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A drill rig on site at OD6 Metals’ Splinter Rock rare earths project 150km north-east of Esperance.

International movePremiumWA explorer eyes fluorspar project north of Las Vegas

A WA critical minerals explorer with a rare earths project north of Esperance is eyeing expansion into the US, targeting a district-scale cluster of historic high-grade fluorspar deposits in Nevada.

Neil Watkinson

Copper cathode sheets at the KGHM Polska Miedz SA copper smelter in Glogow, Poland.

CopperPremiumA copper market awash with metal sours traders’ bullish mood

Copper is caught in a jarring disconnect: the real-world metal market looks increasingly oversupplied, yet futures prices remain at near-record levels. How long can it continue?

Bloomberg News

Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King portrait in Parliament House in Canberra.

MiningPremiumKing’s $53m boost as Canada pledges minerals mateship

The Federal Government will throw millions more dollars into research hoped to rally Australia’s mineral refining skills against the backdrop of an invigorated new mining mateship with Canada. 

Simone Grogan

BHP's Jimblebar iron ore mine.

MiningCommentsPremium‘No new cargoes’: China presses steel mills on BHP ore

China’s state-backed iron ore buyer has summoned traders and urged them to refrain from buying new BHP cargoes to sell to buyers after they were found to be flouting a restriction on the purchases.

Katharine Gemmell and Alfred Cang

Near lunchtime BHP plunged as much as 5 per cent, Rio Tinto 5 per cent and Fortescue Metals 3.5 per cent.

MarketsCommentsPremiumBHP, Rio slump in wild end to week for shares

BHP and Rio Tinto tumbled on Friday as worries emerged China is set to ramp up its pressure on Australian iron ore.

Tom Richardson

Reverse circulation drilling taking place at Catalina Resources’ Breakaway Dam copper project east of Menzies.

Red metal focusPremiumCatalina Resources hunting for copper in Goldfields

An exploration company chaired by the founder of Sandfire Resources has stepped up its hunt for copper in the Goldfields, securing an option on a copper-gold project south-east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Neil Watkinson

The move is aimed at improving the overall health of the industry by targeting its chronic overcapacity.

MiningCommentsPremiumIron ore rises as Beijing vows to back in steel sector

Iron ore rose as China renewed a pledge to tackle overcapacity in its world-leading steel sector and set a widely anticipated economic growth target for the year ahead.

Katharine Gemmell

The ATSB’s investigation is set to be completed in the September quarter of this year.

MiningCommentsPremiumPlane nearly hits car during take-off from Perth

The national transport safety investigator is delving into a ‘near collision’ this week in Perth involving a small plane that frequents WA mine sites.

Adrian Rauso

Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue has not avoided the sell-off in miners.

MiningCommentsPremiumThese three Fortescue directors just topped up on shares

Three Fortescue directors topped up their stakes in the iron ore major just days before a market rout that has hammered the mining sector.

Daniel Newell

Australian Vanadium chief executive Graham Arvidson.

More cashPremiumAustralian Vanadium raising $7.5 million for battery pitch

One of the companies seeking the contract for the State Government’s $150 million vanadium battery project in Kalgoorlie-Boulder is raising $7.5m to help with its pitch

Neil Watkinson

Brightstar Resources managing director Alex Rovira.

Cashed upPremiumBrightstar Resources locks in $120 million in bond financing

Brightstar Resources has secured $120 million in bond financing to fund the development of its Goldfields hub to production and its Sandstone gold project to final investment decision.

Neil Watkinson

St George Mining executive chairman John Prineas.

Growing potentialPremiumSt George grows MRE at Brazilian rare earths-niobium project

St George Mining is continuing to expand the potential of its Araxa rare earths-niobium project in Brazil, with the company announcing a 75 per cent increase in the mineral resource estimate.

Neil Watkinson

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburb of Haret Hreik.

MarketsCommentsPremiumIran conflict extends ASX horror share wipe-out to $110b

The S&P-ASX200 recorded one of its worst days of the past year as growing fears around the widening conflict in the Middle East wiped nearly $65 billion from share values.

Sean Smith

Andrew Forrest has embraced AI but admits the technology "keeps me awake all night". (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

MiningCommentsPremiumFortescue founder losing sleep over AI nightmares

Andrew Forrest has told a business summit that he's awed by artificial intelligence but also considers the technology incredibly dangerous.

Derek Rose

Tianqi and IGO’s lithium refinery at Kwinana.

MiningCommentsPremiumHealth hazard fixes at Kwinana lithium refinery

An operating licence for the ailing Kwinana lithium hydroxide refinery owned by Tianqi and IGO has been renewed despite resident and worker health concerns ‘linked to ongoing dust and odour issues’.

Adrian Rauso

Matt Holcz

WaterCommentsPremiumRio, Water Corp go halves to double Pilbara water plant

Rio Tinto and the State Government will both bear the cost of doubling the capacity of a $1.1 billion Pilbara desalination plant as the mining giant looks to reduce its burden on precious water supplies. 

Simone Grogan

Copper is delivering for BHP’s CEO Mike Henry, but coal can no longer ‘compete for investment’.

MiningCommentsPremiumIs this email canary in the coal mine for BHP in Queensland?

BHP has told workers at its vast coal operations across Queensland that the mines can no longer ‘compete for investment’ and the company was receiving no returns from the projects.

Paul-Alain Hunt

Lunnon Metals managing director Edmund Ainscough.

More goldPremiumLunnon Metals increases MRE at Lady Herial gold deposit

Lunnon Metals has increased the mineral resource estimate of its Lady Herial gold deposit near Kambalda as mining gets under way to cash in on its value.

Neil Watkinson

Port of Ashburton in Onslow

MiningPremiumPPA ordered to hand over docs in MinRes channel fee barney

Pilbara Ports Authority will be required to pull together and hand over a year’s worth of documents illuminating how it landed on charging Mineral Resources millions of dollars in dues the miner refuses to pay.

Simone Grogan

Northern Minerals’ executives arrive at an AGM in West Perth in 2024. From left, CEO Shane Hartwig, chief operating officer Angela Glover and executive chairman Adam Handley. Non-executive director Bin Cai is behind Mr Handley.

MiningCommentsPremiumNorthern Minerals staves off major Chinese attack

A mysterious Chinese investor has abruptly aborted attempts to overthrow Northern Minerals’ leadership.

Adrian Rauso

IGO managing director and chief executive Ivan Vella.

Sale opportunityPremiumIGO looks to offload Cosmos nickel assets to gold producers

IGO is exploring the sale of its Cosmos nickel assets in the northern Goldfields after offloading the Forrestania processing plant to aspiring Ravensthorpe gold and copper producer Medallion Metals.

Neil Watkinson

The entrance to Black Cat Syndicate’s Lakewood mill south-east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Bigger capacityPremiumBlack Cat Syndicate to expand Lakewood mill to 1.5Mtpa

Black Cat Syndicate will spend $20 million expanding the capacity of the Lakewood mill south-east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder to 1.5 million tonnes per annum.

Neil Watkinson

Workplace Gender Equality Agency chief executive Mary Wooldridge says the latest data is a reality check for anyone who thinks Australia has achieved workplace gender equality. NewsWire / Martin Ollman

MONEYPremium‘Reality check’ as Aussie pay gap widens

New figures have revealed a grim detail in Australia’s gender pay gaps across a number of industries.

Blair Jackson

Investors are buying up gold bullion as a safe haven asset amid escalating conflict in the Middle East.

MiningCommentsPremiumAussie gold miners’ ballistic rise amid Iran missile strikes

Australia’s gold mining majors collectively gained about $7 billion on Monday as the US-Israel war on Iran gives the precious metal yet another price boost.

Adrian Rauso