Responding to declining profits and concerns over overcapacity in the international market, China issued rules on Wednesday to regulate its lithium battery market. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the proposals are in place to secure the healthy development of the lithium battery sector. These rules would provide guidance for lithium battery farms in order to reduce manufacturing projects that only expand production capacity. The MIIT is proposing new regulations to guide the future of its booming lithium-ion battery industry. These draft rules, open for ..read more

NexGen Energy Ltd. (TSX: NXE), one of Canada’s top uranium companies, has decided to purchase a vast quantity of uranium concentrate in response to an increasing supply deficit. The Rook I mine operator will acquire 2.7 million pounds of it from Toronto’s MMCap International hedge fund, valued at C$343.25 million. NexGen will provide the fund manager with the sum in the form of convertible debentures equivalent to 23 million shares or a 4.3 per cent stake. “At a time when available physical uranium is extremely tight and expected to continue to be scarce given the long-term supply deficit, thi ..read more

Gold King Corp, a subsidiary of U.S. Gold Corp. (NASDAQ: USAU), has taken another step towards getting drills in the ground in Wyoming. The company received its Surface Gold Mine Permit from the Director of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ), originally dated April 29, 2024. The company made an announcement regarding the operating permit on Wednesday, with George Bee, the president and CEO of U.S. Gold saying that the company has cleared major regulatory rockblocks towards project development. The company is presently working on meeting the conditions to acquire final autho ..read more

Washington’s tech giant Microsoft Corp. (NYSE: MSFT) has created a generative artificial intelligence program designed specifically for American spies. The large language model (LLM) is the first of its kind to be completely disconnected from the web, a senior company official told Bloomberg on Tuesday. Other AI models like ChatGPT rely on cloud services to help analyze data. “This is the first time we’ve ever had an isolated version – when isolated means it’s not connected to the Internet – and it’s on a special network that’s only accessible by the U.S. government,” chief tech officer Willia ..read more

i-80 GOLD CORP. (TSX: IAU) (NYSE: IAUX) provided an update on Tuesday regarding its Granite Creek Property in Humboldt County, Nevada. The company expects the work from 2024 to include both definition and expansion drilling, as well as underground development and test mining of the South Pacific Zone (SPZ). Furthermore, it will include a feasibility study. The primary focus will be to integrate the SPZ into the long-term mine plan. The SPZ will become the main mining horizon after the company extends the initial development to provide access. The 2024 drilling program will build on the success ..read more

Stallion Uranium Corp. (TSXV: STUD) (OTCQB: STLNF (FSE: HM40) completed its winter 2024 drilling program on the Coffer Project, which is a property it shares as part of a joint venture with uranium-junior ATHA Energy Corp. (CSE: SASK) (FRA: X5U) (OTCQB: SASKF). The company reported on Monday that the initiative found anomalous radioactivity in all three drill holes along with a large conductive structure, which it found on the final drill hole CF24-003, which gives the target the required traits to host a large uranium deposit. Furthermore, Stallion’s drill program started in March to test geo ..read more

Concerns over air pollution have prompted Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to pull back an air permit previously granted to Perpetua Resources Corp. (TSX: PPTA) for its Stibnite mine. Idaho’s Boise State Public Radio reported the development Friday following an appeal made by the Nez Perce Indigenous Tribe and conservation groups in late March. They oppose Perpetua’s permit because they believe it allows an unacceptable level of contamination from air pollution throughout the mine’s surrounding area. Carcinogens like arsenic are a key concern for the groups. These include the ..read more

Toronto’s Hercules Silver Corp. (TSX-V: BIG) started the largest-ever drill program at its flagship mining site in Hayden, Idaho on Monday. The company will work non-stop with two 12-hour shifts until it concludes, drilling 20,000 metres. Core samples from the campaign will be sent to and examined by British Columbia’s MSALABS. It provides geochemical and PhotonAssay analyses, along with other services. “This is the largest program we have had to date and is backed by an immense amount of planning and interpretation supported by our largest shareholder, Barrick Gold Corporation (TSX: ABX),” Di ..read more

Transportation hubs throughout Canada and the United States have been employing artificial intelligence-based systems and technologies to help raise security for customers and staff. Liberty Defense Holdings Ltd. (TSXV: SCAN) (OTCQB: LDDFF) (FRANKFURT: LD2A) announced on Monday that it shipped its artificial intelligence-based HEXWAVE security system to a major airport in Canada to perform screening applications. HEXWAVE employs millimeter wave technology, advanced 3D imaging, and AI to detect all types of concealed metallic and non-metallic threats, as well as other prohibited items, without ..read more

Building on a partnership established between Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Alberta for SMR development in 2021 — the two prairie provinces have now agreed to collaborate on additional areas of nuclear interest. The Government of Saskatchewan announced a new memorandum of understanding with Alberta last week. It will focus on industrial decarbonization, grid reliability and other key topics relevant to the nuclear industry. “Our provinces are leading the world in responsible energy development,” Alberta Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf said in a press release. “We look forward to l ..read more