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Privately owned Rare Earths Americas (REA) has formed in a bid to explore and develop high-grade rare earths assets in the US and Brazil, looking to consolidate supply chains for various domestic sectors.

The company, which raised AU$25 million in a private funding round, said it combines experienced operators and investors with “deep expertise across global mining, energy and critical materials.”

Included in the company’s portfolio is the Foothills discovery, located in Georgia, US.

The site contains grades of up to 41.3 percent total rare earth oxides, including heavy rare earths crucial for high-performance magnets. REA has highlighted its strong logistics, low-cost power and streamlined path to permitting.

In Brazil, the Alpha and Constellation projects hold more than 1 billion metric tons of high-grade ionic clay rare earths mineralization, including dysprosium and terbium, which are essential for permanent magnets.

The Homer project, also located in Brazil, targets multiple carbonatite clusters with the potential for niobium discoveries in a region known for leading niobium mines.

“The rare earths market is undergoing a generational shift as the West races to secure its rare earths future,” said CEO Donald Swartz in a Monday (August 18) press release.

REA’s timing aligns with broader US efforts to reduce reliance on China, which currently controls nearly 70 percent of global rare earths processing and accounts for most heavy rare earths production.

In April, Beijing restricted shipments of seven rare earths to the US and other countries, prompting concern among automakers and defense contractors dependent on these materials.

The US government recently proposed a pricing support mechanism for domestic rare earths ventures in order to increase production and mitigate China’s influence.

Discussions last month, led by former White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro and National Security Council official David Copley, included rare earths producers and major tech firms reliant on these critical minerals.

China’s dominance stems from billions of dollars invested in mining and processing since 2000, often with minimal environmental or safety oversight, allowing the country to produce rare earths at lower cost than western competitors.

The US response to the Asian nation’s rare earths stranglehold has included efforts to develop domestic mine supply and build out refinement, processing and production capacity. American companies have also sought to secure alternative sources in Africa and Latin America, but investment and technology barriers remain significant.

Mountain Pass in California, the country’s only large-scale rare earths mine, produces bastnaesite carbonate, but relies heavily on foreign processing. MP Materials (NYSE:MP), the mine’s operator, posted a net loss of US$65.4 million in 2024, highlighting the challenge of competing with China’s low-cost production model.

REA’s launch positions it as a potential strategic player in this evolving landscape.

According to the company, the Foothills project offers a “streamlined permitting pathway” in the US, while the Alpha and Constellation projects in Brazil provide access to large-scale, high-grade heavy rare earths.

“With grade and strategic geography on our side, we intend to advance our rare earths projects to support the long-term supply of critical materials essential to domestic innovation,” Swartz added.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Uranium mining in Canada accounts for 13 percent of global output, making the Great White North the second largest producer of uranium in the world, behind only Kazakhstan.

Canada hosts 9 percent of the world’s uranium resources and is home to the biggest deposits of high-grade uranium. Their grades of up to 20 percent uranium are 100 times greater than the global average.

Canadian uranium deposits are found mainly in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Québec, as well as the territory of Nunavut. Of these, Saskatchewan leads the country in both uranium exploration and production.

In this article

    Top Canadian uranium mines

    Canada is home to three producing uranium mines, Cigar Lake, McArthur River and McClean Lake, all of which are located in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin.

    Saskatchewan is a premier uranium mining jurisdiction as home to the Athabasca Basin, a mining-friendly region in the north of the province that’s renowned for its high-quality uranium deposits. The area’s long uranium-mining history has made Canada an international leader in the uranium sector.

    Canada’s major uranium mining companies are Cameco (TSX:CCO,NYSE:CCJ) and Orano Canada, a subsidiary of the multinational company Orano Group. Cameco is the majority owner and operator of Cigar Lake and McArthur River. Orano holds a significant stake in both mines, and is also the majority owner and operator of the recently restarted McClean Lake operation.

    Data and information on the Canadian uranium mines and advanced projects discussed below is taken from mining database MDO. The database only includes projects that have at least partial ownership by public companies.

    1. Cigar Lake Mine

    Ownership:
    54.547% — Cameco
    40.453% — Orano Canada
    5% — TEPCO Resources
    Province: Saskatchewan
    Mine type: Underground
    Deposit type: Unconformity-related

    Cigar Lake, which entered commercial production in 2015, is one of Canada’s largest uranium mines and the world’s highest grade uranium mine. The underground mining operation involves the use of innovative mining methods such as jet boring, which was purposely designed by Cameco to tackle the unique challenges of the Cigar Lake deposit.

    For 2024, production at the Cigar Lake mine was reported at 16.9 million pounds U3O8, up 2 million pounds from the previous year. Guidance for 2025 stands at approximately 18 million pounds.

    Cigar Lake’s proven and probable reserves stand at 551,400 metric tons of ore grading 15.87 percent U3O8 for 192.9 million pounds of contained U3O8. Its mine life is expected to run until 2036.

    2. McArthur River-Key Lake Mine

    Ownership:
    McArthur River mine
    69.805% — Cameco
    30.195% — Orano Canada
    Key Lake mill
    83.3% — Cameco
    16.7% — Orano Canada
    Province: Saskatchewan
    Mine type: Underground
    Deposit type: Unconformity-related

    The McArthur River-Key Lake operation is home to the McArthur River mine and Key Lake mill, respectively the largest high-grade uranium mine and largest uranium mill in the world, according to MDO.

    McArthur River was first brought into production in 2000 using raiseboring and blast hole stoping mining methods, but was put on care and maintenance temporarily in early 2018 due to low uranium prices. Cameco brought the mine and mill back into production in late 2022, progressively ramping up output over the next few years.

    Production in 2024 came in at 20.3 million pounds U3O8, up nearly 43 percent from the previous year’s output, and production guidance for 2025 has been set at 18 million pounds.

    McArthur River’s proven and probable reserves total 2.49 million metric tons grading 6.55 percent U3O8 for 359.6 million pounds of contained metal. Its mine life extends out to 2044.

    3. McClean Lake Mine and Mill

    Ownership:
    77.5% — Orano Canada
    22.5% — Denison Mines (TSX:DML)
    Province: Saskatchewan
    Mine type: Surface mine
    Deposit type: Unconformity-related

    The McClean Lake mine re-entered production in July 2025, 17 years after it was shuttered in 2008 due to low uranium prices made the operations uneconomic.

    After studies demonstrated that the joint venture partners’ patented surface access borehole resource extraction (SABRE) mining method could bring McClean back to life economically, the decision was made in January 2024 to bring the asset back into production.

    The site hosts multiple deposits, including the now-producing McClean North deposit. It also boasts the only mill in the world designed to process high-grade uranium ore without dilution, according to MDO. The mill has the capacity to produce 24 million pounds of uranium concentrate, or yellowcake, annually. Currently, the mill is processing ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll mining agreement.

    Proven reserves at McClean Lake are in the form of ore stockpiles, and total 90,000 metric tons at a grade of 0.37 percent for U3O8 for 700,000 pounds of contained metal. The site also hosts significant indicated and inferred resources of 25.4 million pounds across the McLean North, Sue D and Sue F deposits.

    The partners expect to produce approximately 800,000 pounds of U3O8 from McClean North in the first year of operations. In addition, mining at the McClean North and Sue F deposits has the potential to produce about 3 million pounds from 2026 to 2030.

    Upcoming Canadian uranium mines

    There are a handful of contenders for Canada’s next uranium mine: Patterson Lake South, Rook 1 and Wheeler River. None are in the construction stage yet, but most are expecting to come online in the next few years. Learn about the advanced uranium projects below.

    1. Patterson Lake South

    Ownership: Paladin Energy (TSX:PDN,ASX:PDN)
    Province: Saskatchewan
    Mine type: Underground
    Deposit type: Basement hosted vein-type or fracture-filled

    Currently in the permitting phase, the Patterson Lake South (PLS) project hosts the large, high-grade and near-surface Triple R deposit, which has the potential to produce both uranium and gold. The project has a probable mineral reserve estimate of 93.7 million pounds of contained uranium from 3 million metric tons grading 1.41 percent U3O8.

    The 2023 feasibility study for PLS highlights average production of approximately 9 million pounds U3O8 per year over a 10 year mine life.

    Paladin added the PLS uranium project to its portfolio in December 2024 via its acquisition of Fission Uranium. The company is continuing to develop the PLS’s resource potential outside of the Triple R deposit, with a significant focus on the project’s Saloon East zone. Advancing through the environmental permitting process remains ongoing.

    2. Rook 1

    Ownership: NexGen Energy (TSX:NXE)
    Province: Saskatchewan
    Mine type: Underground
    Deposit type: Basement-hosted, vein-type

    NexGen Energy’s Rook 1 project, home to the Arrow deposit, is in the permitting stage with a feasibility study completed in February 2021. Arrow hosts probable mineral reserves of 239.6 million pounds of U3O8 from 4.57 million metric tons of ore at a grade of 2.37 percent, as well as a measured and indicated resource of 256.7 million pounds from 3.75 million metric tons at 3.1 percent.

    Over its 11.7 year mine life, Rook 1 is expected to produce an average of 19.8 million pounds of U3O8 per year, including over 25 million pounds during the first five years.

    Provincial environmental assessment approval was granted in November 2023, and the federal environmental impact statement was accepted as final in January 2025. In March 2025, the company shared that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has proposed hearing dates for the Rook I project on November 19, 2025, and February 9 to 13, 2026.

    NexGen states that a full project execution team is at the ready and the site is fully prepared for construction activities to commence following final federal approval.

    3. Wheeler River

    Ownership:
    95% — Denison Mines
    5% — Uranium Energy (TSX:UEC,NYSEAMERICAN:UEC)
    Province: Saskatchewan
    Mine type:
    Phoenix — In-situ recovery

    Gryphon — Underground
    Deposit type: Unconformity-related

    The Wheeler River uranium project, billed as the largest undeveloped uranium project in the eastern region of the Athabasca Basin, is home to the high-grade Phoenix and Gryphon deposits. Each deposit is considered a standalone asset, and the Phoenix deposit is the more advanced of the two.

    A feasibility study for the Phoenix deposit as an in-situ recovery operation was completed in mid-2023. In February 2025, Denison reported that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is set to conduct hearings for the project’s environmental assessment and license to prepare and construct a uranium mine and mill on October 8 and December 8 to 12, 2025. If granted approval, Denison is prepared to start construction in early 2026, followed by first production by the first half of 2028.

    As for the Gryphon deposit, an update to the pre-feasibility study for a conventional underground mining operation was completed in 2023. Denison conducted a field program in the first quarter of 2025 as part of its efforts to support a feasibility study.

    Canadian uranium exploration companies

    Canada is also home to a slew of uranium exploration and development companies focused on discovering uranium in Saskatchewan, Nunavut and Newfoundland and Labrador.

      For more insight on the uranium companies operating in the Athabasca Basin discussed in this article, check out our breakdown of the 15 uranium companies exploring the basin.

      Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

      This post appeared first on investingnews.com

      A Russian drone may have crashed in a field in Poland, a move the country’s deputy prime minister called a ‘provocation’ as the United States and European leaders continue to push Moscow to end its war in Ukraine. 

      The drone hit a cornfield in the village of Osiny in the eastern Lublin province, about 62 miles from Poland’s border with Ukraine, Reuters reported. 

      Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who also serves as defense minister, said Wednesday’s incident was similar to cases in which Russian drones flew into Lithuania and Romania and could be linked to efforts to end the war in Ukraine, according to the outlet. 

      ‘Once again, we are dealing with a provocation by the Russian Federation, with a Russian drone. We are dealing with it in a crucial moment, when discussions about peace (in Ukraine) are underway,’ Kosiniak-Kamysz told journalists.

      Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pawel Wronski told Reuters some experts have suggested a Russian version of the Shahed drone developed by Iran was involved in the latest incident.

      Polish Gen. Dariusz Malinowski said the drone had a Chinese engine and appeared to be a decoy that was designed to self-destruct.

      The blast shattered windows in several homes, but nobody was injured, the Polish PAP news agency reported.

      Police recovered burnt metal and plastic debris at the site.

      ‘I was sitting in my room at night, around midnight, maybe, and I heard something just bang,’ local resident Pawel Sudowski told local news website Lukow.tv. ‘It exploded so loudly that the whole house simply shook.’

      On X, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said his ministry would issue a protest against the airspace violation without naming the perpetrator. 

      ‘Another violation of our airspace from the East confirms that Poland’s most important mission towards NATO is the defence (sic) of our own territory,’ he wrote. 

      The incident came as the Trump administration continues to broker talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the bloody three-year conflict. On Monday, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a group of European leaders at the White House.

      On Friday, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. 

      This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

      Osisko Metals Incorporated (the ‘ Company ‘ or ‘ Osisko Metals ‘) (TSX: OM; OTCQX: OMZNF; FRANKFURT: OB51) is pleased to announce that it will be uplisting to the Toronto Stock Exchange (the ‘ TSX ‘) effective at market open on Friday, August 22, 2025. The common shares of the Company (the ‘ Common Shares ‘) will continue to trade under its current stock symbol, ‘OM’, following the uplisting from the TSX Venture Exchange (the ‘ TSXV ‘) to the TSX.

      Following the uplisting to the TSX, the Common Shares will no longer trade on the TSXV and will be voluntarily delisted from the TSXV, effective as of close of market on Thursday, August 21, 2025. Shareholders are not required to exchange their direct registration system advices or share certificates, or take any other action in connection with the TSX uplisting.

      The Company will remain a ‘reporting issuer’ under applicable Canadian securities laws through the listing transition process from the TSXV to the TSX. The Common Shares will continue to be listed on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol ‘OMZNF’ and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol ‘OB51’.

      Graduating to the TSX represents a significant milestone that is expected to enhance the Company’s visibility and improve access to a broader investor base.

      John Burzynski, Executive Chair of Osisko Metals, commented: ‘Graduating to the TSX is a natural evolution to our continued growth following our significant capital raise and management transition to Osisko Metals in December 2024, and the continued overwhelmingly positive results of our new drilling program. The Gaspé Copper Project has large-scale potential, and I believe we have only scratched the surface. Aligning with our business plan, this listing is set to enhance our visibility in the capital markets, enabling us to continue to attract significant institutional and retail investors to our story as the Gaspé Copper Project advances.’

      About Osisko Metals

      Osisko Metals Incorporated is a Canadian exploration and development company creating value in the critical metals sector, with a focus on copper and zinc. The Company acquired a 100% interest in the past-producing Gaspé Copper mine from Glencore Canada Corporation in July 2023. The Gaspé Copper mine is located near Murdochville in Québec s Gaspé Peninsula. The Company is currently focused on resource expansion of the Gaspé Copper system, with current Indicated Mineral Resources of 824 Mt grading 0.34% CuEq and Inferred Mineral Resources of 670 Mt grading 0.38% CuEq (in compliance with NI 43-101). For more information, see Osisko Metals’ November 14, 2024 news release entitled ‘ Osisko Metals Announces Significant Increase in Mineral Resource at Gaspé Copper ‘. Gaspé Copper hosts the largest undeveloped copper resource in eastern North America, strategically located near existing infrastructure in the mining-friendly province of Québec.

      In addition to the Gaspé Copper project, the Company is working with Appian Capital Advisory LLP through the Pine Point Mining Limited joint venture to advance one of Canada s largest past-producing zinc mining camps, the Pine Point project, located in the Northwest Territories. The current mineral resource estimate for the Pine Point project consists of Indicated Mineral Resources of 49.5 Mt at 5.52% ZnEq and Inferred Mineral Resources of 8.3 Mt at 5.64% ZnEq (in compliance with NI 43-101). For more information, see Osisko Metals’ June 25, 2024 news release entitled ‘Osisko Metals releases Pine Point mineral resource estimate: 49.5 million tonnes of indicated resources at 5.52% ZnEq’ . The Pine Point project is located on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, close to infrastructure, with paved road access, an electrical substation and 100 kilometers of viable haul roads.

      For further information on this news release, visit www.osiskometals.com or contact:

      Robert Wares, Chief Executive Officer of Osisko Metals Incorporated
      Email: info@osiskometals.com

      Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

      This news release contains ‘forward-looking information’ within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves predictions, expectations, interpretations, beliefs, plans projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always, using phrases such as ‘expects’, or ‘does not expect’, ‘is expected’, ‘interpreted’, ‘management’s view’, ‘anticipates’ or ‘does not anticipate’, ‘plans’, ‘budget’, ‘scheduled’, ‘forecasts’, ‘estimates’, ‘potential’, ‘feasibility’, ‘believes’ or ‘intends’ or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results ‘may’ or ‘could’, ‘would’, ‘might’ or ‘will’ be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information. This news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to, among other things: the anticipated resource expansion of the Gaspé Copper system; Gaspé Copper hosting the largest undeveloped copper resource in eastern North America; and the advancement of the Pine Point project.

      Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management, in light of management’s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information are set out in the Company’s public disclosure record on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) under Osisko Metals’ issuer profile. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward- looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

      Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

      Primary Logo

      News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia

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      Providence Gold Mines Inc. (“Providence” or the “Company”) announces that subject to Regulatory approval it has entered an option agreement to acquire the “La Dama de Oro Gold Property”. The property is a historical gold mine 100% owned by the Optionor, (” Mohave Gold Mining”), a private Company incorporated under the laws of the state of California.

      Providence recently commissioned Ethos Geological Inc. of Bozeman MT to complete an NI 43 101 technical report, authored by Zachary Black, SME-RM acting as the Qualified Person under NI 43 101. The NI 43 101 technical report has been submitted for Exchange review and approval. A cautionary note: The property is at an early exploration stage and does not have sufficient data for a mineral resource.

      The La Dama de Oro Property is situated in the Silver Mountain Mining District, within the structurally complex Eastern California Shear Zone and the intersection with the San Andreas Fault Zone. Bedrock geology includes Mesozoic quartz monzonite that intrudes the Jurassic Sidewinder Volcanics. The structural history of the region implies a sequence of compressional and extensional events that reactivated favorably oriented zones of weakness for the circulation of hydrothermal fluids. The main zone of mineralization is hosted by the La Dama de Oro Fault, a shallow northeast-dipping oblique-slip fault.

      The mineralization at the property is classified as a structurally controlled, low-sulfidation epithermal gold-silver vein system. Gold and silver mineralization is associated with multi-phase quartz veining, brecciation, and pervasive hydrothermal alteration along the La Dama de Oro Fault. The largest known vein is 4.5 feet at its widest point and remains open to exploration, with the potential for additional undiscovered veins along the fault system. The property has an approved exploration permit that includes a bulk sample.

      The Option entitles the Company the right to purchase 100% of the La Dama de Oro Gold Property under the following terms:

      YEAR 1

      Within 15 days of Regulatory approval the Company shall issue 2,000,000 common shares from treasury and incur $20,000 in expenditures within 12 months of the effective date.

      YEAR 2

      The Company shall issue an additional 2,000,000 common shares from treasury and incur $250,000 in expenditures before the second-year anniversary of the effective date

      YEAR 3

      The Company shall issue an additional 500,000 common shares from treasury and incur a further $250,000 in expenditures before the third-year anniversary date of the effective date

      YEAR 4

      The Company shall incur an additional $250,000 expenditures before the fourth-year anniversary of the effective date

      Ronald A. Coombes, President & CEO of Providence commented; “The best place to explore for gold is where gold is, with the rich historical history of past gold production at the La Dama de Oro mine there remains very good discovery potential”.

      The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Zachary Black, SME-RM, a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101. Mr. Black is a consultant and is independent of Providence Gold Mines Inc.

      For more information, please contact Ronald Coombes, President, and CEO of the Company.

      Ronald A. Coombes, President & CE

      Phone: 604 724 2369

      roombes@providencegold.com

      CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

      Neither the OTCQB and or the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

      All statements, trend analysis and other information contained in this press release relative to markets about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to the permitting process, future production of Providence Gold Mines, budget and timing estimates, the Company’s working capital and financing opportunities and statements regarding the exploration and mineralization potential of the Company’s properties, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Providence Gold Mines expectations include fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies and native groups in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; and uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. Providence Gold Mines does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statement.

      Source

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      ESGold (CSE:ESAU,OTCQB:ESAUF) has signed a binding memorandum of understanding with Colombian firm Planta Magdalena to form a 50/50 joint venture on a fully permitted gold- and silver-bearing tailings project.

      Under the agreement, ESGold will invest C$1.5 million for its stake and will retain a first right of refusal to acquire the remaining 50 percent interest from Planta Magdalena within 12 months.

      The project is designed to replicate ESGold’s Montauban model in Québec, which focuses on generating cashflow by reprocessing legacy tailings, while providing environmental remediation.

      Preliminary due diligence sampling of 27 tailings collected from the project, located in Colombia’s Bolívar department, returned encouraging results, including assays of 42.7 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold and 280 g/t silver.

      Several samples exceeded 5 g/t gold and 190 g/t silver, highlighting the potential for high-grade recovery.

      Bulk concentrate tests are underway, with final verification to be completed at Actlabs in Québec.

      Bolívar is one of Colombia’s most prolific gold regions, with artisanal miners processing an estimated 300,000 metric tons of ore annually. ESGold, a self-described scalable clean mining and exploration innovation company, plans to apply modern, mercury-free recovery methods to improve yields while addressing environmental concerns.

      “The region still processes hundreds of thousands of metric tons of ore annually, yet much of it is handled using rudimentary mercury amalgamation methods that leave behind a substantial amount of gold and silver in the tailings,” said Gordon Robb, CEO of ESGold. “This creates an immense opportunity for ESGold to apply modern, environmentally responsible recovery technology that can significantly improve yields while remediating legacy mine sites.”

      Pending completion of technical and legal due diligence, ESGold aims to fast track the project toward production in 2026, establishing a second high-margin operation alongside Montauban.

      Green revenue stream

      It is estimated that there are 8,500 tailings facilities around the globe, holding more than 217 billion cubic meters of mine ‘waste.’ In an effort to reduce the amount of stored tailings and their environmental impact, tailings reprocessing is emerging as both an economic and sustainable revenue stream.

      By extracting valuable residual metals, such as gold, copper and critical minerals, from legacy waste, companies can generate revenue while reducing the environmental footprint of tailings facilities.

      The approach also aligns with sustainability goals, as it mitigates risks like tailings dam failures and restores degraded sites, turning longstanding liabilities into productive assets

      Globally, the growing recognition of untapped value in tailings has spurred renewed interest and investment, with major miners — like Vale (NYSE:VALE) — and governments prioritizing tailings projects as part of circular mining strategies and critical minerals security.

      Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

      This post appeared first on investingnews.com

      Commodities giant Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) has submitted applications to place two of its flagship copper projects in Argentina under a new investment regime.

      The Switzerland-based firm is seeking to include the El Pachón deposit in San Juan and the Agua Rica deposit in Catamarca under Argentina’s recently introduced Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI).

      Together, the two projects represent a planned capital investment of about US$13.5 billion over the next decade — US$9.5 billion for El Pachón and US$4 billion for Agua Rica.

      Both sites would benefit from a long-term economic framework with enhanced investor protections under the RIGI program, which the administration of President Javier Milei launched this year to attract foreign investment.

      “President Milei and his administration must be credited for introducing the RIGI. This framework has changed the investment landscape in Argentina, providing a key catalyst to attract major foreign investment to the country,” Glencore CEO Gary Nagle said in the company’s announcement on Monday (August 18).

      “The RIGI provides a key platform for the development of Argentina’s significant natural resource endowment,’ added Martín Pérez de Solay, CEO of Glencore Argentina.

      ‘I am confident that the mining sector can be a major contributor to the Argentinian economy with the El Pachón and Agua Rica projects supporting the country’s ambition to become one of the world’s leading copper producers.”

      El Pachón is a large-scale copper and molybdenum deposit with estimated resources of about 6 billion metric tons (MT) of ore averaging 0.43 percent copper, 2.2 grams per MT silver and 130 grams per MT molybdenum.

      For its part, Agua Rica hosts roughly 1.2 billion MT of ore with average grades of 0.47 percent copper, 0.2 grams per MT gold, 3.4 grams per MT silver and 0.03 percent molybdenum. Ore from Agua Rica would be processed at the existing Alumbrera facilities, located 35 kilometers away, through the MARA project framework.

      The scale of Glencore’s expansion comes amid a broader strategic race among western producers to secure supplies of critical minerals needed for clean energy technologies, electric vehicles and defense applications. Copper in particular is considered vital to global electrification, and analysts warn that rising demand could soon outstrip supply.

      US enforcement shift on Chinese metals

      On Tuesday (August 19), the US Department of Homeland Security announced that imports of Chinese steel, copper and lithium will be targeted for “high-priority enforcement” under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, a law restricting goods linked to alleged human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region.

      “The use of slave labor is repulsive and we will hold Chinese companies accountable for abuses and eliminate threats its forced labor practices pose to our prosperity,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X.

      US officials say the Xinjiang region hosts state-run internment camps where Uyghurs and other minority groups are subject to forced labor. Beijing has consistently denied the allegations, dismissing them as politically motivated.

      The announcement expands Washington’s campaign to scrutinize goods with ties to Xinjiang, which has already affected solar panels, cotton and other commodities. The new focus on copper and lithium marks a significant escalation given both metals’ central role in renewable energy and battery production.

      Global supply chains in flux

      Together, Glencore’s Argentine projects and Washington’s enforcement measures highlight how critical minerals are becoming increasingly entangled with geopolitics.

      China processes about 70 percent of the world’s rare earths and controls a major share of global copper and lithium refining capacity. Western governments are trying to diversify away from Chinese supply chains amid rising tensions.

      Argentina, with its vast mineral reserves, has emerged as a key player in this strategy. The country is already a major producer of lithium and is positioning itself as a copper hub through projects like Glencore’s expansion.

      Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

      This post appeared first on investingnews.com

      Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced a transformation of the agency Wednesday that will cut the ‘bloated’ ODNI by more than 40% by the end of the year and save taxpayers more than $700 million annually, all while executing its core national security and intelligence mission ‘in the most agile, effective, and efficient way.’

      Gabbard, on Wednesday, announced what she described as a ‘long-overdue’ transformation, that will refocus ODNI and eliminate offices that were involved in the politicization of intelligence. 

      ‘Over the last 20 years, ODNI has become bloated and inefficient, and the intelligence community is rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence, and politicized weaponization of intelligence,’ Gabbard said. ‘ODNI and the IC must make serious changes to fulfill its responsibility to the American people and the U.S. Constitution by focusing on our core mission: find the truth and provide objective, unbiased, timely intelligence to the President and policymakers. Ending the weaponization of intelligence and holding bad actors accountable are essential to begin to earn the American people’s trust which has long been eroded.’

      Gabbard said that ‘under President Trump’s leadership, ODNI 2.0 is the start of a new era focused on serving our country, fulfilling our core national security mission with excellence, always grounded in the U.S. Constitution, and ensuring the safety, security, and freedom of the American people.’ 

      ODNI was first created after the 9/11 terror attacks and exposed systemic failures across the intelligence community. ODNI’s purpose was to integrate intelligence from and provide oversight over all intelligence community elements in order to ensure the intelligence provided to the president and policymakers was ‘timely, accurate, and apolitical.’

      ‘Unfortunately, two decades later, ODNI has fallen short in fulfilling its mandate,’ an ODNI spokesperson said.

      ODNI 2.0 is set to eliminate ‘redundant missions, functions and personnel,’ and is set to make ‘critical investments’ in areas that support Trump’s national intelligence priorities.

      ODNI officials said that ODNI 2.0 will focus on rebuilding trust, exposing politicization and weaponization of intelligence, holding bad actors accountable, saving American tax dollars, and focusing on their ‘core mission,’ which is to protect ‘the safety, security, and freedom of the American people.’

      As part of the effort, Gabbard is closing ODNI’s Reston Campus and moving the National Intelligence Council to the main ODNI campus, which will ensure the all essential intelligence functions are kept ‘under one roof,’ which officials say will ‘enable savings,’ and will ensure ‘greater efficiency and oversight, and integration across the ODNI and IC.’

      Gabbard is also leading intelligence community-wide reforms for ‘efficient and effective operations.’ Gabbard is expected to issue guidance to create a streamlined contracting authority for companies that pursue emerging technologies, and that are already approved for business with the IC to provide services quickly.

      Tulsi Gabbard sounds alarm on Obama-era cabal

      Gabbard is also leading an IC-wide effort to ‘rebalance and optimize’ its civilian and contractor workforce to ‘reduce bloat, increase analytic capability, remove stovepipes, eradicate politicization and analytic bias, accelerate information sharing, and increase efficiency to ensure mission success,’ officials said.

      Meanwhile, Gabbard has also ended non-merit-based recruitment of intelligence community professionals.

      As for ODNI components, the National Counterterrorism Center is building capability to increase two-way information sharing between federal, state, and local law enforcement to secure borders and communities.

      As for the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Gabbard is calling for a renewed focus on security clearance reform, deterring counterintelligence threats, and oversight of investigations and probes of unauthorized leaks of classified information.

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      A Russian drone may have crashed in a field in Poland, a move the country’s deputy prime minister called a ‘provocation,’ as the United States and European leaders continue to push Moscow to end its war in Ukraine. 

      The drone hit a cornfield in the village of Osiny in the eastern Lublin province, about 62 miles from Poland’s border with Ukraine, Reuters reported. 

      Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who also serves as defense minister, said Wednesday’s incident was similar to cases in which Russian drones flew into Lithuania and Romania, and could be linked to efforts to end the war in Ukraine, according to the outlet. 

      ‘Once again, we are dealing with a provocation by the Russian Federation, with a Russian drone. We are dealing with it in a crucial moment, when discussions about peace (in Ukraine) are underway,’ Kosiniak-Kamysz told journalists.

      Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pawel Wronski told Reuters that some experts have suggested a Russian version of the Shahed drone developed by Iran was involved in the latest incident.

      Polish Gen. Dariusz Malinowski said the drone had a Chinese engine and appeared to be a decoy that was designed to self-destruct.

      The blast shattered windows in several homes, but nobody was injured, the Polish PAP news agency reported.

      Police recovered burnt metal and plastic debris at the site.

      ‘I was sitting in my room at night, around midnight, maybe, and I heard something just bang,’ local resident Pawel Sudowski told local news website Lukow.tv. ‘It exploded so loudly that the whole house simply shook.’

      On X, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said his ministry would issue a protest against the airspace violation, without naming the perpetrator. 

      ‘Another violation of our airspace from the East confirms that Poland’s most important mission towards NATO is the defence (sic) of our own territory,’ he wrote. 

      The incident came as the Trump administration continues to broker talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the bloody three-year conflict. On Monday, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and a group of European leaders at the White House.

      On Friday he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. 

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      The Trump administration’s Department of Transportation is raising standards for applicants seeking to become air traffic controllers, a move officials say will reduce the profession’s high washout rate.

      Meanwhile, the department argued that the Biden administration’s decision during his first term to lower standards for applicants contributed to the higher attrition rate, while inflating the numbers of candidates entering the profession.

      ‘By eliminating the Best Qualified category and lowering the standard for how top scorers were defined, Biden and Buttigieg juiced the numbers to make it seem like they were making a dent in the air traffic controller shortage,’ a Department of Transportation spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

      According to the DOT source, the Biden administration scrapped the ‘Best Qualified’ tier for candidates who scored 85% or better on their Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam. That standard was replaced with a broader ‘Well Qualified’ category that included candidates who scored at least 80%, according to an internal agency PowerPoint from 2023, shared with Fox News Digital.

      ‘They lowered the standard from 85% to 80% to be best qualified … to get these young people into the academy,’ Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told the New York Post’s Miranda Devine, referring to the Federal Aviation Training Center located in Oklahoma City. 

      Under the second Trump administration, air traffic controller academy standards reverted to the four-tier system that includes ‘Best Qualified’ for scores of 90% or above, ‘Well-Qualified’ for scores between 85% and 89%, ‘Qualified’ for scores between 70% and 84% and ‘Not Referred’ for scores below 70%.

       

      A DOT official said distinguishing top performers and allowing those with the highest scores to get first pick at training assignments makes it more likely candidates will complete the academy. Different airspaces require different training regimens, the source noted.

      The official cited a Transportation Department report from before Trump’s return to office that warned, ‘Although the lower score selection may assist with increasing the number of applicable candidates to support the FAA’s hiring goals, there is a possibility that it may not contribute to better graduation and program success rates.

      ‘[The Biden administration] made it harder to identify the best and brightest and exacerbated the washout rate,’ the spokesperson said. ‘Secretary Duffy’s No. 1 priority is safety, which is why he’s restored the proper standards and prioritized the best and brightest for placement at the academy as part of his supercharge initiative.’

      Earlier this year, Pete Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary under Biden, said on social media that ‘we did not change the rigorous standard for becoming a certified air traffic controller,’ calling those who were saying as much ‘mistaken or lying.’ 

      ‘We did increase funding & training, and grew the ATC workforce after years of declining numbers, including under Trump,’ Buttigieg added.

      Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Buttigieg said in response to criticism about weaker standards that the pre-admission Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam ‘has nothing to do with the standards of becoming a certified ATC.’

      ‘There is still a minimum standard of qualification, and that line hasn’t changed. And you still have to take a test. And that test hasn’t changed,’ the spokesperson said. 

      Buttigieg’s spokesperson also described the accusations from the Trump administration as ‘a desperate attempt to deflect’ questions about whether the air traffic controller shortage is getting worse under Trump.  

      ‘The fact is, certified controller staffing fell during Trump’s first term,’ the spokesperson said. ‘But under Secretary Buttigieg’s watch, the FAA reversed years of staffing declines, meeting an aggressive hiring goal last year and creating the momentum to meet an even more aggressive hiring goal for this year.’

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