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Northern Star Resources has rejected activist investor Elliott Investment Management’s push for a strategic review and potential sale, saying a process is ill‑timed while it addresses processing mill issues at Kalgoorlie and manages CEO Stuart Tonkin’s planned departure after nearly 10 years. Elliott, which has built an estimated 3–4% stake and previously drove BHP’s oil and gas spin‑off and a US$300 million buyback at Kinross, wants options such as selling lower‑margin, shorter‑life mines assessed. The board says prior takeover, merger and spin‑off proposals reviewed with investment banks did not meet its value expectations but will keep portfolio options under regular review.

New drilling at Ero Copper’s Furnas polymetallic project in Pará, Brazil, has extended mineralisation up to 220 metres below and about 115 metres down dip beyond the current inferred resource, with hole FURN-DD-00357 returning 90 metres at 0.74% Cu, 0.5 g/t Au and 3.18 g/t Ag from 726 metres depth. The project’s February PEA outlines a 24-year mine life with average annual output of 52,000 tonnes Cu, 84,000 oz Au and 374,000 oz Ag, and Ero expects to complete earn-in spending under its Vale Base Metals agreement by year-end. Over 75,000 metres have now been drilled using 10 rigs, with the deposit remaining open at depth and along strike and a prefeasibility study targeted for 2027.

British Columbia’s Supreme Court has ordered the Environmental Assessment Office to reopen its “substantial start” decision for Seabridge Gold’s C$8.8 billion KSM project, giving the Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Nation 90 days to file submissions over planned processing and tailings facilities in Treaty Creek Valley. The First Nation warns the tailings pond could reach about 52 storeys deep on its exclusive traditional territory, while Seabridge points to a 17-km access road, power foundations and extensive early works underpinning the original ruling. The decision threatens the validity of KSM’s 2014 environmental certificate, despite C$1.2 billion already spent on one of the world’s largest undeveloped gold-copper deposits.

Metals prices fell sharply in early London trading as renewed US strikes on Iran and expectations of further US rate hikes pushed gold down as much as 2.6% and silver about 1%, with base metals including aluminium and zinc also weaker. Losses eased after US core CPI rose less than expected, though headline inflation accelerated to 4.2%, keeping liquidity concerns elevated and pressuring risk assets, said Li Xuezhi of Chaos Ternary Futures. Longer term, analysts at BMI and Sprott cite central bank gold buying and China’s planned 2 trillion yuan data centre build-out as structural supports for bullion and copper demand to 2050.

Central Asia Metals increased January–May output to 5,141 tonnes of copper from the Kounrad dump-leach operation in Kazakhstan and 7,566 tonnes of zinc in concentrate from the Sasa mine in North Macedonia, while benefiting from average realised prices of $13,076/t for copper (up ~40%) and $3,299/t for zinc (up 19%). Historically low, now negative, lead treatment charges supported Sasa revenues despite slightly lower realised prices on 11,142 tonnes of lead concentrate. The group maintains 2026 guidance of 12,000–13,000 t Cu, 18,000–20,000 t Zn and 26,000–28,000 t Pb, and plans to acquire Cygnus Metals’ high-grade copper-gold project in Quebec.

Chile’s Sierra Gorda mine and BHP’s Spence operation have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore joint supply-chain and operating-process initiatives in the Sierra Gorda district, targeting economies of scale as both operations confront declining grades and reduced output. Spence is progressing a US$600 million concentrator expansion, including a new flotation circuit to manage ore variability, after producing 254,795 tonnes of fine copper in 2025. Sierra Gorda plans an SX-EW heap-leach project for about 30,000 tonnes of copper cathode per year over 10 years, alongside a US$400 million tailings facility upgrade and a potential US$700 million fourth grinding-line expansion.

A mass shooting that killed 12 people in the Cleveland settlement, about 6 km east of central Johannesburg, is intensifying scrutiny of violent illegal gold mining networks around the city. At least 10 gunmen reportedly moved through the informal settlement on Tuesday night, firing at multiple locations before fleeing in a white vehicle; 11 victims died on site and one later in hospital, with no arrests yet made. The area hosts extensive zama zama activity around abandoned workings, where rival groups contest residual gold, prompting recent army deployments and weapons seizures.

Schneider Electric and Torngat Metals have signed a non-binding MoU to develop an integrated rare earths value chain centred on the Strange Lake project in Nunavik, with supporting infrastructure in Labrador and a planned separation plant at Sept-Îles, Quebec. Strange Lake’s B-zone hosts indicated resources of 278.1 million tonnes at 0.93% TREO, 1.92% ZrO₂ and 0.18% Nb₂O₅, plus 214.4 million tonnes inferred at 0.85% TREO, notable for heavy rare earths dysprosium and terbium. The partnership will leverage Schneider’s electrification, automation and digital systems to design “next-generation” mining and processing operations.

Global mining M&A in Q1 2026 reached US$26.28 billion, up 63% quarter-on-quarter and the second-highest quarterly value since 2013, driven by corporate-level deals such as the US$10 billion acquisition of BlueScope Steel after S&P Global began including steel transactions. Deal volume slumped to 46 transactions, roughly half the December quarter, with 30 company acquisitions versus 16 asset purchases as miners chase immediate scale and long-term supply. Asset deals totalled US$3.35 billion, 221% higher year-on-year, supported by the US$1 billion sale of the Çöpler gold mine in Turkey and continued focus on copper-gold targets.

MP Materials’ chief operating officer Michael Rosenthal has increased his stake in the NYSE-listed rare earth producer, buying 10,000 shares at US$54.30 each via his family trust, bringing his holding to 136,622 shares. The move comes as MP Materials, owner of the Mountain Pass mine in California – currently the only operating rare earths mine in the US – trades around US$53 per share with a market capitalisation of about US$9.5 billion. The stock has halved from its October peak of US$100.25 but is nearly double its level a year ago, supported by a US$400 million Department of Defense equity investment.

John Wolosick will be inducted into the National Academy of Construction’s Class of 2026, joining 44 other new members recognised for long-term contributions to the construction industry. A past president of the Deep Foundations Institute and a leading figure in geotechnical design-build for retaining walls and ground improvement, Wolosick has been closely involved with complex slope stabilisation and soil nailing projects across North America. His induction signals continued NAC emphasis on geotechnical expertise in major infrastructure and heavy civil works.

Weir has secured a multimillion‑dollar contract with a major Chinese non‑ferrous metals company to supply WARMAN® pumps for the Phase III expansion of a Xizang copper mine. The package comprises two WARMAN MCR® 450 cyclone feed pumps and nine WARMAN AHPP 20/18 tailings transfer pumps serving the grinding circuit and tailings system. For engineers, the deal signals continued preference for high‑capacity slurry and tailings pumping solutions in large‑scale Chinese copper concentrator expansions.

Bradken has expanded its MillSafe® range with a new MillSafe Worn Liner Removal System developed jointly with Russell Mineral Equipment (RME) to automate and control the extraction of worn mill liners during relining. The system integrates with RME’s existing relining technologies to handle liners remotely rather than relying on manual oxy-cutting and cranage close to the charge. For operators, the key gains are reduced exposure of crews inside large SAG and ball mills, shorter shutdown durations, and more predictable relining schedules.

GR Engineering Services has been named preferred EPC contractor by Venturex Sulphur Springs, a Develop Global subsidiary, for the 1.5 Mt/y Sulphur Springs copper-silver-zinc processing plant 144 km south-east of Port Hedland in Western Australia. The appointment follows Develop’s final investment decision on the project, clearing the way for detailed engineering, procurement and construction planning. Plant design and construction choices will be critical for handling polymetallic sulphide ore and managing remote-site logistics in the Pilbara environment.

Danfoss Scotland has validated its Dextreme Max digital hydraulic architecture on a 30 t battery-electric excavator, cutting power consumption by 35% under test conditions using a £4.29 million UK Government grant. The system replaces conventional valve-controlled hydraulics with digitally controlled flow and pressure management, reducing throttling losses and improving overall drivetrain efficiency. For mine operators, the results point to smaller or fewer battery packs for the same duty cycle, longer run time per charge, and lower heat rejection demands on cooling systems.

DHL Supply Chain Australia has been appointed strategic 3PL partner for Metso, taking over warehousing operations from Berrinba in Brisbane to handle inbound logistics, storage and outbound movement of heavy equipment and mineral processing machinery for Queensland mines. The Berrinba facility will act as a central hub for crushers, screens, mill components and wear parts, consolidating inventory closer to major coal and metals operations in the Bowen and Surat basins. Faster parts availability and streamlined freight routing should cut unplanned downtime risk and simplify maintenance planning for Metso’s mining customers.

Thiess has extended its joint operating agreement with explosives supplier AECI to December 2030, covering blasting services and product supply at the Lake Vermont, Olive Downs Complex and Mount Pleasant coal operations in Australia. The deal secures continuity of bulk explosives, initiation systems and on-bench blasting support across multiple large-scale open-cut pits in Queensland and New South Wales. For mine planners and drill-and-blast engineers, the extension reduces supply risk for explosives and maintains consistent blast performance parameters over the medium term.

Proactive maintenance strategies from Multotec are extending the service life of process samplers and high‑G centrifuges that are critical for representative sampling, solid–liquid separation and dewatering in mineral processing plants. The company stresses scheduled inspections of cutter edges, drive assemblies and wear liners on samplers, and close monitoring of vibration, bearing condition and bowl wear on centrifuges to avoid unplanned stoppages. For plant engineers, the message is to treat these units as production-critical assets, integrating condition monitoring and OEM spares into planned shutdowns.

Viridien has launched Evergreen Data Solution, an AI‑powered subsurface data platform that automates transformation of large, complex geoscience datasets so asset teams can access and trust results more quickly. Built on Viridien’s existing digital transformation stack, it applies data science workflows to seismic, geological and petrophysical data, targeting shorter interpretation cycle times from exploration through development planning. For mine planners and resource geologists, the tool aims to tighten model update loops, standardise multi‑source inputs and reduce manual data conditioning effort.

£50M of government funding has been pledged to upgrade flood resilience in Somerset after “severe” winter flooding earlier this year. The package is expected to support works such as raising and strengthening existing earth embankments on the Somerset Levels, improving pump stations and sluices on key drainage rhynes, and expanding temporary and permanent flood storage. For civil and geotechnical teams, the focus will be on embankment stability in saturated ground, long-term seepage control, and designing assets for more frequent high-intensity rainfall.

Yorkshire Water has appointed Jacobs to a £32M artificial intelligence services framework to support operation and maintenance of its water and wastewater assets across the region. The multi-year agreement is expected to deploy data-driven tools for network monitoring, leakage detection and predictive maintenance on treatment works and buried infrastructure. For civil and geotechnical practitioners, the framework signals growing demand for asset condition analytics, integration of sensor data with hydraulic models, and AI-assisted planning of renewal and resilience upgrades.

Train services have resumed through the 7km Severn Tunnel after Network Rail completed a £23M upgrade aimed at improving reliability on this key England–Wales rail link. Works focused on renewing critical track and drainage assets in the saturated, chloride-rich environment that has historically caused severe corrosion and water ingress. For geotechnical and civil teams, the project reinforces the need for robust waterproofing, durable materials and maintainable drainage systems in long, low-cover sub-sea tunnels carrying intensive passenger and freight traffic.

Transport for London has appointed Amey, Costain and Dragados to a new infrastructure improvement framework valued at about £700M–£840M to deliver multi‑year upgrades across its rail and road network. The framework is expected to cover complex works on deep tube stations, bridges and viaducts, and ageing tunnels, requiring staged construction, constrained possessions and integration with existing signalling and power systems. Contractors will need robust geotechnical investigation, asset condition monitoring and materials durability strategies to manage London’s variable ground conditions and heavily trafficked assets.

A VolkerStevin, Boskalis Westminster and AtkinsRéalis joint venture has secured a £1.2bn Environment Agency framework to deliver national beach management and coastal protection works across England. The long-term programme is expected to cover large-scale beach nourishment, rock armour and seawall upgrades, integrating coastal process modelling and detailed design with marine plant and dredging capability. Contractors and designers should anticipate significant demand for geotechnical coastal assessments, sediment transport studies and resilient flood defence detailing under this framework.