Paladin Energy Ltd has today appointed administrators after it was unable to agree a delay to the repayment of $277 million it owes Electricité de France. The administrators will continue to operate the company on a business-as-usual basis until further notice.

The Western Australian government has imposed a ban on future uranium mining leases, but says it will not stand in the way of four uranium projects approved by the state's previous government.

JSC Dalur has received a permit to develop the Dobrovolnoye uranium deposit in the Kurgan region of Russia. JSC Dalur is a subsidiary of ARMZ, the uranium mining division of state nuclear corporation Rosatom. The permit was issued according to government decree dated 3 June, ARMZ said on 5 June.

Authorities in Greenland have carried out robust safety and security preparatory work for a possible rare earth and uranium mine, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Yukiya Amano noted during a visit to the country.

Uranium Energy Corp (UEC) has entered a definitive share purchase agreement with Pacific Road Resources Funds to acquire all issued and outstanding shares of Reno Creek Holdings. The agreement allows UEC to buy 100% of Pacific Road's fully permitted Reno Creek in-situ leach project in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming. Pacific Road, a mining private equity firm, will own about 9% of UEC's common shares at closing of the transaction.

Some of the world's leading uranium miners last week described major changes they have made in response to the protracted downturn in uranium prices. At the same time, they are positioning themselves for an expected pickup in demand.

KazAtomProm's newly created trading subsidiary TH Kazakatom will bring much needed liquidity to the uranium spot market, its chief commercial director Riaz Rizvi has told the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle conference in Toronto, Canada. Rizvi said that, as part of KazAtomProm's ongoing Transformation Program, it had established a trading office in Switzerland to buy and sell uranium on the spot market.

An organisation representing the USA's uranium producers has called on the US Department of Energy to halt transfers of federal excess uranium inventory until the uranium market recovers. The Uranium Producers of America said the domestic industry is currently in a fragile state after the transfer of large quantities of price-insensitive material over a long period.

ARMZ, the uranium mining subsidiary of Russia's Rosatom, has started developing the Vershinnoye uranium deposit in the Republic of Buryatia, in southern Siberia. ARMZ said in a statement on Rosatom's website the deposit has 4577 tonnes of uranium reserves and that the first production by in situ leaching would be next year by its subsidiary JSC Khiagda.

Jordan and Saudi Arabia have signed agreements on cooperation in uranium exploration and carrying out a feasibility study into the construction of two small modular reactors (SMRs) in Jordan.

Paladin Energy Limited plans to start arbitration proceedings against CNNC Overseas Uranium Holdings Ltd (CNNC Overseas) amid indications it will seek to acquire Paladin's interest in the Langer Heinrich uranium mine in Namibia. CNNC Overseas bought a 25% joint venture equity stake in Langer Heinrich for $190 million in January 2014.

The US Department of Energy has asked for public comment on the effects of potential transfers of its excess uranium inventory on the country's uranium mining, conversion and enrichment industries. The DOE's request was issued the day after the US Government Accountability Office raised issues related to excess uranium transfers over the past decade including questions on the DOE's assessment of market impact studies; the valuation of depleted uranium tails; and the legality of some transfers.