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Barrick is a gold and copper producer with a global portfolio spanning prolific districts. Credit: T. Schneider/Shutterstock.com

Barrick Mining has regained operational control of the Loulo-Gounkoto mine and will receive three tonnes of gold from the authorities in Mali. 

This development comes after an agreement between Barrick and Mali’s Government, ending a two-year standoff that led to the suspension of operations at one of Barrick’s key gold assets, reported Bloomberg. 

According to the company’s legal representative, the restitution has been ordered, with the seized gold being returned and the handover of the mine expected to proceed following the formal completion of the legal proceedings. 

The gold, which was confiscated earlier this year when mine operations were halted, is set to be returned as a procedural formality. 

Mali’s Mining Ministry declined to comment on the issue, according to the news report. 

The dispute was resolved after Barrick agreed to a settlement of CFA Fr244bn ($437m). The company also agreed to withdraw its arbitration claims against Mali. 

In exchange, the government said it will drop its charges against Barrick. 

Canamera Energy Metals, a Canada-based exploration company, has completed approximately one-third of the planned holes in its inaugural Turvolandia rare earths drill programme in Brazil. 

Launched in mid-November, phase one of the Turvolandia rare earths drill programme includes around 1,000m of drilling. 

It encompasses 48–54 vertical auger drill-holes across three separate target zones, with 16–18 holes in each, to be drilled to depths of 20–25m to evaluate the thickness and continuity of rare earth element (REE) mineralisation. 

The company said that the results will define the geometry, distribution and continuity of the mineralisation, guiding future exploration. 

The Turvolandia project lies directly east of the Poços de Caldas alkaline complex, a 30km² intrusive system in southern Minas Gerais. 

Located in the south-west of Minas Gerais, around 200km north-east of São Paulo and 294km south-west of Belo Horizonte, the property is regarded as prospective for ionic clay-hosted REE mineralisation. 

MetalsGrove Mining has significantly expanded its gold exploration footprint in Côte d’Ivoire, securing a 75km contiguous corridor through a new joint venture (JV) with Aucrest Sarl, a subsidiary of Stellar AfricaGold.

This builds on the acquisition of three gold JV permits earlier this year.

MetalsGrove said that the addition of the PR750-Zuénoula permit increases its total controlled exploration area in the region to 1,315km², consolidating its position along the highly prospective Abujar–Napié gold trend within the Oumé–Fetekro Birimian greenstone belt.

The newly acquired Zuénoula permit, covering 395.78km², sits strategically between MetalsGrove’s existing Kounahiri West and Vavoua permits.

In total, MetalsGrove’s four JV gold permits are located roughly 100km north of the Abujar Gold Mine and 160km south of the Napié gold deposit.

The geological features and structural complexity of these JV project areas are interpreted to be highly conducive to significant gold discoveries.

Australian Critical Minerals (ACM) has secured the final drill permit for the northern concession at its Flint gold-silver project (Gaya 103) in Peru. 

This approval clears the way for ACM to commence drilling at the Flint project, targeting highly prospective Natural Source Audio-Frequency Magnetotelluric (NSAMT) resistivity anomalies from sanctioned drill pad locations. 

The approved drill pads are strategically located directly over the core NSAMT resistive zone, as defined by preliminary geophysical modelling. 

Early NSAMT data has indicated a large, continuous resistive body, interpreted as the core of a high-sulfidation gold-silver system. 

Meanwhile, survey acquisition is advancing rapidly southward across the broader Flint project area, enlarging the target footprint and strengthening exploration potential ahead of drilling activities. 

Following the completion of the survey, 3D inversion modelling will be undertaken to finalise drill collar orientation and targeting. 

Up to ten diamond drill-holes are planned, providing a robust initial test of the identified system.

American Uranium has announced the completion of its 2025 resource expansion drilling programme at the Lo Herma in-situ recovery (ISR) uranium project in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, US. 

The drilling included 50 mud rotary holes totalling around 53,460ft (roughly 16,300m), aimed at extending the existing resource base and advancing the project towards ISR mine development. 

Drilling concentrated on extending resources along exploration trends north of the planned mine units 1 and 2. 

The results confirmed significant mineralised extensions, with drilling intercepts extending up to 3km from previously mineralised drill-holes. 

The drilling programme delivered the strongest intercept recorded so far at Lo Herma, with an updated mineral resource estimate and additional drilling scheduled for 2026. 

In addition to the drilling, 12 new mineral claims covering 96 hectares have been staked to expand the project north of the planned mine unit 2.