We start the round-up by heading north … in terms of nomenclature, if not geography.
Northcote Energy (LON:NCT) told investors that its Mexican oil services joint venture Mayan Drilling Fluids (MDF) has won its first contract.
The contract has a value of US$887,500 and it sees MDF carrying out the work over the next three to four months, before the proposed facility is constructed.
Namibia-based North River Resources (LON:NRRP) has put together a US$4mln finance package to help move its Namib project towards production.
Shareholders voted down the last attempt at a US$12mln financing in June due to concerns over the size of the stake that would have ended up with major shareholder Greenstone.
The financier is also backing the latest funding attempt, with shareholders to vote again on 28 August on whether to waive their statutory pre-emption rights.
Looking east, we see Eurasia Mining (LON:EUA) has started drilling at its Monchetundra platinum deposit in Russia, its second project in the country.
The work will add reserves and resources to the project as part of a mining licence application.
Gold explorer Stratex International (LON:STI) has confirmed gold indications over a 1.2km strike in the south of its Dalafin gold project in Senegal.
Surface exploration at Madina Bafé indicated a sizeable mineralised zone, said Bob Foster, Stratex’s chief executive.
Sector peer Oracle Coalfields’ (LON:ORCP) shares leapt ahead as its coal price petition for the Thar thermal power project in Pakistan was admitted.
The company has petitioned for an US$76.48/tonne average price over the thirty year period of the lease.
This was based on production of 4mln coal tonne per annum: capital costs (including financing costs), of US$879mln; and a 70:30 debt equity split.
Mkango Resources (CVE:MKA) bounced into the black in the second quarter thanks to a revaluation of unrealised gains on outstanding warrants.
The Malawi-focused rare earths specialist reported net income of C$1.17mln in the three months to the end of June, compared to a loss of CS$1.16mln the year before.
The company booked a non-cash unrealised gain of C$1.34mln on the revaluation of warrants that have been issued but not yet exercised; last year in the same period, the company took a non-cash charge of C$274,101 for the warrants.
Another Africa-focused company, Obtala Resources (LON:OBT), is infused with new blood at board level following the appointment of a couple of directors.
The vertically integrated agricultural processing, farming, timber and retail company announced the appointment of Kevin Milne, aged 53, to the board in the role of executive deputy chairman and 37-year-old Miles Pelham as a non-executive director with immediate effect.
Geographically speaking, Real Estate Investors (LON:RLE) is in the middle of England, where it has just pulled off a property coup.
The property company has crystallised an impressive return in just over four months, selling the property at 36 Great Charles Street in Birmingham to Circle Property Unit Trust for £2.5mln.
The part-vacant office building was acquired for £1.85mln on 25 March, and Liberum opines that the rapid increase in the price provides evidence of the strength of recovery being experienced in the regional property market.
PCG Entertainment (LON:PCGE) has sealed its acquisition of Center Point Development Corporation (CPDC), which sounds like a property company, but which in fact is a profitable distributor of gaming software and services in Asia.
PCG says the cash flows from CPDC should be transformational for the group, as it will bring substantial free cash flow.
In the pharma sector, cancer diagnostics specialist VolitionRx (NYSE:VRNX) mapped out a busy remainder of the year as it gave its quarterly update, with data from its large-scale colorectal cancer trials among the potential highlights.
The firm also expects to receive a CE Mark, an important European regulatory milestone, by the end of 2015.
Finally, the first day of dealings on AIM was far from sticky for Gloo Networks (LON:GLOO), with the shares moving to a small premium.