea-focused explorer & producer revealed that the 'EnQuest Producer' floating production, storage and offloading vessel is now moored in location at the field, and preparations to connect the vessel are underway.
To another type of oil and DekelOil’s (LON:DKL) new kernel crushing plant is expected to arrive in the Ivory Coast within eight weeks having now left Malaysia.
The new plant is scheduled to come on stream by the end of the year and will operate at 60 tonnes a day (t/day) with a capacity to produce palm kernel oil at up to 80t/day.
In pharma news, ambitious speciality biopharma group Circassia Pharmaceuticals (LON:CIR) unveiled two acquisitions that will be funded from a £275mln cash call.
It is paying £139mln for Swedish firm Aerocrine, which makes medical diagnostics used in the asthma field and will hand over £100mln for privately-owned Prosonix, whose products are used to treat asthma and lung disease.
Rex Bionics (LON:RXB), the developer of a robotic exoskeleton to help wheelchair users to walk, will begin commercialising the technology in new European markets in the next few weeks.
In mining, Aureus Mining (LON:AUE) said most of its New Liberty gold mine in Liberia is now operating with early stage mining underway following the commissioning of the primary excavator in March and first gold on schedule for the end of May.
Meanwhile, Lydian International (TSE:LYD) says a revised feasibility study is expected to be completed this month for its flagship Amulsar open pit gold.
Outlining a busy first quarter the group added it was carrying out an engineering review to assess potential ways to further improve project economics.
In other news MoPowered (LON:MPOW), the mobile commerce software specialist, unveiled wide-ranging plans which will see the business re-launched with the name mporium Group.
Barry Moat, founder of UK shop-at-work retailer Premier Direct, is to take over the running of the company, which is also set to acquire a digital marketing agency and raise £3.1mln of new equity.
From commerce to e-commerce and blur (LON:BLUR) said Stephen Harvey had stepped down as chief financial officer with immediate effect ahead of a personal bankruptcy hearing due next week.
Finally, Feedback (LON:FDBK), a medical imaging software firm, is teaming up with the University of Texas to examine the potential clinical application of the company’s TexRAD tumour-imaging technology.
Specifically, experts in the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston will look at how TexRAD derives ‘textures’ from routine diagnostic images, i.e. CT scans, of patients with kidney and adrenal cancer.