Announcements

King River Resources has unearthed more high-grade gold at its Kurundi project in the Northern Territory and is preparing to drill two iron oxide copper-gold targets at its Kuiper prospect this month. The company is working through a pipeline of drill-ready targets across its 5000 square kilometre Tennant Creek landholding, following earlier standout hits and geophysical success.

There are moments when policy collides with geology, and when it does, fortunes can shift overnight. The decision by the US Department of Defence, announced last week, to take a half-billion-dollar equity stake in the country's only producing rare earths mine has thrust the geopolitical spotlight onto a handful of ASX-listed juniors and reshaped their prospects in a flash.

This week's Bulls N' Bears ASX Runners of the Week is… Yandal Resources, after the company identified a gold discovery of potentially massive scale in one of WA's prolific gold belts. Imagion shot up on positive talks with the US FDA on its Phase 2 breast cancer imaging technology, Falcon intercepted some of the highest grade gold in Australian drilling this year and Bayan scooped up a strategic rare earths project next to the world-class Mountain Pass mine.

Ora Banda Mining has ended its financial year with a record 92,400 ounces of gold produced, a 32% increase over the previous year, marking the company's second consecutive year of more than 30% organic growth. Production includes 1400 ounces from third-party processing under an ore sale agreement with Norton Gold Fields at Paddington Mill.

BMG Resources has firmed up its belief in a substantial gold system at its Abercromby gold project in WA's Mid West region, after receiving broad mineralised hits from the first phase of a recently completed diamond drilling program. Scoping studies are now underway to assess the optimal mining strategy, with a low-capex, fast-tracked production scenario being evaluated.

Buru Energy has shed another non-core strategic asset, inking a deal to offload its hydrogen and helium subsidiary 2H Resources to Denver-based natural hydrogen hopeful Koloma Australia. The transaction is valued at up to a tasty $2 million in cash and comes as Buru narrows its focus on its flagship Rafael gas and condensate project in Western Australia's Kimberley region.

American West Metals has intercepted thick copper sulphides at depth at its Storm Copper project in Nunavut, Canada, with a diamond drill hole intersecting a lengthy 47 metres of visual copper sulphide mineralisation at its high-priority Cyclone Deeps target. The result reaffirms the potential for a large-scale, stacked copper horizon beneath the company's flagship Cyclone deposit, setting the stage for significant resource growth across its massive 2200-square-kilometre tenure.

Chariot Corporation has struck a milestone deal to acquire almost 70 per cent of five high-grade Nigerian lithium projects, featuring mapped spodumene pegmatites and rock chip grades of up to 3.31 per cent lithium oxide. The low-cost, staged earn-in model reflects the company's strategic approach and adds African firepower to a lithium portfolio already spanning the US and Australia.

Novo Resources has delivered a suite of high-grade gold results from its maiden reverse circulation drilling program at its Tibooburra gold project in northwestern New South Wales. The company revealed standout intercepts, including an impressive 12m running 5.9 grams per tonne gold from just 16m in its first hole, followed by a thicker 17m grading 2.4g/t gold from 59m along strike.

Latitude 66 has etched out a promising gold target at its Edjudina project in Western Australia's Goldfields, with an air core drilling program at its Colossus prospect targeting bedrock returning assays of up to 0.45g/t gold. The company says beneath a blanket of transported cover, the underlying geology exhibits the trademarks of Ramelius Resources' nearby 1.1-million-ounce Lake Rebecca gold project.

Beetaloo Energy Australia has completed a historic 67-stage hydraulic stimulation campaign executed by global oilfield services giant Halliburton at its Carpentaria-5H well in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo sub-basin. The campaign was wrapped up in 20 days and covered an extraordinary 2955-metre lateral section, marking what could be a turning point in Australia's quest for reliable and scalable gas supply to the eastern seaboard.

In a transformational move, BMG Resources has executed a memorandum of understanding that clears a path to toll treatment of its Abercromby gold ore at Wiluna Mining Corporation's Matilda plant. The fully operational conventional carbon-in-leach gold ore processing facility is 20km northeast of BMG's project and the company says the mill is well-suited to process its Abercromby ore.

This week's Bulls N' Bears ASX Runners of the Week is… Santa Fe Minerals, after the company scooped up a gold exploration play in a red-hot West African jurisdiction. Long-suffering Energy World shot up after it wiped more than a half a billion dollars in debt off its books, Next Science sayonara'd a chunk of its med-tech assets for $76 million and Loyal Metals picked up an super-high-grade historic copper-gold asset in central Queensland.

BMG Resources has kicked off a 30-hole reverse circulation drilling program for a planned 3000 metres at its Bullabulling North gold project near Coolgardie. The program will follow-up high-grade gold results from earlier scout drilling, which include 2m assaying an impressive 18.1g/t gold from 34m, 12m at 2.3g/t gold from 53m and 4m going 10.12g/t gold from 32m. Credit: File

Thunderbird Resources is zeroing in on high-grade gold mineralisation at its Kookabookra gold project near Armidale in New South Wales, with rock chip assays returning up to a spectacular 153.5 grams per tonne gold at the company's Mt Secret prospect. Continued surveys will direct a maiden drilling program at Thunderbird's recently acquired projects, planned for later this quarter.

St George Mining has launched advanced geophysics surveys at its Araxá niobium-rare earths project in Brazil's mining heartland of Minas Gerais. The company is flying its high-tech surveys in a quest to expand its project to become a globally significant niobium resource base. Meanwhile, the company is winding up a 10,000-metre drilling blitz at the relatively untested project.

88 Energy has secured a 12-month extension for the company's onshore Owambo Basin petroleum exploration licence in Namibia that will extend its first renewal exploration period until October 2026. The company has introduced a new stage 1 works program targeting pre-drill de-risking. The program includes an airborne gravity and magnetic survey to run later this year.

In a Red Letter Day, Meeka Metals yesterday poured the first gold from the company's Murchison gold project on schedule, within 12 months of breaking ground at its new Murchison Goldfield venture. With plant commissioning completed, management reports that production is ramping up smoothly. Meeka plans to process about 80,000 ounces of gold per year.

Latitude 66 has signed a deal to sell its 17.5 per cent interest in the Greater Duchess copper-gold joint venture in Queensland for $2 million upfront. The agreement includes a potential $4 million bonus if the entire JV is sold within 90 days. The move unlocks non-dilutive cash and aligns with the company's strategy to monetise non-core Australian assets while focusing on projects in WA and Finland.

Dateline Resources has completed a detailed geophysical survey at its Colosseum project in California, revealing signatures strikingly similar to the nearby famed Mountain Pass rare earths deposit. With early assay results showing rare earths anomalies and a 3D model on the way, the company is eyeing a potential major discovery, underpinned by its “stacked evidence” strategy to target carbonatite intrusions and gold-rich breccia pipes.

Green360 Technologies has penned an agreement to produce low-carbon retaining wall blocks with leading WA precast concrete manufacturer PERMAcast. PERMAcast will fund the purchase of a block laying machine and batching plant and the joint venture partners will split then the profits from selling the blocks into WA's mining construction market, while maintaining control of the product.

Estrella Resources has pulled in a hefty $5 million from a strategic investor who exercised a second option to buy 136.76 million shares at 3.65 cents per share and at a 500 per cent premium to the first conversion in September. The cash boost will be used to fund drilling exploration on the company's manganese and limestone prospects in Timor-Leste, where Estrella recently made some exciting discoveries.

Aurumin Limited and Brightstar Resources are in merger talks to combine their Sandstone assets into a consolidated 2.4-million-ounce gold project. The proposed scrip deal would give Aurumin shareholders Brightstar equity and is aimed at de-risking and fast-tracking development. While still subject to due diligence, the move could establish one of WA's most significant near-term gold projects in the Goldfields.

This week's Bulls N' Bears ASX Runners of the Week is… Ovanti Ltd, after the company scored a buy now, pay later maestro to guide its US expansion. Olympio unveiled visible gold in its first drill hole in Canada, Codeifai flew on a poorly kept takeover secret, and Sunrise unveiled high-grade scandium results at its NSW critical minerals project.

Aurum Resources has launched a 30,000-metre diamond drilling campaign at its 0.87-million-ounce Napié project, about 110 kilometres southeast of the company's flagship Boundiali project in Côte d'Ivoire. The two-rig program aims to expand the current Napié resource, drill other thinly tested targets and deliver an updated mineral resource estimate for the project by the end of the year.

Larvotto Resources has secured formal NSW government approval for its Hillgrove Mod 6 application, clearing the path for mining and processing at its gold-antimony project. The green light allows the company to press forward with final financing, infrastructure upgrades and a planned production start in 2026. The approval also supports key environmental initiatives, including the shift to dry-stacked tailings for more sustainable operations.

NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals has acquired unlisted Perth-based Isopogen for $5.1 million, gaining control of the company's stem cell therapy developed as a last-line treatment for severe autoimmune disease and transplant complications. The move puts NeuroScientific in line to compete in the regenerative space.

Terrain Minerals has cranked up the drill bit at its Smokebush project in Western Australia, extending its current reverse circulation drilling campaign in search of high-grade silver and gold at its Lightning and Monza prospects. The company has tacked on an extra 700m and three holes, expanding the program to a substantial 20 holes for 4300m. The expansion stems from keen field observations by Terrain on the ground.

Beetaloo Energy has secured crucial consent from Traditional Owners to sell appraisal gas from its Carpentaria gas project in the Northern Territory. The decision followed an on-country meeting organised by the Northern Land Council and paves the way for further development. The company says the agreement has highlighted its commitment to Indigenous partnerships and enables local communities to share in the region's growing economic opportunities.

Horizon Minerals has kicked off a 30,000m drilling campaign at its Burbanks gold project in WA's Goldfields. The campaign aims to upgrade confidence in the resource and expand high-grade zones to feed the company's refurbished Black Swan processing plant. With early hits of up to 45.4g/t gold and historic grades averaging 22.7g/t, Burbanks is shaping as a cornerstone for Horizon's standalone gold producer strategy.

Neometals, through its partnership with mining services heavyweight Mineral Resources, has inked an agreement with mining giant Rio Tinto to advance its patented lithium processing technology – the ELi process. The company's 70:30 joint venture Reed Advanced Materials has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Rio subsidiary Livent USA to explore the commercialisation of its proprietary process to convert lithium feedstock into high-purity lithium hydroxide monohydrate.

Neometals has delivered a 250,000-tonne mineral resource estimate averaging 1.6g/t gold for mineralisation near historical underground workings at its Ironclad deposit in the company's Barrambie project near Sandstone. The inaugural inferred estimate of 13,000 ounces gold for Ironclad was completed to confirm historical non-JORC compliant estimates and is based mainly on shallow reverse circulation and rotary air blast holes drilled mostly to less than 75 metres deep.