A U.S. government task force called the Flow Rate Technical Group released new estimates which ostensibly double the amount of oil being spewed out of a blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico. The task force’s new estimates suggest between 20,000 barrels and 40,000 barrels of oil may have spilled out daily before the well was partially contained. Whether it is 400 barrels or 40,000 barrels or more, which it very likely will end up being, the potential damage is frightening. What is more frightening...

Back in April, when George Media attended the G8/G20 Business Summit in Gatineau (coverage can be found at www.cbj.ca) I witnessed some of the most enlightened business leaders in the world present the reasons to do business, together. It took me some time to let the real impacts of this event sink in, but alas, here we are and I’m really coming to grips with the messages conveyed at the Summit—just in time for the Leaders’ Summits later this month. Along with other politicians, Canadian Prime...

Here I was, sitting at my desk trying to articulate for our readers how frustrating it is that no-one has really measured the amount of oil spilled off of the Gulf of Mexico in the last few weeks (one of the PR mistakes in this disaster), but I thought I’d point to another blog about this very same topic, which illustrates the exact point that bothers me. Felix Salmon, a writer with Reuters, puts it perfectly when he says “So let’s get down there and measure this thing” since no-one has really...

As the UK parliamentary election rollercoaster grinds, or rather smashes, to a halt, both the IRJ London and Toronto offices have been chatting about the influx of damning and dooming media reports flooding in.  Speaking to editor over at the American Business Journal, Antonia McGuire, it was interesting to hear that the Canadian press, “made it sound quite catastrophic.” On this side of the pond, reports took a different approach, with some election commentary indicating a hung parliament for...

News of the oil slick at British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off of the coast of Louisiana, just keeps getting worse doesn’t it? Last Thursday, April 22, reports talked of emotional reunions between stranded rig workers and their respective families, and said that although those 11 people (now presumed dead) were missing, the rescue effort was due to continue until every iota of hope had been exhausted. By Monday April 26, BP hauled in Development Driller III; the...

It’s our anniversary in May: the magazine is turning a year old, and we’re continuing to turn heads. Stay tuned on April 23rd for our look back at a year in the news, our coverage of resource issues and trends, and a cover story that will knock your socks off. It’s been a great year and this one is looking to be even better. Don’t forget to visit the site on April 23rd!

It’s nearly that time again folks. Our IRJ team is wrapping up those final bits and pieces before our May magazine hits your screens and I think it’s fair to say that this one is quite a storming issue. Speaking of storming, as the UK waits patiently under a cloud of volcanic ash, it’s been a pretty rocky read for mining news this month. We’ve been totting up the tragedies and between what has been going on in China and the USA, it’s certainly not been an easy April. Worldwide calls for...

At IRJ, we’ve been recently following the disaster at Massey’s Upper Big Branch mine, which resulted in the deaths of 29 hard-working West Virginians. And personally, as an editor covering this sector, and a firm believer in safety in what is a very critical north American industry, I am flabbergasted by the way Massey has responded to the crisis. We read stories about mining disasters resulting in deaths all the time—but we think to ourselves “it’s a third-world country, they ...

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been almost a full year since George Media launched The International Resource Journal. The May issue will be our anniversary edition, and we’re so excited about what’s going to be inside. We’ll take a look at the year in resource news, feature some very exclusive interviews with experts in the industry, and focus on some innovative companies in oil and gas that are setting the bar for production in 2010. Thanks for reading this past year and stay tuned…May...

It’s been an oil-fuelled day for the British tabloids, as it emerges that Kyu-Sun Choi, head of the South Korean UI Energy Corporation, the firm which paid ex UK PM Tony Blair to do some consultancy work, was convicted of bribery in 2003. As is so often the case, the direct implications of this grand reveal are a little hazy but the repute of the entire firm, including its work with Blair, is certainly called into question. Reports state that Choi was named as a go-between for oil firms looking...