Rare Earths Americas has expanded the mineralised footprint at its Homer-A ionic clay rare earth project in Goiás, Brazil by over 60% to about 3.5 km², with the main zone now extending 4.3 km and remaining open. Assays from 20 holes within the primary geochemical anomaly show 19 above cut-off, while drilling on the south-eastern margin has returned heavy rare earth oxides with dysprosium-terbium oxides reaching up to 8.7% of total rare earth oxides plus scandium. Only 22 of roughly 180 planned holes have been assayed, with 11,800 m of a 15,000 m 2026 programme already drilled and a maiden resource targeted for 2027.

Construction of Rio Tinto’s Nemaska lithium hydroxide plant at Bécancour, Quebec, more than 70% complete and backed by about C$1.2 billion in public funding, is now expected to remain paused through 2027, casting doubt on the previously committed 2028 start-up. The halt coincides with 68 layoffs and a sharp drop in Asian lithium carbonate spot prices to $12.90/kg from over $25/kg in May, pressuring project economics. Rio is still reviewing long-term spodumene feed from Nemaska’s Whabouchi deposit versus its wholly owned Galaxy project, with no decision yet.

Armenia is courting international miners after the third Armenia Mining Forum in Yerevan drew nearly 400 executives and officials, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signalling a push for a “qualitatively new mining industry” built on copper, gold and molybdenum. Wood Mackenzie’s investment perception survey cited an experienced workforce and strong geology but flagged limited geological data and regulatory uncertainty, even as the long-delayed Amulsar gold mine finally entered production. Former Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani urged Armenia to evolve from conventional extraction towards a broader “materials solutions industry” while aligning with biodiversity, nature-related disclosure and international ESG standards to secure public trust.