The United States is beginning to show clear signs that it wants to expand its role in Latin America’s mining sector, counterbalancing years of strong Chinese presence in the region. Amid the race between the world’s two largest economies, Latin American mining is gaining increasing importance due to the high volumes of reserves of the so‑called critical minerals. “Latin America has emerged as a strategic link in the global race for critical minerals, with copper, lithium and rare earths playing central roles,” said Rebecca Campbell and Fernando J. de la Hoz, mining and metals sector specialists at global law firm White & Case in…
Author: TJ Markle
Exploring some of the key impacts of the Middle Eastern conflict on metals such as aluminium, copper, steel and iron ore. The US and Israel have launched coordinated strikes against Iran in the most consequential escalation of tensions in the Middle East in more than a decade. The attacks have resulted in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, several senior officials and numerous civilians. Tehran has retaliated with a series of missile and drone attacks on Israel and US military installations across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. It has also closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the…
Multiferroic metals are materials that exhibit both electric polarization and magnetic order in the same crystal—a state known as multiferroicity. Because these properties coexist, they can interact through magnetoelectric (ME) coupling, allowing electric fields to influence magnetism. Unfortunately, bulk multiferroic materials face limitations, including relatively small spontaneous polarization, weak ME coupling coefficients, and limited operational stability under ambient conditions due to oxygen-vacancy-induced leakage currents, which restrict their practical applications. Now, however, researchers from the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with their collaborators from Zhejiang University, have realized electric-field control of magnetic states using a two-dimensional (2D)…
By Oli Coleman for Page Six, NY Post Call him the Shostaconvict! Page Six hears that a renowned New York composer — whose works have been performed at both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center — is wanted in Russia, accused of defrauding a massive titanium company out of tens of millions of dollars. But the maestro of metal says he’s innocent, and that the Russian government is retaliating against him. It turns out Leningrad Conservatory graduate Igor Raykhelson — whose Adagio for Viola and Strings has been especially celebrated by the Big Apple’s classical connoisseurs — runs a tidy little…
Phoenix Copper (AIM: PXC) has dismissed its executive chairman and chief financial officer after an internal investigation uncovered undisclosed related-party payments and unauthorized transactions tied to fundraising activities. The US-focused copper miner said Monday that former executive chairman Marcus Edwards-Jones and CFO Richard Wilkins were removed after the board determined about $1.765 million had been paid between 2016 and 2025 to Lloyd Edwards-Jones, a corporate finance advisory firm owned by Edwards-Jones. The company said the payments were made by Wilkins in connection with fundraising transactions without the knowledge or approval of the board, and Wilkins shared in the proceeds. Phoenix said the…
Representatives of international companies investing in Egypt’s mining sector met a delegation from the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to discuss the developments and potential of the sector during a session titled “Spotlight on Egypt” at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention (PDAC), held in Toronto from March 1–4. The session, organized in coordination with MineAfrica, a business development firm focusing on fostering mining investment and trade between Africa and North America, and the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business, highlighted Egypt’s promising geological potential, particularly in the Arabian-Nubian Shield, which is known for its rich mineral resources. Yasser…
Niger’s government cites broken promises as the basis for rescinding three mining concession contracts. The government of Niger has announced the revocation of three gold mining and refining licences effective 3 March, citing breach of contract and a failure to honour commitments. Comini, also known as Compagnie des Mines du Niger (Niger Mining Company) had previously entered into an agreement in June 2019 to build and operate a gold refinery in the capital city, Niamey. Ecomine also signed a similar contract with the country, albeit in October 2020, while Afrior’s contract dates back to October 2017, when it secured permission to construct…
Congressional Republicans moved closer Wednesday to lifting a 20-year ban on mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, pushing a resolution to end the moratorium through the House despite environmentalists’ warnings that it could devastate a premier destination for campers, kayakers and canoeists. The resolution now goes to the Senate, and approval there would send it to President Donald Trump for his signature. The push to end the ban comes as a Chilean mining company considers opening a copper mine in the Superior National Forest on the edge of the wilderness area that conservationists say could contaminate the watershed.…
Governments must defend international law As governments gather this week for the latest Council session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), evidence submitted by Greenpeace International raises questions about whether The Metals Company (TMC), its subsidiaries, and subcontractors may have breached the regulator’s exploration contracts. The developments come as governments continue negotiating rules that would govern commercial mining of the international seabed, while industry pressure to begin extraction grows. Greenpeace International is urging member states to investigate the allegations and take firm and swift action if breaches are confirmed. Arlo Hemphill, Greenpeace USA Oceans Are Life Campaign Lead, said: “If the ISA’s rules mean anything,…
As many as half a million abandoned coal mines dot the United States. These mines pose a major threat to public health and safety, in addition to environmental well-being. While many of these sites have been abandoned since the 1970s, before federal regulations for their reclamation were established, they may finally be getting cleaned up, and even converted into a power bank for the renewable revolution. Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) recently announced a breakthrough in the development of a methodology to turn the nation’s 500,000 abandoned coal mines into energy storage to help support the power grid. Using…