McEwen has agreed to sell its Fuller and Paymaster gold properties in Ontario’s Timmins district to Discovery Mining for $55 million in cash and stock, freeing capital to push a production target of 250,000–300,000 gold-equivalent ounces per year by 2030. The deal covers 210 hectares at Fuller, a 60% stake in the 179-hectare Paymaster property, and associated surface rights, consolidating Paymaster under Discovery’s Dome Mine subsidiary. Proceeds will be reinvested into the Fox Complex (Froome, Stock, Grey Fox), Nevada’s Gold Bar Complex, and Mexico’s El Gallo build, with Stock Mine slated for first ore in Q4 2026 and commercial output in Q1 2027.

South America’s Lithium Triangle holds about 64 million tonnes of identified lithium resources (43% of the global 150 million tonnes), yet geologist José Cabello’s review of 43 salt flats across Argentina, Bolivia and Chile shows that variable brine chemistry, impurities and groundwater behaviour make recovery and costs highly site-specific. Salar de Atacama benefits from ultra‑dry climate, relatively clean brines and strong logistics, while other basins such as Altoandinos, Pedernales, Hombre Muerto Oeste, Rincón, Sal de los Ángeles and Sal de Vida face tighter water and hydrogeological constraints. Direct lithium extraction (DLE) could unlock lower‑grade or impurity‑rich brines, but Cabello stresses that trade‑offs between brine withdrawal and freshwater consumption mean technology selection must be tailored to each basin’s hydrology and ecosystem.

EU regulators have granted strategic status under the Critical Raw Materials Act to KGHM’s 9.5‑billion‑zloty ($2.44bn) Retków‑Grodziszcze mine and Legnica smelter conversion, unlocking faster permitting, streamlined administration and access to preferential financing. Retków‑Grodziszcze is planned to deliver over 100 million tonnes of ore by 2055, yielding about 1.5 million tonnes of copper and 5,000 tonnes of silver, while Legnica’s recycling line targets 135,000 tonnes of electrolytic copper and 250 tonnes of nickel per year. The move materially boosts EU copper and nickel recycling capacity, central to the CRMA’s 25% recycling target.