News for investors: Barrick settles Mali dispute and Couche-Tard profit climbs

Group 1: Barrick Gold - A judge in Mali ordered Barrick's Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex to be placed under provisional administration for six months, but a deal announced will drop all charges against the company and its employees [1] - The provisional administration of the Loulo-Gounkoto complex will be terminated, and operational control will be returned to Barrick [1] - Barrick's subsidiaries will withdraw arbitration claims pending before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes [2] Group 2: Alimentation Couche-Tard - Alimentation Couche-Tard reported net earnings of US$740.6 million in Q2, an increase from US$708.8 million year-over-year, translating to 79 cents per share, up from 75 cents [4][6] - The company's revenue for the period was US$17.9 billion, a 2.6% increase from US$17.4 billion in the previous year [5][6] - Total merchandise and service revenues reached US$4.7 billion, rising 6.6% year-over-year, with same-store sales growth reported across all geographies for the second consecutive quarter [5] Group 3: Blue Ant Media Group - Blue Ant Media Corp. signed a stock-and-cash agreement to acquire Thunderbird Entertainment Group for $89 million, aimed at enhancing its studio business and cash flow [7] - Thunderbird shareholders can choose to receive either 0.2165 of a Blue Ant subordinate voting share, $1.77 in cash, or a combination for each share held, with a maximum cash limit of $40 million [8] Group 4: National Storage REIT - Brookfield and GIC made a takeover offer for National Storage REIT valued at approximately A$4 billion (around C$3.7 billion) [10] - National Storage has about 94,500 customers across over 270 storage centers in Australia and New Zealand, with the offer providing A$2.86 cash per stapled security [11] - The offer includes a potential dividend of six Australian cents, which would reduce the cash payable per stapled security by the same amount [12]