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Venezuela and Bolivia are supplying Iran with uranium for its nuclear program, according to a secret Israeli government report obtained Monday by The Associated Press. The two South American countries are known to have close ties with Iran, but this is the first allegation that they are involved in the development of Iran's nuclear program, considered a strategic threat by Israel.

At first glance, gold’s higher price per ounce makes it seem like the obvious choice for miners. However, a closer look at production costs and environmental impact reveals why silver remains such an attractive metal to extract. This graphic, sponsored by Vizsla Silver Corp., uses data from Thunder Said Energy, AG Metals, and Metals Focus Gold Mine Cost Service to compare the costs of mining silver vs. gold. Gold mining is not only significantly more energy-intensive than silver mining but also produces many more emissions because of the increased energy intensity.

In narrow, hand-dug tunnels carved into the mountainside, villagers have uncovered a natural opal wonder that's turning heads in the global gem trade. At almost 10,000 feet above sea level, villagers in northern Ethiopia have uncovered a seam of pure black opal buried within hand-dug tunnels. The site, hidden in Wollo Province’s rugged terrain, is quickly drawing attention for the exceptional quality of its stones. This unexpected find is not only rare due to the gem’s natural dark body color, but also because it comes from small-scale, artisanal efforts rather than industrial operations. As demand rises for untreated black opals,...

Multiple high-dollar donors to the Clinton Foundation are associated with the New York Times, including the Times’ top shareholder, Carlos Slim. Slim, a Mexican telecom tycoon whose net worth of nearly $80 billion makes him the second richest man in the world, became the top shareholder of the New York Times earlier this year after he doubled his shares to take control of 16.8 percent of the company. Not only has Slim contributed between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000 to the Clinton Foundation, but his company Telmex has contributed an additional grant between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000 through its foundation. Slim has also...

For those asking in the comments, Dr. James Tour's company that he references is Metallium Ltd. Ticker symbol in the US is MTMCF. (This is NOT a sponsored episode. We have no financial relationship with Dr. Tour's company. We just think his tech sounds really cool.) == In a few years, America may not need to buy critical minerals from China anymore, says synthetic chemist and nanotechnologist James Tour. Why? Because of a method called flash Joule heating that he and his team have been studying at Rice University. China currently has a near monopoly on global processing capacity of...

Korea Zinc announced on Monday a $7.4 billion smelter project in Tennessee that will be backed by the U.S. government and which will lessen our reliance on China for critical minerals used in defense systems, electronics, and so much more that powers our modern world. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick took to X to laud the news: The tweet continues: Today, we announced a major investment with Korea Zinc to build a state-of-the-art critical minerals smelter and processing facility in Tennessee that will produce 540,000 tons per year of essential materials right here in America. He continued, listing a range of...

National Resources Limited claims massive new gold and copper discovery, raising hopes for a mining bonanza and fears of local conflict At the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025, Muhammad Ali Tabba, chairman of National Resources Limited (NRL) and CEO of Lucky Cement, unveiled what he claimed are hitherto unknown substantial gold and copper reserves in Balochistan’s Chagai district. Announced in the company of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Muhammad Asim Munir, Tabba’s claimed discovery signals a potential turning point for Pakistan’s laggard mining industry at a time global gold prices are touching record highs of over...

A project heralded by Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and accelerated by President Donald Trump stands to deal a huge blow to China’s dominance in the nanotechnology, energy and automotive sectors as the GraphiteOne site near Nome uncovered vast reserves — for which Beijing previously accounted for 90% of production. As of 2024, the U.S. was at least 93% import-dependent on both rare earth elements (REEs) and graphite itself, according to the International Energy Agency, and the Graphite Creek deposit has already been dubbed the largest such tranche in the U.S. But, this week’s announcement that REEs were discovered in addition...

The U.S. doesn’t produce the minerals and metals needed for renewable energy, microchips or military technology. Authorities want to change that as quickly as possible.Major oil companies are drilling in East Texas again, but not for oil. This time, they're after lithium for batteries and other rare elements.Chevron and Halliburton announced East Texas projects this summer. Exxon has acreage across the border in Arkansas. Smackover Lithium, a joint venture of a Norwegian oil giant and a Canadian miner, announced in late September the discovery of the most lithium-rich fluids ever reported in North America, measured deep beneath its Texas claims...

The Carlin-type gold deposits in Nevada, U.S., are the origin of five percent of the global production and 75 percent of the U.S. production of gold. In these deposits, gold does not occur in the form of nuggets or veins, but is hidden—together with arsenic—in pyrite, also known as "fool's gold." A team of scientists from the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam—German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ has now shown experimentally, for the first time that the concentration of gold directly depends on the content of arsenic in the pyrite. The results were published in the journal Science Advances. In the Earth's...

Lithium Americas (LAC) shares are up more than 25% on Wednesday after the U.S. government confirmed plans of taking a minority equity stake in the Vancouver-headquartered lithium miner.

The accident in the makeshift mine occurred on Friday about 3pm local time (13:00 GMT) following heavy rains in the town of Kamituga in South Kivu province. The mine was not located on the Kamituga gold concession owned by the Canadian miner Banro Corporation, the company's chief executive said. Thousands of informal miners operate in and around mines in DRC, which produces more than half of the world's cobalt, a key component in electric car batteries. Mining accidents are common, with dozens of deaths every year in mines where often ill-equipped diggers burrow deep underground in search for ore. Last...

BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Gunmen killed a policeman and kidnapped five Chinese nationals near a mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo overnight, a local official and an army spokesman said on Sunday. It was not clear who carried out the attack near the village of Mukera in South Kivu province. Relations are already strained between Chinese mining companies and local authorities, who say some firms are operating illegally without licenses. "An armed group exchanged fire with police. Five Chinese nationals were kidnapped," Major Dieudonne Kasereka, the army spokesman in the region, said. A spokesperson at the...

Kazakhstan has revealed a major natural resource breakthrough with the discovery of 38 new mineral deposits, including 19 tons of gold and a vast reserve of rare earth metals. The discoveries mark a strategic shift for the Central Asian country, signaling its ambition to become a key supplier in global clean energy and tech supply chains. These findings, published in the journal Minerals, were made during the first quarter of 2025 as part of a national initiative to accelerate geological exploration by 2026. Gold And Rare Earth Metals Found Near The Capital One of the most significant discoveries is a...

Until the introduction of the Quickstrike-ER in 2014, aviators continued to train for aerial naval mining at the same low altitudes and speeds.14 The mine is equipped with the Quickstrike Target Detection Device fuse, which detonates the mine when a vessel is within range. It also has the GPS guidance of a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), and wing kits that extend its launch range. The JDAM GPS guides accurate field-laying and allows aircraft to release mines from higher altitudes and at greater speeds. The Quickstrike-ER can provide aircraft with a standoff range of up to 50 nautical miles.A carrier’s...

The Department of the Interior on Monday released a draft 2025 list of 54 minerals deemed critical to the US economy and national security. The update, developed by the US Geological Survey (USGS), includes six new additions: copper, silver, potash, silicon, rhenium and lead. Arsenic and tellurium were recommended for removal.

Wyoming and 10 other states’ claims that giant investment companies conspired to drive coal production down and drive prices up — increasing people’s energy costs — are at least plausible enough to keep a lawsuit alive, a judge has ruled. Wyoming filed suit in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Texas in late November against Blackrock Inc., State Street Corp. and Vanguard Group Inc. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton led the litigation. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, West Virginia and Wyoming also signed the complaint. The states allege the three massive investment companies acquired substantial stockholdings in...

A forgotten amber nugget, used as a doorstop for decades, has been revealed as one of the largest and most valuable finds in Romania, worth €1 million. Image credit: Buzău County Museum | Indian Defence Review =================================================================== In an astonishing discovery first reported by El País on September 3, 2024, one of the largest known amber nuggets in the world has been found in the home of an elderly woman in a small village in Romania. Valued at an impressive €1 million, this 3.5-kilogram (7.7 lb) amber stone had been unknowingly used as a humble doorstop for decades. Unbeknownst to...

A Copper Mine in Arizona, “Resolution,” was just delayed by a Radical Left Court for two months — 3,800 Jobs are affected, and our Country, quite simply, needs Copper — AND NOW! They are looking to do an Expedited Appeal before the Ninth Circuit, but it is so sad that Radical Left Activists can do this, and affect the lives of so many people. Those that fought it are Anti-American, and representing other Copper competitive Countries. We can’t continue to allow this to happen to the U.S.A.! The Appeal will take place, shortly, in the Ninth Circuit.

Key Points U.S. President Donald Trump has slammed an appeals court decision to temporarily block plans to develop a massive Arizona copper project. His comments come shortly after he met the chief executives of Rio Tinto and BHP at the White House. The companies have been trying to develop Resolution Copper for roughly two decades. ================================================================ U.S. President Donald Trump has slammed an appeals court decision to temporarily block a land transfer needed by mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP to develop what is slated to become one of the country’s biggest copper mines. In a post on social media...