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Fortescue axes hundreds of green jobs in UK and Australia Fortescue (ASX: FMG) is dropping plans to manufacture electric motors in-house and moving work offshore to China in a shift that will cost hundreds of workers in the UK and WA their jobs. The UK-based Fortescue Zero division was set to manufacture powertrains for about 400 electric mining trucks for the company’s extensive iron ore operations in the Pilbara region of WA. The company will instead be making the majority of components for the vehicles offshore in China where costs are lower...

Rio boosts Pilbara shipments, loads first ore at Simandou Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) has recorded strong results for Q3 CY25, backed by rebounding iron ore prices and advancing operations at the Simandou iron ore project in Guinea. The company shipped 84.3mt of iron ore from its WA operations during Q3 CY25, narrowly missing the estimated guidance of 85.5mt. Rio’s $6.2b Simandou project reached a major milestone with the loading of first ore on the newly commissioned mine-to-rail-to-port system. First shipments are expected in November, with a ramp-up to the site's full capacity of 60mtpa expected over the next 30 months. Rio Tinto chief executive Simon...

Hancock Prospecting invests in Araxá rare earths project St George Mining (ASX: SGQ) has secured $72.5m in funding for its rare earths-niobium Araxá project in Brazil.  The placement involved the issue of 725 million new ordinary shares and attracted major interest from prominent investors, including Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting. Hancock acquired 225 million shares — representing about 31% of the placement value.  St George initially targeted a smaller placement, but upsized due to overwhelming interest from investors in Europe, the US and Australia.  The Araxá project’s mineral resource estimate (MRE) includes six of the top 10 minerals on the...

Finniss lithium reserves get 42% boost Core Lithium (ASX: CXO) has revised the ore reserve at its Finniss lithium mine in the Northern Territory to 15.2mt at 1.26% lithium oxide. Operations at the project were previously suspended in 2024 due to the global lithium price slump caused by oversupply of the mineral. The project is now advancing towards a low-cost underground operation with a 20 year mine life, supported by the findings of a restart study. There have been firm commitments for a $50m (before costs) placement and an additional $4.3m raised through a share purchase plan (SPP) to accelerate the Finniss development....

Australia taps antimony miners ahead of Albanese-Trump meeting Resolution Minerals (ASX: RML) and Nova Minerals (ASX: NVA) are amongst the miners requested to brief Australian Ambassador to the US Dr Kevin Rudd ahead of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meeting with US President Donald Trump. The meeting between Prime Minister Albanese and President Trump is scheduled to take place in Washington DC on October 20 with critical minerals and strategic cooperation set to be key points of discussion. The Ambassador has requested Resolution to provide an update on its Horse Heaven gold-antimony-tungsten project...

Exploration gets a boost in WA Grants worth $6.6m have been allocated to 39 recipients of the 32nd round of the WA Government exploration incentive scheme (EIS) co-funded drilling program.  By sharing the financial risk of early-stage exploration, the EIS enables companies to pursue high-potential projects that may otherwise be considered too risky or cost-prohibitive.    The long running scheme is considered highly successful with Lord Resources reporting success under the previous round at its Ilgarari project, where two co-funded drillholes intersected primary copper mineralisation.   Copper exploration has also yielded promising results for Redstone Resources, which recovered a 10m zone of continuous copper mineralisation from a co-funded...

Comfortable Mining Camp Fitouts Built to Last With Minesite Furniture, investing in modernising your facilities sets the tone for a productive and loyal workforce from day one. The moment an employee steps into their village, the quality of their living and working environment shapes how they feel about their job, their company, and their future. That’s why thoughtful design and high-quality furnishings send such a powerful message: we value our people. When workers feel supported, the payoff is clear - greater loyalty, higher morale, and improved productivity. Why Comfort Counts in Mining Villages In today’s competitive job market, workers aren’t settling for the bare minimum anymore. They expect accommodation and communal spaces that feel like home—and companies that deliver are...

China tightens rare earth exports, cracks down on information China has introduced new export controls on rare earths and related technologies ahead of trade talks with the US, barring its citizens from unauthorised overseas mining. This brings the total count of export-restricted rare earth elements to 12, as China tightened restrictions on seven in response to tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration earlier this year, stalling key defence, energy and automotive sectors. The new controls, effective immediately, require exporters to obtain permission for technologies used for rare...

Queensland to keep running on coal into 2050 The Queensland Government will build a new gas-fired power plant and continue operating coal-fired power plants into 2050, outlined in the state's energy roadmap released today. The roadmap outlines that coal will continue to underpin affordable and reliable energy supply to the state for as long as needed with gas emerging as a critical technology for system reliability. According to the roadmap, in 2025, there is about 8GW of coal-fired generation capacity owned and operated by...

Gold to become Australia’s second-largest export earner Gold is expected to overtake LNG to become Australia's second highest value export in FY26, according to the September 2025 Resources and Energy Quarterly (REQ). Australia’s gold export earnings rose 42% to $47b in FY25 and is forecast to grow a further 28% to $60b in FY26 before stabilising in FY27. That track will see gold become Australia’s second-largest export earner after...

Safety watchdog investigates FMG Nicola’s sudden shutdown An interim report into the FMG Nicola’s sudden engine failure has been released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), with the bureau now investigating why it was not made aware of the incident until five months later. The bulk carrier, fully laden with iron ore, departed Port Hedland on February 7 when the ship’s engine suddenly shut down about an hour into the voyage. A full report did not reach the ATSB at the time of occurrence...