The West Has Long Characterized Iran’s Oil As A Prize To Be Claimed
The article traces how Western powers have long portrayed Iran’s oil as a coveted prize, beginning with the 1908 discovery that birthed the Anglo‑Persian Oil Company, later BP. It shows how BP’s interwar advertising turned Iran into an exotic backdrop for British technological heroism, marginalizing Iranians. The piece links this historic narrative to today’s heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where U.S.‑Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities risk disrupting one‑fifth of global oil flow. It argues that the same logic of control underpins current geopolitical maneuvers.
Toogood Gold Posts 76.89 G/T Gold and Defines 8.5-km High-Grade Gold Trend at Toogood Gold Project, Newfoundland
Toogood Gold Corp announced Phase 2 results that confirmed a 76.89 g/t gold intercept and an 8.5‑km high‑grade shoreline trend, alongside new kilometre‑scale corridors in the NE Block. Over 650 rock and soil samples refined the geological model and identified multiple high‑priority...
Selkirk Widens Minto Copper Footprint
Selkirk Copper Mines announced fresh drill results from four zones at the Minto copper‑gold‑silver mine, expanding both underground and near‑surface mineralization as its 50,000‑meter Phase 1 program nears completion. Assays revealed high‑grade copper intervals, including 2.45% Cu over 5.8 m at Minto...
Geopolitics Sidelining Climate Goals, Says BHP’s Slattery
BHP’s Australian operations chief Geraldine Slattery warned that recent geopolitical upheavals are pushing energy security ahead of climate objectives, reshaping policy priorities in major economies. She cited Middle East conflicts and disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz as catalysts for...
Polestar Switches to Batteries with 50% Recycled Cobalt
Polestar announced that the batteries in its Polestar 2 and Polestar 3 models now contain at least 50 percent recycled cobalt and will use refurbished modules for any replacements. The move is part of a broader circular‑economy strategy that aims to extend battery...
Airborne Laser Technology Reveals Untapped Critical Resources in Abandoned Mines
Researchers at the University of Malaga unveiled REMINLASER, a drone‑mounted laser system that delivers high‑density geochemical maps of mining waste. The technology captures elemental spectra from laser pulses, enabling rapid, contact‑free identification of critical raw materials across complex terrains. Field...
Tanzania: Tanzania Seals Strategic Minerals Deal
Tanzania has signed a suite of agreements with US‑owned Panda Hill Tanzania Limited to develop a niobium mine, beneficiation plant and ferroniobium smelter in Mbeya. The project aims to produce about 100,000 tonnes of niobium annually, representing roughly 4% of...
Glencore Merafe Confirms Counter Proposal to Eskom’s ‘Unworkable’ 62c/kWh Conditions
Glencore Merafe has lodged a final counter‑proposal to Eskom over the utility’s 62 c/kWh (≈ $0.03/kWh) tariff, labeling the attached conditions as commercially unworkable. The venture highlighted that the proposed five‑year contract, dividend restrictions, and take‑or‑pay clauses would jeopardise the viability of...
Africa Needs to Build an Economic Architecture that Renders It Immune to US Extortion
A leaked U.S. State Department memo threatens to cut HIV aid for roughly 1.3 million Zambians unless the government grants American firms access to its copper, lithium and cobalt mines. The document frames the move as a direct “America First” extortion...
Liberia: Liberian Diamond Sector Under Global Scrutiny
Liberia is hosting its first Kimberley Process compliance review since 2013, marking a pivotal test of reforms aimed at eliminating conflict diamonds. The government has introduced digital licensing, tighter export controls, and awareness campaigns, yet artisanal mining and cross‑border smuggling...
North Sea Oil Discovery Adds Low-Cost Barrels for OKEA with Resource Estimate Boost
OKEA increased its recoverable resource estimate for the Talisker West discovery near its Brage field from 19 to 28 million barrels of oil equivalents. The combined recoverable volumes from the Statfjord and Cook formations now range between 23 and 44 mmboe, with...
Canada Invests $1m Into Mining Exploration on Indigenous Land
The Canadian federal government has allocated C$1.5 million ($1.1 million) to the Tłı̨chǫ Nation for a three‑year mineral exploration program in the Northwest Territories. The initiative, run with the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, targets lithium, cesium and tantalum in partnership with...
From Discovery to Decisions: Data, AI and the Future of Mining
BHP’s digital chief Mikko Tepponen says mining faces declining discovery rates, deeper ore bodies and heightened safety, sustainability and efficiency expectations. To meet these pressures, BHP is standardising decades‑long geological and operational data on a Central Data Platform and deploying...
Aben Explores Tungsten Potential at Justin
Aben Gold Corp. announced a new 2026 exploration program to evaluate high‑grade tungsten alongside gold at its Justin project in southeastern Yukon. Recent re‑analysis of 2014 drill holes revealed tungsten mineralization up to 0.39% WO₃, with concurrent gold grades above...
Sandvik Receives AutoMine Orders From Byrnecut for Five Underground Mine Sites
Sandvik announced five new AutoMine orders from Byrnecut, covering four Australian mines and Namibia's Navachab site. The contracts include AutoMine Multi‑Lite systems, allowing a single operator to remotely control up to three loaders. Byrnecut now runs AutoMine on the majority...
Blue Moon Apex Deal Underscores Gallium, Germanium Supply Push, Refining Gap
Blue Moon Metals completed its acquisition of the Apex mine, a former U.S. producer of gallium, germanium and copper, to re‑establish domestic supply of these critical metals. The deal includes a 0.5% net smelter return royalty for Teck and positions...
Rio Tinto Eyes Arizona Copper Mine by Mid-2030s
Rio Tinto has won a lengthy legal battle, gaining control of the land needed for its Resolution Copper project in Arizona. The miner launched a $500 million drilling program to explore the remaining 30% of the deposit that was previously inaccessible....
Ukraine Targets Ust-Luga
Ukraine’s armed forces escalated their campaign against Russian energy infrastructure by launching drone strikes on the Baltic Sea port of Ust‑Luga. The attack sparked a large fire and video footage released by the Leningrad region governor shows significant damage to...
Kenmare Suspends Dividend, Cuts Staff to Stabilise Finances
Kenmare Resources announced it will suspend its 2025 final dividend and cut about 15% of its Moma workforce as weak titanium feedstock prices and a delayed WCP A upgrade pressure its finances. The company posted a $23.7 million adjusted loss for...
Rio's Boyne Aluminium Smelter Lands $2B Handout
Rio Tinto has secured a landmark $2 billion taxpayer‑funded package from the Queensland and Australian governments to support its Boyne aluminium smelter, the second‑largest in the country. The agreement also bundles roughly $7.5 billion in green‑energy investments aimed at decarbonising the plant...
3ME Achieves Major Milestone with IECEx Certification for BladeVOLT Battery System
Australian specialist 3ME Technology has secured IECEx hazardous‑area certification for its BladeVOLT battery system, a milestone after eight years of engineering and testing. The certification, based on IEC 60079 standards, validates the system’s ability to operate safely in explosive underground...
Rio Tinto Secures Power Deal to Keep Boyne Aluminium Smelter Lights On
Rio Tinto, the Queensland and Commonwealth governments have sealed a A$2 bn ($1.4 bn) partnership to guarantee power for the Boyne aluminium smelter through 2040, extending its competitive edge beyond the current contract that expires in 2029. The deal builds on Rio...
Golden Dragon Flags Million-Ounce-Plus Gold Potential in WA
Golden Dragon Mining announced that its Cue project in Western Australia targets a million‑ounce‑plus gold resource after an independent review of 14 priority targets. The 600‑square‑kilometre land package hosts over 50 km of mineralised shear zones comparable to other orogenic gold...
Australian Critical Minerals Approaches First Drilling of Flint Gold-Silver Targets
Australian Critical Minerals (ASX:ACM) is set to commence its maiden diamond drilling at the Flint gold‑silver project in northern Peru on March 31. The program will test two high‑sulphidation epithermal systems within a 4‑km corridor that sits in a prolific...
Parliamentary Hearing to Examine Future of Critical Minerals Sector
Australia’s House of Representatives Standing Committee on Primary Industries will hold its first public hearing on March 26 to scrutinize the nation’s critical minerals sector. The inquiry ties into the government’s $22.7 billion Australian Future Made plan—about US$15 billion—highlighting processing capabilities as a...
Astral Resources Weaves a Golden Web with High-Grade Spargoville Hits
Astral Resources reported high‑grade gold intersections from its latest 39‑hole, 4,234‑metre infill and extension program at the Wattle Dam Complex in the Spargoville project. Highlights include a 13‑metre interval grading 7.1 g/t Au with a 2‑metre sub‑zone at 34.6 g/t, and multiple...
Pioneer Steps Into US Defence Supply Chain Spotlight with DIBC Entry
Pioneer Minerals has been accepted into the U.S. Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC), linking its Idaho North Pine tungsten project to defence supply‑chain initiatives. Membership gives Pioneer direct access to government agencies, contractors and potential non‑dilutive funding to boost domestic...
Thailand Court Holds Gold Mine Operator Liable in Landmark Environmental Class Action
A Thai court ruled that Akara Resources, operator of the Chatree gold mine, is liable for environmental damage and health harms suffered by more than 300 villagers in Phichit and Phetchabun provinces. The judgment marks Thailand’s first environmental class‑action suit,...
West Coast Silver Drilling to Grow Elizabeth Hill Silver Footprint
West Coast Silver has launched a 4,000‑metre reverse‑circulation drilling campaign at its Elizabeth Hill silver project in Western Australia, targeting extensions of high‑grade mineralisation along the Munni Munni Fault. The program aims to delineate shallow, near‑surface ore that could support...
Magnetic Lifts Lady Julie Underground Production Target in WA
Magnetic Resources has lifted the underground production target for its wholly‑owned Lady Julie gold project in Western Australia to roughly 13 million tonnes at 2 g/t gold, following scoping‑level optimisation. The revised plan forecasts a 14‑19‑year underground mine life with annual output...
Second Diamond Hole Underway as Lodestar Chases Scale at Chile IOCG Target
Lodestar Minerals has begun a second diamond drill hole at its Three Saints IOCG project in northern Chile, following a maiden hole that intersected visible copper‑bearing sulphides from 190 m to 600 m depth. The new hole is being sunk vertically to...
Expro to Deliver Geothermal Well Testing for Vulcan Energy’s Lionheart Project in Germany
Expro has secured a contract to provide geothermal well‑testing services for the first Schleidberg well of Vulcan Energy’s Lionheart project in Germany. The Lionheart initiative, classified under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act, aims to pair geothermal power generation with...
New Cat® 6040 Mining Shovel to Help Mining Operations Improve Productivity & Efficiency
Caterpillar unveiled the next‑generation Cat 6040, a 400‑ton class hydraulic mining shovel designed to boost material movement while curbing fuel use and downtime. The machine pairs twin 1,550 kW Cat C32B engines with a variable‑flow hydraulic system that delivers up to 15%...
Fenner Conveyors Takes Major Circularity Step with Launch of INFINITYSERIES Recycled-Content Belts
Fenner Conveyors, a Michelin Group subsidiary, launched the INFINITYSERIES, a new conveyor‑belt line that incorporates 10% locally sourced recycled material. Unveiled at the K‑MIX Material Innovation Hub, the belts target heavy‑industry applications such as mining, ports, processing and agriculture while...
Pan American Announces Revised PEA for the La Colorada Skarn Project, Positions La Colorada as a Future Top-Tier Silver Mine
Pan American Silver released a revised Preliminary Economic Assessment for its 100% owned La Colorada Skarn Project in Zacatecas, Mexico, outlining a 15,000‑tonne‑per‑day plant and a 37‑year mine life. The plan combines newly identified high‑grade veins with the existing skarn deposit,...
Erdene Announces 2025 Results - Provides Bayan Khundii Gold Mine and Exploration Update
Erdene Resource Development completed construction of the high‑grade Bayan Khundii Gold Mine in Q3 2025 and began production in September, selling 7,434 oz of gold at a weighted‑average $4,187 per ounce, generating roughly $31 million in gross revenue. The mill operates near its 85,000‑oz...
Federal Offshore Critical Minerals Leasing Gains Momentum Near CNMI
On March 18, 2026 the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued an Area Identification Recommendation covering more than 69 million acres offshore the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, effectively doubling the original 35.5‑million‑acre request for information. The recommendation advances Executive...
$16 Million Awarded for Breakthrough Metal-Recovery Innovations
The NSF‑backed Tech Metal Transformation Challenge, run through Stride Ventures, awarded roughly $16 million to eight winning teams for metal‑recovery technologies. Each winner receives up to $2 million in the first 10‑month stage, with potential follow‑on funding of $2.5 million and $3 million for...
Ghana’s Mining Contractor & Owner Operator E&P to Invest US$1.2 Billion at Tarkwa and Damang
Ghanaian contract mining firm Engineers & Planners (E&P) announced a $1.2 billion investment to expand its operations at Gold Fields’ Tarkwa and Damang gold mines. The plan includes deploying 30 Caterpillar 785D haul trucks and builds on a prior $650 million outlay...
North America Drops 21 Rigs Week on Week
North America’s weekly rig count fell by 21 units to 729, with the United States slipping one rig to 552 and Canada losing 20 rigs, down to 177. U.S. oil rigs rose two while gas rigs fell two, and Canada’s...
Malawi: Parliament Proposes Higher Mining Fees and Dollar Payments for Foreign Investors to Boost Malawi's Revenue and Forex
Malawi's Parliament has tabled a proposal to raise mining fees and require foreign investors to pay in US dollars, aiming to increase state revenue and alleviate chronic foreign‑exchange shortages. The minimum fee for local firms would jump from K10,000 (≈$10)...
Zijin’s Congo Lithium Mine to Rank Among World’s Biggest
Zijin Mining Group’s Manono lithium project in the Democratic Republic of Congo is slated for commissioning in June and will become one of the world’s largest hard‑rock lithium operations. At full capacity it will produce 130,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate...
Record Gold Prices Fail to Lift SA Output
South Africa’s gold production has stalled at roughly 90 tons a year, a sharp decline from its 1970 peak of 1,000 tons, despite a 60% surge in gold prices over the past year. Dwindling reserves, labor unrest and the extreme...
UP Cabinet Approves ₹2,242 Crore for Pashwara South Coal Block in Jharkhand
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved a ₹2,242.9 crore (≈ $270 million) investment for the Pashwara South coal block in Jharkhand. The block, allocated to joint venture NUPPL, will supply coal to the Ghatampur thermal power project in Kanpur, which comprises three 660 MW units,...
Addressing Lithium Supply Risks for U.S. Battery Resilience
The United States relies on foreign sources for more than 90% of the lithium used in its batteries, exposing warehouses, manufacturers and logistics networks to geopolitical risk and price volatility. With global demand projected to quintuple by 2040, policymakers and...
More Steps Being Taken to Advance Promising South African Uranium/Gold Endowment
Neo Energy Metals announced negotiations with Sibanye‑Stillwater to obtain unrestricted access to the New Beisa Complex, a combined uranium‑gold site in South Africa’s Free State and Northern Cape. The company aims to restart mining at the former Beatrix 4 shaft and target...
Valaris Drillship Spins the Drill Bit at Equinor’s $9 Billion Brazilian Gas Project
Equinor has launched the drilling phase of its $9 billion Raia gas project off Brazil’s coast using Valaris' DS‑17 drillship. The campaign targets six pre‑salt wells in 2,900‑meter water, aiming for first gas production by 2028. The development will export up...
Despite Low Demand, China Drives 5% Increase in Iron Ore Shipments
Global iron ore shipments rose 5% year‑over‑year in the first 12 weeks of 2026, driven by stronger Chinese import demand. Yet Chinese steel production slipped 4% in the same period, pushing inventories to a record 179.5 million tonnes by March 12....
Celsius Linked to Fresh LNG Carrier Order at Samsung Heavy
Denmark’s Celsius Tankers has secured a new order for two 180,000 m³ LNG carriers from Samsung Heavy Industries, valued at roughly KRW 770 billion ($514 million). The vessels are scheduled for delivery through September 2028, adding to Celsius’s existing portfolio of about 24...
Advance Metals Expands Gold Footprint at Happy Valley with Strong Maiden Drilling Results
Advance Metals Limited announced that its maiden regional drilling at the Happy Valley Project in Victoria has identified new gold mineralization zones beyond the core deposit, expanding the known 13‑km trend. The Queen of the Hills prospect returned up to...
