The jump in the dollar and borrowing costs have made it much more expensive for banks to finance London Metal Exchange positions in recent days.

Noront's primary asset is the Eagle's Nest project, which has been billed by Wyloo as the largest high-grade nickel discovery in Canada since the Voisey’s Bay find in Labrador.

Finland has thus far not collected taxes on minerals but the government now proposes introducing a royalty of 0.6% on the taxable value of metallic minerals.

Units of Argentina's state oil firm YPF will start work on a 20,000 hectare area lithium prospecting project in Fiambala.

Merger with Acquisition Corp II will give it access to up to $285 million for the development of its Elk Creek project in southeastern Nebraska.

The venture - between Umicore and Volkswagen's battery unit PowerCo - also plan to collaborate on recycling metals from battery materials.

In a joint statement, the two countries said they agreed to deepen their "strategic partnership on supply chain resiliency".

California Republican congressman Ken Calvert said America must be "clear-eyed about the Chinese and Russian aggression when it comes to consolidating critical mineral resources.”