Latest news with #BenHarris
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Joy' of Manx dance showcased at Welsh festival
A group of performers from the Isle of Man have showcased the "joy" of Manx dance at a music festival in troupe Perree Bane were invited to perform and deliver a workshop at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod between 9 and 13 than 400,000 competitors from some 140 nationalities and cultures have performed at the festival since it was first held in dancers said their displays had brought "a taste of the island's heritage to international audiences, building cultural bridges and sparking curiosity about the Isle of Man". Hailing from Castletown, the traditional dance, music and song group has around 50 members of all name Perree Bane is Manx Gaelic for white jacket, which the men wear along with Loaghtan wool trousers. During the trip, a workshop at a Welsh high school saw Manx dance steps being taught to local of the troupe Ben Harris said: "It was a joy to see how keen the students were to explore Manx culture and try out a few moves themselves. "Moments like this show how much we have in common across Celtic nations, and how dance and music naturally bring us together." Locals could also take in a range of street Carol Hayes said: "It's not every day you dance in thick wool on what felt like the hottest day of the year, but sharing our heritage made it all worthwhile."Supported by the Isle of Man Arts Council, the trip had "underscored the importance of cultural exchange and preserving the Isle of Man's unique traditions", a spokesman for the group events "provide a platform to strengthen ties between nations, while ensuring that traditional dancing, music, and storytelling continue to thrive for future generations", they added. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
News.com.au
26-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Resources Top 5: Trigg has eyes fixed on US critical minerals initiatives
Steps are being taken to align Antimony Canyon with US national security and federal procurement priorities Brightstar has declared maiden reserves of 24,000oz for the Second Fortune and Fish underground mines Albion Resources has started RC drilling at the Yandal West gold project Your standout small cap resources stocks for Thursday, June 24, 2025 Trigg Minerals (ASX:TMG) One of a number of ASX-listed juniors with eyes firmly on the critical minerals domestic supply chain initiatives of US President Trump is Trigg Minerals and its Antimony Canyon project in Utah. The company is taking steps to align Antimony Canyon with US national security and federal procurement priorities and has launched initiatives aimed at achieving near-term pilot-scale antimony mining. This has resulted in added interest among investors with Trigg hitting a three-year high of 10.5c, an increase of 26.51% on the June 25 close, and closing at 9.8c. Reflecting the growing interest, more than 101m shares changed hands valued at almost $10 million. The increased US focus has been supported by the appointment of key US-based executives, including Ben Harris and Wiehann Kleynhans. Harris will serve as US Defense and Armaments advisor to support Trigg's strategy to become a secure, domestic supplier of antimony. With more than 35 years' experience in the US defence and government sectors, Harris will advise Trigg on strategic alignment with America's defence supply chains and procurement frameworks. Harris recently served as chief of staff for the Joint Program Executive Office Armaments and Ammunition, overseeing operations for a US$3 billion annual program, spanning procurement, R&D, testing and training for conventional ammunition and armaments. His prior appointment was as deputy for Project Director Joint Services, where he led government-operated ammunition infrastructure and demilitarisation programs across logistics, demilitarisation and singlepoint-of-failure mitigation. Harris will assist Trigg in engaging with US Department of Defense stakeholders, navigating defence procurement frameworks and supporting efforts to position Antimony Canyon as a critical domestic source of antimony for US defence applications. 'Ben's appointment is a major step forward for Trigg as we advance our strategic focus on becoming a key domestic supplier of antimony for US Defense and critical infrastructure,' managing director Andre Booyzen said 'His deep expertise in defence procurement, ammunition lifecycle management and federal coordination will be invaluable, and it aligns perfectly with our vision of delivering secure, conflict-free antimony to the US market.' This appointment follows that of highly experienced antimony downstream expert Wiehann Kleynhans as vice president, US downstream operations, to bolster TMG's antimony capabilities. Kleynhans will develop a strategy for North America, which will include options for downstream processing, form partnerships with key industry and government players in North America as well as identify and negotiate possible offtake agreements with international antimony traders. He will also assist the company with obtaining US government funding for exploration and development while assisting with due diligence on future antimony projects. These appointments follow the start of exploration and early-stage development at Antimony Canyon, which hosts the largest and highest-grade antimony deposit in the US. They also build on Trigg Minerals (ASX:TMG) recent engagement with US federal funding pathways as it aims to advance studies for near-term antimony extraction. Widespread antimony mineralisation was recently confirmed in areas previously untested by historical resource work while TMG also confirmed that mineralisation occurs throughout the vertical profile of the Flagstaff Formation, increasing the potential scale of the tenure. Brightstar Resources (ASX:BTR) Declaration of ore reserves is a key step toward development for a resources company as it represents ore that can be mined as opposed to resources which need further exploration, drilling and assessment to increase confidence. Brightstar Resources' maiden reserves of 24,000oz for the Second Fortune and Fish underground mines provides further gold to underpin the Laverton Hub ore purchase agreement with Genesis Minerals during FY2026. The establishment of maiden reserves of 52,000t grading 3.36g/t gold for 6000oz at Second Fortune and 175,000t at 3.23g/t for 18,000oz at Fish follows a recent upgrade to resources for both mines and saw BTR shares as much as 7.45% higher to 50.5c before closing at 49c. Second Fortune has a resource of 40,000oz at 13.4g/t while Fish has a resource of 49,000oz at 4g/t. Higher confidence measured and indicated resources make up a tidy 68% of the material at both mines. This contributes to Brightstar Resources' (ASX:BTR) belief that there is significant potential to increase ore reserves and mine life at the two mines by carrying out more surface and underground drilling, which is due to start imminently. Under the Laverton agreement, the company can deliver, sell and process up to 500,000t of ore to Genesis Minerals' (ASX:GMD) Laverton mill over 2025 and Q1 2026. Mining is continuing at Second Fortune and Fish with first ore from Fish expected within the next week to generate significant revenue in the September 2025 quarter. Managing director Alex Rovira said the maiden ore reserves for the two mines underpinned the FY2026 production target under the ore purchase agreement. 'It's important to note that these two ore bodies are open at depth and along strike, and to date have lacked deeper drilling to convert known mineralised intercepts into mineral resources and potential ore reserves,' he added. 'Second Fortune has operated consistently over four years, highlighting the reliability of the gold mineralisation which shows continuity at depth with wide-spaced drilling.' Besides the imminent start of drilling at Second Fortune and Fish as well as the start of ore mining at Fish, BTR also expects a material increase in overall group ore reserves shortly. This will be accompanied by the finalisation and release of a definitive feasibility study which outlines the development and expansion of Brightstar's production across the Menzies and Laverton hubs. Albion Resources (ASX:ALB) The start of RC drilling at the Yandal West gold project in WA's highly prospective Yandal Greenstone Belt has seen Albion Resources post a 7.55% increase to 5.7c. A program of 3000-4000m is targeting high-priority targets and will be followed by an aircore drilling program next month targeting the Barwidgee Fault, a major regional structure with limited previous drilling but strong gold potential. RC drilling targets include historical gold workings at Collavilla, which previously returned up to 3m at 52.38g/t gold and 7m at 7.4g/t. Drilling will also target Collavilla East, Barwidgee Central and Collavilla West – which contain some strong chargeability anomalies and visible quartz veins. Yandal West is just up the road from Northern Star Resources' (ASX:NST) Bronzewing gold mine and the Jundee gold mine, in a multi-million ounce district producing around 300,000oz per annum. The Bronzewing project was sold by Strickland Metals to Northern Star, providing feed for its processing plant. Albion is targeting a similar future, confident that being close to mills offers some value for small-scale deposits. That's not to say a large discovery isn't on the cards with the company pointing out that the Yandal West project remains relatively underexplored despite its prime position. Locksley Resources (ASX:LKY) Another company growing its position in the US is Locksley Resources, which in its latest move has completed its listing on the OTCQB Venture Market under the ticker symbol LKYRF. This listing will enable Locksley to broaden its exposure to North American investors, providing enhanced access to a deeper pool of capital and aligning the company more closely with its flagship Mojave Project in California. Locksley, which retains its listing on the ASX with the ticker LKY, reached a daily high of 8.9c, a lift of 53.45% on the previous close, before ending the trading day at 8.8c. The OTCQB listing is part of a broader strategy to advance Locksley's critical minerals focus within a US jurisdiction which is increasingly prioritising domestic rare earth and antimony supply chains. This platform offers improved liquidity and transparency for US-based investors and allows Locksley shares to be traded in US dollars during US market hours. This milestone coincides with accelerating engagement in the US around downstream processing, strategic partnerships and funding pathways tied to critical mineral development. "The successful listing on the OTCQB represents a major step forward in our US engagement strategy,' Locksley Resources chairman Nathan Lude said. 'With our Mojave Project located in California and aligned with US critical minerals priorities, this listing allows us to broaden our investor base and improve visibility in a market where our assets hold strategic relevance. 'We look forward to building relationships with US institutional and retail investors while continuing to deliver progress on the ground." Superior Resources (ASX:SPQ) (Up on no news) Brisbane-based Superior Resources is focusing its efforts on its home state of Queensland with projects in the state's Greenvale Ordovician porphyry belt and nickel-copper-PGE province in the north and the Carpentaria Zinc Province in the northwest. Most work is being carried out on the Steam Engine gold project within the Greenvale project around 210km west-northwest of Townsville. Activities have focused on expediting the Steam Engine regulatory and mining study pathways to achieve production within two years. The company continues to progress a feasibility study on Steam Engine, which has a mineral resource of 196,000oz at 1.5 g/t gold, with the study based on a toll treatment operation. This resource is being revised and updated with assay results from 31 RC holes for a total of 2,218m completed in the March quarter expected to be included. New zones of gold mineralisation were identified at the northern ends of the Steam Engine and Eastern Ridge lodes while a maiden drilling program at Windmill East, 2.5km south of the Eastern Ridge Lode, identified high-grade gold lode mineralisation. Further drilling is planned to test highly anomalous features resembling previously unknown gold lodes, including a potential extension of the main Steam Engine Lode. Although it has had no recent news, the company was 66.67% higher at 0.5c.
West Australian
18-06-2025
- West Australian
Retailers are copping assault almost daily despite new laws to deter violence against staff
Police have charged a person almost once a day with assaulting a retail worker since new laws were introduced last year, sparking calls for a dedicated unit for addressing the crime. Data revealed under Parliamentary questioning showed since new penalties came into effect on July 1 that police have charged 329 West Australians with assaulting a shop worker — nearly one per day. Under the laws, shoppers who assault staff face up to seven years in jail, while fines were doubled to as high as $36,000 after the workers were singled out for stronger protection under a new provision in the Criminal Code. As well as hitting, throwing objects and spitting at a worker are covered by the tougher laws. Australian Retailers Association chief executive Chris Rodwell said the increased penalties would help in the battle against retail crime but called for dedicated officers to focus on the industry, like what occurs in South Australia. 'While there is an uplift in the number of reported incidents, some of this is attributable to better outcomes in apprehending and penalising offenders,' he said. 'Despite the improvements, retail crime is still a significant issue, with considerable economic and social cost. 'In the past year, crime reporting suggested incidents of retail crime have risen to 800,000 nationally, with almost one in 10 retail crime events being violent. It comes at a cost of around $9 billion annually. Retailers and their workers deserve better. 'The retail sector would also strongly support a dedicated retail crime unit within WA Police to help strengthen the impact of the existing penalties and help drive faster reductions in incident rates.' SDA WA secretary Ben Harris said the scale of the people charged was a sad reason the laws were necessary, with workers previously reporting rates of violence and abuse had climbed since the pandemic. A 2023 survey by the union of its members revealed 87 per cent said they had experienced abuse from customers in the past 12 months. Reports of physical violence rose by 56 per cent when compared with the results of a 2021 survey. 'That sort of bad behaviour and rudeness from customers has moved into this abusive and violence kind of space, which is causing significant harm to our members,' Mr Harris said. 'It's good to see that they these laws are being utilised, and people are putting in complaints, and the police are taking seriously these matters, and that the people being charged. 'As the judiciary deals with these matters, the consequences of this behaviour and the the approach taken by our courts will actually be the next step in sending that message. 'We constantly encourage our members to not let anything go and don't do not accept this behaviour. Don't accept that this is just part of being in retail.'
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why a 'decade of reckoning' is coming to the bond market
Listen and subscribe to Opening Bid on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The recent downgrade to the US credit rating could be the tip of the proverbial iceberg. 'I don't know if we're going to have a day of reckoning or a decade of reckoning,' Brookings Institution's Ben Harris told Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi on a new Opening Bid podcast (see video above or listen below). 'I don't know if this is going to happen slowly or if it's going to happen quickly.' 'When Moody's downgrades your credit rating, even though it's to be expected, that's a red flag,' the director of economic studies said. He noted that default hasn't been a risk in the past, and investors don't price in a probability of default. The US Treasury might have some inflation, currency, or other risks, but investors expect to be paid back. 'If we go from 100% chance of getting paid on your Treasury to 99.8% chance of getting paid on Treasury, that is a massive shift,' Harris explained. 'This is no longer a risk-free asset. This is a risky asset in terms of default risk, and that makes our whole fiscal outlook that much worse.' Harris most recently served as assistant secretary for economic policy and chief economist at the US Treasury Department. He is widely seen as the key architect of the Biden administration's economic plan. On May 16, Moody's downgraded the US credit rating to AA1 from its longstanding position of AAA. Then, on May 22, the House passed the Trump administration's reconciliation package, nicknamed the 'big, beautiful bill,' which included tax cuts and a $4 trillion lift to the debt ceiling. The yield on the 10-year Treasury (^TNX) has continued to climb amid fears of an out-of-control debt position for the US. Read more: What is the 10-year Treasury note, and how does it affect your finances? Harris said that if interest rates climb toward 5% on the 10-year or even 6% or higher, investors may buy more Treasurys instead of other assets, like corporate investments or stocks. This will drag on the overall economy, which Harris says is "guaranteed" if the US takes on another $4 trillion or more in debt. 'The real threat is that this could spark some sort of fiscal crisis,' Harris said. 'And that could happen if we get to a debt ceiling where you start seeing default on Treasury securities. That could happen if investors lose faith in the independence of the Fed. That could happen if you see really stark shifts from foreign central banks away from Treasurys, like some sort of official proclamation that we're not going to buy US Treasurys anymore.' The impact extends to credit card and mortgage rates, which typically follow the Treasury rate. However, Harris said, an actual default would only happen due to political mistakes. 'We are the richest country on Earth, and there are plenty of assets to pay the coupon payments and the principal on US debt,' he said. 'It would have to be a deliberate decision by policymakers to default on our debt. And I cannot imagine a worse decision than that one.' Three times each week, Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi fields insight-filled conversations and chats with the biggest names in business and markets on Opening Bid. You can find more episodes on our video hub or watch on your preferred streaming service. Grace Williams is a writer for Yahoo Finance.
Otago Daily Times
15-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Apprentices go head-to-head
Ben Harris, of Wanaka, takes part in the Southern Apprentice of the Year practical challenge event at Carters Queenstown on Saturday. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Twelve of the southern region's top apprentice tradies put it all on the line in Queenstown on Saturday. Apprentices from Otago, Southland, Central Lakes and Gore tested their skills in a practical challenge at Carters in front of more than 80 friends and family. They were among nearly 100 apprentices taking part in the challenge at the same time in centres throughout the country. Southern Master Builders regional branch and events manager Jennifer Marriott said three of the entrants had come back for a second shot at the challenge, which this year required them to build a planter box in two hours. They were given the plans only five minutes before the timer started and had two judges watching their every move, Mrs Marriott said. They were given a tool list beforehand, and only had the precise materials needed to complete the planter box. "So if they make a mistake, they don't get any other materials and have to work around that." The judges were looking for accuracy, assessing the plans and producing good quality. "They'd rather see something put together really well that hasn't quite been finished, rather than something that's completed, but of poor quality." The apprentices had to have completed 18 months' training but must not have been signed off by the time entries for the competition opened. Before Saturday's challenge, they completed a project submission that demonstrated their understanding of a building job from start to finish. The scores from the project and practical challenge were combined, the 12 apprentices being cut to 10. They would go on to an interview and a site visit to their project submission. After that, the three scores would be combined to determine the regional winner, to be announced in August, who would go to the national competition in Auckland in November. All of Saturday's entrants had shown courage just to enter, knowing they would be closely scrutinised under time pressure in front of family and friends, Mrs Marriott said. "They really have to push themselves out of their comfort zone."
