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LaFleur Minerals Progressing Towards Gold Pour at Beacon Gold Mill in Val-d’Or, Québec

LaFleur Minerals Inc. (CSE: LFLR,OTC:LFLRF) (OTCQB: LFLRF) (FSE: 3WK0) (‘LaFleur Minerals’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to provide an update on the advancement of its Beacon Gold Mill restart plans, further to the Company’s press release dated January 26, 2026, which outlined its near-term production strategy and the ongoing advancement of its comprehensive Preliminary Economic Assessment (‘PEA’). The Company’s assets, the Swanson Gold Deposit and Beacon Gold Mill, lie in the heart of the Val-d’Or, Québec mining camp, on the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Canada’s largest gold producing region.

Valley of Gold, Val-d’Or, Québec

The Val-d’Or/Rouyn-Noranda mining camp is a premier gold mining hub within the Abitibi Greenstone Belt of Québec with over 73 million ounces of gold produced from 1926 to 2019 (source: DigiGeoData). The Val-d’Or mining district, known as the ‘Valley of Gold,’ is characterized by Archean greenstone-hosted orogenic gold deposits typically found in quartz-tourmaline-carbonate veins. The Lamaque Complex is located in Val-d’Or and operated by Eldorado Gold Inc. Commercial production was declared at the Triangle mine on March 31, 2019, and has since produced over 1 Moz of gold (source: Eldorado Gold website). The Lamaque Complex deposits are located within the prolific Val-d’Or district that hosts the historical Lamaque and Sigma Mines. Collectively, these mines produced nearly 9.5 million ounces of gold between 1937 and 2012 (source: Cowen, E.J, 2020. Miner Deposita 55, p217-240). The region is host to numerous other gold deposits or exploration stage projects that surround LaFleur Minerals’ 100%-owned Beacon Gold Mill (Figure 1). Please note that mineralization on these adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the Company’s properties.

Figure 1: Regional View of LaFleur’s Beacon Gold Mill and Swanson Gold Project

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LaFleur Minerals: Restarting Gold Production at 100%-Owned Mill in the Valley of Gold

LaFleur’s Minerals Beacon Gold Mill, Swanson Gold Deposit, and Beacon Tailings Pond are situated centrally within the prolific southern Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The Beacon Gold Mill, located in the heart of this mining camp, underwent more than $20 million in recent upgrades and modernization prior to its most recent gold production in 2022, when gold prices were approximately $2,000 per ounce. Today, with gold prices significantly higher, breaking above $4,900 per ounce, the Company believes that the strategic value of owning the fully permitted Beacon Gold Mill, Tailings Pond, and related infrastructure within such a prolific gold district provides a compelling foundation for near-term gold production and long-term district-scale growth.

Beacon Mill Restart Progress

Refurbishment and site upgrade activities are progressing well. As of today, work continues to advance steadily across critical plant systems, with several major components now refurbished or nearing operational readiness.

Electrical upgrades and winterization improvements have largely been completed, helping ensure reliable year-round operations. On the mechanical side, numerous pumps, material handling systems, and key processing components have been inspected, repaired, and prepared for restart. Structural integrity inspections have confirmed the plant remains in good condition. Modern safety upgrades, including hydroelectric, fire protection, and enhanced security surveillance, are now in place.

To date, approximately 30% of the total budget has been spent on the project, which remains firmly under cost control, with substantial physical progress achieved while maintaining strong financial flexibility.

These initiatives represent important milestones as the Company prepares for re-commissioning and the mill’s restart, anchored by a vertically-integrated mine-to-mill portfolio that includes the Company’s Swanson Gold Deposit, just 60 kilometres from the Beacon Gold Mill, the Beacon Gold Mill and Tailings Pond. LaFleur Minerals’ strategy focuses on combining resource development at the Swanson Gold Deposit with the permitted Beacon Gold Mill to accelerate the pathway to production.

Figure 2: LaFleur’s Beacon Gold Mill

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Figure 3: Inside LaFleur’s Beacon Gold Mill

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Figure 4: Inside LaFleur’s Beacon Gold Mill

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Figure 5: Inside LaFleur’s Beacon Gold Mill, Agitator

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Swanson Gold Continues to Deliver Results

Swanson Gold Deposit’s recent drill campaign has validated strong gold continuity, long mineralized intercepts including a standout intercept of 2.05 g/t Au over 158.25 metres (Hole SW-25-066), narrow high-grade results including 121.0 g/t Au over 1.1 metres and new shallow discoveries beyond the current Swanson Deposit footprint, reinforcing Swanson’s potential as a scalable, district-scale gold asset and long-term source of mill feed for the Company’s nearby Beacon Gold Mill (refer to press release dated February 4, 2026).

Paul Ténière, Chief Executive Officer of LaFleur Minerals Inc., commented, ‘LaFleur Minerals has assembled what we believe is a technically differentiated and strategically rare asset base for a company at our stage of development. After only ~18 months of listing on the CSE, we control a district-scale exploration project at the Swanson Gold Deposit as potential primary feed source, the Beacon Tailings Pond, and fully permitted processing infrastructure, the Beacon Gold Mill. It is highly uncommon for emerging resource companies to simultaneously hold a large-scale exploration land package and access to owned milling infrastructure, particularly this early in their corporate lifecycle. LaFleur Minerals is advancing its PEA in parallel with the refurbishment of an existing processing facility, materially compressing the timeline between resource delineation and potential production. As our PEA approaches completion, targeted for March 2026, and as we prepare for pre-operational tests and system checks at the Beacon Gold Mill in the coming months, we are transitioning from pure exploration and development to gold production execution, positioning LaFleur Minerals as a near-term production story supported by tangible infrastructure and a district-scale growth platform.’

The Company’s impending PEA will provide updated economic metrics and a development roadmap aligned with its near-term production objectives. Concurrently, mill refurbishment activities remain on schedule, positioning LaFleur for operational readiness as market conditions remain favourable. With gold prices now exceeding $4,900 per ounce, the strategic value of controlling both feed and processing capacity becomes even more significant. LaFleur Minerals’ integrated asset portfolio provides optionality, capital efficiency, and operational leverage to gold price appreciation.

Further updates will be provided as key milestones are achieved.

Figure 6: LaFleur’s Swanson Gold Project, Drilling

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QUALIFIED PERSON STATEMENT AND DATA VERIFICATION

All scientific and technical information in this news release has been prepared and approved by Louis Martin, P.Geo. (OGQ), Exploration Manager and Technical Advisor of the Company and considered a Qualified Person (QP) for the purposes of NI 43-101.

About LaFleur Minerals Inc.

LaFleur Minerals Inc. (CSE: LFLR,OTC:LFLRF) (OTCQB: LFLRF) (FSE: 3WK0) is focused on the development of district-scale gold projects in the Abitibi Gold Belt near Val-d’Or, Québec. The Company’s mission is to advance mining projects with a laser focus on our resource-stage Swanson Gold Project and the Beacon Gold Mill, which have significant potential to deliver long-term value. The Swanson Gold Project is approximately 18,304 hectares (183 km2) in size and includes several prospects rich in gold and critical metals previously held by Monarch Mining, Abcourt Mines, and Globex Mining. LaFleur has recently consolidated a large land package along a major structural break that hosts the Swanson, Bartec, and Jolin gold deposits and several other showings which make up the Swanson Gold Project. The Swanson Gold Project is easily accessible by road allowing direct access to several nearby gold mills, further enhancing its development potential. LaFleur Minerals’ fully-permitted and refurbished Beacon Gold Mill is capable of processing over 750 tonnes per day and is being considered for processing mineralized material from Swanson and for custom milling operations for other nearby gold projects.

ON BEHALF OF LaFleur Minerals INC.
Paul Ténière, M.Sc., P.Geo.
Chief Executive Officer
E: info@lafleurminerals.com
LaFleur Minerals Inc.
1500-1055 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 4N7

Website: www.lafleurminerals.com | LinkedIn | Twitter/X | Instagram

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding ‘Forward-Looking’ Information

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed ‘forward-looking statements’. All statements in this new release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words ‘expects’, ‘plans’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘intends’, ‘estimates’, ‘projects’, ‘potential’ and similar expressions, or that events or conditions ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘may’, ‘could’ or ‘should’ occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, without limitation, statements related to the use of proceeds from the Offering. Although the Company 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 may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company’s management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/284272

News Provided by TMX Newsfile via QuoteMedia

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Ormat Signs 150MW Geothermal Deal to Power Google Data Centers in Nevada

Ormat Technologies (NYSE:ORA) confirmed it has signed a long-term agreement to supply up to 150 megawatts of geothermal power to support Google’s data center operations in Nevada.

The Reno-based renewable energy company announced Tuesday (February 17) that it entered into a portfolio power purchase agreement (PPA) with NV Energy, the Berkshire Hathaway-owned utility serving Nevada.

The electricity will ultimately support Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Inc.’s Google under NV Energy’s Clean Transition Tariff (CTT) framework.

Under the terms of the deal, Ormat will develop a series of new geothermal projects across Nevada capable of delivering up to 150 MW of capacity. The projects are expected to come online between 2028 and 2030.

The contract term will begin once the first project achieves commercial operation and will extend 15 years beyond the commercial operation date of the final project, creating a long-duration revenue stream.

The structure allows projects to be added to the portfolio as they reach commercial operation, giving Ormat flexibility in staging development while providing Google with a scalable source of clean, around-the-clock electricity.

“AI is fundamentally increasing electricity demand across the technology sector, and geothermal power is uniquely positioned to deliver the reliable, carbon-free power required to support that growth,” said Ormat CEO Doron Blachar. “This portfolio PPA provides long-term profitable revenue growth and clear visibility into our portfolio development plans, while solidifying our conviction in the expanded exploration and drilling activities we have undertaken over the past several years that laid the groundwork for securing this significant agreement and others like it.”

Blachar added that the agreement, combined with the extension of geothermal tax credits under the OBBBA framework, strengthens Ormat’s ability to execute its long-term growth strategy.

“The momentum of the Clean Transition Tariff through this agreement with NV Energy, Google and Ormat demonstrates a proven, scalable model for large customers to partner with utilities and technology providers to bring new clean capacity to the grid,” said Briana Kobor, Google’s Head of Energy Market Innovation.

The Clean Transition Tariff enables large energy users to procure new clean generation while covering the full costs of their electric service, a structure designed to prevent cost shifts to other customers.

Ormat said the framework could be replicated in other US electricity markets.

The announcement was well received by investors. Ormat shares rose as much as 8.1 percent intraday, marking the company’s largest single-day gain since 2023.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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LIZ PEEK: At Munich showdown AOC serves word salad as Rubio channels strength

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are both hopeful about becoming their party’s presidential nominee in 2028. They both have a shot. Odds-makers place the New York congresswoman second only to California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the race to be the Democratic nominee, while President Trump, asked whether Vice President JD Vance is his chosen successor, has more than once suggested that Rubio is also in the running.

Recently, both spoke at the Munich Security Conference. While Secretary of State Rubio earned well-deserved applause from policymakers at home and abroad for his speech, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez showed she was not ready for prime time — not even close.

In what may prove a preview of the presidential race two years from now, Rubio and Ocasio-Cortez squared off on geopolitics. For Rubio, the occasion was another opportunity to articulate President Trump’s foreign policy vision — one that embraces American leadership powered by a strong military, a forceful trade agenda, energy independence and a robust economy. And, as we have seen, the Trump White House is not shy about using that military.

Trump has also declined to surrender national sovereignty to global treaties such as the Paris Climate Accord or institutions such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization — bodies he has deemed anti-American. In the case of the United Nations, the recent elevation of Abbas Tajik, Iran’s representative to the United Nations, to serve as vice chair of the 65th Session of the Commission for Social Development — a group purportedly ‘tasked with promoting democracy, gender equality, tolerance and non-violence,’ as one critic described it — proves once again the debasement of the institution’s integrity. Iran, which only recently crushed protests and slaughtered tens of thousands of its own innocent, unarmed citizens, should be thrown out of the U.N., not rewarded. And certainly not congratulated by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution — which he did even as his own Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning the mass murders.

Rubio’s speech was challenging, calling out European allies for succumbing to climate zealotry, encouraging mass migration, exporting industrial self-sufficiency and investing ‘in massive welfare states at the cost of maintaining the ability to defend themselves.’ But it was also conciliatory, emphasizing that ‘we are connected spiritually and we are connected culturally,’ and reviewing the many bonds that link the United States and Europe. It was an inspiring call for unity and progress, assuring the appreciative audience that ‘our destiny is and will always be intertwined with yours.’

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board described Rubio’s speech as drawn from Ronald Reagan’s playbook, arguing that Trump’s ‘greatest failure as president is that he won’t, or can’t, articulate his larger principles.’ I would argue that Trump is putting those principles into action, coherently and consistently, and that Rubio brilliantly summarized the Trump doctrine.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez delivered remarks at a forum on the sidelines of the Munich conference and reminded us why she should not be allowed anywhere near the Oval Office. Former Vice President Kamala Harris introduced Americans to the magic of word salads — the endless spewing of language that says nothing while helpfully obscuring vast pits of ignorace — but AOC has perfected the art.

Ocasio-Cortez is known as a fierce critic of Israel but otherwise is not known for her geopolitical views, having largely spent her career railing against corporations and the evil rich. But if she wants to run for president, it is important for her to demonstrate some basic foreign policy chops. Hence, the trip to Munich. Unhappily for her, the foray into the world of diplomacy did not go well. Even The New York Times had to admit that she had some ‘shaky moments.’

Asked whether the United States should come to Taiwan’s aid if China attempted to seize the island, Ocasio-Cortez hesitated for several uncomfortable minutes. Even the  description from anti-Trump left-wing Bloomberg, whose reporter had posed the question, said the response was ‘flubbed,’  and wrote: ‘Normally quick to respond, Ocasio-Cortez was at a loss for words, saying, ‘this is such a, a, you know, I think that, this is a, um, this is of course, a, ah, a very longstanding, um, policy of the United States.’’ Hilariously, the piece added that AOC regrouped with what it called a ‘cogent response,’ saying the United States should ‘avoid any such confrontation and for that question to even arise.’ That’s cogent?

The Times, too, admitted the Munich outing ‘demonstrated the relative foreign policy inexperience of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’, and that she ‘struggled at times to formulate succinct answers’. But the Times excused her incapacity, describing the questions posed as ‘probing and specific.’ Asking her policy vis-à-vis Taiwan is hardly ‘probing’; this issue is, along with our relationship with Israel, fundamental.

Ocasio-Cortez also mixed up the trans-Atlantic partnership, referring to it as the ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership,’ and scoffed at Rubio’s claim that American cowboy culture came from Spain. (It did.) But the corker was another response she gave, enthusiastically endorsed by the Times, about President Trump’s foreign policy, ‘They are looking to withdraw the United States from the entire world so that we can turn into an age of authoritarians that can carve out a world where Donald Trump can command the Western Hemisphere and Latin America as his personal sandbox, where Putin can saber-rattle around Europe.’

Yes, AOC, Trump is withdrawing the U.S. from the ‘entire world’ by trying to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, deliver the people of Iran, Venezuela and Cuba from authoritarian regimes, confront China, protect Christians in Nigeria, strengthen Western defense capabilities and pursue peace in the Middle East. Former President Joe Biden declared that ‘America is back,’ but did nothing to protect our interests around the globe.

Under President Trump, the U.S. is not only ‘back,’ it is also in the lead and moving persuasively forward.

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Trump hammers AOC Munich stumbles as ‘not a good look for the United States’

President Donald Trump said the way Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez answered questions at the Munich Security Conference ‘was not a good look for the United States.’ 

The Democrat lawmaker from New York and potential 2028 presidential candidate has been facing criticism for making foreign policy gaffes at the event. In one instance, Ocasio-Cortez appeared to stall for nearly 20 seconds when asked if the U.S. should send troops to defend Taiwan from a possible invasion by China, and in another, claimed Venezuela is below the equator. 

‘By the way, I watched AOC answering questions in Munich. This was not a good look for the United States. I watched Gavin Newscum answering questions in Munich, and this was a bad look for our country,’ Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One on Monday night. 

‘This was a bad – these two people are incompetent, and at least Hillary is competent. She’s just Trump deranged. She was so deranged and she is an angry woman. But I watched the other two speaking and answering basic questions. Look, Gavin has destroyed California, and AOC I never really got her, I never heard her speak very much and they started answering questions. She had no idea what was happening,’ Trump continued, referencing Newsom’s and Clinton’s attendance at the Munich Security Conference.

‘She had no idea how to answer, you know, very important questions concerning the world. But she can’t answer questions concerning New York City either, because New York City [has] got some problems,’ Trump also said about Ocasio-Cortez. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s and Newsom’s offices for reaction.

Ocasio-Cortez was asked on Friday, ‘Would and should the U.S. actually commit U.S. troops to defend Taiwan if China were to move?’ 

The four-term lawmaker appeared to stall for nearly 20 seconds before offering that the U.S. should try to avoid reaching a clash with China over Taiwan.

‘This is, of course, a, a very long-standing, policy of the United States, and I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point, and we want to make sure that we are moving in all of our economic research and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation and for that question to even arise,’ Ocasio-Cortez said. 

Ocasio-Cortez also claimed that Venezuela was ‘below the equator’ while criticizing the Trump administration for arresting the nation’s dictator Nicolás Maduro. 

‘It is not a remark on who Maduro was as a leader. He canceled elections. He was an anti-democratic leader. That doesn’t mean that we can kidnap a head of state and engage in acts of war just because the nation is below the equator,’ Ocasio-Cortez said.

In a post on Truth Social Monday night, Trump said, ‘AOC and Newscum were an embarrassment to our Nation.’ 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser, Lindsay Kornick and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report. 

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Rev Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader and Rainbow PUSH founder, dies at 84

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a longtime civil rights leader, two-time Democratic presidential candidate and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, died Tuesday morning at the age of 84, his family said in a statement.

‘It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of civil rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Honorable Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family,’ the statement said.

‘Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,’ the Jackson family said. ‘We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions.’

A cause of death was not mentioned, but Jackson had suffered from multiple health problems in recent years. In 2017, Jackson revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was also treated for progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare degenerative neurological disorder. Despite health setbacks that weakened his voice and mobility, he continued advocating for civil rights and was arrested twice in 2021 while protesting the Senate filibuster rule.

Born Oct. 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson grew up in a segregated community. As a teenager, he excelled academically and earned a football scholarship to the University of Illinois before transferring to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, where he graduated in 1964.

He became involved in civil rights activism as a teenager and was arrested at 18 for participating in a sit-in at a segregated public library. The protest marked the beginning of his rise in the student-led movement challenging segregation across the South.

After graduation, Jackson left his studies at Chicago Theological Seminary to join the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, and later became a key figure in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. With King’s support, he led Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, a campaign aimed at expanding economic opportunities for Black Americans.

Jackson was in Memphis in 1968 when King was assassinated. In the years that followed, Jackson founded what became the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, an organization focused on civil rights, voter registration and economic empowerment. Over decades of activism, he received dozens of honorary degrees and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000 by President Bill Clinton.

Jackson ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988. In 1984, he won 18% of the primary vote. His campaign faced controversy over an antisemitic remark he made about New York’s Jewish community.

In 1988, Jackson won nearly 7 million votes — about 29% of the total — and finished first or second in multiple Super Tuesday contests. Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis ultimately secured the nomination.

Though he never held elected office, Jackson remained an influential political figure, advocating for expanded voter registration, lobbying for Washington, D.C., statehood, and at times serving as a diplomatic envoy, including efforts to secure the release of Americans held overseas.

In 2001, Jackson publicly acknowledged that he had fathered a daughter, Ashley, with a woman affiliated with his advocacy organization. He later apologized.

Jackson is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Jacqueline; their children — Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef and Jacqueline — daughter Ashley Jackson; and grandchildren.

Public observances will be held in Chicago with final funeral arrangements yet to be announced. 

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Iran signals nuclear progress in Geneva as Trump calls for full dismantlement

Negotiations between the United States and Iran advanced Tuesday toward what Tehran described as the beginning of a potential framework, but sharp public divisions between the two sides underscored how far apart they remain.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the two sides reached a ‘general agreement on a number of guiding principles’ and agreed to begin drafting text for a possible agreement, with plans to exchange drafts and schedule a third round of talks. 

‘Good progress was made compared to the previous meeting,’ he said, adding that while drafting would slow the process, ‘at least the path has started.’

Yet Washington publicly has insisted that any agreement must result in the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program — including its enrichment capacity — along with limits on Tehran’s ballistic missile program and an end to its support for allied militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Those demands go well beyond temporary enrichment pauses or technical adjustments.

Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appeared to push back directly against that premise, signaling a firm ceiling on Iran’s concessions. 

‘The Americans say, ‘Let’s negotiate over your nuclear energy, and the result of the negotiation is supposed to be that you do not have this energy!’’ he wrote on social media as talks were underway. ‘If that’s the case, there is no room for negotiation.’

Khamenei’s remarks suggest that while Iranian negotiators may be discussing limits or interim measures, Iran is unlikely to accept an agreement that eliminates its nuclear program outright — setting up a direct collision with the Trump administration’s insistence on dismantlement.

‘Progress was made, but there are still a lot of details to discuss,’ according to a U.S. official. ‘The Iranians said they would come back in the next two weeks with detailed proposals to address some of the open gaps in our positions.’

President Donald Trump said Monday he would be watching the talks closely.

The mistrust runs deep. 

Iranian officials have pointed to U.S. military strikes on their nuclear facilities in June 2025 as part of the broader backdrop complicating diplomacy, arguing such actions demonstrate Washington’s willingness to use force even as negotiations unfold.

Behind the diplomatic push, the United States has significantly expanded its military footprint in the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln is operating in the Arabian Sea, and F-35 fighter jets from the carrier shot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone recently after it approached the strike group — a move U.S. officials described as demonstrating low tolerance for provocations.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, is now transiting toward the Middle East. President Trump confirmed the deployment on Feb. 13, saying, ‘In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it.’ Reports indicate a third carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, is being prepared for possible expedited deployment, which would create a rare three-carrier U.S. presence near Iranian waters.

The buildup extends beyond naval forces. A squadron of F-35A Lightning II aircraft landed at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom earlier in February as a staging point for potential deployment to the Middle East, while satellite imagery shows additional U.S. aircraft — including F-15E Strike Eagles and A-10 Thunderbolts — positioned at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Logistics flights into the region have also surged. 

More than 100 C-17 cargo aircraft have arrived since late January, transporting advanced air defense systems, including Patriot and THAAD batteries, to bases in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, according to defense tracking data.

At the same time, Iran’s leadership has paired diplomatic engagement with forceful warnings. 

Khamenei said the United States could be ‘struck so hard that it cannot get up again,’ and a senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy declared the country is prepared to close the Strait of Hormuz if ordered — a move that could disrupt roughly one-fifth of global oil flows through the strategic waterway.

Despite the heightened rhetoric and military signaling, Iranian officials said talks would continue, framing the Geneva discussions as a step toward a possible agreement — even as the fundamental dispute over dismantlement versus preservation of Iran’s nuclear capabilities remains unresolved.

Fox News’ Nick Kalman contributed to this report. 

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Psaki joins Democrat push for Epstein files after ex-Biden spox rarely mentioned it from White House

Former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki raised alarm recently about an international ‘web’ surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking case, echoing remarks from many Democrats who have seized on the politically expedient topic in the wake of the Department of Justice releasing Epstein’s unclassified case files.

‘It is Trump, yes. … But it is the wealthy, the elites, and basically every faction of the world,’ Psaki, a political analyst for MS Now, said in a video clip. ‘It’s global leaders. It’s people in the business sector. It is people in Hollywood probably, who knows. It is a bunch of people who think that they can get away with anything.’

Democrats have since last year claimed that Epstein’s case has newfound salience because Trump, once among Epstein’s many wealthy friends before Epstein was accused of trafficking underage girls, was, in their view, suspiciously dismissive of the files when he took office.

Republicans have countered, however, that Democrats had full access to the documents for four years under the Biden administration — when Psaki served as the chief White House spokesperson — and neither released them nor uncovered information damaging to Trump. Fox News Digital reached out to Psaki for comment.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital claims of Democratic inconsistency ‘are seriously detached from reality’ and pointed to his own investigations dating back to 2019 into former Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta’s handling of a 2008 plea deal with Epstein.

Raskin argued the Democratic Party has not shifted, but rather that the Trump administration has.

‘Trump abruptly killed the ongoing federal investigation into Epstein’s co-conspirators when he took office,’ Raskin said, alleging the administration undertook a ‘massive redaction project’ to hide evidence of Trump’s and others’ ties to Epstein.

The DOJ in January released more than three million pages of files but signaled that another three million were withheld because they contained victim information or were protected by various privileges.

‘Democrats have always fought to support an investigation of Epstein’s co-conspirators,’ Raskin said. ‘We have always been on the side of full transparency and justice for the victims.’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has made similar remarks, saying, ‘All we want is full transparency, so that the American people can get the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.’

The heightened Democratic push for transparency comes after years during which the party showed more intermittent interest in Epstein’s case, which some Democrats have attributed to the sensitivity of seeking information while Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking case was pending and while some of Epstein’s victims were pursuing litigation.

But the Democrats’ new, unified fixation on Epstein has come as Republicans have struggled to manage the issue, which has caused intra-party fractures.

The files became a political thorn for the administration after Attorney General Pam Bondi’s chaotic rollout last year of already-public files by the DOJ, which enraged a faction of Trump’s base who had been expecting new information.

The DOJ said at the time that it would not disclose further files because of court orders and victim privacy and said the department found no information that would warrant bringing charges against anyone else. In a turnabout, however, Bondi ordered a review, at Trump’s direction, of Epstein’s alleged connections to Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton.

The president, who was closely associated with Epstein but was never accused of any crimes related to him, also relented to months-long pressure to sign a transparency bill last year that ordered the DOJ to release all of its Epstein-related records within 30 days. Among the most vocal supporters of the bill was former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., which resulted in her highly public falling out with the president, whom she once fervently supported.

The Epstein saga has also plagued the administration because some of Trump’s allies, now in top roles in the DOJ, once promoted the existence of incriminating, nonpublic Epstein files, including a supposed list of sexual predators who were his clients. FBI Director Kash Patel, for instance, said in 2023 the government was hiding ‘Epstein’s list’ of ‘pedophiles.’ But the DOJ leaders failed to deliver on those claims upon taking office.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., meanwhile, faced accusations from Democrats that he kept the House in recess for about two months in the summer to avoid votes on Epstein transparency legislation. Johnson shot back that Democrats had, in his view, been lax on the Epstein case until Trump took office.

‘We’re not going to allow the Democrats to use this for political cover. They had four years,’ Johnson told reporters at the time. ‘Remember, the Biden administration held the Epstein files for four years and not a single one of these Democrats, or anyone in Congress, made any thought about that at all.’

The House Oversight Committee has also spurred infighting over how Epstein material has been handled, as it has been actively engaged in subpoenaing, reviewing, and releasing large batches of Epstein-related records from both the DOJ and Epstein’s estate.

Committee Republicans have said their Democratic counterparts ‘cherry-picked’ material to release, such as photos featuring Trump and Epstein, and that they ‘keep trying to create a fake hoax by being dishonest, deceptive, and shamelessly deranged.’

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LAURION Strengthens Team with Appointment of Capital Markets and Mining Specialist Sean Ghosal as Strategic Advisor

(TheNewswire)

Toronto, Ontario February 17, 2026 TheNewswire Laurion Mineral Exploration Inc. (TSX-V: LME | OTCQB: LMEFF | FSE: 5YD) (‘LAURION’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the appointment of Sankarsan (‘Sean’) Ghosal as a strategic advisor. His addition further strengthens the Company’s governance, capital markets expertise, and strategic capabilities as LAURION advances its Ishkōday Gold-Polymetallic Project in Ontario.  

 

Mr. Ghosal brings a highly complementary blend of mining engineering, capital markets research, and structured mining finance experience. He is currently an Associate on the Streaming & Royalties team at Sprott, where he supports deal origination, technical and financial due diligence, structuring, and portfolio monitoring for large-scale private resource investment strategies. Prior to joining Sprott, Mr. Ghosal worked in mining equity research at Stifel Financial, covering base and precious metals companies. He previously held engineering and project development roles supporting mining projects from study stage through execution. His cross-functional background across operations, engineering, research, and investment analysis is expected to provide LAURION with a disciplined, investor-focused perspective as the Company works towards key technical and value-definition milestones for the Ishkōday Project.

 

Cynthia Le Sueur-Aquin, President and CEO of LAURION, stated: ‘Sean brings exactly the skillset and perspective we are seeking to support the Board as the Ishkōday Project enters its next stage of development. He combines a hands-on understanding of mining operations with a rigorous, capital markets-driven approach to decision-making. His ability to bridge technical decisions with financial outcomes directly aligns with LAURION’s strategic vision. We remain focused on advancing the Ishkōday Project in a manner that is consistent with best practices and on delivering real, durable value for shareholders. Sean’s addition strengthens our governance capabilities and supports our long-term strategy.’

 

Strategic Addition Aligned with Value Creation

 

Mr. Ghosal’s appointment reflects the Company’s focus on capital discipline, technical rigor, and alignment with sophisticated investor expectations. His experience evaluating mining assets, from both an engineering and capital allocation perspective, is expected to enhance LAURION’s ability to:

 

  • Strengthen governance as the Company advances toward a Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE‘) and subsequent technical milestones. 

 

  • Align technical decision-making with capital market expectations, including with respect to the Company’s ongoing evaluation of strategic alternatives. 

 

About LAURION Mineral Exploration Inc.

LAURION is a mid-stage junior mineral exploration company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ‘LME’. The Company currently has 278,716,413 common shares outstanding. LAURION’s President and CEO, Cynthia Le Sueur-Aquin, is the Company’s largest shareholder, directly or indirectly holding an aggregate of 17,221,306 common shares. Together with long-term ‘Friends and Family’ investors, this reflects alignment between management, the Board, and shareholders, which is reflected in management’s long-term commitment to disciplined execution, technical value definition, and responsible project advancement at Ishkōday. LAURION’s primary focus is the 100%-owned, district-scale Ishkōday Project, a 57 km² land package hosting gold-rich polymetallic mineralization.

 

LAURION’s strategy is centered on deliberate value creation. The Company is prioritizing systematic technical advancement, integrated geological and structural modeling, and the evaluation of optional, non-dilutive pathways, including historical surface stockpile processing, that may support flexibility in LAURION’s exploration plans without diverting the Company’s focus from its core exploration objectives.

 

The Company’s overarching objective is to build project value before monetization, ensuring that any future strategic outcomes are supported by technical clarity, reduced execution risk, and demonstrated scale. While the Board remains attentive to strategic interest that may arise, LAURION is not driven by transaction timing. Instead, the Company is focused on advancing the Ishkōday Project in a manner that strengthens long-term shareholder value.

 

LAURION will continue to communicate updates through timely disclosure and will issue press releases in accordance with applicable securities laws should any material information arise.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Laurion Mineral Exploration Inc.

Cynthia Le Sueur-Aquin – President and CEO

Tel: 1-705-788-9186 Fax: 1-705-805-9256

 

Douglas Vass – Investor Relations Consultant

Email: dvass@laurion.ca

Website: http://www.LAURION.ca

Follow us on: X (@LAURION_LME), Instagram (laurionmineral) and LinkedIn ()

 

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company’s current expectations regarding future events including with respect to LAURION’s business, operations and condition, management’s objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions, the Company’s ability to advance the Ishkōday Project, the nature, focus, timing and potential results of the Company’s exploration, drilling and prospecting activities, including the Company’s plans to complete an MRE, diamond drill program, and other planned activities and technical milestones for the Ishkōday Project, and the statements regarding the Company’s exploration or consideration of any possible strategic alternatives and transactional opportunities, as well as the potential outcome(s) of this process, the possible impact of any potential transactions referenced herein on the Company or any of its stakeholders, and the ability of the Company to identify and complete any potential acquisitions, mergers, financings or other transactions referenced herein, and the timing of any such transactions, as well as the anticipated benefits of the Company’s new strategic advisor. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events and future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements could differ materially from those projected herein including as a result of a change in the trading price of the common shares of LAURION, the TSX Venture Exchange or any other applicable regulator not providing its approval for any strategic alternatives or transactional opportunities, the interpretation and actual results of current exploration activities, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future prices of gold and/or other metals, possible variations in grade or recovery rates, failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, the failure of contracted parties to perform, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of exploration, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company’s publicly filed documents. Investors should consult the Company’s ongoing quarterly and annual filings, as well as any other additional documentation comprising the Company’s public disclosure record, for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. Subject to applicable law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. All sample values are from grab samples and channel samples, which by their nature, are not necessarily representative of overall grades of mineralized areas. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on the assay values reported in this press release.

 

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICE PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

 

Copyright (c) 2026 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.

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Brixton Metals Corporation Announces Share Consolidation

Brixton Metals Corporation (TSX-V: BBB, OTCQB: BBBXF) (the ‘Company’ or ‘Brixton’) announces that further to its news release dated February 6, 2026, the Company has received the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the ‘TSXV’) for, and is proceeding with, a consolidation (the ‘Consolidation’) of its issued and outstanding common shares on the basis of one post-consolidation common share (‘Post-Consolidation Shares’) for every ten pre-consolidation common shares (‘Pre-Consolidation Shares’).

The Consolidation was approved by the shareholders of the Company at the Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Company held on February 4, 2026.

The Post-Consolidation Shares will commence trading on the TSXV at the market open on February 20, 2026 (the ‘Effective Date‘), under the existing symbol ‘BBB‘.

The new CUSIP will be 11120Q708 and the new ISIN number will be CA11120Q7084. There will be no name change in association with the Consolidation.

Following the share consolidation, Brixton will have approximately 71,323,542 common shares issued and outstanding.

No fractional shares will be issued as a result of the Consolidation. Any fractional interest in shares resulting from the Consolidation that is less than 0.5 of a common share will be rounded down to the nearest whole share and any fractional interest in common shares resulting from the Consolidation that is 0.5, or greater, of a common share will be rounded up to the nearest whole share.

The Company’s transfer agent, TSX Trust Company (‘TSX Trust‘), will mail a letter of transmittal to registered shareholders of the Company providing instructions on exchanging Pre-Consolidation Share certificates for Post-Consolidation Share certificates or Direct Registration System (DRS) advices. Shareholders are encouraged to send their share certificates, together with their letter of transmittal, to TSX Trust in accordance with the instructions in the letter of transmittal.

About Brixton Metals Corporation

Brixton Metals is a Canadian exploration company focused on the advancement of its mining projects. Brixton wholly owns four exploration projects: Brixton’s flagship Thorn copper-gold-silver-molybdenum Project, the Hog Heaven copper-silver-gold Project in NW Montana, USA, which is optioned to Ivanhoe Electric Inc., the Langis and HudBay silver Projects in Ontario and the Atlin Goldfields Project located in northwest BC, which is optioned to Eldorado Gold Corporation. Brixton Metals Corporation shares trade on the TSX-V under the ticker symbol BBB, and on the OTCQB under the ticker symbol BBBXF. For more information about Brixton, please visit our website at www.brixtonmetals.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Mr. Gary R. Thompson, Chairman and CEO
info@brixtonmetals.com

For Investor Relations inquiries please contact: Mr. Michael Rapsch, Vice President Investor Relations. email: michael.rapsch@brixtonmetals.com or call Tel: 604-630-9707

Follow us on:
LinkedIn | Twitter/X | Facebook | Instagram

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’, ‘plan’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, and ‘intend’, statements that an action or event ‘may’, ‘might’, ‘could’, ‘should’, or ‘will’ be taken or occur, including statements that address potential quantity and/or grade of minerals, potential size and expansion of a mineralized zone, proposed timing of exploration and development plans, or other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mineral exploration; fluctuations in commodity prices; title matters; and the additional risks identified in the annual information form of the Company or other reports and filings with the TSXV and applicable Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are made based on management’s beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. 

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Silver Institute: Market Heading for Sixth Straight Deficit in 2026

Silver surged past US$100 per ounce for the first time in January before retreating below the US$80 level, marking a volatile start to 2026 as the precious metal faces renewed investor appeal.

In its latest annual outlook, published on February 10, the Silver Institute notes that the rally comes after a year when silver saw its strongest annual performance since 1979. Investor interest accelerated into early 2026 and pushed the price to multiple record highs, driving the gold-silver ratio below 50 for the first time since 2012.

Looking forward, global silver investment is expected to remain strong this year as the market posts its sixth consecutive annual deficit. The Institute’s forecast, based on analysis by London-based consultancy Metals Focus, points to a 67 million ounce shortfall in 2026, with total demand once again outstripping total supply.

Silver supply in 2026

On the supply side, total global silver output is forecast to increase by 1.5 percent in 2026 to 1.05 billion ounces, the highest level in a decade. Mine production is expected to edge up 1 percent to 820 million ounces, supported by stronger output from existing operations and newly commissioned projects.

Mexico is forecast to deliver much of the growth from primary silver mines. In China, higher output is expected from China Gold International Resources’ (TSX:CGG,OTCPL:JINFF) Jiama polymetallic mine as expansion continues.

Canada is projected to see gains from projects such as Hecla Mining’s (NYSE:HL) Keno Hill and New Gold’s (TSX:NGD,NYSEAMERICAN:NGD) New Afton, which is being acquired by Coeur Mining (NYSE:CDE). Morocco’s Zgounder mine is also ramping up production, while Peru is expected to record declines at certain operations.

By-product silver from primary gold mines is forecast to increase. Contributions are expected from Barrick Mining’s (TSX:ABX,NYSE:B) Pueblo Viejo in the Dominican Republic, Gold Fields’ (NYSE:GFI) Salares Norte in Chile and the Nezhda project in Russia, owned by SolidCore (formerly Polymetal International).

Output from primary silver mines is expected to remain largely flat, accounting for 28 percent of total mine supply.

Silver recycling supply is projected to rise 7 percent, exceeding 200 million ounces for the first time since 2012, as elevated price levels encourage scrap flows, particularly from silverware.

Although the silver price has cooled since this year’s highs, the Institute notes that it’s established technical support and remains underpinned by tight physical supply and ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty.

Many forces that drove silver in 2025 remain in place. Constrained physical availability in London, geopolitical tensions, US policy uncertainty and concerns about the US Federal Reserve’s independence continue to provide support.

Silver demand in 2026

On the demand side, total global silver consumption is forecast to remain broadly flat in 2026. Gains in physical investment are expected to offset weakness in jewelry, silverware and some industrial segments.

Meanwhile, industrial fabrication, the largest component of silver demand, is projected to decline by 2 percent to around 650 million ounces, marking a four year low.

As in 2025, the drag is seen coming primarily from the photovoltaic (PV) sector.

Although solar installations worldwide are expected to continue expanding, manufacturers are reducing silver use per panel through thrifting and substitution, resulting in lower silver demand from PV applications.

Other industrial uses offer partial relief. Growth in data centers, artificial intelligence technologies and automotive electronics is expected to sustain silver consumption across several end uses, mitigating some of the PV losses.

Consumer demand, however, remains under pressure from record-high prices. Jewelry demand is forecast to fall more than 9 percent to 178 million ounces, marking the lowest level since 2020.

In contrast, physical investment demand is set to strengthen considerably.

The Institute projects a 20 percent rise to a three year high in physical investment to 227 million ounces.

After three consecutive annual declines, western retail demand is expected to rebound as investors respond to silver’s price momentum and persistent macroeconomic risks.

Exchange-traded product holdings currently stand at an estimated 1.31 billion ounces, and coin and bar demand has firmed in recent months. As of February 9, the silver price was up 11 percent year-to-date.

Silver deficit to persist

Even with higher supply and recycling, the silver deficit is set to persist. The Institute notes that the global silver market will continue to rely on the drawdown of aboveground bullion inventories to bridge the gap.

While volatility is likely to continue, the Institute forecasts that strength in gold and sustained physical tightness may help cushion risks for silver as it navigates another year defined by deficit and demand.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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