Latest news with #non-Chinese
West Australian
29 minutes ago
- Business
- West Australian
St George jags more rare earths 1km beyond current Brazilian deposit
St George Mining has uncovered a second high-grade rare earths discovery at its world-class Araxá project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The impressive discovery lies 1 kilometre northeast of its existing 41 million tonne niobium-rare earths resource within the richly endowed Barreiro carbonatite. The breakthrough initial assays from its auger drilling program include grades up to 13.4 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO), including a standout 13.5-metre intersection at 12.34 per cent TREO from 0.5m in one hole, ending in mineralisation at 13.4 per cent TREO. The new results form part of the company's first 22 auger drill holes for 291m in its latest reconnaissance auger program. Most of the intercepts revealed so far indicate pervasive TREO mineralisation ranging from 0.82m over more than 7m, with a best intercept of 12.34 per cent over 13.5m. Additionally, 16 out of 41 analyses quoted for niobium pentoxide intercepts assayed between 0.2 per cent to a best result of 0.27 per cent niobium pentoxide over a 9m interval. Seventeen results lie between 0.1 per cent and 0.19 per cent niobium pentoxide. These outstanding early scout drilling results point to the potential for substantial expansion of St George's already globally significant Araxá niobium-rare earths deposit, positioning the company as a cornerstone supplier of non-Chinese critical minerals supply chains amid growing global demand. The program's exceptional results include high levels of permanent magnet critical neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) with values up to 3.33 per cent NdPr and a best NdPr:TREO ratio of 36 per cent, which could prove well-suited to high-performance magnet production. Apart from the best drill hole result, which nailed 13.4 per cent TREO, a longer intercept delivered 14.5m at 1.63 per cent TREO from 0.5m, including 3m at 2.81 per cent TREO from 12m, with a 22 per cent NdPr:TREO ratio. Two other single-metre intercepts assayed 2.91 per cent and 2.06 TREO, with 27 per cent and 17 per cent NdPr:TREO, respectively. The company is awaiting assays for 28 auger holes for a further 348m of drilling. The new discovery in the eastern margin of the project area, near the fringe of the Barreiro carbonatite, is in an undrilled area regarded as highly prospective for rare earths. The laterally widespread high-grade rare earths mineralisation intersected in the eastern margin, even considering the shallow depths of the auger drilling at less than 16m, could represent the surface expression of a larger, underlying mineralised system. The high NdPr ratios highlight the potential for a new source of material vital for rare earth magnet production. Many holes, including the best of the 22 holes reported to date, end in mineralisation, suggesting mineralisation could continue to depth and justify follow-up reverse circulation and diamond drilling. St George's carbonatite-hosted Araxá deposit mirrors other major non-Chinese rare earths mines such as the United States' only rare earths supplier, MP Materials' Mountain Pass deposit in California, as well as Lynas Rare Earths' Mt Weld deposit in Western Australia. With five drill rigs active, St George continues to advance resource expansion and definition drilling to further define the new discovery, underscoring the expansion potential of the greater Araxá area. This discovery looks set to bolster Araxá's status as a world-class rare earths and niobium project and further drilling is justified to confirm the extent and continuity of the mineralisation. The upcoming results from the remainder of the drilling could put further shine on this new project highlight and lay the groundwork for St George's next move. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
Business Times
an hour ago
- General
- Business Times
Lost Lee Kuan Yew painting, forgotten artworks and other rediscovered gems
[SINGAPORE] As the country turns 60, various art institutions are marking the milestone with a wide-ranging celebration of local talent. But what's surprising is the wave of rediscoveries: a 'lost' Lee Kuan Yew painting, overlooked artworks by non-Chinese and women artists, and other striking pieces that have fallen through the cracks of official art history. We look at some of these forgotten artworks that offer a different lens on the stories, struggles and successes of Singapore. An LKY painting lost to time In 1992, watercolourist Ong Kim Seng painted a scene based on a 1961 National Archives photograph. The image showed then-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew visiting the victims of the devastating Bukit Ho Swee fire, accompanied by fellow first-generation leaders S Rajaratnam, Goh Keng Swee and Lee Khoon Choy. The original 1961 photograph that inspired Ong Kim Seng features Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Khoon Choy, S Rajaratnam and Goh Keng Swee surrounded by victims of the tragic Bukit Ho Swee fire. PHOTO: NATIONAL ARCHIVES The fire – one of Singapore's most catastrophic – swept through about 100 acres of kampong land, destroying around 2,800 attap houses and leaving nearly 16,000 people homeless. It marked a turning point in Singapore's housing history, catalysing the shift from kampong dwellings to high-rise public housing. 'I was 16 when the fire happened,' Ong recalls. 'I, too, lived in an attap house with my mother and grandmother. Fire was a constant threat, especially during festive seasons when there were firecrackers and incense.' The painting was so vivid, it was reproduced on The Straits Times' back page in 1992. Ong then entrusted the painting to a gallerist, who sold it to a collector. But Ong never met the buyer and eventually lost contact with the gallerist. The painting disappeared from view, but the image stayed with him. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up The Straits Times reproduced the original painting on its back page in 1992. PHOTO: HELMI YUSOF Decades later, Ong decided to revisit the scene to commemorate SG60. Now 80, he brings a different approach to the work: his strokes are more considered and the composition is more introspective. He's also executed it on a larger canvas instead of paper – a subtle but significant shift that gives the new piece a quiet gravity. The canvas has since been acquired by hotelier Sean Lim, who sees it not just as art, but as 'a window into a past that shaped our present, a reminder of what it took to build the Singapore we enjoy today'. It will be displayed for the public at Art Agenda (Tanjong Pagar Distripark) from Aug 5 to 17, before it is transferred to Lim's conservation shophouse home for safekeeping. Centring female and non-Chinese artists National Gallery Singapore recently opened its new permanent exhibition, Singapore Stories: Pathways And Detours In Art, timed to coincide with SG60. But this is more than just a refresh – it marks a bold expansion in curatorial direction, centring artists who have long existed on the margins of the city-state's art history. 'When we asked visitors what they thought of previous shows, some said they wanted to see more works by women and non-Chinese artists,' says curator Joleen Loh. 'So with this rehang, we wanted to give space – actual space – to artists whose voices were never centred.' National Gallery Singapore's new rehang broadens visual culture and includes more voices from women and minority artists. PHOTO: NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE The result is a more inclusive, pluralistic narrative. Alongside familiar names, like Kim Lim and Han Sai Por, are works by pioneering female sculptors such as Annaratnam Gunaratnam and Dora Gordine. There's also a spotlight on Rohani Ismail, a Malay artist and co-founder of artist collective Angkatan Pelukis Aneka Daya, who was both student and muse to Nanyang pioneer Georgette Chen. The exhibition also expands the definition of what counts as art. Ceramics, posters, textile art, and filmmaking are presented with the same weight as painting and sculpture. P Ramlee's beloved films and Kwan Shan Mei's children's book illustrations are no longer curiosities – they're recognised as vital cultural expressions of their time. P Ramlee's rich canon of cinematic works is honoured in the new National Gallery Singapore exhibition. PHOTO: NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE Deeper into the show, the focus shifts to the underground art activities of the 1980s and '90s: artist-run spaces, performance collectives, and cultural provocateurs operating outside – and sometimes against – mainstream institutions. 'We wanted to show how artists were constantly building their own ecosystems,' says curator Lim Qinyi. Figures like Gilles Massot and Ahmad Abu Bakar emerge in thoughtful counterpoint to dominant narratives. The result is a richer, more porous account of Singapore's art history – one that doesn't just celebrate milestones, but also interrogates what's been excluded. Voices from the margins Meanwhile, a soon-to-open show at the massive Whitestone Gallery is also rewriting the narrative of Singapore art. Titled Sama Sama, which means 'together' in Malay, the group exhibition gathers 60 contemporary artists and collectives in a sprawling, free-for-all celebration of the country's cultural plurality – the big, the small, and especially the voices long pushed to the periphery. Boo Sze Yang's painting depicts mourners in umbrellas and raincoats paying tribute to Lee Kuan Yew after his passing. PHOTO: BOO SZE YANG 'There's no way to 'survey' Singapore art history through just 60 artists,' says curator Wang Ruobing. 'So I didn't try.' Instead, Sama Sama is a curatorial experiment in radical openness. Rather than prescribing a unifying theme, Wang invited artists across generations – from 25-year-old Siew Guang Hong to 79-year-old Cheo Chai Hiang – and asked them a deceptively simple question: What work best represents you now? The answers, it turns out, are thrillingly fragmented. 'Each of them has a little story of Singapore, the everyday of Singapore,' Wang says. 'Together, they paint a larger cultural landscape.' Some pieces take aim at Singapore's power structures, like Anthony Chin's tall stack of S$1 coins that's meant to reach the ceiling and 'support' it – a poetic ode to the artist's struggle to survive. Others tap into pain and ritual, like performance artist S Chandrasekaran, who marks his own skin daily as a visceral gesture of minority visibility. 'His body becomes a vessel for unspoken histories,' Wang notes. Anthony Chin's column of S$1 coins reaches up to the ceiling to 'support' it – a poignant metaphor for the underfunded artist. PHOTO: ANTHONY CHIN Works span paintings, photography, video installation – even noodle sculptures and a full-scale getai stage. The result is a heady, multilayered ecosystem of practices – nothing neat or linear, but unmistakably Singaporean. The show opens at the Whitestone Gallery (Tanjong Pagar Distripark) on Aug 8 and runs till Sep 28. Five other SG60 shows worth seeing The Art Of Lee Boon Ngan: Much has been said about artist Chua Mia Tee, but too little is known about his wife Lee, who was also a talented painter . This show at The Private Museum (Upper Wilkie Road) redresses that. The Other Singaporeans – Stories Of Home & Identity: Highlighting artists who are naturalised citizens, expatriates, and overseas Singaporeans, the show explores themes of displacement, migration and cultural hybridity. From Aug 16 at JW Projects (Kim Yam Road). Artist's Proof: Singapore At 60: Now running at Helutrans (Tanjong Pagar Distripark) till Aug 17, this terrific showcase of over 95 provocative pieces from the collection of businessman Chong Huai Seng includes several voices from the periphery. Material Moves: STPI (Robertson Quay) honours the works of Singapore's most revered veteran artists, including Han Sai Por, Goh Beng Kwan and Ong Kim Seng. SG 60: To Build A Swing: Blending memory, architecture and emotion, the works of Akai Chew, Joanna Maneckji and Wan Kyn Chan explore what it means to belong, remember and co-create Singapore's evolving future. From Aug 15 at LOY Contemporary Art Gallery (Tudor Court).
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
TikTok asks users to help police misinformation
TikTok will soon let some of its users help fight misinformation on the app, it said Wednesday, following similar moves from Meta and social platform a new feature, Footnotes , TikTok will let a select group of users add context and background information to some of the short videos on the app, along with links to the information's sources. That group -- for now, nearly 80,000 qualified users -- will be able to rate those notes for helpfulness. Those with the highest ratings will be displayed at the bottom of all US users' and Elon Musk 's X previously rolled out "community notes" programs, which have allowed the social media giants to back away from making decisions about what content to remove from their sites, and to avoid making fraught and sometimes politically loaded Meta and X, TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, said it was not ending any of its fact-checking programs or partnerships as it introduced Footnotes. Meta and X drew criticism for reducing investments in fact-checking and moderation that they had made in response to the viral spread of misinformation online, especially around the 2016 presidential election."Footnotes is not a replacement for content moderation. Rather, it adds context to content on TikTok," a company spokesperson said in an least initially, TikTok will let its contributors cite any sources to back up their Footnotes. The contributor program is open to US users who are 18 or older, had been on the app at least six months as of April and had no recent history of violating TikTok's community guidelines."We do expect that links to fact-checking articles, links to Wikipedia, these will be among some of the examples of what our users are directing to," Erica Ruzic, TikTok's head of integrity and authenticity, said Tuesday at a company trust and safety event before the launch. "But we will let our users decide what they're deeming an authoritative source, to begin."TikTok is drawing attention to safety on its platform after a tumultuous few years in the United States. The app, which boasts 170 million American users, has been fending off a ban under a new federal law that demanded that the company find a non-Chinese owner. President Donald Trump has extended the deadline repeatedly, most recently to the event Tuesday, panelists discussed other harm-reduction efforts on the app, including new features that allow parents to have more oversight of their child's account. It's a reminder that amid all the political turmoil, TikTok also faces the same problems that any other social media company does, including disinformation and safety issues involving children and teenagers.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Tesla signs $4.3 billion battery deal with LGES, aims to reduce China reliance
Tesla has signed a whopping $4.3 billion battery deal with LG Energy Solution (LGES). The US electric vehicle major aims to reduce its reliance on China for key components like the battery pack. The deal with LGES comes as part of that strategy. The South Korean company has a supply contract with Tesla for three years, between August 2027 and July 2030. However, the agreement includes an option to extend the supply period by up to seven years and boost volumes based on the demand from the customer. Under this agreement, LGES will provide Tesla with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for energy storage systems from the US factory. Reuters has reported that Tesla has been looking to reduce reliance on Chinese suppliers amid the ongoing tariff war and policy headwinds. As a result, Tesla aims to reduce its imports from China. The report also stated that LFP batteries will be supplied from LGES's US factory in Michigan. LGES said earlier on Wednesday that it had signed a $4.3 billion contract to supply LFP batteries over three years globally, without identifying the customer. However, the announcement by the company, whose major customers include Tesla and General Motors, did not say whether the LFP batteries would be used in vehicles or energy storage systems. Tesla currently imports LFP batteries from China, but higher tariffs have made it increasingly difficult for US companies to import LFP batteries from China. Tesla's Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Vaibhav Taneja, said in April 2025 that the EV company was looking to secure non-Chinese battery suppliers for its energy storage business due to tariffs, but it would take time. The LFP deal comes amid a scramble by countries and companies globally to strike tariff agreements with Washington, and after South Korea's Samsung Electronics and Tesla this week announced a $16.5 billion chip supply deal. Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape. First Published Date:
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Automotive
- Business Recorder
Tesla signs $4.3 billion battery deal with LGES, source says, reducing China reliance
SEOUL: South Korea's LG Energy Solution has signed a $4.3 billion deal to supply Tesla with energy storage system batteries, said a person familiar with the matter, as the U.S. company looks to reduce reliance on Chinese imports due to tariffs. The lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries will be supplied from LGES's U.S. factory in Michigan, the person said on condition of anonymity because the details were not public. LGES said earlier on Wednesday that it had signed a $4.3 billion contract to supply LFP batteries over three years globally, without identifying the customer. The announcement by the company, whose major customers include Tesla and General Motors, did not say whether the LFP batteries would be used in vehicles or energy storage systems. 'In accordance with our agreement, we are unable to disclose the customer's identity due to confidentiality obligations,' LGES told Reuters. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tesla currently imports LFP batteries from China, 'but higher tariffs have made it increasingly difficult for U.S. companies to import LFP batteries from China,' said Cho Hyun-ryul, a senior analyst at Samsung Securities. Tesla Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja said in April that the company was looking to secure non-Chinese battery suppliers for its energy storage business due to tariffs but it would take time. The LFP deal comes amid a scramble by countries and companies globally to strike tariff agreements with Washington and after South Korea's Samsung Electronics ( opens new tab and Tesla this week announced a $16.5 billion chip supply deal. US Production LGES is one of the few U.S. producers of LFP batteries, a battery chemistry long dominated by Chinese rivals that have little presence in the U.S. market. It started production of LFP batteries at its Michigan factory in May. The company said it was considering converting some electric vehicle battery production lines in the United States to cater to energy storage systems in response to slowing EV demand. LGES said the contract would last from August 2027 to July 2030 and included an option to extend the deal period by up to seven years and to increase supply volumes depending on discussions with its customer. The South Korean company warned this month of a further slowdown in EV battery demand by early next year due to U.S. tariffs and policy uncertainties as it posted a quarterly profit jump.
