By John Helmer in Moscow A mysterious and protracted investigation by the Toronto Stock Exchange and Ontario market regulators of De Beers-owned Archangel Diamond Corporation (ADC) is being kept secret on the apparent legal advice of Robert Shirriff. A Canadian Queen’s Counsel since 1972, and partner in the law firm of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin, Shirriff […]

by John Helmer - Monday, February 11th, 2008
No Comments »

By John Helmer in Moscow The UK High Court has opened for the first time documents showing how Deripaska created his empire. It was the 19th century poet Robert Browning, who claimed: “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” If Oleg Deripaska is a romantic overreacher like that, the UK […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, February 7th, 2008
No Comments »

By John Helmer in Moscow Russian environmental inspector to despatch bailiffs to halt Evraz steelmill for water pollution. Evraz, Russia’s largest steelmaker, is testing for the second time in two years the will of the Russian government to enforce environmental protection and water emission rules. At stake is the continued operation of the biggest rail […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
No Comments »

By John Helmer in Moscow Polyus Gold’s rival owners appeal to the London market and the London High Court to resolve asset-stripping charges. It’s an entirely new version of the tale of Dick Whittington and his cat. In the 17th century story, a poor orphan boy goes to London where he dreams the streets are […]

by John Helmer - Monday, February 4th, 2008
No Comments »

By John Helmer in Moscow Lakshmi Mittal buys loss-making Russian coalmines in the middle of nowhere. Meerkats are among the most charming creatures in the animal kingdom, and they are expert at coping with the extremes of the Kalahari. The meerkat bands mark their foraging territories; but they are also opportunists — if rival bands […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, January 31st, 2008
No Comments »

By John Helmer in Moscow Claims for the 5th largest gold reserve in the world. Sturm und drang was the title of a German play, ostensibly about the American revolution, which captivated German audiences in 1776. The play and its author have been forgotten; but the title has lived on as the name for a […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
No Comments »

By John Helmer in Moscow Russia’s Evraz group cannot sell its Highveld assets but appears that it might be buying more Russian vanadium. The Evraz group, Russia’s largest steelmaker, has twice tried to corner the global market in ferroalloys, once in manganese, and once in vanadium. It has failed at both, obliged by stronger forces […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
No Comments »

By John Helmer in Moscow Part-2 investigation of the Russian gold assets backing OTC traded gold shares – ABV Gold, Aurus, and Golden Share Alexei Ivanovich, the hero of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, The Gambler, played roulette – desperately, but more fortunately than Dostoevsky himself. In Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s opera, Queen of Spades, the heroine played the […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, January 24th, 2008
No Comments »

By John Helmer in Moscow Through the Nabucco pipeline project, Bulgaria decides to reap the benefit of Europe’s energy demand. The fat lady has finally sung — the operatically named Nabucco gas pipeline project, intended to carry Central Asian gas to European markets, avoiding Russia, appears to have been knocked out by an agreement between […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
No Comments »

By John Helmer in Moscow ABV Gold cannot substantiate its market claims to a multi-billion dollar gold and silver property in Russia. In the folk history of the Russian trades, it was always said that a tailor lacks trousers, and the shoemaker lacks shoes. A Canadian from Montreal, promoting a penny gold mining stock registered […]

by John Helmer - Friday, January 18th, 2008
No Comments »