US pitches ‘critical minerals club’ to counter ‘predatory’ trade practices

By Samantha Bawden

Friday, 6 February 2026

InternationalNews

The US signed eleven new bilateral critical minerals frameworks with allies as part of its efforts to shift China’s dominance over the global industry.

The MOU supports Metallium’s plan to develop a national network of e-waste processing facilities, strategically located near major e-waste collection hubs, rapidly expanding U.S. data centre industrial parks and regional industrial corridors with strong logistics and waste generation.

Glencore DRC projects under fire

InternationalNews

Glencore DRC projects under fire

BY ELIZABETH FABRI GLENCORE has hosed down industrial union claims of ‘slavery-like conditions’ at its cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In March, IndustriALL Global Union published a ‘fact-finding mission’ report at the request of IndustriALL affiliate TUMEC which described harsh working environments at both the Kamoto Copper Company and Mutanda mines. It alleged workers were only allowed 750ml of drinking water per 12-hour shift and were provided expired food and no “decent eating places” with protection against the elements. It also claimed there was no “proper showers or ablution facilities” at the mines, and had been no salary increase for workers in five years. The union said it had written to Glencore chief executive...

Resolution is one of only three ASX-listed companies to have a project included in the program.

InternationalNews

Resolution wins US support for antimony project

The Antimony Ridge project in Idaho will be included in the US Federal FAST-41 Permitting Transparency Program, as Resolution Minerals (ASX: RML) looks to advance proposed bulk sampling and drilling activities.

Lynas’ new Malaysian challenge

DevelopmentsInternationalNews

Lynas’ new Malaysian challenge

LYNAS Corporation (ASX: LYC) is facing a new wave of judicial proceedings in Malaysia over its subsidiary, Lynas Malaysia’s rare earths processing facility. In a statement released to the ASX after the market had closed on Friday, the company said that three long-term opponents of the plant launched the judicial review proceedings in the Malaysian High Court, and would contest the August 2019 decision to renew Lynas’ full operating licence at the processing plant near Kuantan, Pahang, on the country’s east coast. The company said that the grounds set out in the documents “relate to the processes followed by the Government of Malaysia”. The respondents included the Prime Minister of Malaysia, 27 ministers and cabinet members, the Government of Malaysia,...

South32 (ASX: S32) has lifted Taylor growth capital at its Hermosa project in Arizona by $1.5b (US$1.1b), while pushing first production out to the second half of FY28.

InternationalNews

South32 flags $1.5b Hermosa cost blowout

South32 (ASX: S32) has lifted Taylor growth capital at its Hermosa project in Arizona by $1.5b (US$1.1b), while pushing first production out to the second half of FY28.

The initial flowsheet for the facility includes separated samarium, gadolinium, dysprosium, terbium, yttrium and lutetium.

NewsProjects & Operations

Lynas warns of production shortfall

Lynas Rare Earths (ASX: LYC) is expecting production shortfalls at its Kalgoorlie processing facility in WA due to major power supply disruptions.

Australian miner boards US critical minerals bandwagon

Australian miner boards US critical minerals bandwagon

Australian miner boards US critical minerals bandwagon Pinnacle Minerals (ASX: PIM) is expanding its global footprint in the technology and defence sectors with the acquisition of eight critical minerals projects in the US. This acquisition marks the company’s entry into the US critical mineral landscape with the aims of positioning the company to benefit from emerging government policy in both the US and Australia. It follows recent developments in international critical minerals policy, including China’s further tightening of export controls on critical minerals on October 9 and the Federal Government’s advancement...

WA vanadium miners get royalty relief

Economics & Commodity PricesNews

WA vanadium miners get royalty relief

Vanadium miners will be afforded significant royalty relief with the WA Government capping royalties for vanadium products at 2.5%.

Fleet Space pioneers multiphysics exploration

Fleet Space pioneers multiphysics exploration

Fleet Space pioneers multiphysics exploration Fleet Space Australia has launched ExoSphere MT as part of its AI-powered mineral exploration platform ExoSphere. Featuring next-generation magnetotellurics (MT), ambient noise tomography (ANT), active seismic and gravity surveys, the platform enables companies to acquire, process and integrate high-resolution 3D exploration data into AI-powered insights. MT is a passive geophysical method that uses naturally occurring variations in the Earth’s electromagnetic (EM) fields — produced by solar winds and thunderstorms — to measure the electrical resistivity and conductivity of subsurface materials. Uniquely suited to image crustal...