North America
Morning Radar • Oct 25
What matters in mining today
Critical Minerals
US Seabed Mining: The Legal Battle Across Three Jurisdictions
Minerals & Metals
Yttrium at $1,150 a Kilogram: Japan’s Supply Crisis Is Now…
Market Intelligence
Brazil’s Supreme Court Suspends Volta Grande Installation Licence as Indigenous…
The
Assay
Sunday, 25 October 2026
How US Rare Earth Refiners Plan to Beat China’s Know-How
Read the AssayToday's big story: Washington is funding a range of homegrown separation technologies rather than copying Chinese methods. The bet is that innovation closes the gap faster than imitation. The United States does not know how to refine rare earths at scale. China does. That gap is not a matter of scientific ignorance. It is a matter of manufacturing…
Today at a glance
Critical Minerals
US Seabed Mining: The Legal Battle Across Three Jurisdictions
Minerals & Metals
Yttrium at $1,150 a Kilogram: Japan’s Supply Crisis Is Now a US Defense Problem
Market Intelligence
Brazil’s Supreme Court Suspends Volta Grande Installation Licence as Indigenous Settlement Awaits Approval
Digging Deeper
Skillings Video Intelligence
Latest uploads from @SkillingsDiggingDeeper
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The Hidden Link: America’s Yttrium Crisis
2 days ago
The Scattershot Strategy: America’s Billion Dollar Rare Earth
2 days ago
The Physics of a Monopoly
3 days ago
The 134 Mine Equation {global lithium demand}
3 days ago
The Implementation Gap: Why Mining Billions Take Years
4 days ago
The Missing Link: America’s Magnet Supply Chain
4 days ago
The Anatomy of Influence: Canada’s Critical Minerals Clampdown
5 days ago
The Vault Paradox: Tracing America’s Chinese Copper
5 days ago
The Critical Minerals War Mini Series — Episode 1
1 week ago
The Global Hunt for the Mines That Could Challenge China - Episode 3
1 week ago
CRITICAL MINERALS: THE NEW RESOURCE WAR: Mini Series: EPISODE 2
1 week ago
The Risk Reward Calculus of Moscow's Mining Boom
2 weeks agoEditor’s choice
Featured analysis
Battery Metals
Lithium Demand Could Require 134 New Mines and $100 Billion by 2050
Global lithium demand will more than triple between now and 2050, requiring the equivalent of 134 new mines and more than $100 billion in investment before any contribution from recycling, according to a forecast…
By mo Editor • 22 October 2026
China Controls 90% of Battery Graphite: Why Your EV Depends on It
The battery in your electric car contains more graphite than any other material by weight. Here is what it is, how it…
21 October 2026
How the US Government Is Financing Its Critical Minerals Industry
The US government has spent the past eighteen months deploying capital into critical minerals at a pace and in a form that…
17 October 2026
Minerals & Metals Watch
More →
Critical Minerals
US Separates Zambia Health Pact From Critical Minerals Talks as Copper Negotiations Continue
9 October 2026
Critical Minerals
Ghana’s Mining Enforcement Actions Put Environmental Compliance Under Scrutiny
30 September 2026
News
South Africa’s Diamond Mines Face Capital Pressure as Production and Prices Diverge
South African diamond mines face falling prices, capital pressure and restructuring. Venetia, Cullinan and Finsch reveal the sector’s investment risks.
Nigeria Mining Crackdown Under Fire After 37 Custody Deaths
Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills at Least 60
West Africa Gold 2026: Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire Reshape Supply
Gold exploration drilling at the Enchi project in Ghana. By Charles Pitts Gold trading near US$4,400 an ounce is changing the economics…
Africa Holds a Quarter of the World’s Critical Minerals — Why Reserves Haven’t Translated Into Greater Value
Hardhat & pit intelligence
More → Operations, Equipment & Mining Technology
Samancor Dikwena chrome mine faces probe after tailings dam collapse
Aerial view of tailings slurry extending from the failed facility near Brits. South African authorities are investigating the collapse of a tailings…
Simandou Infrastructure Risk: The Hidden
The Simandou infrastructure risk—spanning safety, execution, and logistics—threatens Africa’s largest iron-ore project and global supply stability.
Botswana Pink Diamond Discovery Stuns
A 37.4-carat Botswana pink diamond from Karowe Mine amazes experts with its rare two-tone formation and geological origin.
Africa & Middle East watch
Permitting, tariffs & sovereign partnershipsAfrica
G20 Nations Agree to Diversify Critical Minerals Supply Chains — But the Commitment Is Voluntary
G20 energy ministers have agreed to strengthen cooperation on critical minerals, with a focus on more resilient and…
22 September 2026
Articles
Ghana’s First Lithium Mine: What a $210M Takeover Unlocks
Ghana’s Ewoyaa project is designed as a conventional open-pit spodumene operation in the Central Region. By Penny Langford…
19 September 2026
Articles
Zambia Copper: Tailings Recovery Turns Waste Into New Capacity
Illustrative view of a copper tailings recovery and wet-leach processing facility in Zambia’s Copperbelt. Konkola Copper Mines (KCM)…
19 September 2026
Articles
Sandfire Clears Conditions for Galileo Botswana Copper Sale
Botswana’s Kalahari Copper Belt is attracting further exploration capital as Sandfire expands its regional position. By Sonny Rollins…
19 September 2026
Sustainable Mining & Energy Transition
ESG & decarbonisation →Zimbabwe to make ESG compliance a condition for mining rights
By Sonny Rollins Zimbabwe is preparing legislation that would make environmental, social and governance compliance a condition for issuing, renewing or extending…
China’s Huayou Zimbabwe Lithium Plant to Power
$400M Huayou Zimbabwe lithium plant will refine local ore into battery-grade lithium sulphate, boosting EV supply chains across Africa and beyond.
DRC Mining Reforms Signal Pivot to Climate
The Democratic Republic of Congo is advancing a slate of new mining reforms intended to bolster regulatory clarity, increase contract oversight, and…
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