https://rbtfl.xyz/en/track/critical-minerals Mining and, above all, refining — rare earths, lithium, copper. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/trump-minerals-0808 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/trump-minerals-0808 Sat, 08 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT US President Donald Trump's administration on August 7 announced US$3 billion in investment across domestic and allied critical minerals mining projects, framing the move as a defense imperative after stockpiles were depleted during the US-Israel war on Iran and as a counter to Chinese control over global minerals supply chains; The National reported multiple governments are pursuing similar diversification after China's export restrictions exposed how concentrated the supply chains are [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-cobalt-copper-ban-0806 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-cobalt-copper-ban-0806 Sat, 08 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Democratic Republic of Congo reinstated a ban on exports of copper concentrate and cobalt concentrate on August 6, blocking raw ore from leaving the country unprocessed; TRT Afrika described it as a major escalation of the DRC's drive to capture more mining value domestically; Crypto Briefing noted the ban also affects crypto miners who rely on cobalt-linked supply chains [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/china-rare-earth-iea-jul16 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/china-rare-earth-iea-jul16 Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The International Energy Agency said on July 16 that full implementation of China's rare earth export restrictions could disrupt US$6.5 trillion of downstream production outside China, covering sectors from electric vehicles to weapons systems, in the most comprehensive market-risk assessment yet of Beijing's 2025 export-control regime [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/india-australia-summit-jul9-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/india-australia-summit-jul9-2026 Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT India's PM Narendra Modi and Australia's PM Anthony Albanese struck a uranium supply deal and LNG framework on July 9 in Melbourne, alongside defence and critical minerals pacts; the uranium agreement, confirmed by Asharq Al-Awsat and Pakistan's Dawn, delivers Australia as a supplier to India's civil nuclear fleet; SBS Australia noted warm optics masking harder migration and trade politics [resolved] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/malawi-uranium-kayelekera-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/malawi-uranium-kayelekera-2026 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Lotus Resources has secured binding contracts with three North American power utilities for 3.5-3.8 million lbs of uranium; the government holds a 15% stake and a 5% royalty [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-unsc-minerals-presidency-jul2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-unsc-minerals-presidency-jul2026 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Kinshasa assumed the rotating UNSC presidency on July 1 and plans to use it to press for a first-of-its-kind binding resolution establishing global standards for mineral resource governance, directly targeting Rwanda's alleged plunder of eastern Congo's cobalt, coltan and gold [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/china-rare-earth-enforcement-jul2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/china-rare-earth-enforcement-jul2026 Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A MOFCOM announcement effective July 1 opens a hotline and web portal for individuals and companies to report unauthorised rare-earth and dual-use material exports, with cash rewards for confirmed tips. It is the most direct enforcement escalation of Beijing's 2025 export-control regime. [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/urenco-cascade5-jun30 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/urenco-cascade5-jun30 Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The New Mexico centrifuge plant cleared a milestone on June 30 as its fifth separative-work-unit cascade began operating, a tangible step in the US push to wean its nuclear sector off Russian-linked supply chains after the Iran war [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/chinalco-namibia-cobalt-jun29 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/chinalco-namibia-cobalt-jun29 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's state-owned aluminium giant secured the Opuwo cobalt project in north-west Namibia, adding to Beijing's accelerating battery-metals sweep across southern Africa as the Iran war reshapes EV supply-chain risk calculus [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/pgii-trump-budget-omission-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/pgii-trump-budget-omission-2026 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment loses its line item while the administration reframes its surviving projects as anti-China minerals plays [transition] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/copper-comex-tariff-squeeze-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/copper-comex-tariff-squeeze-2026 Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT US warehouses hoard 652,000 tonnes while LME stocks drain into a three-month low [worsening] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/refined-copper-232-review-deadline-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/refined-copper-232-review-deadline-2026 Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Commerce must brief Trump on refined copper by month-end; a recommended 15% then 30% duty would reroute metal away from Chile, the DRC and Zambia [pending-decision] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/albemarle-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/albemarle-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The world's largest lithium producer by volume, US-listed Albemarle operates brine and hard-rock assets across Chile, Australia, and the United States that form the backbone of Western EV battery supply. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/aluminium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/aluminium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Critical industrial metal: China controls 57% of global smelting capacity, Guinea's bauxite dominance and Russia's Rusal sanctions keep aluminium supply chains under active geopolitical pressure in 2026. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/antimony-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/antimony-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A semi-metal China supplies at roughly 60% of world output, antimony is critical for military munitions and flame retardants, and China weaponized its position with export controls from 2024. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/battery-recycling-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/battery-recycling-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The industrial recovery of lithium, cobalt, and nickel from spent EV batteries, now structurally mandated by EU law and the central supply-chain bet against dependence on new primary mining. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/bhp-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/bhp-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Australia's BHP is one of the three largest mining companies by market cap globally, and the second-largest copper producer, making it a pivotal lever on critical-minerals supply. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/chile-lithium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/chile-lithium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Chile holds the world's largest lithium reserves in the Atacama Desert; its 2023 state-majority nationalization model, pairing Codelco with SQM, defines the global critical-minerals sovereignty debate. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/cmoc-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/cmoc-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's CMOC Group supplies roughly one-third of global cobalt from its DRC mines, making it the dominant actor in battery-metal supply chains and a flashpoint in US-China resource competition. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/cobalt-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/cobalt-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The transition metal underpinning lithium-ion batteries, with the Democratic Republic of Congo supplying roughly 76% of world mine output and wielding OPEC-style export quotas since late 2025. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/codelco-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/codelco-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Chile's wholly state-owned copper company, Codelco is the world's largest single copper producer, supplying roughly 6% of global mine output and funding the Chilean treasury through statutory profit transfers. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/conflict-minerals-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/conflict-minerals-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo fund armed groups; US and EU law require importers to trace and disclose their supply chains. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/copper-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/copper-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The most-used industrial metal after steel, copper underpins every electric grid, EV, and clean-energy system, making Chile, the DRC, and Peru the indispensable suppliers to a decarbonising world. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-battery-metals-backgrounder https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-battery-metals-backgrounder Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and manganese power every battery cell; their supply is highly concentrated, making these minerals the chokepoints of the global electric transition. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-copper-base-backgrounder https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-copper-base-backgrounder Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT This beat tracks copper, aluminium, zinc and tin, whose mine disruptions and trade policy shifts signal the pace and cost of global electrification. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-minor-metals-backgrounder https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-minor-metals-backgrounder Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Six metals underpinning semiconductors, defence alloys and autocatalysts where China or Russia controls supply, making export restrictions a primary geopolitical weapon. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-processing-tech-backgrounder https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-processing-tech-backgrounder Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Seven technologies, from high-pressure acid leaching to battery recycling, determine whether refined critical minerals reach EV batteries and magnets from diversified or concentrated sources. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-producers-processors-backgrounder https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-producers-processors-backgrounder Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT From Chilean brine fields to Congolese copper pits, fifteen companies mine and refine the lithium, copper and cobalt the energy transition depends on. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-rare-earths-backgrounder https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-rare-earths-backgrounder Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China produces 94% of sintered NdFeB magnets used in EV motors and wind turbines; the race to break that monopoly reshapes trade, defence and industrial policy worldwide. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-resource-nationalism-backgrounder https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/critical-minerals-resource-nationalism-backgrounder Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT As battery-metal demand accelerates, Indonesia, the DRC, Guinea, Chile and Zimbabwe are using export quotas, bans and permit revocations to keep more mineral value at home. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/direct-lithium-extraction-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/direct-lithium-extraction-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Selective lithium recovery from brine without solar evaporation ponds, achieving over 90% yield; the technology reshaping lithium supply in Chile, Argentina, and the US Smackover Formation. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-cobalt-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-cobalt-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Democratic Republic of Congo supplies roughly 70% of world cobalt mine output from its Katanga Copperbelt, and since October 2025 has wielded OPEC-style export quotas to manage global prices. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/dysprosium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/dysprosium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A heavy rare earth element indispensable in high-temperature NdFeB magnets for EV motors and wind turbines, refined almost entirely in China and under Beijing's 2025 export licensing regime. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/freeport-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/freeport-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The US company, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, that mines more copper than any other publicly traded firm, making it a swing factor in global critical-minerals supply. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/gallium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/gallium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A byproduct metal China produces at 98% of global supply, gallium is essential for military radar and 5G power chips, making it a lever in US-China export control disputes. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/ganfeng-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/ganfeng-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's largest lithium compounds producer by output, Ganfeng controls brine and hard-rock mines in Argentina, Mali, and Australia, making it central to Western efforts to secure non-Chinese battery supply. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/germanium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/germanium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Minor semiconductor metalloid recovered from zinc smelting, essential to fiber optics and infrared military optics; China controls roughly 60% of global refined output and imposed export controls in 2023. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/glencore-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/glencore-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Switzerland-based Glencore, one of the world's largest commodity traders and miners, dominates global cobalt supply and is central to Western strategies to secure critical minerals from the DRC. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/graphite-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/graphite-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The carbon mineral at the core of every lithium-ion battery anode, where China controls 97% of global processing capacity and wields that position as an export-control lever. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/guinea-bauxite-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/guinea-bauxite-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Guinea holds the world's largest bauxite reserves and supplies roughly three-quarters of China's imports, making it a critical chokepoint in the global aluminium supply chain. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/hpal-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/hpal-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The only commercial route from low-grade Indonesian laterite ore to battery-grade nickel, now structurally exposed by sulphuric acid import dependency and Jakarta's supply controls. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/huayou-cobalt-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/huayou-cobalt-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's most vertically integrated cobalt-to-cathode company, spanning Democratic Republic of Congo mining and Indonesian nickel HPAL to battery materials for global EV makers. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/indonesia-nickel-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/indonesia-nickel-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Indonesia holds 42% of global nickel reserves and produces roughly 60% of world supply, giving Jakarta decisive leverage over the EV battery supply chain. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/kazatomprom-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/kazatomprom-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Kazakhstan's state uranium miner supplies roughly 40% of global primary uranium, making it the single largest swing factor in world uranium prices. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lithium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lithium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The lightest solid metal and core material in EV and grid-storage batteries; China refines roughly 70% of global output, making lithium the central critical-mineral security flashpoint of the energy transition. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lobito-corridor-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lobito-corridor-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A 1,344km railway linking Angola's port of Lobito to copper and cobalt zones in the DRC and Zambia, the West's flagship infrastructure counter to China in Africa. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lynas-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lynas-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Australian rare earth mining and processing company, the world's largest producer outside China, supplying neodymium-praseodymium and heavy rare earths to Japan, Europe and the United States. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/magnet-manufacturing-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/magnet-manufacturing-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The industrial step converting rare earth metals into NdFeB permanent magnets for EV motors, wind turbines, and missiles; China controls over 90% of global output. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/manganese-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/manganese-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Fourth most mined metal globally, manganese is indispensable in steelmaking and increasingly critical for batteries as China controls 95% of battery-grade refining capacity. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/mp-materials-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/mp-materials-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The only active US rare earth miner, MP Materials controls Mountain Pass in California and is building the first US NdFeB magnet supply chain, backed by a 2025 Pentagon equity stake. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/neodymium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/neodymium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The rare earth element powering NdFeB permanent magnets in EV motors, wind turbines and weapons; China controls 91% of global NdPr refining and 94% of magnet output. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/nickel-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/nickel-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Hard-to-substitute transition metal driving EV batteries and stainless steel, with Indonesia controlling 60% of world mine supply and giving Jakarta decisive leverage over global manufacturing costs. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/niobium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/niobium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A transition metal of which Brazil controls roughly 90% of world supply, niobium is the critical additive in high-strength steels used globally in cars, pipelines, and construction. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/nornickel-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/nornickel-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Russia's largest mining company and the world's dominant palladium producer, whose Arctic ore bodies and sanctions exposure make it a structural variable in global critical-mineral supply chains. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/palladium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/palladium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A platinum-group metal supplying roughly 85% of gasoline-catalytic-converter demand globally; Russia's Nornickel controls 40% of world output, making palladium a geopolitically exposed critical mineral. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/phosphate-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/phosphate-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The irreplaceable mineral nutrient at the base of all phosphatic fertilizers, with 70% of known global reserves concentrated in Morocco and Western Sahara, creating acute food-security dependency worldwide. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/platinum-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/platinum-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A platinum-group metal mined overwhelmingly in South Africa and Russia, supplying diesel autocatalysts, industrial processes, and green-hydrogen electrolysers, with global supply in structural deficit since 2023. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/potash-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/potash-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Potassium-bearing mineral essential to global crop nutrition; Canada, Russia, and Belarus control roughly 70% of world supply, making it a geopolitical flashpoint. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rare-earth-magnets-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rare-earth-magnets-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The strongest permanent magnets in commercial use, neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets drive EV motors and wind turbines globally, with China producing 94% of world supply. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/refining-separation-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/refining-separation-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The midstream processing stage that converts ore concentrates into usable materials, with China controlling roughly 90% of global rare earth separation and battery-mineral refining. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rhodium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rhodium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The rarest platinum-group metal and the catalyst that strips NOx from vehicle exhaust; over 80% mined in South Africa's Bushveld Complex. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rio-tinto-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rio-tinto-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT UK-Australian mining group dual-listed in London and Sydney; the world's second-largest miner, dominant in Pilbara iron ore and a fast-expanding force in copper and lithium. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rosatom-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rosatom-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Russia's state nuclear corporation is the world's largest exporter of reactor technology, holding a $200bn-plus foreign order book across 10 countries despite Western sanctions. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rusal-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rusal-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Russia's UC Rusal controls roughly 6% of global primary aluminium output and holds key European refining assets, making it central to EU sanctions and critical-minerals supply debates. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/smelting-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/smelting-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The pyrometallurgical step that turns mineral concentrate into tradeable metal, smelting is where mining nations contest China's 51% share of global copper smelting to capture processing margin. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/sqm-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/sqm-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Chile's dominant lithium brine producer and the world's second-largest, SQM operates the Salar de Atacama under a 2023 state JV transferring control to Codelco by 2031. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/substitution-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/substitution-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The technical effort to replace supply-constrained critical minerals, concentrated in China, with functionally equivalent alternatives in magnets, batteries, and anodes globally. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tantalum-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tantalum-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Rare transition metal essential to capacitors in every smartphone, server, and weapon system; over 60 percent of global supply comes from artisanal mining in conflict-affected eastern DRC. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tianqi-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tianqi-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's Tianqi Lithium holds 51% of the world's largest hard-rock lithium mine and 23.77% of Chilean SQM, a structural swing factor in global battery supply chains. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tin-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tin-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The metal in electronics solder; China refines more than half of global output while Myanmar and Indonesia supply the ore, making tin a critical-mineral chokepoint in Southeast Asia. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/titanium-sponge-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/titanium-sponge-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The upstream refined metal that all aerospace titanium flows from, with China controlling two-thirds of global capacity and Russia's VSMPO-AVISMA supplying Western aerospace until 2022. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tungsten-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tungsten-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The densest stable industrial metal, produced roughly 80% in China, whose February 2025 export controls repriced cutting-tool carbide and prompted a US defence procurement ban from January 2027. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/uranium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/uranium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Uranium is the raw fuel of every commercial nuclear reactor, with Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia controlling supply chains that underpin civil energy and proliferation risk worldwide. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/vale-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/vale-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Brazil's Vale S.A. is the world's largest iron ore producer and a top-three nickel miner, central to critical-mineral supply chains and defined by two lethal dam collapses. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/vanadium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/vanadium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A transition metal that hardens steel rebar and stores renewable electricity in flow batteries, with China controlling roughly 60% of global supply as of mid-2026. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zambia-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zambia-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Landlocked Southern African copper producer that became the G20 Common Framework's first African test case, completing sovereign debt restructuring in 2024 after a 2020 Eurobond default. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zijin-mining-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zijin-mining-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's largest gold and copper miner, a Fujian-based state-adjacent conglomerate operating in 12-plus countries, central to Chinese control of global critical-mineral supply chains. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zimbabwe-lithium-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zimbabwe-lithium-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Zimbabwe holds some of the world's largest hard-rock lithium reserves and is Africa's first exporter of domestically refined lithium sulphate, driven by Chinese capital and a mandatory processing policy. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zinc-dossier https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zinc-dossier Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The base metal behind galvanized steel; China refines nearly half the world supply, and its 2026 shift to net exporter is tightening global zinc markets. https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/indonesia-nickel-rkab-ceiling-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/indonesia-nickel-rkab-ceiling-2026 Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT With RKAB approvals maxed out, the mid-year supplementary round becomes the whole market [worsening] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/kazakh-eu-brussels-deals-jun25 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/kazakh-eu-brussels-deals-jun25 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Thirty commercial agreements close during Tokayev's Brussels visit; Astana offers 21 of the EU's 34 critical raw materials and the two sides initial a visa facilitation deal [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/kazatomprom-2026-output-strategy https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/kazatomprom-2026-output-strategy Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The world's top uranium miner lifts production on the Budenovskoye ramp while holding nominal output ~10% below earlier plans [transition] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/solar-tariff-shift-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/solar-tariff-shift-2026 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT An eight-year safeguard on imported panels expired in February; a national-security polysilicon case could reshape US solar supply chains again [pending-decision] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/uranium-price-plateau-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/uranium-price-plateau-2026 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Spot prices stall on muted utility buying even as mine restarts slip and the long-term reactor-fuel gap widens [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/us-enrichment-deRussification-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/us-enrichment-deRussification-2026 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT DOE task orders to Centrus, General Matter and Orano, plus Urenco's New Mexico expansion, aim to replace Russian LEU before the 2028 waiver cliff [transition] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/antimony-tungsten-controls-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/antimony-tungsten-controls-2026 Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's controls on antimony created ongoing shortages a year on; tungsten hit $450/MTU and the US banned Chinese tungsten from defence procurement from January 2027. Almonty's Sangdong Phase 1 in South Korea targets 40% of ex-China supply [worsening] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zinc-china-net-export-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zinc-china-net-export-2026 Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's Q1 net zinc exports ~30,000t reversed 209,767t net imports in full-year 2025; ILZSG forecast a 19,000t global deficit; Korea Zinc's Tennessee recycling plant and a wave of Western mine curtailments frame the supply debate [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/china-rare-earth-controls https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/china-rare-earth-controls Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Beijing adds 10 US firms June 22; MOFCOM Announcement No. 26 (June 24, effective July 1) adds whistleblower rewards for illegal exports; Mineral Resources Law in force June 15 [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/cobre-panama-restart-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/cobre-panama-restart-2026 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT SGS delivered the government-commissioned audit on June 19; Panama is expected to rule on full mine restart after a June deadline, with 330,000t/year of global supply still offline since 2023 [pending-decision] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/carney-g7-critical-minerals https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/carney-g7-critical-minerals Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Canada's PM banks 13 critical-minerals partnerships and a France intelligence pact, while caught reassuring Trump over Chinese EV imports [easing] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/manganese-lmfp-battery-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/manganese-lmfp-battery-2026 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT MMC's 6,000 tpa high-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate Phase 1 went live June 11; Gabon's 2029 export ban and GEMCO's forced ramp alter seaborne supply; US North Star PEA pegs a 100,000 tpa project at $474.8M [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-rubaya-coltan-smuggling-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-rubaya-coltan-smuggling-2026 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A 10 June 2026 investigation says Rubaya coltan, taxed by M23 at $4/kg, is relabelled Rwandan and sold into the world's biggest tech brands [worsening] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/ghana-goldbod-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/ghana-goldbod-2026 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Ghana Gold Board centralised artisanal-mining gold purchases and exported 103 tonnes in 10 months, generating over US$10bn in forex inflows, but opponents say the president's brother is a primary beneficiary [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/botswana-de-beers-stake-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/botswana-de-beers-stake-2026 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT President Duma Boko wants Botswana to cross 50% ownership of the diamond company that generates 80% of the country's export earnings; talks with Gulf sovereign funds accelerated in April and June 2026 [pending-decision] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/angola-lobito-corridor-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/angola-lobito-corridor-2026 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Angola's GDP grew 5.3% in Q1 2026, lifting it past Kenya to Africa's sixth-largest economy at US$152bn; the Lobito Corridor linking Angola's Atlantic port to DRC and Zambia copper mines secured over US$10bn in Western and multilateral commitments, while oil production averaged just over 1 million bpd -- roughly half its 2008 peak [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/cmoc-tfm-strike-quota-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/cmoc-tfm-strike-quota-2026 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The DRC set CMOC's 2026 cobalt export quota at 31,200 tonnes against 117,549 tonnes produced in 2025; a June 1 work stoppage at TFM raises copper output risk as CMOC guides 760-820 kt for the year [worsening] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/gallium-germanium-bifurcation-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/gallium-germanium-bifurcation-2026 Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's domestic gallium price is $246/kg; the Western spot price is nine times higher. Germanium's equivalent gap is 130%. A US-China trade truce suspended the US-specific ban until November 2026 but left the licensing regime intact [worsening] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/guinea-bauxite-quota-june-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/guinea-bauxite-quota-june-2026 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The June 2026 export cap arrives as bauxite prices sit 50% below early-2025 peaks; Axis International filed a $28.9B World Bank arbitration after permit revocation; 75% of China's bauxite imports originate in Guinea [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/chile-lithium-salar-futuro-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/chile-lithium-salar-futuro-2026 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Nova Andino Litio submitted a full Environmental Impact Study in June 2026 for the Salar Futuro lithium project in Chile's Atacama region, targeting US$2-3.5 billion in investment and 280,000-300,000 tonnes LCE per year; the project advances under the Kast government's reduced-state-control lithium framework after Boric's state-led model was set aside [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/ganfeng-solid-state-argentina-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/ganfeng-solid-state-argentina-2026 Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's largest lithium producer announced a laboratory solid-state cell at 500 Wh/kg on May 21, 2026, and began commercial semi-solid deliveries to Hyundai; its Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes JV in Argentina is seeking foreign equity to qualify for non-Chinese offtake [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/niger-uranium-nationalization-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/niger-uranium-nationalization-2026 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Niger's CNSP cabinet revoked Orano's Arlit uranium concession on May 18, 2026, after revoking its Imouraren licence in 2024; output has fallen from ~3,000 metric tons in 2020 to an estimated 1,800 metric tons as Niger lacks independent refining capacity and Russia's Rosatom and China have not moved to fill the gap [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rusal-aughinish-eu-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rusal-aughinish-eu-2026 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT OCCRP and Irish Times reporting in May-June 2026 documented that alumina from Rusal's Irish refinery was flowing back to Russia; the Irish Taoiseach resisted closure citing 1,000 jobs, while Belgium's foreign minister pushed for EU action [worsening] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/sqm-q1-2026-earnings https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/sqm-q1-2026-earnings Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Q1 2026 lithium revenue of $1.76B beat consensus on a 69.8% YoY gain; average realised price recovered to $18/kg from $10/kg in Q4 2025; Tianqi sold 1.25% in February as SQM upgraded 2026 volume guidance to 15%+ growth [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/guinea-ega-bauxite-settlement https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/guinea-ega-bauxite-settlement Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A May 6 agreement definitively resolved GAC's suspension; CBG resumes bauxite supply to EGA's Al Taweelah alumina refinery; Guinea's Nimba Mining Company takes over the Sangarédi project assets [easing] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/mp-materials-magnet-ramp https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/mp-materials-magnet-ramp Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Fort Worth 'Independence' facility shipped first magnets December 2025; Q1 2026 NdPr output hit record 917t; Pentagon's $400m equity stake and $110/kg price floor make the US government the underwriter of America's magnet supply [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/peru-mining-exports-q1-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/peru-mining-exports-q1-2026 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade reported on 1 May 2026 that Q1 2026 total exports reached a record US$27.217 billion, a 33.5% increase year-on-year, with copper volumes rising 3.3% and gold revenues lifted by high global prices; 21 of Peru's 25 regions posted economic growth in the quarter [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-cobalt-quota-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-cobalt-quota-2026 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Kinshasa replaced its 2025 export ban with strict annual caps; cobalt hit $57,320/t, but artisanal miners largely escape the ceiling [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/ndpr-price-surge-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/ndpr-price-surge-2026 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's April 2025 export controls on seven heavy REEs drove a scarcity premium that sent NdPr from $53/kg in January to $137/kg at end-April, with European ex-China prices reaching six times Chinese domestic levels [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lobito-corridor-construction-bidding-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lobito-corridor-construction-bidding-2026 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Nine EPC contractors visit the Angola-DRC-Zambia route; preferred bidders due by August, but Zambian-leg financing slips to late 2027 [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/nornickel-murmansk-china-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/nornickel-murmansk-china-2026 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The EU's 20th sanctions package closed one export channel but Global Witness found gaps; Q1 2026 palladium output fell 10-11%; Nornickel is negotiating a 2Mt/year copper concentrate JV with Xiamen C&D [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-minerals-us-deal-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/drc-minerals-us-deal-2026 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The DRC announced in April 2026 a new paramilitary unit backed by the US and UAE to secure major cobalt, copper and lithium mining sites; in March the DRC, Rwanda and US agreed Washington Accords implementation steps including M23 withdrawal and FDLR disarmament [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/freeport-grasberg-mudflow-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/freeport-grasberg-mudflow-2026 Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A September 2025 ore pass mud rush placed the block cave under force majeure; Freeport revised full-year copper to 3.1bn pounds and gold to 650,000 oz; Morgan Stanley downgraded on recovery uncertainty [worsening] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/vale-base-metals-sudbury-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/vale-base-metals-sudbury-2026 Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Vale Base Metals reported record Q1 copper output and near-record nickel as it advances a joint venture with Glencore in the Sudbury Basin; $5.4-5.7 billion in capex is planned for 2026 as Vale pursues strategic separation of base metals from iron ore [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/glass-substrate-packaging-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/glass-substrate-packaging-2026 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Intel and Samsung start the shift from organic resin to glass cores; SK's Absolics ships first commercial-grade panels; Korea contests Intel on standards [transition] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/iluka-eneabba-refinery-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/iluka-eneabba-refinery-2026 Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Australia's first integrated rare earths refinery is on schedule for commissioning in 2027 with committed NdPr and heavy rare earth offtake; the White Mesa Mill in Utah is the only facility outside China that can separate terbium and dysprosium at commercial scale [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/kamoa-kakula-copper-smelter-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/kamoa-kakula-copper-smelter-2026 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The December 2025 smelter first fire at 60% of 500,000 tpa design; Q1 anode output was 71,417t; sulphuric acid output of 1,350t/day feeds local fertiliser plans; Codelco-Glencore are studying a 1.5 MTpa Chilean smelter for 2032 [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/battery-recycling-commercial-scale-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/battery-recycling-commercial-scale-2026 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The first EV battery recycling shakeout separated commercial-scale survivors from undercapitalised startups; Redwood Materials reached a $6 billion valuation, Germany's cylib raised €63.4 million, and EU Battery Passport compliance deadlines gave the sector a regulatory floor [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zimbabwe-lithium-sulphate-exports https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zimbabwe-lithium-sulphate-exports Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Huayou Cobalt's Arcadia plant shipped the continent's first domestically refined lithium sulphate; Chinese firms have committed ~$1.2bn to Zimbabwe lithium processing, with Sinomine's Bikita facility still under construction [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/cobalt-price-recovery-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/cobalt-price-recovery-2026 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The 'tightest-ever' physical market pushed cobalt to a two-year high before a Q2 correction; Electra's 5,120 tpa Ontario refinery targets IRA-compliant battery supply; DRC's export quota and LFP's 55% share frame the long-run cobalt substitution debate [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/titanium-sponge-aerospace-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/titanium-sponge-aerospace-2026 Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT IperionX's Virginia facility began production March 27, 2026; Russian VSMPO-AVISMA's US Entity List designation reduced Western aerospace titanium supply; Osaka Titanium launched a ¥39 billion expansion to 50,000 tpa; sponge prices reached $6,080/t, up 10.5% [worsening] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/energyx-project-lonestar-dle-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/energyx-project-lonestar-dle-2026 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Project Lonestar (250 tpa, Hooks TX) processes Smackover brine using EnergyX's GET-Lit technology; a Wildcat JV will co-locate a 15,000 tpa LFP cathode plant; DLE market is valued at $1.54 billion in 2026 [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rio-tinto-rincon-first-export-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rio-tinto-rincon-first-export-2026 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A 200-tonne LCE shipment to Shanghai in March 2026 marked the start of commercial output at Rincon; IFC, IDB Invest, EFA and JBIC co-financed the $1.175B tranche; the 60,000 tpa target is 2029 [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/huayou-indonesia-ev-chain-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/huayou-indonesia-ev-chain-2026 Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's largest cobalt-battery materials company expanded simultaneously into Korean EV supply, Indonesian cell manufacturing, and European recycling in 2026, building a vertically integrated position from DRC mining to end-of-life battery recovery [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rosatom-foreign-fleet-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/rosatom-foreign-fleet-2026 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Akkuyu, Rooppur and two Chinese units are slated to come online, defending a $206bn order book as Western financing and equipment routes close [contested-result] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lynas-texas-limbo https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lynas-texas-limbo Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT CEO Amanda Lacaze says Seadrift construction may not proceed without DoD offtake; Kuantan plant secured a 10-year licence but must eliminate radioactive waste by 2031; Malaysian DoE blocked the planned capacity expansion [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/albemarle-kings-mountain-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/albemarle-kings-mountain-2026 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A March 2026 EPA Record of Decision unblocked North Carolina's first domestic hard-rock lithium production since the 1980s; Albemarle idled Kemerton and filed a $3.1 billion DLE proposal in the Atacama [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/eu-crma-strategic-projects https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/eu-crma-strategic-projects Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The European Commission published its second CRMA Strategic Projects selection in March 2026, bringing the total to 94 projects; member states must issue permits within 24 months; the CRMA sets 2030 supply benchmarks requiring 10% domestic extraction and 40% EU processing [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/myanmar-brotherhood-alliance-fracture-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/myanmar-brotherhood-alliance-fracture-2026 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The MNDAA's seizure of Kutkai from former ally the TNLA marks the Brotherhood Alliance's collapse under Beijing's border pressure; the KIA's grip on rare-earth mines near China buys it a longer leash [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/global-gateway-400bn-target-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/global-gateway-400bn-target-2026 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The EU consolidates to 256 flagship projects for 2026 and chases a raised target, as MEPs press on where the money actually went [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/bhp-copper-record-jansen-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/bhp-copper-record-jansen-2026 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT BHP's H1 FY2026 copper output set a company record driven by Escondida throughput gains and Olympic Dam smelter recovery; BHP signed a 30% equity LOI in Faraday Copper and resolved a China CMRG concentrate pricing dispute in April 2026 [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/us-minerals-price-floor-allies https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/us-minerals-price-floor-allies Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The DoD's $110/kg NdPr floor with MP Materials became a template; Washington negotiated allied floors with Mexico, the EU and Japan by February 2026; the One Big Beautiful Bill's Section 20004 appropriated $2bn for a Strategic Resilience Reserve; the G7 Évian declaration committed $64bn across 195 projects [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/aluminium-china-cap-rusal-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/aluminium-china-cap-rusal-2026 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's self-imposed 45Mt annual smelting ceiling will be reached by late 2026 on current ramp rates, limiting incremental supply; the EU cut Rusal's preferential import quota from 275,000t to 50,000t for February-December 2026; primary aluminium averaged $2,680/t on the LME in H1 2026 [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/glencore-drc-orion-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/glencore-drc-orion-2026 Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Mutanda-KCC stake transfer gives Washington indirect control over two of the DRC's largest mines; a six-month Takeover Panel cooling-off period on the Rio Tinto mega-merger expires in August 2026 [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tin-myanmar-indonesia-shock https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tin-myanmar-indonesia-shock Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Man Maw mine remains largely halted; Indonesia's Prabowo crackdown on illegal Sumatra mining created a second concurrent shock; LME tin up 55% year on year by February 2026 [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tianqi-greenbushes-phase3-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tianqi-greenbushes-phase3-2026 Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Greenbushes in Western Australia is now the world's largest hard-rock lithium mine across three simultaneous production phases; Tianqi's Kwinana plant delivered 3,047 MT of lithium hydroxide in Q1 2026 and the company issued CNY 2.6 billion in convertible bonds [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/china-battery-storage-surge-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/china-battery-storage-surge-2026 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Global grid-scale storage adds hit records into 2026 with China taking over half; the US trails by an order of magnitude [transition] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tantalum-niobium-strategic-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/tantalum-niobium-strategic-2026 Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The January 28-29, 2026 Rubaya landslide in North Kivu killed over 220 artisanal miners; OFAC sanctioned the Rwandan Defence Forces in March; tantalum capacitor prices rose 15-30% on AI server demand; CBMM and Echion opened a 2,000 tpa niobium anode facility [worsening] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zambia-copper-target-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zambia-copper-target-2026 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Zambia produced 890,346 tonnes of copper in 2025, up 8% but short of the 1 million tonne goal; the government has formally restated the target for 2026 as the Africa Finance Corporation invites bids for the 800km Zambia section of the Lobito Corridor railway [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/chile-sqm-codelco-jv https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/chile-sqm-codelco-jv Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A January 26 ruling removed the final legal challenge to Chile's nationalization model; the 2026-2030 integration phase begins with Codelco holding a majority-plus-one share and SQM operating the Salar de Atacama [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/pgm-platinum-surge-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/pgm-platinum-surge-2026 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT South African load-shedding disrupted Sibanye-Stillwater and Anglo Platinum output; fuel-cell and green-hydrogen electrolyser demand added a structural bid; palladium continued de-rating as EV substitution removes the main combustion-engine application [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zijin-julong-allied-gold-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/zijin-julong-allied-gold-2026 Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Allied Gold deal, announced January 26, 2026, adds African gold assets in Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, and Ethiopia to Zijin's portfolio; Julong Phase 2 in the Gangdese Belt triples Tibetan copper capacity and is the world's highest-elevation large copper mine [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/belt-and-road-2026-state-of-play https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/belt-and-road-2026-state-of-play Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's overseas corridor programme posts record deal value as it pivots from megaports to energy, critical minerals and 'small but smart' projects [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lithium-market-2026-deficit https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/lithium-market-2026-deficit Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Battery-grade lithium carbonate ran from $13,433/t in December to $26,278 by late January; forecast houses split on deficit vs surplus; DLE in Argentina drives the only material new supply [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/bolivia-lithium-deals-frozen https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/bolivia-lithium-deals-frozen Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A Potosí court halted contracts with CATL subsidiary CBC and a Russian partner; President Arce asked Congress to unblock them; YLB's DLE projects cover world's largest lithium reserves but output has been minimal [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/china-rare-earth-japan-controls https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/china-rare-earth-japan-controls Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A January 2026 MOFCOM ban on dual-use exports for military end-users in Japan broadened into de-facto supply disruption; Japan's dependence on Chinese rare earths has fallen to 60-70% but the shock hit auto and defence sectors [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/vanadium-vrfb-boom-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/vanadium-vrfb-boom-2026 Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China operates the world's largest vanadium redox flow battery, commissioned December 31, 2025; Invinity deployed 20.7 MWh in the UK in May 2026 as the West builds non-Chinese VRFB capacity; Vanadium Resources secured a US offtake for South African ore in April 2026 [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/indonesia-nickel-hpal-crisis https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/indonesia-nickel-hpal-crisis Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Jakarta's 2026 RKAB allocation of 270Mt (down from 379Mt) tightened feedstock; acid costs near $1,000/t and HPAL utilisation fell to 70-75% [worsening] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/copper-tcrc-zero https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/copper-tcrc-zero Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Antofagasta and Chinese smelters settled 2026 annual TC/RCs at $0/t; spot charges went negative to -$70/t, forcing China's top smelters to cut output 10% [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/graphite-china-export-control-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/graphite-china-export-control-2026 Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A November 2025 suspension of graphite export approvals created a six-month freeze on Chinese anode-material shipments; US International Trade Commission March 2026 preliminary injury finding opened antidumping/CVD investigations; China produces 65% of mined graphite and 97% of spherical graphite [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/niron-ferrite-substitution-2026 https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/niron-ferrite-substitution-2026 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Niron Magnetics' September 2025 groundbreaking for a rare-earth-free iron nitride magnet plant in Sartell, MN followed a Stellantis partnership; Ola Electric certified ferrite EV motors in India; LFP chemistry now represents 55% of global EV batteries [active] https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/ira-45x-one-big-beautiful-bill https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/ira-45x-one-big-beautiful-bill Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The House-passed reconciliation bill terminates the IRA's wind production and investment credits for projects beginning after 2026, extends and modifies the 45X advanced manufacturing credit, bars FEOC-sourced material from 45X eligibility, and adds a new metallurgical coal credit; Senate outcome uncertain [active]