Russia Demands US Stop Pursuing Bella 1 After Registering Tanker as ‘Marinera’
Russia sent a formal diplomatic request to the US State Department on New Year’s Eve demanding the United States stop pursuing the oil tanker that evaded Coast Guard forces during a 10-day chase in the Atlantic. The vessel, previously known as Bella 1, now appears in Russia’s official ship registry under the new name Marinera, […]
Iran Opens Crypto Payment Option For Selling Advanced Weapons
Iran’s Ministry of Defence Export Center, known as Mindex, is offering foreign governments the option to pay for advanced weapons systems using cryptocurrency, alongside barter arrangements and Iranian rials, in a bid to bypass western financial controls. Introduced over the past year, the offer is notable because it is one of the first publicly known […]
Historic Food Bank Battles Holiday Shortfall As Canada Faces Hunger Crisis
The institution that pioneered food banking in Canada now finds itself struggling to sustain operations during its most critical fundraising period. Edmonton’s Food Bank has collected just over three-fifths of the food donations and roughly five-sixths of the cash contributions it needs for its annual Festive Campaign. The organization, which opened in 1981 during an […]
Iran Protests Enter Fifth Day as Economic Crisis Sparks Deadly Clashes
Protests driven by economic hardship entered a fifth consecutive day across Iran on Thursday, with authorities and rights groups reporting multiple deaths as demonstrations spread from the capital to provincial cities. At least three people died in clashes in Azna, a city in Lorestan province southwest of Tehran, Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency reported. Additional […]
Defense Dept Goes Big On Nuclear At Military Bases
The US Defense Department (referred to as the Department of War) is accelerating advanced nuclear power for resilience, tying a deployment ambition next year to concrete progress in Project Pele with TRISO fuel now delivered to Idaho National Laboratory. The Office of Nuclear Energy said the DOD is teaming with the Energy Department to deploy […]
De-Dollarization? Zambia Starts Accepting Mining Taxes In Yuan
Zambia has started receiving mining royalties and taxes in renminbi from Chinese mine operators, shifting part of a key government revenue stream from a dollar-only constraint into a dual-currency channel tied to copper exports to China. Payments using yuan began in October, the Bank of Zambia said, claiming it is the first African authority to […]
Silver Buyers Offer $10 Over Spot Straight To Miners Off Market
China-linked demand for physical silver is surfacing as direct, above-market bids to a miner, with $8 to $10 premiums that bypass screen pricing and intermediaries. Those premiums align with a reported approach to Kuya Silver (CSE: KUYA), where CEO David Stein confirmed two Chinese companies contacted the Canada-based miner on Friday with an offer to […]
Trump, Iran Officials Trade Threats as Tehran Protests Enter Day 6
President Donald Trump and senior Iranian officials reportedly traded direct threats as economic protests broadened inside Iran, sharpening US–Iran tensions months after Washington launched strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June. Trump posted on Truth Social that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the US “will come to their rescue,” adding, “We are locked and […]
Ivanhoe Mines Begins Copper Anode Production At Kamoa-Kakula Smelter
Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) is reporting that the first copper anodes were produced this week at their Kamoa-Kakula complex. The anodes, which were produced on December 29, represent the first to be produced from the 500,000 tonne per year copper smelter. The production of copper anodes comes just five weeks after the commencement of heat-up […]
Denison Sees Capital Cost Estimates At Phoenix Rise By 43% Versus 2023 Feasibility Study
Denison Mines (TSX: DML) is expecting 2026 to be a year of progress for its Phoenix in-situ recovery mine, with the company announcing this morning that the project is ready for a final investment decision pending regulatory approvals. The company has released updated costing for the proposed project, while confirming a two year project construction […]