Illegal Mining Crackdown (South Africa): Nine Mozambicans were arrested in Mpumalanga during Operation Vala Umgodi, with police recovering mining tools and chemicals tied to gold processing. Uranium Pipeline (Namibia): Rosatom says it expects Namibia to approve its Omaheke uranium project “Wings” within months, after assessments were submitted to leadership. Diamond Ownership Shift (Canada): Mountain Province Diamonds will hand its 49% stake in Gahcho Kué to De Beers, easing obligations as diamond prices weaken, while keeping options to buy back later. Bauxite Rights Clash (India): Jairam Ramesh alleges Odisha’s reported arrest of Niyamgiri leader Lada Sikaka is tied to bauxite mining plans that violate the 2013 Supreme Court ruling and the Forest Rights Act. Digital Tech for Mines (Kazakhstan): NVIDIA pitches “digital twins” and Physical AI to cut downtime and fuel use in open-pit mining and remote industrial sites. Gold Value-Add (Burkina Faso): Burkina Faso inaugurated RAFFINOR-BF, its first national gold refinery, starting at 164 tons/year with expansion to 515. Corporate Output Updates (India): Hindustan Zinc reported record mined metal and refined output for 2QFY27, while Vedanta Iron and Steel posted Q2 FY27 production growth. Mining Safety & Environment (India): India’s Supreme Court-linked CEC again flagged mining near Kaziranga, citing missing wildlife management planning and lease concerns. Policy Pressure (Nigeria): Taraba Gov. Kefas claims security cover and insider involvement are sustaining illegal mining, promising stronger enforcement and safer mercury-linked practices.