China question clouds Nunavut road-to-port plan
A Chinese state-backed miner owns the remote Izok Corridor in Nunavut, one of the richest zinc deposits in the world, and the Canadian government has provided some financing for the…
Regulatory Issues
Aussie explorer mulls lawsuit after Greenland nixes rare earths exploration licence
Energy Transition Minerals (ASX: ETM) is considering legal action against the Greenland government after it rejected the company’s application to extend its exploration licence at the Kuannersuit project, which hosts…
Sweden grants 25-year rare earths concession
The Swedish government has granted Leading Edge Materials (TSXV: LEM) a 25-year mining lease for one of Europe’s leading heavy rare earths projects after the company addressed environmental concerns and…
Ottawa eyes special status for Far North resource roads
The federal government is considering granting national interest status to the $2.67-billion Mackenzie Valley Highway and Grays Bay Road and Port initiative (GBRP), two northern transportation projects crucial to access…
Timeline: The Oyu Tolgoi saga
From discovery to blockade: the twists, deals and disputes behind Mongolia’s Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine.
Newmont’s Red Chris underground expansion gets regulatory green light in BC
Newmont’s (NYSE: NEM, TSE: NGT) Red Chris mine in British Columbia has received crucial regulatory approvals, paving the way for a transition from open-pit mining to an underground operation and…
Aclara Resources gets environmental OK for Chile rare earths project
The receipt of the final environmental approval for Aclara Resources’ (TSX: ARA) Penco Module rare earths project in Chile shows the need for governments to make the most of the…
Anglo, Codelco seal pact to unlock $5B in copper
Anglo American (LSE: AAL) and Chilean state-owned miner Codelco have finalized a landmark agreement to combine development plans at their neighbouring Los Bronces and Andina mines, unlocking at least $5…
China blacklists US firms in rare earths war
China has imposed export controls on two American rare earth companies central to U.S. efforts to build alternative supply chains for critical minerals used in advanced manufacturing and defence. MP…
Guinea halts raw gold exports, seeks local refining
Guinea has banned the export of raw gold in an effort to raise domestic processing of metals, Africa-focused business news site Ecofin Agency reported Monday. President Mamadi Doumbouya announced the…
St Barbara’s Nova Scotia gold hub gets green light
Australia’s St Barbara (ASX: SBM) has advanced plans for its Nova Scotia gold development after federal assessment regulators accepted the initial project description for the proposed 15-Mile Processing Hub, launching…
How an odd vision sparked South Africa’s latest zama zama illegal gold mining rush
A farm lying beside tailings from historical gold mines near Johannesburg has joined the legion of illegal mining sites in South Africa in an unusual way. It began with a…