Dirty gold overtakes cocaine as crime’s cash machine
Criminal groups continue to shift from cocaine to illegal mining as banks and governments scramble to close financial loopholes.
Articles by Cecilia Jamasmie
Gangs hijack Ecuador’s gold mining supply chain
Ecuador has elevated illegal mining to a national security threat after concluding that criminal gangs have infiltrated the country’s gold supply chain, from extraction to export, turning the sector into…
South32 breaks decade-long US permit curse in Arizona
South32‘s (ASX: S32) Hermosa zinc-silver project in southern Arizona has secured final federal approval in just over two years, becoming the first mining project to complete the US FAST-41 permitting…
De Beers’ $18B diamond empire could fetch $1B
De Beers, the former diamond monopoly once valued at more than $18 billion (C$25 billion), could sell for about $1 billion as Anglo American (LSE: AAL) nears a deal to…
First Quantum adds 1,000 jobs as Cobre Panama restart nears
First Quantum Minerals (TSX: FM) stepped up preparations to restart its Cobre Panama mine by beginning stockpile processing ahead of schedule and adding about 1,000 jobs. Formal negotiations with Panama…
Zijin buys Allied Gold stake after $4B deal collapses
Zijin Gold’s planned $4 billion (C$5.5 billion) acquisition of Allied Gold (TSX, NYSE: AAUC) has collapsed after Chinese regulators failed to approve the transaction before the deadline, leaving the state-backed…
US enters China’s Africa turf with new rare earth bet
Harena Rare Earths (LSE: HREE) has secured United States government backing for its Ampasindava rare earths project in Madagascar, underscoring Washington’s strategy to challenge China’s dominance of critical minerals supply…
BHP, unions fail to reach Port Hedland wage deal
BHP (LSE, NYSE, ASX: BHP) and unions representing workers at its Port Hedland iron ore operations in Australia have ended wage negotiations without reaching a new agreement, but further talks…
Brazil court dismisses Indigenous case vs Belo Sun
Canadian miner Belo Sun Mining (TSX: BSX) has secured a final court ruling that permanently dismisses a class action challenging the Indigenous licensing process for its proposed $300-million (C$423-million) Volta…
Sundance Resources awarded $616M after Cameroon’s ‘unlawful’ iron ore project grab
Sundance Resources has won a $616-million (C$870-million) arbitration award after an International Chamber of Commerce tribunal found Cameroon breached its legal obligations over the Mbalam-Nabeba iron ore project. The Perth-based…
Implats halts South Africa’s largest platinum mine after six deaths spur safety concerns
Impala Platinum (JSE: IMP) has suspended mining for four days at its Rustenburg complex in South Africa after six recent worker deaths prompted a comprehensive safety reset. The platinum-group metals…
Algae research could double rare earth concentrations
Scientists at Southern Illinois University have found algae can more than double the concentration of rare earth elements, offering a potential alternative to chemical-intensive processing as the U.S. seeks to…