James Pearson

Dateline Resources’ share price surged as high as 5.6c this week - not far from the coveted 10-bagger status - after the company recalibrated its scoping study gold price assumptions to US$2900 (A$4460) per ounce for its US-based Colosseum gold project. The key price adjustment delivered a whopping 134% jump in net present value for the project from US$235 million to US$550M.

Estrella Resources has inked a landmark deal that could see up to 500 million tonnes of limestone exported from Timor-Leste over five years, targeting South East Asia’s surging industrial minerals demand. The binding agreement with Indonesian group PT Raka Energi Mandiri grants exclusive rights to market and sell Estrella’s high-grade, calcite-rich limestone from its extensive Timor-Leste tenements.

Strickland Metals has turned up the heat at its Yandal gold project in WA’s northern Goldfields by expanding a key gravity survey to chase down a string of new intrusion-related gold targets across a juicy 19-kilometre stretch of prospective ground. The move follows the company’s recent discovery of IRG-style mineralisation near its Dusk ‘til Dawn gold camp and could set the stage for a new pipeline of high-impact drill targets.

Terrain Minerals has kicked off a 17-hole, 3350m RC drilling blitz at its Lightning and Monza prospects in Western Australia’s Murchison goldfields. The 20-day campaign follows hot on the heels of high-grade hits earlier this year and aims to define and expand mineralised zones across the two parallel gold structures. Assay results are expected in about eight weeks, feeding into a maiden resource targeted for mid-2026.

Aguia Resources has fired up the diamond rigs at its high-grade Santa Barbara gold project in Colombia with a 25-hole, 2500m program designed to unlock a potentially huge discovery in the system’s rich mesothermal vein network. The company will also pepper the existing stockwork to clear a path for expanded underground production and set the stage for a maiden JORC resource towards the end of the year.

Red Metal Ltd’s Sybella project in Queensland is shaping up as a low-cost heap leach play as leach tests show up to 81% magnetic rare earth oxide recoveries with low iron impurities using only weak acid levels. Bottle roll tests revealed a pH sweet spot between 2.0 and 2.5, where high recoveries of magnet rare earth oxides including the lucrative elements neodymium and praseodymium could be recovered using room-temperature sulphuric acid.

Dateline Resources has locked in the cash it needs to complete a bankable feasibility study on the gold deposit at its flagship Californian Colosseum gold and rare earths project to turn its 1.1-million-ounce resource into a revenue-generating mine. The company is also charging ahead with a rare earth drilling program at site and planning a US Venture listing in the third quarter of this year.

Altech Batteries has seamlessly revived a 28-year-old sodium-nickel-chloride battery that uses a primitive version of its own modern-day salt based “Cerenergy” battery technology. Altech says the old battery kicked into gear without hesitation after 28 years, showing that its own similar but more advanced battery technology is based on a solid foundation.

Aguia Resources is set to unlock a second source of revenue with first phosphate sales from its Três Estradas project in Brazil targeted for Q1 FY26. Mining contracts are signed and modifications to its 100,000tpa leased plant are underway. The move complements Aguia’s current cashflow stream that is ramping up from its Santa Barbara gold project in Colombia.

Dateline Resources is dialling up its US focus after offloading its non-core Udu copper project in Fiji to private company Viva Metals in a deal worth $4.35 million. The sale will free up cash to fast-track drilling at its Colosseum rare earths and gold project in California. The company is also prepping for a US venture market listing after a Trump hailed its mine as “America’s second REE project.”

Strickland Metals has come out swinging in 2025, landing two thick, high-grade intercepts at its Shanac deposit in Serbia. The standout hits included 251.6m at 1.3g/t gold equivalent and 265m at 1.2g/t gold equivalent, including a sizzling 66.8m section grading 2.7g/t gold equivalent. The second hole opened up a surprise high-grade zone on the western flank, pointing to exciting new growth potential.

In a major shift for Mongolia’s Kharmagtai copper-gold project, Xanadu Mines has let its exclusivity deal with mining giant and JV partner Zijin lapse after failing to reach a control deal. Despite a promising proposal in April, Zijin could not commit within the tight timeframe. Xanadu will now pursue shareholder approval to trigger its 25% put option and reopen the door to other suitors, while continuing discussions with Zijin.

Larvotto Resources has delivered a game-changing definitive feasibility study for its Hillgrove gold-antimony project, with a $694M post-tax net present value, $251M annual EBITDA and $128M in yearly free cash flow over 8.2 years. With a modest $133M capex and rapid 11-month payback, the numbers are already impressive. However, at current spot prices, NPV soars to $1.269B, the EBITDA hits $354M and free cash flow is $198M per year.

Dateline Resources has put the pedal to the metal to fast-track a rare earths drilling blitz at the company’s gold and rare earths Colosseum project in California, just days after Donald Trump declared it “America’s second rare earths mine” in a high-profile social media shoutout. Already hosting a 1.1-million-ounce gold resource, the mine now has the full weight of the US government behind it with permits, policy support and potential funding.

ASX-listed Dateline Resources’ share price rocketed 233% higher to 3 cents after the company’s Colosseum gold and rare earths project received mining approval. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed the gold and rare earth element project, hailing it as “America’s second rare earths mine”. The bombshell mention was delivered via Trump’s Truth Social platform, sending ripples through investor circles and spotlighting the California-based project’s strategic significance.

Strickland Metals has launched its biggest exploration blitz at its 7.4-million-ounce gold equivalent Rogozna project in Serbia. Armed with $40M and six rigs, the company is targeting high-grade gold and a maiden resource at Gradina, resource growth at Shanac and Medenovac and a potential porphyry giant at Jezerska. With drilling ramping up and assays on the horizon, Strickland is gunning to position Rogozna as a globally significant gold-base metals discovery.

Atomos Limited has hit the refresh button appointing Peter Barber as its new chief executive officer who will officially take control of the helm next week, replacing co-founder Jeromy Young. Atomos Limited has hit the refresh button by shaking up its leadership team with a new CEO and launching four new products including a recurring revenue cloud solutions platform, in a move to diversify its product base and respond to a slower global tech market due to US tariffs. .

Rio2 Limited is targeting an early 2026 gold pour at its Fenix Gold heap leach project in Chile. Construction is 19 per cent complete and on budget at one of the Americas' biggest undeveloped oxide gold plays. The company has so far spent US$30.1 million of its US$135 million construction budget, with major milestones already checked off and a string of other developments to come this year.

Kalgoorlie Gold Mining has launched a fresh air core drilling campaign at its Lighthorse gold discovery near Pinjin in WA’s Laverton Tectonic Zone. The 100-hole program will punch 5500m of drilling along a 2.4km corridor. Rigs will target a 1400m extension to the north and tidy up patchy historic drilling across 1000m to the south. The program is set to wrap up within three weeks.

With upgrades almost completed and a first gold pour under its belt Aguia Resources is about to kick off a 2500m diamond drill campaign targeting down-dip extensions to the vein systems at the company’s Santa Barbara gold project in Colombia. Aguia aims to deliver a maiden JORC resource for the project by year’s end. The company has also received government approval to sell its gold.

Dateline Resources has kicked off a bankable feasibility study at its 1.1-million-ounce Colosseum gold project in California, aimed at transforming the deposit into a long-life, high-margin open pit operation. By planning a two million tonnes per annum process operation, the company is targeting 75,000 ounces of gold production per year across 8.5 years, all as gold prices soar past US$3400 per ounce.

In a dramatic plot twist, Xanadu Mines has indefinitely postponed a shareholder meeting to approve a 25 per cent sell-down of its massive 4.7- million-tonne copper and 11-million-gold-ounce Kharmagtai project in Mongolia to Zijin Mining. The company says the delay will allow both parties to discuss a range of potential corporate outcomes. The big question is: What’s brewing behind the scenes?

Strickland Metals jumped 21% to 11c after securing $5M from Chinese mining giant Zijin to turbocharge drilling at its 7.4M-ounce Rogozna project in Serbia. The strategic placement gives Zijin a 2.4% stake and adds firepower to Strickland’s drill blitz, including a fast-track push to deliver a maiden resource at the high-grade Gradina gold deposit. Zijin already operates major copper-gold projects in Serbia, adding weight to the new alliance.

In a major step toward its clean energy pivot, Pilot Energy has secured $5 million via a heavily oversubscribed placement priced at an impressive 100 per cent premium to its last trade. Pilot will use $4.5M to shore up the acquisition of a remaining 82 per cent stake in the Cliff Head oil project from Triangle Energy.

Aurum Resources has smashed out another big gold hit in West Africa, striking a massive 89 metres at 2.42g/t gold from 213m at its Boundiali gold project in Cote d’Ivoire. The standout hit came from its BDT1 deposit, which makes up part of Aurum’s 1.59-million-ounce gold JORC resource. The drill bit also picked up sections of 7m at 14.46g/t gold and 6m at 9.01g/t gold in the hole.

Kalgoorlie Gold Mining has struck gold up to 9m grading 3.52 grams per tonne from 58m in fresh rock at its Lighthorse project near Pinjin, 140km northeast of Kalgoorlie. The company says the first-pass reverse circulation drill program appears to have cracked the code by confirming high-grade primary mineralisation exists below a shallow supergene blanket that was discovered two months ago.

Strickland Metals has hit top gear at its monster 7.4-million-ounce gold equivalent Rogozna project in Serbia by mobilising a sixth diamond rig to fuel what the company says is the biggest drilling campaign in the project’s history. The fresh rig is hard at work at the gold-rich Gradina deposit as part of Strickland’s effort to deliver a maiden resource at the prospect by the end of the year.

Triangle Energy has started drilling its hotly anticipated Becos-1 oil exploration well in Western Australia’s Perth Basin. The rods for the conventional well started spinning two days ago to target a fault-trapped rock layer called the Bookara Sandstone from the Triassic period. The company estimates there could be 1-21MMbbl in the pay zone, with a best guess of 5MMbbl.

As Larvotto charges ahead with a definitive feasibility study at its Hillgrove gold-antimony project in NSW, the company has now opened a new community hub in Armidale to keep locals in the loop. Larvotto says the Hillgrove Hub will deliver on its commitment to locals by offering a front-row seat to the project’s progress while fostering open dialogue with the community.

Lindian Resources has kicked off early site works at its world-class Kangankunde rare earths project in Malawi, marking a major step towards production. A new 5km access road is already well underway, allowing the company to mobilise earthmoving equipment and begin ground preparations. The move is part of a fast-track strategy to accelerate stage one construction at one of the world’s top rare earth deposits.

Reach Resources has unveiled a shallow, high-grade and open-pittable resource of 61,300 gold ounces at its Blue Heaven deposit, part of the company’s Murchison South project in Western Australia. Independent consultancy Mining Plus has put its stamp of approval on a mineral resource of 681,000 tonnes grading 2.8g/t gold from an optimised pit design at the company’s Blue Heaven deposit.

Lindian Resources will start metallurgical test work of its high-grade Kangankunde monazite from Malawi, helped by Australia’s top nuclear science team, to target a market-ready mixed rare earth carbonate product. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation will run parallel acid and alkaline cracking methods to find the most economical way of producing a usable carbonate product prior to generating a final certificate of analysis.