Ann: Rio to Invest $40.4m to Become a 15% Strategic Investor, page-57

For an indicator of what RIO brings to Sovreign's Kasiya project head over to RIO website for a few serious lessons. Must read to gain an understanding of their SVM investment and whatever precedes.

Just a few quick ones
- 70 years mineral sands mining/processing in Quebec/Canada.
- Richard's Bay is South Africa's largest producer of mineral sands - Rio they have just approved a next stage with a 463 million dollar expenditure.
This asset is 74% RIO with Blue Horizon consortium and host community owning the other.
- Off the coast in Madagascar a large ilmenite mineral sands operation - 80% RIO and 20% Madagascar Gov.

So clearly shows the depth of years in expertise in mineral sands - rutile - titanium sectors. Critically they have run the book over Kasiya and with their expertise and long African/Madagascar experience they have seen Kasiya as a huge addition - of course as I mentioned the SVM team member ex RIO many a years would have played favorably (contacts in mining are gold - literally - and last a lifetime - sometimes generations) I have worked on Rio sites but the depth and history in mineral sands surprised me to the upside.

Also well worth researching titanium oxide/pigment - very interesting the differentiation between US - EU and China pricing. Obviously economy situation related. Many commodities are traded USD and globally unified - titanium products appear to be individual contracts between supplier and buyer - much in the way the opaque rare earth contracts are.