Zimbabwe again hinted it might show flexibility in its stance towards foreign mining companies, with a government official saying a law forcing them to surrender 51 percent stakes to local people was an aspiration, not a hard target.
Gold could rally through $2,000 an ounce by year's end, according to a Thomson Reuters GFMS report released Thursday.
The new loan offers will be conducted in October, November and December.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will discuss with European finance ministers the possibility of leveraging the euro zone's bailout fund to make it more effective in fighting the debt crisis.
Canada's B2Gold Corp said high-grade gold zone at Jabali in its La Libertad property has increased and it has started environmental studies and metallurgical test work.
Embattled miner Silvercorp Metals Inc., caught in a maelstrom of anonymous fraud allegations, said on Thursday it's pushing ahead with a share repurchase plan.
Impala Platinum, the world's second-largest producer of the precious metal, said on Thursday a Zimbabwe government threat to remove the licence of its unit in the country Zimplats' had fallen away.
Gold prices fell Thursday around the world as investor fears of a Euro zone collapse gave way to hope that coordinated intervention by global monetary authorities could contain and even cure the continent's sovereign debt crisis.
Gold prices slipped below $1,800 an ounce on Thursday as stock markets extended gains, with assurances from Germany and France about keeping Greece in the euro bloc boosting appetite for assets seen as higher risk at the precious metal's expense.
Australian miner Metals Exploration's subsidiary FCF Minerals said on Thursday its $150 million Runruno gold and molybdenum project in the Philippines may start production in the second half of 2012.
A portion of Coeur d'Alene's Kensington gold mine in Alaska has been shut in the aftermath of a fatal underground accident last week, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration said.
Production and shipments ground to a halt at Freeport McMoRan's Grasberg copper mine in Indonesia after thousands of workers began a month-long strike on Thursday, stoking fears of a global shortage following similar action at a major Peruvian mine.
Shareholders of the $5.9 billion Tampakan gold and copper mine in the southern Philippines remain committed to undertaking the project despite strong local opposition, an official of Sagittarius Mines Inc. said on Thursday.
Gold prices settled moderately lower Wednesday after a string of European developments during the trading session boosted investor hope that the continent's sovereign debt crisis is finally getting the attention it requires.
A gold mine collapsed on Wednesday in a remote Colombian jungle, killing seven workers and adding to the troubles of the country's mining sector.
Gold extended its losses Wednesday after Italian lawmakers approved a major austerity program, the latest in a string of signs that Europe's debt crises may be finally getting the attention they deserve.
Rio Alto Mining Ltd. said Wednesday that first-quarter pre-production at its La Arena gold oxide mine in Peru was 9,385 ounces of gold.
Shares of China-focused Silvercorp Metals slipped again on Wednesday, a day after more short-sellers publicized a string of allegations against the company.
Gold fell by nearly 1 percent on Tuesday after European leaders appeared to take a fresh step toward quelling the euro zone debt crisis, which dented other safe-haven assets, in spite of more data highlighting the fragility of the U.S. economy.
Workers at Peru's Cerro Verde mine, which accounts for about 2 percent of global copper output, started an indefinite strike for better pay and benefits on Wednesday, a union leader said.
Gold prices fell Wednesday as stock markets in Europe posted gains from European Commission plans to push euro zone bonds and China's premier expressed support for struggling European countries.
Zimbabwe has no intention to cancel the mining licenses of foreign mining groups and will continue talks with some miners over a law requiring them to give Zimbabweans a 51 percent stake in their local holdings, the country's mines minister said on Wednesday.
Mining projects worth $260 million were approved in the first half of 2011, over triple the same period last year, the president of the country's chamber of mines said on Wednesday.
Gold eased on Tuesday, taking its cue from the decline on the stock market after a downgrade of the debt of two major French banks because of their holdings of Greek debt.
Spot gold reversed early gains and lost half a percent on Wednesday following sagging equities, after rating agency Moody's downgraded two of France's top banks and fueled fears of a full-blown banking crisis in the euro zone.
Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold's Indonesia mine workers have given the company a deadline of midnight on Wednesday to come up with a fresh pay rise offer, or they will proceed with a month-long strike, union official Virgo Solossa told Reuters.
Peru's government has approved three new mining royalty or tax schemes to fund anti-poverty initiatives and infrastructure projects, Finance Minister Luis Castilla said.
Silver prices fell in electronic trading Tuesday afternoon following a big 2.4 percent gain during floor trading as the possibility that Europe's industrial activity will plunge took some shine off the white metal.
Gold prices rose Tuesday on global concern about the future of the euro zone, the continent's currency and the fragile state of worldwide economic growth.
Shareholders of U.S.-based Century Mining Corp. approved an all-stock takeover by Canada-based White Tiger Gold Ltd, Century said Tuesday.
