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JZR Gold Enters into Loan Agreement

(TheNewswire)

JZR Gold Inc.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES.

February 11, 2025 TheNewswire – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada JZR Gold Inc. (the ‘ Company ‘ or ‘ JZR ‘) ( TSX-V: JZR ) announces that it has entered into a loan agreement with Eco Mining Oil & Gaz Drilling and Exploration Ltda. (‘ Eco ‘) dated September 30, 2024, pursuant to which the Company agreed to lend to Eco up to US$2,000,000 (the ‘ Loan ‘). The Loan, which bears no interest, is to be advanced to Eco in tranches upon request by Eco.  Pursuant to the terms of the Loan, the Company shall have no obligation to advance or make available any funds to Eco and any funds so advanced shall be at the sole discretion of the Company.  As of the date of the Loan Agreement, the Company had previously advanced the sum of US$1,800,000 to Eco, which amount forms part of the Loan. Eco may pay back any amount outstanding under Loan at any time without penalty.

The Company possesses a right to receive a 50% net profit interest in gold produced from the Vila Nova gold project located in the State of Amapa, Brazil (the ‘ Project ‘).  The Project is currently being developed by Eco as the operator. Eco commissioned the manufacture and installation of a gravimetric mill (the ‘ Mill ‘) for the Project, which Mill has been assembled and is being tested.  The Company has advised that Eco requested financial assistance from the Company in order to advance, acquire and assemble the Mill and to further advance the Project.  Management of the Company has determined that it is in the best interest of the Company to advance funds to Eco in order to enable Eco to acquire the Mill, bring it into operation and to further advance the Project, and has agreed to advance funds under the Loan to Eco specifically for the foregoing purposes.

As security for the Loan, Eco has pledged to the Company the Mill and certain rights of Eco pursuant to an agreement between Eco and the Cooperative dos Garimpeiros do Vila Nova.

The Company is at arm’s length with Eco and is not a ‘related party’ of the Company within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions . The Loan is subject to acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

For further information, please contact:

Robert Klenk

Chief Executive Officer

rob@jazzresources.ca

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements, which includes any information about activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements with respect to respect to the details of the Loan, including the repayment terms and the anticipated use of proceeds by Eco. Forward-looking information reflects the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. These factors include, but are not limited to: risks associated with the business of the Company; business and economic conditions in the mineral exploration industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks related to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions; risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with the specifications or expectations, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks related to adverse weather conditions; geopolitical risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time in the Company’s continuous disclosure documents filed with the Canadian securities regulators. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.

News Provided by TheNewsWire via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com
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World

Fighting in Africa’s mineral-rich DRC killed over 3,000 in less than 2 weeks. Here’s how your phone plays a part

A rampaging rebel group has claimed the capture of another mining town in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a little over a week after it took control of the region’s largest city Goma.

Clashes between the rebel coalition Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and Congolese forces have left more than 3,000 people dead in less than two weeks, according to DRC’s government.

The AFC, of which the M23 armed group – which claims to defend the interest of minority Rwandophone communities – is a key member, took over resource-rich Nyabibwe last week after Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, fell on January 27.

It comes less than a year after the rebels seized Rubaya, a mining hub also in the country’s east, which harbors one of the world’s largest deposits of coltan, a valuable mineral used in the production of smartphones.

Here’s what you need to know.

Is my phone fueling the conflict?

For decades, DRC, a Central African nation of more than 100 million people, has grappled with bloody militia violence, including ethnic and resource-driven armed rebellion by M23 and dozens of other armed groups.

Roughly the size of Western Europe, the war-riven country is endowed with vast mineral wealth, including the world’s largest reserves of cobalt and coltan – both critical to the production of electronics. Cobalt is used to produce batteries that power cell phones and electric vehicles, while coltan is refined into tantalum, which has a variety of applications in phones and other devices.

However, according to the World Bank “most people in DRC have not benefited from this wealth,” and the country ranks among the five poorest nations in the world.

Much of DRC’s mineral wealth is split between its government and armed groups who control swathes of the resource-rich east.

“It’s not a coincidence that the zones occupied by the rebels are mining areas,” Okenda said, adding that global demand for cobalt and coltan has fueled the crisis.

“It takes money to wage war. Access to mining sites finances the war,” he added.

Why do the rebels want the minerals?

But a top United Nations official has an idea.

Bintou Keita, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative to the DRC, told the Security Council in a September briefing that coltan trade from Rubaya’s mines is estimated to supply over 15 percent of global tantalum production and generates an estimated $300,000 in revenue a month for M23.

M23 denied these claims, insisting its presence in Rubaya was “solely humanitarian.”

Much of the international community, including the Congolese government, has accused neighboring Rwanda of backing M23 and aiding the plunder of DRC minerals.

UN experts believe that an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers are supervising and supporting M23 fighters in eastern DRC, outnumbering the rebel group’s forces in the country. A December report by the UN Group of Experts on the DRC revealed that “at least 150 tons of coltan were fraudulently exported to Rwanda and mixed with Rwandan production.”

Rwanda is one of the world’s top suppliers of coltan and has surpassed DRC’s export of the mineral in recent years.

Where do DRC’s plundered minerals go?

In a public address that drew outrage last year, Kagame admitted that Rwanda was a transit point for minerals smuggled from DRC, but insisted his country was not stealing from its neighbor.

“Some people come from Congo; whether they smuggle or go through the right channels, they bring minerals. Most of it goes through here (Rwanda) but does not stay here. It goes to Dubai, Brussels, Tel Aviv, (and) Russia. It goes everywhere,” Kagame said, without providing evidence or specifying what minerals were being smuggled.

In 2022, the United States Treasury Department said that over 90% of DRC’s gold was being “smuggled to regional states, including Uganda and Rwanda” where they are “refined and exported to international markets, particularly the UAE,” and sanctioned a Belgian businessman for facilitating the trade.

For DRC’s other valuable minerals including coltan and cobalt, the scale of the plunder remains unclear.

In December, DRC sued subsidiaries of Apple in Belgium and France, accusing the company of sourcing conflict minerals. Apple denied the accusation.

Every year, tech giants such as Apple and Microsoft publish reports saying that they demand responsible sourcing of minerals from their suppliers.

In an earlier filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission in 2023, Apple said that while it continued to source 3TG (tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold) and other minerals such as cobalt and lithium from DRC and other countries, it was “committed to meeting and exceeding internationally accepted due diligence standards for primary minerals and recycled materials in our supply chain.” It added that its due diligence efforts had “found no reasonable basis for concluding that any of the smelters or refiners of 3TG determined to be in our supply chain as of December 31, 2023 directly or indirectly financed or benefited armed groups in the DRC or an adjoining country.”

Is there a solution to the conflict?

DRC’s mineral wealth has presented itself as a “curse,” according to analyst Okenda, who explained:

Last week, a humanitarian ceasefire announced by M23 fell apart almost immediately after it was declared, as the rebels swiftly advanced into Nyabibwe.

While regional and global leaders ponder solutions to ending the crisis, Okenda believes that DRC’s government needs to reinvent itself if it hopes for lasting peace.

DRC “has a governance model that if it does not change, the Congolese population will gain absolutely nothing, whether there is war or not,” he said.

“If the Kinshasa government improves its governance, invests in the army, ensures a fair sharing of resources between citizens in the country, and conducts elections that are of better quality, I still think that peace can return (to DRC),” he said.

This post appeared first on cnn.com
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Investing

New Murchison Gold Limited

Investor Insight

For investors with an eye on mining stocks, New Murchison Gold (ASX:NMG) presents a unique opportunity. The company’s shallow, high-grade Crown Prince gold deposit, significant land package in the prolific Murchison goldfields, and strategic alliance with established Australian gold producer Westgold Resources position it as a noteworthy contender in the Western Australian gold exploration space. As NMG continues to navigate the path to production, its journey is one that astute investors will watch with keen interest.

Overview

Within the heart of Australia’s Murchison gold district, a region host to more than 35 Moz gold endowment (historic production and current resources), stands New Murchison Gold, a forward-thinking gold explorer with a clear strategy to maximise shareholder value driven by a highly experienced management team. The company’s value proposition centres on growing and de-risking its shallow, high-grade Crown Prince gold deposit (part of the company’s Garden Gully gold project) and a strategic alliance with established Australian gold producer Westgold Resources (ASX:WGX), offering a clear pathway to production and cash flow generation.

The Westgold alliance has resulted in a binding ore purchase agreement with Big Bell Gold Operations, a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Westgold Resources. The agreement will underpin production from NMG’s Crown Prince deposit in 2025, and will see the company delivering 30 kt to 50 kt of ore to Westgold per month.

Key Project

Garden Gully

New Murchison Gold

New Murchison Gold’s flagship Garden Gully gold project is located 20 km northwest of Meekatharra, Western Australia. The project boasts a 677 sq km tenement package that covers the Abbotts Greenstone Belt. The project includes granted mining leases and Native Title agreements in place over the Crown Prince, Abbotts and Lydia prospects. Garden Gully is in close proximity to a number of operating gold mines and existing gold processing facilities.

New Murchison Gold has a strong pipeline of exploration and development prospects at Garden Gully, with the most advanced being Crown Prince.

Crown Prince deposit

New Murchison Gold

The Crown Prince deposit has an updated mineral resource estimate of 2.2 Mt at 3.9 g/t gold for 279 koz, which includes an indicated resource estimate of 226 koz at 4.6 g/t Au. (81 percent of the total MRE). The total also includes the maiden resource for the Southeastern Zone (SEZ) of 1 Mt at 5.2 g/t gold for 164 koz (discovered in late 2022).

The resource is shallow, delineated from surface, remains open at depth and along strike, and located within a 300 m x 200 m area demonstrating strong open pit mining potential. There is significant resource growth potential at new mineralised zones at the northeastern end of SEZ and Crown Prince East (350 m from SEZ).

New Murchison Gold also published strong metallurgical performance from advanced test work at Crown Prince with high recovery of gold through gravity and cyanide leach test work, reporting overall gold recovery rates ranging from 98.2 to 99.8 percent.

New Murchison Gold

Recent high-grade gold intersections at SEZ

Westgold Strategic Alliance

New Murchison Gold announced a strategic alliance and $6 million placement with Australian gold producer Westgold Resources.

The Westgold transaction provides a clear pathway to commercialising Crown Prince in a strong gold price environment, validates the quality of the deposit and enables New Murchison Gold to leverage Westgold’s internal resources, intellectual property and infrastructure to accelerate development.

New Murchison Gold

The primary aim of the strategic alliance is to fast track the development of New Murchison Gold’s Crown Prince deposit into production. As part of the strategic alliance, New Murchison Gold and Westgold has entered into a binding ore purchase agreement (OPA) with Westgold subsidiary Big Bell Gold Operations, for gold produced at Crown Prince. Under the agreement, NMG will deliver 30 kt to 50 kt of ore to Westgold per month with no fixed term. Crown Prince is located only 33 km from Westgold’s 1.6 – 1.8 Mtpa Bluebird Mill.

In addition to the OPA, the strategic alliance may also encompass other strategic collaboration initiatives such as access to Westgold’s expertise and infrastructure. Upon completion of the strategic placement, Westgold will be an 18.7-percent shareholder (undiluted basis) and have the right, but not the obligation to a New Murchison Gold board seat and an equity participation right.

Proceeds from the strategic placement and current cash will allow New Murchison Gold to fast track further resource development, project development and mining proposal workstreams at Crown Prince and continue systematic regional exploration across Ora’s commanding 677 sq km tenure.

New Murchison Gold

Major players are increasingly partnering with junior explorers to secure access to high-grade, quality gold resources. New Murchison Gold’s collaboration with Westgold epitomises this movement, setting a blueprint for mutual success in the industry.

Key Focus

The near-term focus for New Murchison Gold will be further resource growth and rapidly advancing project development and mining proposal workstreams at Crown Prince:

  • Crown Prince Drilling: Further delineating new high-grade mineralised zones at the north-eastern end of SEZ and Crown Prince East (350 metres from SEZ) and resource definition drilling along strike and below 100 metre vertical depth
  • Crown Prince Resource: Updated Mineral Resource Estimate expected in September of 2024.
  • Crown Prince Development: progress detailed technical programs, preliminary project development and mining proposal workstreams and agree on an ore purchase agreement and other strategic collaboration initiatives with Westgold
  • Regional: Continue systematic regional exploration programs across Ora’s commanding 677 sq km tenure package

Management Team

New Murchison Gold is led by a team of experienced professionals with a diverse set of skills and expertise. At the helm of the company’s operations is CEO Alex Passmore, a qualified geologist with extensive corporate finance experience to guide New Murchison Gold’s strategic plan. The board is chaired by Rick Crabb, with extensive experience in the legal and mining sectors providing invaluable governance and oversight.

Supporting the company’s governance structure, Malcolm Randall serves as a non-executive director, bringing a wealth of knowledge from his tenure in the resource sector, including 25 years at Rio Tinto. Frank DeMarte, director and company secretary, contributes over 39 years of mining industry experience in areas of financial management governance and secretarial practice.

The collective experience of New Murchison Gold’s board and management is a cornerstone of the company’s success, positioning it to capitalise on the opportunities within the Garden Gully project and beyond.

For further information on New Murchison Gold’s strategic initiatives and investment opportunities, sign up for a free investor kit.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com
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World

Teacher accused of killing first grader as school stabbing shocks South Korea

South Korean police on Tuesday were questioning an elementary school teacher who allegedly stabbed a first grader to death in the city of Daejeon.

The killing on Monday during after-school care has shocked the nation and prompted the country’s acting president to order school safety standards reviewed.

The female suspect was receiving medical treatment for self-inflicted wounds following the death of the girl in an audio-visual room on the second floor of the school, said Yuk Jong-myeong, chief of Daejeon’s western district police station.

The suspect, reported to be in her 40s, told police that she had recently returned to work after a period of leave for health reasons, Yuk said. She told police she has received treatment for depression since 2018.

After the first-grade student was reported missing at 5:15 p.m. local time Monday, police and family members searched throughout the school and surrounding areas. Her grandmother found her in the audio-visual room around 5:50 p.m. The girl was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Choi Sang-mok, who is the country’s acting leader due to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, called for a thorough investigation into the killing and instructed education authorities to “implement necessary measures to ensure such incidents never happen again.”

Visitors laid flowers and condolence letters at the gate of the school, which was closed on Tuesday.

This post appeared first on cnn.com
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Italian police arrest around 130 people in massive mafia crackdown

Rome (Reuters) — Around 130 people were arrested on Tuesday in a large-scale sting against the Sicilian mafia in Palermo, indicating that it has remained a significant criminal force despite setbacks in recent decades.

“Cosa Nostra,” the mafia syndicate based in and around Palermo, terrorized Italy in the 1980s and 1990s, but has since been overtaken as Europe’s most powerful mob by the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta.

The suspects apprehended on Tuesday were charged with various crimes, including drug trafficking, attempted murder, extortion, illegal online gambling and illegal possession of firearms, Carabinieri police said in a statement.

Additional arrest warrants were issued for 33 suspects who were already in prison for other crimes.

Investigations revealed that Palermo’s mafia families coordinate their activities across the city and its province, like they used to in the golden days of Cosa Nostra, especially as regards drug trafficking, police said.

They said inner city families had regained authority compared to the years in which they were dominated by a faction from Corleone – a town outside Palermo that was the birthplace of notorious bosses Toto Riina and Bernardo Provenzano.

Modern-day bosses use modern technology to conduct their business, using encrypted mobile phones that are smuggled into prisons to allow jailed bosses to continue exercising their command, investigators said.

Despite being weakened by law enforcement activities, Cosa Nostra continues to attract young people, the Carabinieri said, noting they documented one instance of a new recruit given “mafia lessons” by an older associate.

The would-be mentor gave the young man “specific instructions, inviting him to take as an example his conduct towards people to be subjected to extortion, and advising him on how to relate with mafia leaders,” the police statement said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, writing on X, hailed Tuesday’s arrests as inflicting “a very hard blow to Cosa Nostra,” and giving a clear signal that “the fight against the mafia has not stopped and will not stop.”

This post appeared first on cnn.com
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Investing

Top 10 Graphite-producing Countries

Graphite is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity and also has the highest strength of any natural material. However, it wasn’t until recently that the metal began to gain popularity.

Interest in graphite mining is increasing in large part because lithium-ion batteries are becoming more common. These batteries are used in everything from phones to electric vehicles (EVs), and graphite is one of their key raw materials. Both synthetic and natural graphite, in the form of the intermediate product spherical graphite, are products that are used in the anodes of lithium-ion batteries. As lithium-ion battery demand grows, graphite demand is also expected to rise from nations around the world.

In fact, despite discussions on changes in lithium-ion battery chemistry, many experts think graphite will remain a key raw material in EV batteries for at least the next decade. Hence, demand for graphite from the battery anode segment is set to experience significant growth as electric car sales and the energy storage trend continue.

Fortune Business Insights projects that the global graphite market will experience a compound annual growth rate of 6.9 percent between 2025 and 2032 to reach a value of US$13.35 billion. ‘Increasing demand from the refractory industry and skyrocketing demand from the battery industry are creating a supply crisis, pushing different countries worldwide to consider securing their requirements,’ the firm stated.

Where is graphite found?

Graphite is found in metamorphic and igneous rock in many regions of the world, but especially Asia and East Africa.

For any investor following the sector, it will come as no surprise that China is dominating both the mining and refining sides of the graphite market for natural and synthetic. China also hosts the world’s largest known natural graphite reserves at 81 million metric tons (MT). Brazil, Mozambique, Madagascar and Tanzania round out the top five largest graphite reserves by country, and also rank among the top 10 graphite producers.

Graphite production by country

Read on for a look at global graphite production by country in 2024 to learn more about where graphite is mined, using data from the latest US Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Commodity Summary.

1. China

Natural graphite production: 1.27 million metric tons
Graphite reserves: 81 million metric tons

China was the world’s largest graphite producer in 2024, producing 1.27 million metric tons of the metal. According to the USGS, the country accounted for about 78 percent of world graphite mine supply last year. Around 85 percent of its 2024 production was in the form of flake graphite.

China’s stranglehold on the graphite market was strengthened by its quick graphite production recovery after COVID-19 shutdowns. The country’s government policies can have a dramatic impact on prices for the material.

‘During the first 8 months of (2024), China exported 38,200 tons of flake graphite concentrate, 25% less than the 50,700 tons exported in the same period in 2023,’ the USGS reports, ‘… (and) 25,500 tons of spherical graphite, 28% less than the 35,600 tons exported in 2023.’

China Minmetals operates the Yunshan graphite mine, one of the world’s largest graphite mines, in Heilongjiang Province. It produces 200,000 MT of graphite annually.

2. Madagascar

Natural graphite production: 89,000 metric tons
Graphite reserves: 27 million metric tons

Madagascar’s natural graphite production in 2024 totaled 89,000 metric tons, 26,000 MT more than it had in 2023. Now the second highest graphite producing country, the East African nation has risen through the ranks in recent years from its fifth-place spot in 2021. Madagascar has the third largest graphite reserves at 27 million MT.

Growth in Madagascar’s graphite mining industry is being aided by developing projects. For example, NextSource Materials’ (TSX:NEXT,OTCQB:NSRCF) Molo graphite mine began commercial production of its SuperFlake graphite concentrate in June 2023. The company is now focused on ramping up plant throughput to its nameplate capacity of 17,000 MT per annum. As of late October 2024, the company made its first commercial shipments of SuperFlake concentrate from the Molo mine to the United States and Germany.

3. Mozambique

Natural graphite production: 75,000 metric tons
Graphite reserves: 25 million metric tons

Mozambique takes the third spot on the list with graphite output of 75,000 metric tons in 2024, down 24 percent from the previous year. The country is home to two main graphite miners: Syrah Resources (ASX:SYR,OTC Pink:SYAAF) and Triton Minerals (ASX:TON).

Australia-based Syrah Resources’ Balama project is the world’s largest integrated natural graphite-mining and processing operation. ‘Syrah produces 23 natural graphite products across eight different mesh sizes at Balama,’ according to Mining Data Online (MDO). ‘Balama also supplies flake with properties outside of typical market specifications to special purpose customers.’

In May 2023, the company put the brakes on production at Balama on falling graphite prices. Operations were restarted in the third quarter of the year, although at a lower production rate, according to the USGS. Lower production rates continued into 2024 as Syrah was awaiting a time when graphite demand and prices warranted higher production rates. Ongoing political unrest in the country has further hampered production, which the company halted in the the fourth quarter of 2024.

Triton Minerals is advancing the Ancuabe project, which is in the permitting stage and garnered environmental license approval in November 2024. The company is in the process of divesting 70 percent control of its Mozambique graphite assets to Chinese firm Shandong Yulong.

4. Brazil

Natural graphite production: 68,000 metric tons
Graphite reserves: 74 million metric tons

In 2024, output from Brazil’s graphite mines totaled 68,000 metric tons, up slightly over the previous year.

Brazil’s ranking among the top graphite producing countries has slipped in recent years. The South American nation was the world’s second largest graphite producer in 2021 with output of 82,000 MT during the period. Brazil’s 2022 graphite-mining output decreased by 10,000 MT from the previous year at the same time as Madagascar and Mozambique saw much larger gains in their graphite production.

Brazil has the second highest graphite reserves by country, coming in at 74 million MT. Little information is available about the Brazilian graphite-mining industry, as the country’s top producers of the metal are private. However, the nation has become a hot spot for graphite exploration and development.

One newly operating project is South Star Battery Metals’ (TSXV:STS,OTCQB:STSBF) Santa Cruz large-flake graphite property, at which Phase 1 commercial production began ramping up in October 2024. Phase 1 has graphite production capacity of 12,000 MT per year, with planned Phase 2 and 3 potentially raising capacity as high as 50,000 MT annually.

5. India

Natural graphite production: 27,800 metric tons
Graphite reserves: 8.6 million metric tons

India’s graphite output in 2024 came to 27,800 metric tons, a jump of 2,200 MT over 2023’s amount. India’s graphite reserves total 8.6 million MT, with the state of Arunachal Pradesh holding nearly half of the country’s reserves.

India has several main graphite miners, including Tirupati Carbons & Chemicals, Chotanagpur Graphite Industries and Carbon & Graphite Products. HEG (NSE:HEG,BSE:509631) is a leading, although small-scale, graphite electrode producer.

6. Tanzania

Natural graphite production: 25,000 metric tons
Graphite reserves: 18 million metric tons

Tanzania produced 25,000 metric tons of the material in 2024, up more than 89 percent over the previous year’s output. The East African country is also home to the world’s fifth largest graphite reserves at 18 million MT.

Tanzania has become a hot spot for new graphite projects, so the country’s mine production capacity is expected to increase in the coming years. In July 2024, Walkabout Resources (ASX:WKT) began shipping graphite concentrate from its newly operating Lindi Jumbo graphite mine to the European market. The USGS states that Lindi Jumbo mine’s capacity was 40,000 metric tons per year of graphite concentrate in 2024.

Volt Resources (ASX:VRC) recently got the green light from regulators to begin the work necessary to bring its large-scale Bunyu graphite project into production.

7. Canada

Natural graphite production: 20,000 metric tons
Graphite reserves: 5.9 million metric tons

New to this list of top graphite producing countries, Canada is tied for seventh place with Russia. Canada’s graphite output increased by more than 265 percent in 2024 to total 20,000 metric tons.

The country’s sole graphite producer, and in fact the only graphite producer in North America, is Northern Graphite (TSXV:NGC,OTCQB). The company’s Lac des Iles Mine in Québec has been producing graphite for more than 30 years. Northern Graphite has plans to ramp up output to 25,000 MT per year, focusing on supplying the battery supply chain with its graphite products. The company also owns the large-scale Bissett Creek project in Ontario.

7. Russia

Natural graphite production: 20,000 metric tons
Graphite reserves: 14 million metric tons

In 2024, Russia produced 20,000 metric tons of graphite, 5,000 MT above its output level from 2023. However, this wasn’t enough to retained its title of sixth largest graphite producer and instead the nation tied with Canada for seventh place. Prior to its war with Ukraine, the country was expected to significantly increase its production at operations owned by Dalgraphite and Uralgraphite.

While it’s not always easy to obtain detailed information on Russian resource companies, the USGS does report that a Russian company was expected to bring a new graphite mine into production in late 2024 with an estimated capacity of 40,000 metric tons per year of flake graphite concentrate.

9. South Korea

Natural graphite production: 9,600 metric tons
Graphite reserves: 1.8 million metric tons

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, produced 9,600 metric tons of graphite in 2024, nearly unchanged from the 9,620 MT produced in the previous year.

The South Korean government has a stated goal of becoming a leader in the global EV battery market and transitioning away from reliance on China for its graphite requirements. South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is dedicating US$7 billion to this goal.

10. North Korea

Natural graphite production: 8,100 metric tons
Graphite reserves: 2 million metric tons

North Korea’s total graphite output last year came to 8,100 metric tons, on par with its production over the last few years. As for its graphite reserves, North Korea hosts 2 million MT of the battery metal. Little further information is available on graphite mining in North Korea.

11. Norway

Natural graphite production: 7,000 metric tons
Graphite reserves: 600,000 metric tons

Rounding out this list of top graphite producing countries is Norway with 7,000 metric tons in 2024. The country’s graphite output rose from 6,480 MT in 2023.

All graphite deposits in the country contain flake graphite and are generally low tonnage. That said, many are in favorable locations — for example, close to the sea or to the electrical grid. The Skaland graphite mine in the northern region of the country is the only such mine in Scandinavia and the largest crystalline graphite producer in Europe. Norge Mining announced plans to acquire the mine from Australia’s Mineral Commodities (ASX:MRC) in December 2024.

Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com
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Politics

Homeland Security puts staff involved in ‘disinformation’ board on administrative leave, review coming

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Tuesday that some Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) employees who worked on ‘mis-, dis-, and malinformation’ were put on administrative leave.

In a statement to Scripps News, DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote CISA needs to ‘refocus on its mission,’ starting with election security.

‘The agency is undertaking an evaluation of how it has executed its election security mission with a particular focus on any work related to mis-, dis-, and malinformation,’ according to the statement.

As first reported by Fox News Digital, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified in April 2022 that the Department of Homeland Security was creating a ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ to combat misinformation ahead of the 2022 midterm election.

During an appearance before the House Appropriations Subcommittee, Mayorkas said a ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ was created to address misinformation campaigns targeting minority communities.

While the agency conducts the assessment, personnel who worked on the alleged ‘mis-, dis-, and malinformation,’ as well as foreign influence operations and disinformation, will remain on administrative leave, according to the statement.

The board was allegedly led by Undersecretary for Policy Rob Silvers, co-chair with principal deputy general counsel Jennifer Gaskill. 

Nina Jankowicz, who previously served as a disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center, reportedly served as executive director, Politico reported.

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Politics

Trump signs order instructing DOGE to massively cut federal workforce

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday instructing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to coordinate with federal agencies and execute massive cuts in federal government staffing numbers.  

The order will instruct DOGE and federal agencies to work together to ‘significantly’ shrink the size of the federal government and limit hiring new employees, according to a White House fact sheet on the order. Specifically, agencies must not hire more than one employee for every four that leave their federal post. 

Agencies will also be instructed to ‘undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force’ and evaluate ways to eliminate or combine agency functions that aren’t legally required.

DOGE Chair Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, told reporters Tuesday in the Oval Office that the American people voted for ‘major’ government reform and that the Trump administration would deliver. 

Trump voiced similar sentiments about providing voters what they wanted – to tackle ‘all of this ‘horrible stuff going on’ – and told reporters that he hoped the court system would cooperate. 

‘I hope that the court system is going to allow us to do what we have to do,’ Trump said, who also said he would always abide by a court’s ruling but will be prepared to appeal.

The order builds on another directive Trump signed after his inauguration implementing a federal hiring freeze, as well as an initiative from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management offering more than 2 million federal civilian employees buyouts if they leave their jobs or return to work in person. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration’s plan from advancing amid challenges from union groups.

Trump’s executive order aligns with DOGE’s ‘workforce optimization initiative’ and would impose restrictions to hire only for ‘essential positions’ as agencies brace for significant cuts to their workforce, according to the White House fact sheet. 

The executive order will leave just a few areas of the federal government unscathed, including positions affiliated with law enforcement, national security and immigration enforcement. 

DOGE is focused on eliminating wasteful government spending and streamlining efficiency and operations, and it is expected to influence White House policy on budget matters. The group has been tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the federal government budget through efforts to slash spending, government programs and the federal workforce.

The White House said on Feb. 4 that it predicted a ‘spike’ in resignations close to the original Feb. 6 deadline for the buyout offer, which would allow employees to retain all pay and benefits and be exempt from in-person work until Sept. 30.

‘The number of deferred resignations is rapidly growing, and we’re expecting the largest spike 24 to 48 hours before the deadline,’ a White House official told Fox News Digital on Feb. 4.  

So far, approximately 65,000 federal employees have accepted the buyout offer, but a federal judge has issued a pause on the deadline for when employees must submit their resignations. 

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole indefinitely extended a temporary restraining order Monday, pausing the deadline as he evaluates a preliminary injunction request stemming from cases against the buyout program filed by union groups, including the American Federation of Government Employees.

When asked about the buyout, Trump said that there are empty office spaces and that his administration is attempting to reduce the size of government. 

‘We have too many people. We have office spaces occupied by 4% – nobody showing up to work because they were told not to,’ Trump said. 

DOGE has moved to slash other areas of the federal government as well. 

Other recent initiatives by DOGE have included launching an effort to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, a group that works to deliver aid to impoverished countries and development assistance. 

The group has come under scrutiny from DOGE amid concerns about wasteful government spending, poor leadership and questionable funding, including an Iraqi version of ‘Sesame Street’ and reportedly millions of dollars in funding to extremist groups tied to designated terrorist organizations and their allies. 

‘It’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out,’ Trump told reporters on Feb. 2.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman, Emma Colton and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Coniagas Grants Stock Options

(TheNewswire)

Coniagas Battery Metals Inc.

Vancouver, BC TheNewswire – February 11, 2025 Coniagas Battery Metals Inc. (TSXV: COS) (‘Coniagas’ or the ‘Company’), announces that it has granted stock options to its directors to purchase an aggregate of 500,000 common shares in the capital of the Company.  The stock options are exercisable for a term of three years at an exercise price of $0.05 per share.  All stock options are granted in accordance with the terms of the Company’s Stock Option Plan and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and are exercisable immediately.

About Coniagas Battery Metals Inc.

Coniagas Battery Metals Inc. is a Canadian junior mining company focused on nickel, copper and cobalt and platinum group metals in Québec. Coniagas’ strategy is to create value for shareholders through the development of its mineral properties, with the intention to develop Coniagas into a critical metals supplier to the electric vehicle (EV) market.

At its 100% owned Graal project near Saguenay, Quebec, Coniagas has conducted successful exploration involving geophysics as well as shallow drilling that hit mineralization in almost every hole. It has confirmed an open-pit deposit model at Graal along a 6 km strike length of high-grade nickel and copper with cobalt, platinum and palladium byproducts.  The Company plans in the near-term to conduct additional drilling leading to the production of a Ni 43-101 resource report, metallurgical testing and consultations with First Nations. The Graal project and immediate work plan are outlined in detail in the ‘NI 43-101 Technical Report Graal Nickel & Copper Project, Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Quebec, Canada’ dated January 17, 2024. The report is available along with other information at the Company’s website https://coniagas.com/

‘Frank J. Basa’

Frank J. Basa, P. Eng. Member of Professional Engineers Ontario

Chief Executive Officer

For further information, contact:

Frank J. Basa, P. Eng. Ontario

Chief Executive Officer

416-625-2342

or:

Wayne Cheveldayoff, Corporate Communications

P: 416-710-2410   E: waynecheveldayoff@gmail.com

You can follow Coniagas on Social Media:

LinkedIn:

X (Twitte r ):

Facebook:

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements regarding Coniagas Battery Metals Inc. (‘Coniagas’ or the ‘Company’) which include, but are not limited to, comments that involve future events and conditions, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Except for statements of historical facts, comments that address the Coniagas trading on the TSX Venture Exchange, resource potential, upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt and security of mineral property titles, availability of funds, and others are forward-looking. No assurance can be given that any of the foregoing will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may vary materially from those statements. General business conditions are factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information in this news release or other communications unless required by law.

Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.

News Provided by TheNewsWire via QuoteMedia

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Joint Venture Secured over Advanced Gold Project in Western Australia’s World Class Gold Mining District

Cazaly Resources Limited (ASX: CAZ, Cazaly, or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an exclusive binding agreement with Brightstar Resources Ltd (ASX: BTR), to earn up to 80% equity in the Goongarrie Gold Project (Goongarrie, or the Project).

Highlights

  • Cazaly signs binding term sheet with Brightstar Resources to earn up to 80% of the Goongarrie Gold Project located in the Kalgoorlie-Menzies district in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia
  • The Project covers 12km strike of the Bardoc Tectonic Zone-Boulder Lefroy Shear Zone (BTZ), host to multiple world class gold deposits
  • Several high priority gold drill targets with growth potential
  • Gold mineralisation at the Hastings prospect extends for over 1km, and is open along strike and at depth. Anomalous intercepts include 38m @ 3.1g/t gold1
  • Cazaly to spend up to $3M on exploration to earn staged equity up to 80% of the Goongarrie Project

Cazaly’s Managing Director, Tara French comments:

“The Goongarrie gold project presents Cazaly with an outstanding opportunity to explore for new gold resources in a multi-million-ounce gold district. The sizeable land package has multiple gold targets

and is largely untested at depth. We are very much looking forward to generating new gold targets and drill testing the existing prospects. With the gold price breaking A$4,600 oz for the first time, and with a positive pricing outlook, it’s the perfect time for Cazaly to get back into gold. We are pleased to have entered into the agreement for nil cash or scrip consideration with all funding going ‘into the ground’. We look forward to advancing this project and to working closely with our new partners at Brightstar to maximise value for shareholders.”

Goongarrie Gold Project

Goongarrie is located in the northeastern goldfields, 90km north of Kalgoorlie, and is easily accessible via the Goldfields Highway that runs along the western boundary of the project area. The Project consists of 70km2 of greenstone sequence within the Kalgoorlie Terrain.

Importantly the Project covers twelve kilometers of the Bardoc Tectonic Zone (BTZ), which is the northern extension of the Boulder-Lefroy Shear Zone (BLSZ) to the south, one of the richest gold mineralised structures in the Yilgarn Craton. Subsequent exploration activities have identified two additional subparallel N-S structures that also have the potential to host significant gold deposits.

Material Terms of Joint Venture Agreement

The terms of the earn-in joint venture agreement for the Goongarrie Project, subject to Cazaly completing due diligence, are:

  • Cazaly to expend an initial $1m on exploration to earn a 25% interest;
  • Expend further funds of $1m to earn a 51% interest;
  • Expend further funds of $1m to earn to an 80% interest.

Tenements included in the Goongarrie Project are listed in Table 1.

Project History

The Goongarrie Project was acquired by Kingwest Resources Ltd (KWR) in 2019. In May 2023 KWR merged with Brightstar Resources Limited whose focus has now shifted away from the Goongarrie project following their recent merger with Alto Metals Ltd (ASX: AME)i.

Prior to KWR acquiring the Project, very little exploration activity had been completed across the project as work was focused at Menzies and Kalgoorlie. Historic work included soil sampling, trenching, auger drilling, shallow aircore drilling, and limited RC drilling. This work targeted oxide gold mineralisation at surface associated with the Bardoc Tectonic Zone-Boulder Lefroy Shear Zone (BTZ). Two gold deposits along the BTZ were initially mined in the late 1980s at Jennys Reward, and Goongarrie Lady which was recently re-commissioned by a private group. There is potential for the discovery of new gold deposits undercover along the 12km strike length of the BTZ and along largely untested parallel mineralised structures that run N-S through the length of the project.

Click here for the full ASX Release

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