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Time for the climate insanity to stop – by Conrad Black (National Post – August 10, 2024)

https://nationalpost.com/

We have been racing to destroy our standard of living to avert a crisis that never materialized

We must by now be getting reasonably close the point where there is a consensus for re-examining the issue of climate change and related subjects.

For decades, those of us who had our doubts were effectively shut down by the endless deafening repetition, as if from the massed choir of an operatic catechism school, of the alleged truism: “98 per cent of scientists agree …” (that the world is coming to an end in a few years if we don’t abolish the combustion engine).

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China Drives African Lithium Surge to Lock in Key Battery Metal – by William Clowes (Bloomberg News – August 12, 2024

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Chinese miners and refiners are driving a surge in African lithium output, shrugging off concerns over a glut to lock in future supplies of the critical battery metal.

The continent is projected to account for almost 11% of global supply this year, compared with close to zero at the start of the decade, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights. That’s projected to increase to more than 14% by 2028.

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Plans announced to mine old silver tailings at Gowganda – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – August 8, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Company is confident that high-grade silver can be found in the tailings that were not completely processed more than a century ago

There is a plan to revive a silver mining operation near Gowganda, north of Sudbury. Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. announced Aug. 6 that it is seeking permits from the Ontario Ministry of Mines to proceed with the recovery of silver tailings from the historic Castle silver mine.

The plan is to reprocess the old tailings from the site to recover silver that got past the older technology from years gone by.

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Diamonds may not be forever: Belgium’s grip on gems shaken by Russian sanctions drive – by Sunniva Rose (The National News – May 3, 2024)

https://www.thenationalnews.com/

Rules of the game are being rewritten and industry actors are jostling for influence after Russia diamond ban triggers upheaval in historic Belgian district

From the corner where the International Gemological Institute stands on one side and the Diamond Bourse on another, as far as the eye can see, the outlets at the heart of a historic Antwerp district have long inspired awe for the sheer concentration of a global trade in the most valuable cut stones.

Within a few minutes’ walk are dozens of gems dealers braced for upheaval as the wind of change blows. The latest ban on Russian diamonds by the group of seven (G7) countries has caused what many have described as nothing less than a “revolution” in the centuries-old diamond hub.

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Paladin excited to enter the ‘Pilbara of uranium’ – by Mariaan Webb (MiningWeekly – August 7, 2024)

https://www.miningweekly.com/

Australia-headquartered uranium miner Paladin Energy is set on transforming itself from a single-asset entity into a “serious global producer with scale and upside potential”, said COO Paul Hemburrow.

Speaking at the Diggers and Dealers forum, in Kalgoorlie, this week, he expressed enthusiasm about the proposed acquisition of Fission Uranium, a deal valued at C$1.14-billion.

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A commodity rout is brewing, and Canada will be at the centre of any fallout – by Tim Kiladze (Globe and Mail – August 8, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

A broad basket of commodity prices has been tumbling for months, fuelled by concerns about slower growth in the world’s two largest economies, though so far, the pain has been overshadowed by fears about the equity sector sell-off.

Should the commodity rout drag on, Canadians will have to pay attention, because the country’s resource-heavy stock market and economy will be at the centre of any fallout. Slumping commodity prices will also dampen the prospects for merger activity, which only recently came back to life.

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AN OZARK JOURNEY: The Great Ozarks Pearl Rush: Seeking fortunes in Ozarks streams – by Wayne Sayles (Ozark County Times – 06/10/2021)

https://ozarkcountytimes.com/

In our constant forays online searching for tidbits of historical information, we recently came across a reference to the “Arkansas Pearl Rush.” That casual encounter led to a revelation that few today would ever have expected.

Our first inclination was to assume that this was just an “Arkansas” folktale and to ignore it. After all, this continuing series is about our (Missouri) Ozark Journey. But something inside pushed me on. It turns out that the Arkansas Pearl Rush was actually a big thing, and it did spill over into Ozark County.

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Agnico Eagle eyes 2030 mine startup for Larder Lake-area deposit – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – August 7, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Gold company spending US$300 million on exploration ramps at Upper Beaver, Detour Lake

Agnico Eagle is spending a combined US$300 million on two exciting gold projects in northeastern Ontario to lengthen its life in the Abitibi gold belt.

Heading into the next decade, the Toronto gold company has plans to build two underground mines by expanding its Detour Lake mine, northeast of Cochrane, and develop its Upper Beaver Project, north of Larder Lake. To Agnico, both Detour and Upper Beaver are considered low-cost, long-life projects with solid returns and blue sky potential.

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Status of the critical strategic minerals industry in Alberta – by Diane L.M. Cook (Canadian Mining Journal – August 6, 2024)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Critical strategic minerals are the building blocks for a green and digital economy. The six critical minerals that hold the most significant potential for Canadian economic growth are lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare earth elements. These minerals are used in the production of many products including electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines.

The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy (CCMS) aims to help Canada in the global energy transformation by making Canada a clean energy and technology supplier of choice in a net-zero world. The CCMS is backed by $3.8 billion of funding announced in the federal government’s Budget 2022 and includes a 30% critical mineral exploration tax credit for targeted critical minerals.

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Canada hits surprise trade surplus on energy, gold exports – by Laura Dhillon Kane (Bloomberg News – August 6, 2024)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Canada unexpectedly recorded a $638 million trade surplus in June as an expanded crude oil pipeline and surging global demand for gold drove exports higher.

Economists in a Bloomberg survey had expected the country to record a trade deficit for the fourth month in a row, with a median estimate of $2.04 billion. Statistics Canada noted in Tuesday’s release the size of the surplus was “close to the typical bounds of monthly revisions,” having revised the previous month’s trade balance upward by about $320 million.

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Protesters say uranium shipments near the Grand Canyon threaten health, safety – by Trilce Estrada Olvera (Arizona Republic – August 7, 2024)

https://www.azcentral.com/

GRAND CANYON — On a summer Sunday morning near the intersection of Forest Road 320 and State Route 64, more than 100 people gathered to protest the first shipments of uranium ore from a mine south of the Grand Canyon.

The protest took place at a point along the authorized route for transporting uranium ore from Energy Fuels’ Pinyon Plain Mine to its White Mesa Mill near Blanding, Utah. The mining company had moved the first truckloads or unprocessed ore from the mine last Tuesday.

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Gold’s safe-haven appeal at its highest since 1971 as economic storm brews – by Jordan Finneseth (Kitco News – August 6, 2024)

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – Gold has a long and storied history as a reliable store of wealth during times of economic strife, and according to an analysis of the yellow metal’s largest price runs over the past 50 years, “The market now finds itself in a longer-lasting gold run than any since the U.S. fully abandoned the gold standard in August 1971.”

“Gold possesses several critical qualities that have solidified its reputation as a wise hedge against instability,” said Brad Chastain, director of education at U.S. Money Reserve. “Gold’s conductivity, corrosion resistance, and malleability give it intrinsic value, particularly in electronics.

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World’s biggest lithium producer urges state help to compete with China – by Harry Dempsey (Financial Times – August 4, 2024)

https://www.ft.com/

US-based Albemarle cuts expansion plans amid struggles for processor of key mineral for electric cars

The world’s largest lithium producer, Albemarle, has urged governments to intervene to loosen Chinese dominance of the market for the minerals that power electric cars.

Kent Masters, chief executive of the US-based group, wants more help from countries and car manufacturers to fight Chinese competition after the collapse in the market for lithium, a key component of batteries used in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

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Glencore scraps plans to ditch coal on investors pressure – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – August 7, 2024)

https://www.mining.com/

Glencore (LON: GLEN) scrapped on Wednesday plans to separate its coal division, which it had announced following its acquisition of assets from Teck Resources last year (TSX: TECK.A, TECK.B)(NYSE: TECK), as shareholders opposed the move.

The Swiss miner and commodities trader said in November it would merge Teck’s steelmaking coal business with its own coal assets, after which it would demerge the combined unit.

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Tesla supplier begins nickel drilling near remote Michigan lake – by Garret Ellison (Michigan Live – August 6, 2024)

https://www.mlive.com/

SKANEE, MI — The nickel hunt has come to Roland Lake. Talon Metals, a company developing the Tamarack Mine in Minnesota, began exploratory drilling for potential nickel deposits this summer in the western Upper Peninsula near a small lake in Baraga County’s Arvon Township.

In June, Talon announced the launch of drilling at the “Roland Target,” one of several areas in a roughly 425,000-acre swath of the U.P. the company considers “highly prospective” thanks to its location along a geologically unique mid-continental rift.

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