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National security experts raise concerns after Microsoft program exposed as possible avenue for Chinese spying

A new ProPublica report accused Microsoft of allowing China-based engineers to assist with Pentagon cloud systems with inadequate guardrails in an effort to scale up its government contracting business, raising espionage concerns from national security experts. 

The report cited current and former employees and government contractors who worked on a cloud computing program deployed by Microsoft in 2016 that would allow the tech giant to sell its cloud services to the government, known as a ‘digital escort’ framework. 

The security measure, meant to meet federal contracting regulations, was effectively a program that included a ‘digital escort’ chaperone for global cybersecurity officials, such as those based in China, so they can work on agency computing systems. 

Defense Department guidelines require that people handling sensitive data be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

According to sources who spoke to ProPublica, including some who had intimate familiarity with the hiring process for the $18-per-hour ‘digital escort’ position, the tech employees being hired to do the supervising lacked the adequate tech expertise to prevent a rogue Chinese employee from hacking the system or turning over classified information to the CCP. 

The sources elaborated that the escorts, often former military personnel, were hired for their security clearances more than their technical abilities and often lacked the skills to evaluate code being used by the engineers they were supervising.

In China, people are governed by sweeping laws compelling government cooperation with data collection efforts.  

‘If ProPublica’s report turns out to be true, Microsoft has created a national embarrassment that endangers our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Heads should roll, those responsible should go to prison and Congress should hold extensive investigations to uncover the full extent of potential compromise,’ said Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats. 

‘Microsoft or any vendor providing China with access to Pentagon secrets verges on treasonous behavior and should be treated as such.’

‘This is like asking the fox to guard the henhouse and arming the chickens with sticks in case the fox gets mad,’ Michael Sobolik, a Hudson Institute foreign policy senior fellow, added. ‘It beggars belief.’

Microsoft uses its escort system to handle sensitive government information that falls below ‘classified,’ which includes ‘data that involves the protection of life and financial ruin,’ ProPublica reported. At the Defense Department, the data is categorized as ‘Impact Level’ four and five, which ProPublica reported includes materials directly supporting military operations.

A Microsoft spokesperson defended the company’s ‘digital escort’ model, saying all personnel and contractors with privileged access must pass federally approved background checks. 

‘For some technical requests, Microsoft engages our team of global subject matter experts to provide support through authorized U.S. personnel, consistent with U.S. government requirements and processes,’ the spokesperson added. ‘In these instances, global support personnel have no direct access to customer data or customer systems.’

The Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) public information office was initially unaware of the program when ProPublica began asking questions about it, but it eventually followed up to point out that ‘digital escorts’ are used ‘in select unclassified environments’ at the Defense Department for ‘advanced problem diagnosis and resolution from industry subject matter experts.’ 

Fox News Digital reached out to the DISA and DOD but did not immediately receive a response.

In 2023, Chinese hackers infiltrated Microsoft’s cloud servers and stole data belonging to senior U.S. government officials, including data and emails from the commerce secretary, the U.S. ambassador to China and others involved in national security work. Hackers were able to access tens of thousands of emails from the Defense Department. 

A postmortem from the federal Cyber Safety Review Board, which has since been disbanded, cited Microsoft security failures that allowed hackers to infiltrate the cloud. However, the after-incident report did not include any links to the ‘digital escort’ program, according to ProPublica.

Microsoft said in response to the recent ProPublica report that it considers ‘anyone’ with access to sensitive government systems, no matter their location or role, a potential risk.

‘We establish layers of mitigation at the platform level with security and monitoring controls to detect and prevent threats. This includes approval workflows for system changes and automated code reviews to quickly detect and prevent the introduction of vulnerabilities,’ a company spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

The spokesperson added that Microsoft adheres to the federal security requirements outlined by the Defense Department and the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, which was established in 2011 to address the risks associated with moving from entirely government-controlled servers, to cloud-based computing.  

‘This production system support model is approved and regularly audited by the U.S. government,’ the spokesperson concluded.

Still, if the ProPublica allegations are true, Lucci says the federal government should cease its work with Microsoft.

‘If these [ProPublica] allegations are credible, the federal government should never again rely on Microsoft to protect the data that keeps our men and women in uniform safe, especially given Microsoft’s extensive record of being compromised by the CCP,’ Lucci said Monday. ‘Our military cannot operate in security and secrecy if a vendor repeatedly and intentionally invites the enemy into the camp.’

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‘It’s sort of scary’: Officials flag surprising revelations from deep State Department cuts

When senior State Department officials set out to trim the agency in the ‘biggest reorganization since the Cold War,’ they couldn’t get a total headcount on employees — for months, they say.

‘It took us three months to get a list of the people that actually work in the building,’ one senior State Department official told reporters during a briefing at Foggy Bottom on Monday, defending the job cuts that detractors have claimed will damage U.S. diplomacy. 

‘They couldn’t tell you how many people worked here,’ the official said. ‘It’s sort of scary as a taxpayer and as a public servant to think that we don’t even know how many employees we have. This is a national security agency, you know. Who are these people?’

The reorganization will result in a department with about 3,000 fewer employees. Around half of those took a voluntary buyout, and the other half were given reduction in force (RIF) notices.

 

A handful of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s closest advisors evaluated over 700 domestic offices within the State Department, submitting RIF (reduction in force) notices to employees in those they found to be ‘duplicative’ or ‘inefficient.’ 

The idea, officials said, was to put a ‘maximum of 12 clearances on any piece of paper,’ meaning documents would go through 12 layers of approval instead ’40, 50 clearances.’

The department had dozens of different offices handling human resources, and when a new employee was hired, they were accepting faxed records on their past work with other agencies. 

‘It’s crazy that a department that’s tasked with so many critical diplomatic, national security functions, with a $50 billion plus budget is running its affairs that way,’ an official said. 

The investigation found three separate offices dealing with sanctions, two handling arms control issues. 

‘Some of these regional offices within this sort of functional civil liberties, civil society, bureaus of democracy, human rights and labor, population, refugees and migration each had their own regional offices in addition to the country desk, regional bureau, construct,’ the official said. ‘Every independent bureau and office had its own executive director, its own HR department, its own payments.We were making payments out of like 60 plus different offices.’

Rubio’s team maintains the reductions focus on nonessential bureaucratic layers while preserving frontline diplomacy. A Supreme Court decision in late June reopened the door for mass federal layoffs after a lower court had blocked the cuts. Legal challenges from unions remain pending, though the reorganization is moving forward. 

The officials shuttered a ‘diplomats in residence’ program, which they determined to be a ‘cushy job.’ 

‘State Department employees are getting paid to go hang out at Georgetown, and sort of recruit for the Foreign Service,’ one official said, ‘without any sort of metrics or accountability.’

They didn’t touch the country desks, those specifically focused on nations like Iran or China, and didn’t fire anyone from passport services or diplomatic security. They did not make cuts at embassies or foreign posts. 

‘We touched the people that are doing these sort of like wasteful, sort of mindboggling functions or places where we found natural efficiencies in combining two offices.’

Critics have warned that cuts to the diplomatic corps could damage U.S. presence globally and cede soft power to China. 

‘A climate change office is not countering China,’ an official shot back. 

The department also shuttered an office that had been tasked with resettling Afghan refugees seeking to flee Talliban rule and culled the Bureau of Population, Refugees & Migration.

‘That office was not doing work that was countering China or serving the national interest,’ the official said. ‘China has overtaken the United States in a number of those countries. So I would argue growth at the State Department has not coincided with a growth of outcomes for the American taxpayer.’ 

In another example, an official told of a Gulf state foreign minister who complained that the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor under the Biden administration kept pushing them to unionize foreign workers. 

‘This created huge diplomatic tension with them,’ the official said. ‘That foreign minister was delighted and wants to work with us on shared prosperity and trade agreements that aren’t trying to to be patronizing to other countries about their domestic affairs.’

Still, the process has sparked palpable tension within the department. Employees gathered tearfully in the Foggy Bottom lobby to say goodbye, some displaying signs reading, ‘Diplomacy matters.’ 

Signs with messages like ‘resist fascism’ and ‘you made an impact’ were taped up throughout the department. 

A group of more than 130 former senior officials, including former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, signed an open letter expressing concern that deep staff reductions could endanger U.S. foreign policy effectiveness.

Some have seized on the results of a whittled-down State Department and foreign aid apparatus: A report by The Atlantic found the Trump administration had given an order to incinerate 500 tons of emergency food that had been purchased during the Biden administration as aid to be distributed in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

‘It’s a little bit of a shame to see people behaving that way. You sort of wonder whether they had any interest in following the president and sort of, upholding their oath to listen to the commands of the people,’ one official said.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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Trump’s $9 billion clawback passes first Senate test, while more hurdles await

President Donald Trump’s clawback of billions in funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting narrowly passed through its first hurdle in the Senate, but it still faces a rocky road ahead with dissent among the Senate GOP ranks.

Senate GOP leaders hoped that an agreement to carve out $400 million in global HIV and AIDS prevention funding will get some of the holdouts on board. However, doing so shrank the expected cuts from $9.4 billion to $9 billion.

But a trio of Senate Republicans joined with all Senate Democrats to vote against advancing the bill from the Senate Appropriations Committee, which required Vice President JD Vance to cast the deciding vote. 

Trump’s rescissions package would yank bank congressionally approved funding for foreign aid programs and public broadcasting. But some Senate Republicans have sounded the alarm and want changes made to the bill before it reaches the finish line.

The bill that advanced out of committee Tuesday includes just shy of $8 billion in cuts from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and over $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the government-backed funding arm for NPR and PBS.

Republicans’ successful test vote comes after huddling with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, who worked to shore up support and apply pressure from the White House to get the ball rolling on the bill.

‘We’re fine with adjustments,’ Vought said. ‘This is still a great package, $9 billion, [it’s] substantially the same package, and the Senate has to work its will.’

While concerns were still raised about other aspects of the spending cuts package during the closed-door meeting, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., believed that carving out the cuts to Bush-era President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) helped ease concerns among lawmakers.

But the changes didn’t sway all Senate Republicans. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, bluntly said ‘no’ when asked if the PEPFAR carveout helped gain her support and argued, ‘I’d like to do some legislating.’ 

‘What a crazy thing, what a crazy thing,’ she said. ‘What have we been doing around here? We did a reconciliation bill. We’re doing a rescissions bill. We’re doing nominations. Nominations are important, but let’s, like, legislate.’

And Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she liked the changes but ultimately decided to vote against advancing the bill through its first hurdle.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also joined in to vote against the bill. Fox News Digital reached out to his office for a statement on his decision to vote against the package. 

It now moves to yet another procedural vote, which, if successful, will open up 10 hours of total debate time on the bill and eventually set the stage for a vote-a-rama, where lawmakers on either side of the aisle can offer an unlimited number of amendments to the package.

But, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., made clear that he would prefer the Senate not make any changes to the bill.

However, that request already fell on deaf ears — as it did during the budget reconciliation process that unfolded in the upper chamber last month.

Those demands already have fiscal hawks in the House grumbling, but like the budget reconciliation process before it, an amended rescissions package will likely glide through the House GOP and onto Trump’s desk. 

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Huckabee demands Israel ‘aggressively investigate’ murder of Palestinian-American killed in ‘terrorist act’

The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, on Tuesday called on Israeli authorities to ‘aggressively investigate’ the killing of Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian-American who was reportedly beaten to death by a gang of extremist settlers in the West Bank village of Sinjil on Friday.

‘We have asked Israel to aggressively investigate the murder of Saif Mussallet, an American citizen who was visiting family in Sinjil when he was beaten to death in the West Bank,’ Huckabee wrote on X. ‘There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was only 20 years old.’

According to the family, Musallet was visiting the West Bank from Tampa, Florida, to reconnect with relatives and visit family-owned farmland. 

‘This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face,’ the family said in a statement. ‘We demand the U.S. State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes.’

Israeli military officials said the confrontation began when Palestinians threw rocks at settlers, lightly injuring two. IDF forces were deployed to the area and used non-lethal crowd control methods, the army said.

So far, no Israeli suspects have been arrested in connection with the killings. Two Israeli minors detained on Friday night for suspected involvement in public disturbances were later released to house arrest. A reserve soldier questioned by the military police over the shooting during the incident was also released.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Musallet was fatally beaten during an attack by settlers in the area. Another man, 23-year-old Mohammed al-Shalabi, was shot in the chest and also killed during the same incident. 

Sources in the Israeli police told Haaretz newspaper that the lack of an autopsy and the fact that the bodies were not transferred to Israeli authorities may complicate the investigation.

A military court also released Abdullah Hamida, a Palestinian resident arrested during the settler raid, criticizing police conduct. During the hearing, the police representative admitted he was unaware that any Palestinians had been killed, and incorrectly claimed the only wounded were settlers.

The State Department acknowledged awareness of the incident but declined further comment, Reuters reports, citing ‘respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones.’

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Senate GOP blows through 2nd hurdle of the night, teeing up Trump’s clawback bill for hourslong debate

Senate Republicans again coalesced behind President Donald Trump’s multibillion-dollar spending clawback package and propelled the legislation through its final procedural hurdle, again with the aid of Vice President JD Vance. 

Lawmakers will now go back and forth through 10 hours of debate on the bill, where Senate Democrats are expected to bleed time and slam the legislation for its cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting funding.

Trump’s smaller, $9 billion package passed with nearly all Senate Republicans, while all Senate Democrats voted against it. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., were the only Republicans to vote against the bill. 

Once debate has wrapped up on the bill, lawmakers will go through another vote-a-rama, where an unlimited number of amendments can be offered for the bill by either side of the aisle. Democrats will likely try to sideline or derail the package, while the GOP is expected to offer an amendment that would spare about $400 million in international HIV and AIDS funding from the chopping block.

The carveout for the Bush-era President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was agreed to ahead of the vote and is backed by the White House. Trimming funding from the program rattled some Senate Republicans, who publicly and privately warned they may not support the bill unless a fix was found.

However, slashing the funding cut from the package could prove a tricky sell to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has called on Senate Republicans to not change the bill.

He’s been joined by fiscal hawks in the House Freedom Caucus, too, who have demanded that the Senate GOP stay the course on the rescissions package and warned that they would have serious issues if changes were made, stopping short of declaring a full-on rebellion against the bill.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., hoped that his colleagues in the lower chamber would play ball and pass the bill ahead of a looming Friday deadline.

‘There was a lot of interest among our members in doing something on the PEPFAR issue,’ he said ahead of the vote. ‘So, that’s reflected in the substitute, and we hope that if we can get this across the finish line in the Senate that the House will accept that one small modification.’

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IBN Announces Latest Episode of The MiningNewsWire Podcast featuring Kimberly Ann, CEO of Lahontan Gold Corp.

 

Via IBN IBN a multifaceted communications organization engaged in connecting public companies to the investment community, is pleased to announce the release of the latest episode of The MiningNewsWire Podcast as part of its sustained effort to provide specialized content distribution via widespread syndication channels.

 

The MiningNewsWire Podcast features revealing sit-downs with executives who are shaping the future of the global mining industry. The latest episode features Kimberly Ann, Founder, CEO, President & Executive Chair of Lahontan Gold Corp. (TSX.V: LG) (OTCQB: LGCXF) , a Canadian mine development and exploration company advancing a portfolio of gold and silver assets in Nevada’s Walker Lane, one of the world’s most productive and mining-friendly regions.

 

To begin the interview, Ann outlined Lahontan Gold’s mission and strategic approach in Nevada’s Walker Lane.

 

‘At Lahontan Gold, we’re doing something so special,’ she said. ‘I have a very extensive background in running successful businesses across the board, and this one is just a perfect storm of great assets, the best jurisdiction in the world, and the best timing with our new administration that’s so pro-mining. Gold is finally on the critical metals list, and we have a past producer — perfect asset — that I’m so excited to tell everybody about.’

 

Ann went on to describe the Santa Fe Mine’s history and potential.

 

‘The Santa Fe mine was a past producer from 1988 to 1994, open-pit style heap leach. It’s the lowest cost style of operation you can have. It shut down from pure economics, because gold was at $340. They left a lot of gold and silver in the ground,’ she explained. ‘Right now, we have 2 million ounces that we’re reporting to the world. We obviously have a lot more internally that we’re working on, but really, it’s a very simple story in that we have enough to have a mine again now, and we’re fast-tracking it.’

 

She also emphasized her business-first mindset and the importance of focusing on outcomes.

 

‘I’m not emotional about it. I’m not in love with the project. I’m not thinking of anything but making money and making the company successful,’ she added. ‘I have a unique perspective in that, yes, I understand the geology. Yes, I understand the engineering background. But, more importantly, I understand the business and how to get to the finish line.’

 

Join IBN’s Stuart Smith and Kimberly Ann, Founder, CEO, President & Executive Chair of Lahontan Gold , for a discussion on unlocking the potential of past-producing mines, leveraging Nevada’s mining advantages, and driving shareholder-focused growth.

 

To hear the whole podcast and subscribe for future episodes, visit https://podcast.miningnewswire.com  

 

The latest installment of The MiningNewsWire Podcast continues to reinforce IBN’s commitment to the expansion of its robust network of brands, client partners, followers and the growing IBN Podcast Series . For more than 19 years, IBN has leveraged this commitment to provide unparalleled distribution and corporate messaging solutions to 500+ public and private companies .

 

To learn more about IBN’s achievements and milestones via a visual timeline, visit:   https://IBN.fm/TimeLine   

 

  About Lahontan Gold Corp.  

 

 Lahontan Gold Corp. is a Canadian mine development and mineral exploration company that holds, through its U.S. subsidiaries, four top-tier gold and silver exploration properties in the Walker Lane of mining-friendly Nevada. Lahontan’s flagship property, the 26.4 km 2 Santa Fe Mine project, had past production of 359,202 ounces of gold and 702,067 ounces of silver between 1988 and 1994 from open pit mines utilizing heap-leach processing. The Santa Fe Mine has a Canadian National Instrument 43-101 compliant Indicated Mineral Resource of 1,539,000 oz AuEq (48,393,000 tonnes grading 0.92 g/t Au and 7.18 g/t Ag, together grading 0.99 g/t AuEq) and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 411,000 oz AuEq (16,760,000 grading 0.74 g/t Au and 3.25 g/t Ag, together grading 0.76 g/t AuEq), all pit constrained ( AuEq is inclusive of recovery, please see Santa Fe Project Technical Report and note below* ).

 

The company plans to continue advancing the Santa Fe Mine project toward production, update the Santa Fe Preliminary Economic Assessment, and drill test its satellite West Santa Fe project during 2025.

 

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LahontanGoldCorp.com  

 

  The technical content of this news release and the company’s technical disclosure has been reviewed and approved by Michael Lindholm, CPG, Independent Consulting Geologist to Lahontan Gold Corp., who is a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 — Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Lindholm was not an author for the Technical Report* and does not take responsibility for the resource calculation but can confirm that the grade and ounces in this press release are the same as those given in the Technical Report.  

 

  * Please see the ‘Preliminary Economic Assessment, NI 43-101 Technical Report, Santa Fe Project’, Authors: Kenji Umeno, P. Eng., Thomas Dyer, PE, Kyle Murphy, PE, Trevor Rabb, P. Geo, Darcy Baker, PhD, P. Geo., and John M. Young, SME-RM; Effective Date: December 10, 2024, Report Date: January 24, 2025. The Technical Report is available on the company’s website and SEDAR+. Mineral resources are reported using a cut-off grade of 0.15 g/t AuEq for oxide resources and 0.60 g/t AuEq for non-oxide resources. AuEq for the purpose of cut-off grade and reporting the Mineral Resources is based on the following assumptions gold price of US$1,950/oz gold, silver price of US$23.50/oz silver, and oxide gold recoveries ranging from 28% to 79%, oxide silver recoveries ranging from 8% to 30%, and non-oxide gold and silver recoveries of 71%.  

 

  About IBN  

 

  IBN consists of financial brands introduced to the investment public over the course of 19+ years. With IBN, we have amassed a collective audience of millions of social media followers. These distinctive investor brands aim to fulfill the unique needs of a growing base of client-partners. IBN will continue to expand our branded network of highly influential properties, leveraging the knowledge and energy of specialized teams of experts to serve our increasingly diversified list of clients.

 

Through our Dynamic Brand Portfolio (DBP) , IBN provides: (1) access to a network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to reach all target markets, industries and demographics in the most effective manner possible; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ news outlets ; (3) Press Release Enhancement to ensure maximum impact; (4) full-scale distribution to a growing social media audience; (5) a full array of corporate communications solutions ; and (6) total news coverage solutions.

 

For more information, please visit https://www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com  

 

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the InvestorBrandNetwork website applicable to all content provided by IBN, wherever published or re-published: http://IBN.fm/Disclaimer  

 

  Forward-Looking Statements  

 

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters set in the company’s SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

 

  Corporate Communications  

 

IBN
Austin, Texas
www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com  
512.354.7000 Office
Editor@InvestorBrandNetwork.com  

 

   

 

 

News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia

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Skyharbour’s Partner Company UraEx Resources Commences Summer 2025 Drilling Program at South Dufferin Uranium Project, Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan

 

Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH ) (OTCQX: SYHBF ) (Frankfurt: SC1P ) (‘Skyharbour’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce that its earn-in option partner, UraEx Resources Inc. (‘UraEx’), has commenced an inaugural 2,600-metre diamond drilling program at the South Dufferin Uranium Project (‘South Dufferin’ or the ‘Property’) located immediately south of the southern margin of the Athabasca Basin, proximal to Cameco’s Centennial deposit. UraEx can earn an initial 51% in the Property through CAD $4,600,000 in combined project consideration and up to 100% through $9,800,000 in combined project consideration consisting of cash and share payments as well as exploration expenditures over a five-year period.

 

  South Dufferin Property Map:  
https://skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/SKY_SouthDufferin.jpg  

 

  2025 Exploration Program at South Dufferin:  

 

UraEx has initiated a fully-funded, comprehensive diamond drilling program for the summer of 2025, with approximately 2,600 metres of drilling planned across 8 to 12 drill holes. This is the first drilling program at the project in over six years. The helicopter-supported program is designed to test the southern extension of the Dufferin Lake Fault, which is interpreted to be the southern continuation of the structural corridor that hosts Cameco’s Centennial deposit and Dufferin Lake zone to the north. Drilling operations will be carried out by Apex Geoscience Ltd., under the supervision of Apex personnel, and with operations based out of a local contracting camp with helicopter support for daily drilling operations. The program will run through the summer and the budget for the program is approximately CAD $1.5 million funded by UraEx.

 

Drilling will prioritize high-potential target areas characterized by historical geochemical anomalies, gravity low signatures, and structural complexity along north-northeast-trending brittle fault corridors on the South Dufferin property. These features are interpreted to represent favourable pathways for uranium-bearing fluids and are considered key indicators for basement-hosted, high-grade uranium mineralization in the Athabasca Basin.

 

Tom Meredith, CEO and Director of UraEx stated: ‘Bordering Cameco’s Centennial project is surely a clear indication of our drill targets potential. The Athabasca Basin is the world’s leading uranium district, responsible for roughly 20% of global production and home to several tier-one discoveries. It has been well explored and understood for many years attracting billions of dollars of investment. Making a discovery is our fundamental goal and our technical team is excited with these targets.’

 

  South Dufferin Property Summary:  

 

The South Dufferin project totals 13,204 hectares in ten claims and is located immediately south of the southern margin of the Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan. The property covers the southern extension of the Virgin River Shear Zone, which hosts known high-grade uranium mineralization at Cameco’s Dufferin Lake zone approximately 13 kilometres to the north (highlight historical drill results of 1.73% U 3 O 8 over 6.5 metres) and Cameco’s Centennial deposit approximately 25 kilometres to the north (includes historical drill results up to 8.78% U 3 O 8 over 33.9 metres).

 

  South Dufferin Property Map:  
https://skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/SKY_SouthDufferin.jpg  

 

Historical exploration work on South Dufferin consists of airborne EM, magnetic, gravity and radiometric surveys, lake water and sediment sampling, prospecting and ground-truthing of airborne anomalies, geological mapping, and diamond drilling. Some of the historical drill holes intersected elevated uranium with locally anomalous base metal and boron concentrations as well as significant clay alteration.

 

Exploration potential exists for basement-hosted uranium mineralization associated with the Dufferin Lake fault and parallel faults within the Virgin Lake Shear zone. With numerous mineralized showings to the north of the project, exploration efforts at South Dufferin have advanced the project to a discovery-ready state. Significant exploration potential exists for basement-hosted uranium mineralization associated with the Dufferin Lake fault, which has an apparent offset of >200 m, and numerous other parallel faults within the Virgin River Shear zone. The project is drill-ready with several prospective targets warranting follow up work.

 

Most of the claims are in good standing for several years and there are no underlying royalties on the property except for a 2% NSR on one of the claims owned by a third-party.

 

  Qualified Person:  

 

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed and approved by Serdar Donmez, P.Geo., VP Exploration for Skyharbour as well as a Qualified Person.

 

  About UraEx Resources Inc.:  

 

UraEx Resources Inc. is currently a private company focused on uranium projects in the Athabasca Basin where it has an option to earn-in at the South Dufferin and Bolt projects. The company is planning for upcoming drill programs at the projects as well as a go-public transaction soon. UraEx is run by mining-industry executives and is backed by financiers in the investment industry.

 

  About Skyharbour Resources Ltd.:  

 

Skyharbour holds an extensive portfolio of uranium exploration projects in Canada’s Athabasca Basin and is well positioned to benefit from improving uranium market fundamentals with interest in thirty-six projects covering over 614,000 hectares (over 1.5 million acres) of land. Skyharbour has acquired from Denison Mines, a large strategic shareholder of the Company, a 100% interest in the Moore Uranium Project, which is located 15 kilometres east of Denison’s Wheeler River project and 39 kilometres south of Cameco’s McArthur River uranium mine. Moore is an advanced-stage uranium exploration property with high-grade uranium mineralization in several zones at the Maverick Corridor. Adjacent to the Moore Project is the Russell Lake Uranium Project, in which Skyharbour is operator with joint-venture partner RTEC. The project hosts widespread uranium mineralization in drill intercepts over a large property area with exploration upside potential. The Company is actively advancing these projects through exploration and drilling programs.

 

Skyharbour also has joint ventures with industry leader Orano Canada Inc., Azincourt Energy, and Thunderbird Resources at the Preston, East Preston, and Hook Lake Projects, respectively. The Company also has several active earn-in option partners, including CSE-listed Basin Uranium Corp. at the Mann Lake Uranium Project; TSX-V listed North Shore Uranium at the Falcon Project; UraEx Resources at the South Dufferin and Bolt Projects; Hatchet Uranium at the Highway Project; CSE-listed Mustang Energy at the 914W Project; and TSX-V listed Terra Clean Energy at the South Falcon East Project. In aggregate, Skyharbour has now signed earn-in option agreements with partners that total to over $36 million in partner-funded exploration expenditures, over $20 million worth of shares being issued, and $14 million in cash payments coming into Skyharbour, assuming that these partner companies complete their entire earn-ins at the respective projects.

 

Skyharbour’s goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.

 

  Skyharbour’s Uranium Project Map in the Athabasca Basin:  
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/SKY_SaskProject_Locator_2024-11-21_v1.jpg  

 

To find out more about Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH) visit the Company’s website at www.skyharbourltd.com .

 

 Skyharbour Resources Ltd. 

 

‘Jordan Trimble’
  
Jordan Trimble
President and CEO

 

For further information contact myself or:
Nicholas Coltura
Investor Relations Manager
Skyharbour Resources Ltd. 
Telephone: 604-558-5847
Toll Free: 800-567-8181
Facsimile: 604-687-3119
Email: info@skyharbourltd.com  

 

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

 

The securities offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ‘U.S. Securities Act’) or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction.

 

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be ‘forward-looking statements’. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements, including the Private Placement.  Although management believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration and development successes, regulatory approvals, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedar.com for further information.

 

 

 

   

 

 

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Athena Gold Completes Till Survey At Laird Lake Project In Ontario’s Red Lake Gold Camp

Athena Gold Corporation (CSE:ATHA)(OTCQB:AHNRF) (‘Athena Gold’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its comprehensive till survey at its Laird Lake gold project, located in Ontario’s prolific Red Lake Gold District. The survey, completed ahead of schedule, marks a significant milestone in advancing the Company’s exploration strategy on this highly prospective 4,158-hectare property, which spans over 10 km of the Balmer-Confederation Assemblage contact.

 

The till survey, initiated in May 2025, involved the collection of 2,048 till and QAQC samples across the Laird Lake project, utilizing a grid spacing of 100 m x 100 m within the Balmer and Confederation assemblages and 200 m x 200 m in surrounding felsic intrusive bodies (Figure 1). The program employed the same sampling methodology as West Red Lake Gold’s successful till survey at the nearby Madsen Mine, which confirmed existing mineralization and outlined new zones (see West Red Lake Gold press release, January 29, 2025). The survey is designed to identify gold-in-till anomalies and refine high-priority drill targets, leveraging Athena Gold’s existing dataset, including LiDAR, detailed mapping, magnetics, and electromagnetic surveys.

‘We are thrilled to have completed the till survey at Laird Lake ahead of schedule, a testament to the efficiency and expertise of our exploration team and our partners at Bayside Geoscience,’ said Koby Kushner, President and CEO of Athena Gold. ‘The data from this survey is expected to significantly enhance our understanding of the project’s potential and guide our upcoming drilling campaign, which we hope to initiate this winter.’

 

The Laird Lake project, situated approximately 10 km west of West Red Lake Gold Mines’ flagship Madsen Mine and approximately 34 km northwest of Kinross Gold’s Great Bear project, is road-accessible and remains underexplored. The Company’s exploration crew remains on-site, with ongoing prospecting to further delineate high-priority targets. Athena anticipates receiving assay results from the till survey in late summer 2025, which will inform follow-up fieldwork and help define drill targets for a planned winter drilling program. The Company’s systematic, data-driven approach aims to de-risk its maiden drill program at Laird Lake, maximizing the potential for a significant gold discovery in this world-class gold camp.

Qualified Person

Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Benjamin Kuzmich, P.Geo., a geoscientist and qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.

About Athena Gold Corporation

Athena Gold is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets. Its objective is to locate and develop economic precious and base metal properties of merit and to conduct additional exploration drilling and studies on its projects across North America. Athena Gold’s Laird Lake project is situated in the Red Lake Gold District of Ontario, covering over 4,000 hectares along more than 10 km of the Balmer-Confederation Assemblage contact, where recent surface sampling results returned up to 373 g/t Au. This underexplored area is road-accessible, located about 10 km west of West Red Lake Gold’s Madsen mine and 34 km northwest of Kinross Gold’s Great Bear project. Meanwhile, its Excelsior Springs Au-Ag project is located in the prolific Walker Lane Trend in Nevada, where it is currently under option by Firetail Resources Limited. Excelsior Springs spans over 1,500 hectares and covers at least three historic mines.

For further information about Athena Gold Corporation and our Excelsior Springs Gold project, please visit www.athenagoldcorp.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Koby Kushner
President and Chief Executive Officer, Athena Gold Corporation

For further information, please contact:
Athena Gold Corporation
Koby Kushner, President and Chief Executive Officer
Phone: 416-846-6164
Email: kobykushner@athenagoldcorp.com

CHF Capital Markets
Cathy Hume, CEO
Phone: 416-868-1079 x 251
Email: cathy@chfir.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, ‘forward-looking statements’) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US. securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding future exploration plans, future results from exploration, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: ‘believes’, ‘will’, ‘expects’, ‘anticipates’, ‘intends’, ‘estimates’, ”plans’, ‘may’, ‘should’, ”potential’, ‘scheduled’, or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this press release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that there will be investor interest in future financings, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration and development of the Company’s projects in a timely manner.

The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this press release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise stated.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Source

Click here to connect with Athena Gold Corporation (CSE: ATHA) (OTCQB: AHNRF) to receive an Investor Presentation

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Surface Metals

Investor Insight

With a clear vision for value creation in the energy transition and precious metals sectors, Surface Metals has strategically assembled one of North America’s most compelling project portfolios. Anchored by a high-potential gold asset and a robust lithium pipeline, the company is focused on discovery-driven growth, resource development, and unlocking long-term shareholder value through exploration, partnerships and potential M&A.

Overview

Surface Metals (CSE:SUR,OTCQB:SURMF) is a diversified exploration and development company with a portfolio spanning precious metals and lithium, targeting the growing global need for electrification metals and gold as a financial hedge.

The company’s flagship Cimarron gold project in Nevada is an underexplored, high-grade oxide gold system with historic drilling by majors including Newmont and Echo Bay. Simultaneously, Surface Metals, through its subsidiary ACME Lithium US, is developing lithium projects across Nevada and Manitoba, Canada. These include the Clayton Valley lithium brine asset (with a defined resource), the claystone-hosted Fish Lake Valley project, and the pegmatite-rich Shatford and Cat-Euclid claims in partnership with Snow Lake Resources.

Surface Metals’ projects are located in prolific mining jurisdictions in Nevada and Manitoba

With a foundational 43-101 resource, compelling exploration upside, and strategic positioning next to producing and near-producing lithium assets, Surface Metals is building value from the ground up.

Company Highlights

  • Dual Focus Portfolio: Combines precious metals and energy transition minerals, including a 90 percent stake in the Cimarron gold project and multiple lithium assets in Nevada and Manitoba.
  • Gold Asset with Legacy Database: Cimarron contains over 190 historical drill holes with high-grade intercepts and a non-compliant historic resource of 50,000+ oz gold, open in multiple directions.
  • NI 43-101 Lithium Resource: The Clayton Valley project hosts an inferred lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) resource of 302,900 tonnes, backed by geophysics, drilling and pumping test data.
  • Strategic Lithium Locations: Lithium claims are adjacent to Albemarle’s Silver Peak mine and Ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge development in Nevada, and contiguous to the Tanco mine in Manitoba.
  • Experienced Leadership: Led by resource sector veterans with a track record of successful exits, technical development and public company management.
  • Energy Transition Strategy: Well-positioned to benefit from macro tailwinds in lithium demand and US domestic critical minerals supply chain policies.

Key Projects

Cimarron Gold Project

The Cimarron gold project is a high-grade epithermal gold exploration project located at the north end of the San Antonio Mountains in the historic San Antonio (Cimarron) mining district, approximately 18 miles north of Tonopah, Nevada. Surface Metals holds a 90 percent interest in the project through its US subsidiary, Surface Metals US Inc. The project comprises 31 lode claims and is characterized by shallow, structurally controlled, low-sulfidation oxide gold mineralization.

Cimarron lies at the intersection of two regionally significant gold trends: the northwest-trending Walker Lane Belt and a north-northeast trend hosting Round Mountain (Kinross), Bullfrog, Goldfield, Manhattan and Gold Hill deposits. Notably, Round Mountain—located just 28 miles north—has produced more than 15 million ounces of gold. The project benefits from excellent infrastructure, including nearby power, road access and historic drill pads.

Aerial view of the project property

From 1980 to 2004, significant historical exploration was conducted by major operators such as Newmont, Echo Bay, Romarco and Budge. More than 190 drill holes define three main mineralized zones: West, Central and East. Echo Bay’s internal reports (1987) estimated a non-NI 43-101 compliant resource of over 50,000 oz of gold hosted in approximately 1.5 million tons (Mt), with roughly 80 percent of the ounces located in the West Zone. Historic high-grade intercepts include:

  • 4.46 grams per ton (g/t) gold over 11 m
  • 4.49 g/t gold over 23 m
  • 3.94 g/t gold over 46 m

Mineralization remains open in multiple directions, and surface sampling has returned anomalous gold values across a wide area, indicating strong potential for both lateral and vertical extensions. The mineralized system features strong structural controls and is interpreted to be part of a shallow, boiling zone epithermal system.

Surface Metals is currently finalizing its 2025/2026 exploration interpretation and strategy to potentially expand the known mineralized envelope and produce an NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate.

Clayton Valley Lithium Brine Project

The Clayton Valley Project, held through Surface’s subsidiary ACME Lithium US, is located in Esmeralda County, home to the only operating lithium brine mine in the United States: Albemarle’s Silver Peak mine. ACME’s 100 percent interest covers 122 placer claims totaling 2,440 acres in one of the world’s most prolific lithium-producing basins.

The project hosts a defined NI 43-101 inferred resource of 302,900 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), based on extensive geophysical surveys (gravity and HSAMT), Phase 1 and Phase 2 drilling, and a 10-day pump test. The brines are hosted in interbedded silts, clays, sand and gravel, with lithium concentrations in brine ranging from 38 to 130 mg/L. Borehole DH-1 confirmed brine presence from 85 meters to 370 meters, with increased concentrations in basal gravels and lacustrine tuff layers.

Phase 2 drilling (DH-1A and TW-1) reached a depth of 1,940 ft, intersecting the Lower Gravel Unit (LGU), interpreted as the main brine aquifer. Pack testing and zone-isolated sampling from the LGU showed lithium values up to 71 mg/L. Permeability tests demonstrated favorable aquifer transmissivity. The presence of bicarbonate-rich groundwater indicates typical Clayton Valley geochemistry, conducive to direct lithium extraction (DLE) processing. Surface is currently evaluating DLE partnerships and pilot testing, with SLB (formerly Schlumberger) having already demonstrated a working DLE unit in the region.

Fish Lake Valley Lithium Claystone Project

The Fish Lake Valley (FLV) project is a 100 percent owned sedimentary lithium claystone asset covering 207 claims across 4,002 acres in Esmeralda County. The project is strategically adjacent to Ioneer’s fully permitted and DOE-funded Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project, with expected commencement of construction in 2025 and offtake agreements with Ford, Panasonic and Toyota.

FLV hosts lithium values up to 1,418 parts per million (ppm) in surface samples, with boron anomalies as high as 1,964 ppm—both strong indicators of favorable sedimentary lithium potential. Two major field sampling programs (2022 and 2023) confirmed the widespread presence of lithium-bearing illite-smectite clays. Phase 2 sampling utilized Asterra’s satellite analytics to identify new mineralized zones.

Geophysical surveys, including gravity and HSAMT, confirm the presence of a deep down-dropped basin with clay-rich horizons extending to over 1.3 km depth. Interpreted illite-smectite units, comparable to Rhyolite Ridge’s host rocks, are present throughout the basin. The project is fully permitted for drilling, with multiple high-priority drill targets identified for validation and resource definition. Surface is actively seeking a JV or strategic partner to fund and advance this asset.

Shatford, Birse and Cat-Euclid Lake Lithium Projects

Surface Metals, in partnership with Snow Lake Resources (Nasdaq:LITM), holds a 49 percent interest in a 17,000-acre pegmatite exploration portfolio in southeastern Manitoba, contiguous with the Tanco mine, Canada’s only operating LCT (lithium-cesium-tantalum) pegmatite mine, owned by Sinomine.

The Shatford Lake project comprises 21 claims (8,883 acres), Birse Lake adds another 10 claims (5,196 acres), and the Cat-Euclid block includes six claims (2,930 acres). The claims straddle the Greer-Shatford Shear Zone, a major 15-km structural corridor hosting known pegmatites, favorable host rocks and historic lithium occurrences.

Snow Lake’s 2024 field campaign discovered a 25 m to 30 m wide tantalite-bearing pegmatite on the Cat-Euclid block and identified multiple new pegmatite swarms under heavy overburden. Drilling at Shatford Lake (2023) included eight holes totaling 3,280 meters, intersecting pegmatites in six holes. 3D modeling of airborne magnetic data correlated structural dilation zones with pegmatite emplacement, prime targets for lithium mineralization. Multiple new drill targets have been identified for follow-up in 2025. The joint venture provides a low-cost pathway to potential lithium discoveries near a fully integrated lithium processing facility.

Management Team

Stephen Hanson – President, CEO and Director

With over 28 years of global experience in finance and corporate development, Stephen Hanson has held executive roles across mining, energy and resource sectors. He has successfully executed M&A deals and created exit strategies for multiple public and private companies. Hanson’s focus at Surface Metals is on unlocking value through resource expansion and strategic partnerships.

Zara Kanji – CFO and Corporate Secretary

A CPA with deep experience in financial reporting for junior mining companies, Zara Kanji oversees compliance, budgeting, and financial strategy. She brings more than two decades of expertise in audit, taxation and advisory for public entities in Canada.

Vivian Katsuris – Director

A capital markets specialist with over 28 years of experience, Vivian Katsuris has served in executive and board roles for numerous TSXV and CSE-listed companies. Her expertise spans brokerage, corporate governance and strategic advisory.

Yannis Tsitos – Director

Formerly with BHP Billiton for 19 years, Yannis Tsitos has decades of exploration and M&A experience across multiple continents. He is currently the president of Goldsource Mines and sits on several public company boards.

William Feyerabend – Qualified Person (US Projects)

A certified professional geologist and NI 43-101 Qualified Person, William Feyerabend has authored multiple technical reports on lithium assets and has decades of exploration experience in the US, Mexico and South America.

Dane Bridge – Technical Advisor

With over 45 years in global mineral exploration and mine evaluation, Dane Bridge provides strategic technical oversight across Surface’s exploration assets.

Matt Banta – Technical Advisor

A specialist in hydrology and lithium brine systems, Matt Banta brings over 20 years of field and analytical experience with a focus on lithium extraction and water resource modeling.

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Michael Kott Acquires Common Shares of Pinnacle Silver and Gold Corp.

 

(TheNewswire)

 

  

   
 

 

   

 

VANCOUVER, British Columbia July 15th, 2025 TheNewswire Michael Kott announces that his security holding percentage in the common shares (each, a ‘ Share ‘) of Pinnacle Silver and Gold Corp. (the ‘ Company ‘), following the acquisition of 800,000 Shares of the Company in the open market on July 14 th ( the ‘Transaction’) is approximately 13.72% on a partially diluted basis.

 

  Immediately prior to the completion of the Transaction, Mr. Kott owned and controlled   10,371,   999   Shares, representing approximately 12.73 % of the then-outstanding Shares on a partially diluted basis.  

 

  Pursuant to the Transaction, Mr. Kott acquired control and ownership over an additional 800,000 Shares, resulting in control and ownership over a total of 11,171,999 Shares.  

 

  Mr. Kott acquired the Shares for investment purposes.   Mr. Kott may, depending on various factors, including, without limitation, market and other conditions, increase or decrease his beneficial ownership, control or direction over Shares or other securities of the Company.  

 

  For   further   information,   please   contact:  

 

  Michael Kott
kott@cm-equity.de  

 

  This   news   release   is   issued   pursuant   to   the   early   warning   requirements   of   applicable   securities   laws.   A copy of the Early Warning Report will appear on the Company’s profile on the SEDAR+ website at     www.sedarplus.ca.     A copy of the Early Warning Report may also be obtained by contacting    closingbellservices@gmail.com    .  

 

Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.

 

 

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