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Collective Mining has extended the Apollo system at its Guayabales project in Colombia by about 100 metres north after drill hole APC172-D2 cut 141.4 metres grading 4.75 g/t gold, 5 g/t silver, 0.02% copper and 0.04% zinc from ~924 metres depth, including 38 metres at 15.25 g/t gold and 8 g/t silver. The new breccia body, intersected roughly 1,000 metres below surface and about 170 metres below previous northern drilling, lies close to a planned underground access tunnel, supporting potential bulk-mining scenarios. Thirteen rigs are active at Guayabales in a programme of up to 90,000 metres this year, with Apollo’s initial resource estimate due this month.

Gold fell for a third straight session on Tuesday, with Comex December futures down as much as 2.4% to $4,374.10/oz and spot at $4,362.57/oz, as Fed hike odds for this month climbed to nearly 70% and 10-year US Treasury yields held near 4.77% alongside UK gilts at 5.22%. Silver dropped up to 3.2% to $64.83/oz, tightening the gold–silver ratio to about 67 from 70 at end-July. Despite bullion now only 0.7% higher in 2026, the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index surged 33% in August, with Eldorado up 44% and Equinox 40%, signalling continued equity leverage to metal price swings.

Greenland Resources has secured a letter of interest from the Nordic Investment Bank for up to $120 million in export credit agency-backed funding for its Malmbjerg molybdenum project in east-central Greenland, adding to an Export Development Canada expression of interest of up to $275 million. The project, covered by a 30-year exploitation licence within a 1,147 km² land package, has NI 43-101 proven and probable reserves of 245 million tonnes at 0.176% MoS₂, containing 571 million lb of molybdenum. Planned output in years one to ten is 32.8 million lb/y of contained molybdenum metal at 0.23% MoS₂, equivalent to roughly a quarter of EU annual consumption and all EU defence demand.

NRW Holdings’ Mining division has secured a Letter of Award extending its mining services contract at the Karara magnetite iron ore mine in Western Australia by five years, pushing the term from March 2027 to February 2032. The extension covers continued load-and-haul, drill-and-blast and ancillary mining services for Karara Mining Ltd’s large-scale, 8+ Mt/y magnetite operation, which uses high-pressure grinding rolls and magnetic separation. The longer tenure gives NRW greater certainty for fleet deployment, labour planning and maintenance scheduling across the Mid West project.

Epiroc has secured a large underground mining equipment order from MMG Limited for the Khoemacau copper mine in Botswana, where MMG is working with Chinese contractors China Huaye and 23MCC under the ownership of China Minmetals Corp. The package is expected to include core underground production fleets such as face drilling rigs, loaders and mine trucks suited to deep, high-tonnage copper operations. For engineers, the deal signals long-term mechanised development at Khoemacau and likely standardisation around Epiroc’s automation-ready platforms and digital support tools.

Deswik, part of Sandvik Mining, has launched Deswik NOVA, an integrated surface mine planning platform that combines mining, blending and haulage in a single environment. The tool is aimed at data-intensive open pits where planners must rapidly test multiple scenarios, linking block models, stockpile balances and truck haulage routes without exporting between separate packages. For geotechnical and mining engineers, this promises tighter coupling between pit designs, material movement schedules and plant feed quality control, with fewer manual hand-offs and version risks.

GR Engineering Services has signed an EPC contract with Myamba Minerals, a Medallion Metals subsidiary, to redesign, procure, construct and commission the conversion of the existing Cosmic Boy Concentrator in Western Australia. The brownfield plant, originally built for nickel, will be reconfigured for Myamba’s processing requirements, allowing reuse of major infrastructure rather than building a new concentrator. For project engineers, the deal signals upcoming detailed process design, tie-ins to existing utilities and structural upgrades around the grinding, flotation and tailings handling circuits.

Public consultation has opened on Tasmania’s next road safety strategy, which will build on the current Towards Zero Tasmanian Road Safety Strategy 2017–2026 and its data on serious and fatal crashes. The new framework will benchmark against national and global best-practice, including Safe System principles and low-speed urban design, while tailoring measures to local conditions such as rural highways and regional freight routes. For civil designers and traffic engineers, outcomes are likely to influence speed zoning, barrier selection, intersection treatments and funding priorities for high‑risk corridors.

Completion of the $22.5 million Goulburn Valley Link Freight Precinct in Victoria delivers upgraded pavement and geometry on Simson Road and a new roundabout at the Toolamba–Simpson Road intersection to handle higher freight volumes. The works improve heavy vehicle access to regional producers and intermodal hubs, reducing conflict points on existing rural crossroads and shortening haul routes across the Goulburn Valley. For designers and contractors, the project signals continued demand for freight‑rated pavements, wide swept‑path roundabouts and intersection treatments tailored to B‑double and PBS combinations in regional networks.

Costain will recruit 50 apprentices in 2026, doubling last year’s intake, to resource a growing pipeline of long‑term infrastructure contracts in transport, water and energy. The expanded programme targets site engineers, civil technicians and project controls roles to support complex frameworks such as multi‑year highways upgrades and regulated water asset renewals. For contractors and consultants, this signals intensifying competition for early‑career talent on major UK infrastructure, with more delivery risk tied to in‑house training capacity and retention.

Passenger services between Lewes and Haywards Heath resumed on 1 September after Network Rail and contractors removed derailed carriages and renewed 500m of damaged track. The rapid reinstatement required full clearance of rolling stock, ballast and contaminated materials before installing new rail, sleepers and fixings to restore line geometry and signalling integrity. For civil and permanent-way engineers, the incident underlines the need for robust derailment response plans, modular track replacement capability and close coordination with operators to minimise corridor downtime.

Major UK civil engineering and construction contractors have reshuffled senior leadership teams as summer 2026 ends, signalling a renewed focus on pipeline delivery and risk management on large infrastructure programmes. Key appointments span project directors and technical leads for complex rail, highways and water frameworks, with several roles tied to NEC4-based alliancing and design–build contracts exceeding £500M in value. For geotechnical and structural specialists, the moves point to continued demand for leaders experienced in ground risk allocation, digital design coordination and whole-life asset performance.

Barton Gold has reported new high-grade intersections from resource-upgrade drilling in proposed starter pits at its Tunkillia gold project in South Australia, including 24m at 4.51g/t gold from 47m depth with a 2m interval at 16.7g/t within pit shells slated for the early mining sequence. Additional intercepts such as 11m of mineralisation support potential grade uplift in the near-surface mine schedule. For mine planners and geotechnical teams, the results strengthen the case for optimising initial pit designs and cash-flow modelling around these higher-grade zones.

Queensland is sending a mining trade mission to Chile, Peru and Colombia to secure new contracts for local mining equipment, technology and services (METS) suppliers and deepen critical minerals collaboration. The delegation will target partnerships with Latin American copper and lithium producers, positioning Queensland firms in areas such as mine automation, ore sorting and tailings management. For METS companies, the push signals stronger state backing for export growth into Spanish-speaking jurisdictions with large open-pit operations and complex geotechnical and water-management challenges.

Arafura Rare Earths’ Nolans project in the Northern Territory is moving from concept to a fully integrated rare earths mine and processing operation aimed at supplying NdPr oxide for permanent magnets into non-Chinese supply chains. Chief executive Darryl Cuzzubbo details long-term offtake and strategic partnerships with OEMs, plus years of front-end engineering, approvals and infrastructure planning to support mining, beneficiation and hydrometallurgical processing on a single site. For geotechnical and civil teams, the project signals sustained demand for mine access roads, tailings storage, process plant foundations and water management in arid conditions.

Australia and South Korea will use the 47th joint meeting of the Australia-Korea Business Council and Korea-Australia Business Council in Adelaide on 1–2 September to push deeper cooperation on critical minerals and rare earths. Discussions are expected to centre on securing long-term offtake for Australian lithium, nickel and rare earth projects into Korean battery and EV supply chains, and on co-investment in downstream processing. For miners and project developers, the agenda signals stronger demand visibility and potential Korean capital for new extraction and refining capacity.

Crushing, conveying and screening circuits are identified as major sources of avoidable downtime in fixed plant, with bearing, gearbox and drive failures often traceable to misalignment, poor lubrication and contamination rather than design limits. A Motion–Timken webinar uses real-world case studies on crushers, screens and overland conveyors to show how condition monitoring, correct bearing selection and improved sealing can extend component life and reduce unplanned stoppages. Reliability engineers and maintenance planners are urged to focus on root-cause failure analysis and data-driven inspection intervals rather than reactive part replacement.

Pipe Tek managing director and co-founder Myles Brannelly has been appointed a technical assessor for the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), Australia’s national accreditation body for testing and inspection laboratories. The role will see Brannelly contribute his specialist experience in pressure pipeline testing, CCTV inspection and condition assessment to NATA audits of organisations working on critical mining and industrial pipework. For operators, his appointment signals tighter scrutiny of test methods, calibration practices and reporting quality in pipeline integrity programmes across Australian sites.

IGO has appointed former Santos chief financial officer Anthea McKinnell as a non-executive director as part of an orderly board succession process. McKinnell brings over 20 years’ experience across listed resources and energy companies, including capital allocation, project financing and large-scale upstream energy operations. Her appointment signals continued emphasis on financial discipline and governance as IGO advances its battery metals portfolio and evaluates new nickel and lithium investments.

Glencore’s 44% stake in Chile’s Collahuasi copper mine is central to Anglo American’s plan to unlock an estimated $1.4 billion in additional annual EBITDA from its $53 billion merger with Teck by integrating Collahuasi with Teck’s nearby Quebrada Blanca complex. Anglo, Glencore and Teck are evaluating a 15‑km conveyor to move high‑grade Collahuasi ore to QB’s new processing plants, targeting an extra 175,000 t/y of copper from 2030–2049 at lower unit costs than a standalone project. Negotiations over asset valuation, operatorship and sharing of synergies will determine whether Anglo-Teck can fully realise its copper‑heavy strategy amid tight global supply and near‑record prices.

Cameroon’s revised Mining Code (Law No. 2023/014) and World Bank-funded PRECASEM geochemical mapping using the Flexicadastre system are opening underexplored iron ore, bauxite, gold, rutile, nickel and cobalt targets, particularly along the Cameroon Volcanic Line and associated shear zones. The code allows three-year exploration permits renewable up to nine years, JORC-based prefeasibility studies for commercial permits, 20-year operating terms, transferability of mining rights and 100% foreign ownership via locally incorporated entities. Investor concerns centre on SONAMINES’ mandatory board seat on licensees, presidential sign-off on operating permits and how transparency and conflicts of interest are managed.

A 25-year US–Venezuela oil pact granting access to 65 billion barrels of recoverable crude across 17 fields, mainly in the Orinoco Belt and around Lake Maracaibo, targets more than 1.5 million barrels per day and a projected US 55% operating stake. Negotiated in secret without competitive bidding and with the US empowered to choose operators, the deal faces legal uncertainty under Venezuela’s Hydrocarbons Law and criticism over “incredibly low” projected taxes and weak institutional safeguards. Deliverability is also in doubt, with extra-heavy crude, ageing Lake Maracaibo infrastructure and an assumed 20% recovery factor yet to be achieved.

Defense Metals’ Wicheeda rare earths project in British Columbia has returned resource-conversion drill intercepts including 65 metres at about 3% TREO from 61 metres depth in hole WI26-96, with a 20.3-metre sub-interval at 6.1% TREO, and 184 metres at 1.7% TREO from 91.6 metres in WI26-93. Additional holes WI26-100 and WI26-102 cut 149 metres at 1.55% TREO from near surface and 73.4 metres at 2.6% TREO from 6 metres, respectively, within the 5,345-metre programme. The road-accessible project, 80 km from Prince George, carries a February 2025 PFS valuation of C$1 billion NPV (8%), 19% post-tax IRR and envisages 31,900 t/y TREO concentrate over 15 years from 25.4 Mt at 2.43% TREO.

Talamore Mining has secured the final major permit for the 214 km all-season Northern Access Route to the Coffee gold project in Yukon, enabling construction of the remaining 29 km link from Dawson City to the existing 180 km road. Backed by a C$638 million financing package and a PEA road cost estimate of C$71.3 million, the open-pit, heap-leach project is scoped for average production of 249,000 oz. gold per year over its first five full years at all-in sustaining costs of C$1,274/oz. The PEA outlines initial capex of $983 million, an after-tax NPV5 of $2.3 billion, a 48% IRR and a 1.7-year payback at a $3,620/oz. gold price, with a feasibility study by G Mining Services due in Q1 and quartz mining and Type A water licences still pending.