Avion Resources has revealed that drilling programmes at two gold projects in Mali have been completed.

A combined total of 15,341 metres was drilled by the firm at the Segala and Tabakoto locations in the West African nation.

Exploration at the Segala deposit discovered a new zone of gold mineralisation along a north-westerly trend and one hole returned a grade of 2.72 g/t over 73.5 metres.

"Positive" results were also obtained at the Tabakoto area, situated around 5km away from the Segala project.

Significant figures included 7.41 g/t gold over 73.5 metres, 3.23 g/t gold over 3.4 metres and 5.24 g/t gold over 1.5 metres.

"Avion believes that the gold mineralization at Segala displays good continuity," remarked spokesman Don Dudek.

He added that results from the second project provide "good potential" for development.

Meanwhile, mining firms from Melbourne have become key organisations in the emerging gold industry in Senegal, according to Australian newspaper the Age.

Bear Lake Gold is planning to add an extra drill to aid the exploration programme being conducted at Larder Lake.

President and chief executive officer Francois Viens said that the addition will speed up work at the site, where targets deeper than 1km below the surface are being explored.

"The current drilling program on the Bear Lake gold zone is progressing well and returning some outstanding gold intercepts," he remarked.

Past work has determined that gold values increase at the project below the depth of 400 metres. Gold mineralisation has also been established below 750 metres, where one hole encountered 19.4 g/t gold over 9.5 metres.

Three drill rigs are currently active on site and the fourth will be put into operation in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Exmin Resources and Canarc Resource have agreed on a joint venture on the Batopilas project in Mexico.

Sierra Gold has announced that it has delivered two "state-of-the-art" gold processing plants to west Africa.

The technology used by the equipment, which has been sent to Sierra Leone, allows for a more environmentally-friendly process with no chemicals and less water use.

It will also speed up production by over ten times and provide up to a 98 per cent recovery rate.

Furthermore, the units are portable and can easily be moved from location to location, which will be beneficial when new gold discoveries are found.

Chief executive Doug Evans commented: "The company is looking forward to moving into the next stage of development … this is a giant step forward from our present local methods of processing gold."

The company has also launched a brand-new website designed to keep shareholders informed of developments within the firm.

Meanwhile, several countries on the continent are planning to implement a harmonised mining code that will help to ensure all nations benefit from their resources, according to AllAfrica.com.

High River Gold Mines has announced that it has reached the commercial production stage at its Berezitovy mine in Russia.

During September mill throughput totalled 80,487 tonnes, reaching an average capacity utilisation of 65 per cent, exceeding the target that had been set by the company.

The firm revealed that previously damaged equipment had "performed much better than expected" and that new apparatus is on site ready to be installed if required.

Gold production at the mine for this year is expected to amount to approximately 45,000 ounces.

In addition, the Taparko-Bouroum gold mine is expected to be restarted in early November after the delivery of a new custom-made gearbox.

Meanwhile, Highland Gold recently revealed that the Novoshirokinskoye site is on track to become the company’s second producing mine of 2008.

Spokesman Duncan Baxter said: "We look forward to seeing further progress being made during the rest of the year."

Nanotechnology scientists in New York are aiming to improve alternative energy applications, it has been reported.

Researchers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Centre for Functional Nanomaterials – located in Long Island – have focused their efforts on developing cleaner energy technology, according to New York University’s ScienceLine blog.

A "major research effort" is currently underway to design nanomaterial catalysts that create energy-efficient methods of producing power.

One project is aiming to generate clean-burning hydrogen fuel by producing a catalyst that splits water into its two components – hydrogen and oxygen.

It is essential that work at the site is undertaken in a clean room as dust will look like a "giant boulder" compared to the nanoparticles that the scientists work with.

Gold nanoparticles are particularly useful as a catalyst, as highlighted by recent work conducted by a team from Lehigh University, Cardiff University and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Gold nanoparticles are being used to develop a new way of creating solar energy, it has been reported.

Two academics at the Centre for Advanced Materials Processing at Clarkson University in the US are working on the high-tech solar applications, according to the Watertown Daily Times.

They are using the miniscule particles of gold to help them produce a tiny wire to be used in panels similar to that on a calculator or the roof of a house.

It is hoped that the nano version of this technology could prove to be more efficient and versatile.

"What we’re talking about is not quite science fiction, but it’s a futuristic vision," centre director Suryadevara Babu told the paper.

Recently, researchers in Iran used gold nanoparticles to create an extra-sensitive copper detector.

The application could have uses in the biology, medical and food industries, reported PressTV.

A postdoctoral researcher from the College of William & Mary in the US has won an award for his work with ultra-thin gold film.

Cesar Calvero, from the institution’s department of applied science, has been named as the recipient of the Outstanding Young Researcher Award from the American Vacuum Society.

Along with his partner Ale Lukaszew, he combined gold and cobalt to produce the film in order to obtain optical and magnetic qualities for use in nanotechnology and biotech applications.

While explaining his work, Mr Calvero said: "It’s not just a question of mixing materials; it’s a question of mixing them right so that they have the optimum optical and structural properties."

The award will be presented at a ceremony in Boston in late October.

Recently, gold nanoscientist Mostafa El-Sayed was honoured with a National Medal of Science, presented to him by George Bush at the White House.

Higher demand for gold products has been experienced at Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter, it has been reported.

Karen Martin, from dealers Stephen Betts and Sons, told BBC News that she had never known anything like it.

She said that there has been a jump in demand for gold ingots of all sizes, plus gold coins such as African Krugerrands.

Metals analyst Charles Kernot also spoke to the news provider, stating: "There are a lot of financial circumstances and worries across the markets and from that perspective I think gold will be regarded as a safe haven."

Fellow Birmingham trader Erica Broadhurst from Hardrock Jewellers said that more people were bringing their gold items to the area to find out their worth.

Meanwhile, imports from the world’s largest gold consumer India are predicted to remain steady throughout 2008, according to the Business Standard.

Excel Gold Mining has announced that it has made "progressive changes" over the last five months.

The firm acquired an extra 117 mining claims in August and plans to obtain an additional 140 in October, mainly within the Batiscan region of Comte de Portneuf.

President Daniel Pauze stated: "With a major land position in this prolific mineral area we now plan to undertake and announce a comprehensive exploration programme to assess fully the mineral potential."

Excel will own 10,162 hectares in the region after the acquisitions are approved and completed.

The measures are part of the company’s strategy to add land packages to its current portfolio.

Meanwhile, Vancouver-based Abacus Mining & Exploration has appointed James Whittaker as project manager for the Afton-Ajax mine in British Columbia.

Abacus plans to develop the site into an open-pit mine processing over 100,000 tonnes of gold per year.