Keith Weiner, founder and CEO of Monetary Metals, shares his outlook for gold and silver in 2026, saying that while he expects higher prices there will be volatility.
He also outlines his thoughts on the role of precious metals in the monetary system.
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO) and Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTCPL:GLCNF) said they will no longer be pursuing a merger, with Rio Tinto noting that the combination of the businesses would not deliver value to its shareholders.
Glencore responded to Rio Tinto by saying that under the terms of the proposal, the Rio Tinto executive group would retain both the chair and CEO roles, which would undervalue Glencore’s contribution to the combined company.
The deal would have created the world’s largest mining company with a combined market cap of US$260 billion. While the collapse of the proposed merger is drawing headlines, it comes at an accelerated pace for mergers and acquisitions in the industry, as majors seek to replenish their project pipelines and mid-cap producers look to grow their businesses.
Among other notable mergers still on the books is Anglo American’s (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:NGLOY) merger with Canada-based Teck Resources (TSX:TECK.A,TECK.B,NYSE:TECK). That deal is currently working its way through regulatory approvals, with the most recent update that it is heading toward antitrust clearance in Europe.
On Wednesday (February 11), Indonesia’s resources ministry ordered Eramet (EPA:ERA,OTCPL:ERMAF) and its joint venture partners, Tsingshan Holding Group, to slash production at the world’s largest nickel mine.
Under the new work and budget plan, PT Weda Bay Nickel has been granted an initial quota of 12 million metric tons, down from the 42 million metric tons it was allowed in 2025.
Nickel has been elevated this year, trading as high as US$18,725 on February 2. Although prices have fallen since that high, the announcement gave nickel some momentum, pushing prices to US$17,720 per metric ton on the London Metal Exchange on Wednesday. Prices eased again on Thursday (February 12), but remain well above 2025 averages.
For more on what’s moving markets this week, check out our top market news round-up.
Canadian equity markets were mixed this week.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) gained 2.88 percent over the week to close Friday (February 13) at 33,073.71, while the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) shed 0.48 percent to 991.99.
The CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) dropped 2.7 percent to 163.24
The gold price was largely flat, losing just 0.07 percent to close at US$5,032.68 per ounce on Friday at 4:00 p.m. EST. The silver price fared worse, closing the week down 8.43 percent at US$76.92 on Friday.
In base metals, the Comex copper price recorded a 2.35 percent decrease this week to US$5.83.
The S&P Goldman Sachs Commodities Index (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) was down 0.13 percent to end Friday at 583.86.
How did mining stocks perform against this backdrop?
Take a look at this week’s five best-performing Canadian mining stocks below.
Stocks data for this article was retrieved at 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market caps greater than C$10 million are included. Mineral companies within the non-energy minerals, energy minerals, process industry and producer manufacturing sectors were considered.
Weekly gain: 104.55 percent
Market cap: C$12.83 million
Share price: C$0.45
Trinity One Metals is a silver exploration and development company with a portfolio of mineral projects, including the recently acquired Silver 1 project in Ecuador.
The property consists of the Silver-1 mine concession, which covers an area of 3,108 hectares and lies within the same mineral belt as Lundin Gold’s (TSX:LUG,OTCQX:LUGDF) Fruta Del Norte mine. Past mining at the site occurred between 1989 and 1994 and included 3,600 meters of underground development, along with a historic resource of 200,000 to 700,000 metric tons of ore averaging 400 to 800 grams per metric ton (g/t) silver and 3 g/t gold.
The company announced the closing of the property acquisition on February 4 for a total consideration of US$540,000. In the release, the company said it will work swiftly to confirm the historic resource to modern standards.
The news was followed on Tuesday (February 10), when the company announced a C$3.3 million non-brokered private placement, which was upsized to C$5.3 million on Thursday. The company said it will use proceeds from the placement to advance exploration projects across its portfolio.
Weekly gain: 74.68 percent
Market cap: C$123.82 million
Share price: C$1.38
Cordoba Minerals is an explorer whose flagship project is Alacran in Colombia. The asset is a 50/50 joint venture with JCHX Mining Management (SHA:603979). The 20,000 hectare property hosts copper, gold and silver mineralization across five deposits: Alacran, Alacran North, Montiel East, Montiel West and Costa Azul.
A feasibility study for the project released in February 2024 demonstrates an after-tax net present value of US$360 million with an internal rate of return of 23.8 percent and a payback period of three years.
The resource estimate for the Alacran deposit and historical tailings shows an indicated resource of 99.46 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 0.41 percent copper, 0.24 g/t gold and 2.65 g/t silver. Contained metal totals 904.53 million pounds of copper, 765,400 ounces of gold and 8.47 million ounces of silver.
Following the completion of JCHX’s earn in for 50 percent of the project in July 2025, Cordoba said it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell its remaining 50 percent interest in Alacran.
However, on January 2, the company reported that not all conditions for the sale had been met, and on Tuesday, announced that it had entered into an amended agreement.
Under the new terms, the closing payment was increased to US$128 million from US$88 million, payable in a lump sum at closing. The release states that the bulk of the cash payment will be distributed to shareholders after settling liabilities and obligations, with the company retaining US$10 million for corporate purposes.
Weekly gain: 52.38 percent
Market cap: C$23.74 million
Share price: C$0.64
Rio Silver is an exploration company advancing its Maria Norte project in Peru.
The property has changed hands several times in the 18 years prior to Rio’s acquisition in March 2025, but has seen little exploration during that time. However, in a February 5 release, the company notes that historic mining occurred at the site due to the presence of a reclaimed waste dump. The property covers the western portion of the Tangana West vein system, and although it has not yet completed an economic assessment for the property. In the announcement, the company said it plans to advance surface mapping and sampling in the third quarter of 2026.
Throughout January, the company made several announcements regarding its exploration and development timeline. On January 6, the company reported results from technical work at the site, confirming the presence of silver mineralization with grades up to 991 g/t in a 0.7-meter channel sample.
The company also announced on January 29 that it was launching a metallurgical program at the site, which it said will assist the company in determining the project’s potential value.
Weekly gain: 48.15 percent
Market cap: C$28.04 million
Share price: C$0.2
Barksdale Resources is a copper explorer focused on advancing its Sunnyside asset in Arizona, US. The property covers approximately 21 square kilometers, south of Tucson, Arizona. It hosts an intrusive complex that the firm believes to be an extension of the copper-zinc-lead-silver system found at South32’s (ASX:S32,OTCPL:SOUHY) Taylor deposit.
In 2025, the company achieved several milestones under its earn-in agreement and completed the initial 51 percent in September following a C$1 million cash payment. Prior to the payment in June, Barksdale said it would work toward increasing its interest in the property to 67.5 percent.
On January 21, the company announced plans to raise C$5 million to fund a Phase 2 drill plan required to increase its ownership stake in the Sunnyside project.
On Wednesday, Barksdale announced the opening of an additional private placement to raise C$930,000. Funds raised from this round will also be used to fund exploration activities at Sunnyside.
Weekly gain: 48 percent
Market cap: C$129.48 million
Share price: C$0.37
Formerly Sokoman Minerals, Pirate Gold is a discovery-oriented company with a portfolio of gold projects and one of the largest land positions in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
It also owns a 40 percent stake in the Killick lithium project, a 40/40/20 joint venture with Benton Resources (TSXV:BEX,OTCPL:BNTRF) and Piedmont Lithium.
In October, the company combined its Moosehead and Crippleback claims to form the Treasure Island project, which hosts the largest mineral license and longest strike length along the Valentine Lake fault.
Along with new claims, Pirate Gold’s land holdings in the area cover approximately 58,775 hectares and host multiple untested anomalies identified through historic data and exploration efforts by Pirate Gold.
On Friday, Pirate Gold announced the initiation of project-scale surveys at Treasure Island, as well as the advancement of a 50,000 meter drill program, with two rigs mobilized to the site.
Additionally, the company also said it had received drill permits to operate at the Crippleback Lake and Stony Lake areas, which would allow it to extend its exploration beyond the current footprint at Moosehead and test other high-priority targets along the fault zone.
The TSX, or Toronto Stock Exchange, is used by senior companies with larger market caps, and the TSXV, or TSX Venture Exchange, is used by smaller-cap companies. Companies listed on the TSXV can graduate to the senior exchange.
As of December 2025, 898 mining companies and 71 oil and gas companies are listed on the TSXV, combining for more than 60 percent of the 1,531 total companies listed on the exchange.
As for the TSX, it is home to 175 mining companies and 51 oil and gas companies. The exchange has 2,089 companies listed on it in total.
Together, the TSX and TSXV host around 40 percent of the world’s public mining companies.
There are a variety of different fees that companies must pay to list on the TSXV, and according to the exchange, they can vary based on the transaction’s nature and complexity. The listing fee alone will most likely cost between C$10,000 to C$70,000. Accounting and auditing fees could rack up between C$25,000 and C$100,000, while legal fees are expected to be over C$75,000 and an underwriters’ commission may hit up to 12 percent.
The exchange lists a handful of other fees and expenses companies can expect, including but not limited to security commission and transfer agency fees, investor relations costs and director and officer liability insurance.
These are all just for the initial listing, of course. There are ongoing expenses once companies are trading, such as sustaining fees and additional listing fees, plus the costs associated with filing regular reports.
Investors can trade on the TSXV the way they would trade stocks on any exchange. This means they can use a stock broker or an individual investment account to buy and sell shares of TSXV-listed companies during the exchange’s trading hours.
Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Friday (February 13) as of 9:00 p.m. UTC.
Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ether and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrency market news.
Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$68,987.01, up 5.2 percent over the last 24 hours.
Bitcoin price performance, February 13, 2026.
Chart via TradingView.
A constructive scenario over the next three to six months depends on gradual improvement in global liquidity, moderation in yields and steady exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows.
According to Tran, if financial conditions tighten or additional liquidity stress occurs, the market may need another washout to rebalance leverage. Ultimately, the return of confidence, reflected through durable and sustainable capital inflows, is what matters most for the transitional phase.
Ether (ETH) was priced at US$2,054.76, up by 7 percent over the last 24 hours.
Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN) reported a fourth quarter net loss of US$667 million as falling crypto prices weighed on its revenue and the value of its investment portfolio. The company’s revenue came in at US$1.78 billion, below analysts’ expectations, making a 22 percent decline from a year earlier.
The firm attributed much of the loss to a US$718 million drop in portfolio value, largely unrealized, alongside weaker transaction activity. Shares slid ahead of the release and have fallen more than 55 percent over the past six months as cryptocurrencies retreated. Despite the surprise slide, CEO Brian Armstrong sought to reassure investors, saying the firm remains “deliberately well capitalized” with US$11.3 billion in cash and equivalents.
He added that retail customers are largely holding rather than selling, even as volatility persists.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw US$410 million in outflows on Thursday (February 12), extending a rocky stretch that has drained nearly US$1.5 billion over two weeks.
The iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (NASDAQ:IBIT) led the pullback, followed by Fidelity and Grayscale products, as institutional investors recalibrated positions amid macro uncertainty.
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent urged Congress to pass the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act this spring, arguing that it will provide stability to markets rattled by volatility.
Speaking on CNBC and later before the Senate Banking Committee, Bessent said the bill will give “great comfort to the market,” and warned that parts of the crypto industry are resisting what he called “very good regulation.”
“There seems to be a nihilist group in the industry who prefers no regulation over this very good regulation,” he told lawmakers, drawing support from Senator Mark Warner.
The legislation has stalled amid disputes over stablecoin yield, DeFi oversight and token classifications, with critics — including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong — raising objections. Bessent cautioned that a bipartisan coalition backing the bill could fracture if Democrats retake the House in November. Warner, meanwhile, stressed unresolved concerns around illicit finance and national security risks tied to DeFi.
BUZZ High Performance Computing (HPC), a Hive Digital Technologies (TSXV:HIVE,NASDAQ:HIVE) platform, announced that it has signed customer agreements valued at approximately US$30 million over two year fixed terms for artificial intelligence (AI) cloud contracts. The new contracts will support the initial phase of BUZZ’s AI-optimized GPU deployment at its Canada West location in Manitoba, with compute capacity expected to be online during the quarter ending on March 31, 2026. This phase consists of 504 liquid-cooled Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) server-based GPUs.
This initial phase is expected to generate about US$15 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) to BUZZ’s cloud business once fully operational, increasing HIVE’s total annualized HPC segment revenue to roughly US$35 million.
HIVE said it aims to scale its HPC GPU AI cloud business toward approximately US$140 million in ARR over the next year. The company is using vendor financing and strategic partnerships to scale efficiently and pursue a “dual-engine strategy” of hashrate services and GPU-accelerated AI computing across its facilities in Canada, Sweden and Paraguay.
Taurus, a Swiss fintech firm that provides digital asset infrastructure for banks and financial institutions, announced an agreement with blockchain infrastructure company Blockdaemon that will allow banks to offer staking yields to their clients without having to move those assets out of tightly controlled, regulated custody.
Taurus will integrate Blockdaemon’s staking infrastructure into its custody product, Taurus‑PROTECT, which is designed to keep digital assets safe inside banks’ own systems under financial regulator rules.
Taurus also has an agreement to provide digital asset custody, tokenization and node management technology that State Street uses to power its full‑service digital asset platform for institutional investors. Additionally, BNY Mellon (NYSE:BK) is broadening its digita asset platforms by partnering with infrastructure providers, including Blockdaemon.
Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
We also break down next week’s catalysts to watch to help you prepare for the week ahead.
The Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) ended in the green on Monday (February 9) despite a weaker open.
A rally in tech companies drove US stocks higher ahead of an economic data release, while Asian indexes also rose, led upward by Japan’s tech‑heavy Nikkei 225 (INDEXNIKKEI:NI225).
It hit new record highs after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party secured a landslide victory in the Lower House, clearing the path for tax cuts and higher defense spending.
Tax planning and wealth management stocks fell on Tuesday (February 10) after financial software provider Altruist unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI) tool for creating tax strategies, echoing last week’s selloff in legal software stocks following the debut of a lawyer-focused AI platform.
Broader tech‑driven weakness and softer‑than‑expected retail‑sales data dragged the Nasdaq down in Tuesday’s session. The index rose again on Wednesday (February 11) after January data showed labor market stability, potentially allowing the US Federal Reserve to keep interest rates steady as it monitors inflation.
Software stocks resumed their slide, with Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) at one point down more than 2 percent, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) falling over 2.5 percent and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) slipping about 1 percent.
Personal computer makers also fell after Lenovo Group (HKEX:0992,OTCPL:LNVGF) warned of shipment pressure from a memory chip shortage. HP (NYSE:HPQ) and Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) each lost about 4.5 percent.
After a muted close, investors turned their AI disruption fears to yet another corner of the market on Thursday (February 12). This time, it was logistics and trucking stocks, which plummeted after AI logistics firm Algorhythm Holdings (NASDAQ:RIME) said it has scaled freight volumes by 300 to 400 percent without increasing headcount.
This event showed traders that AI is now affecting sectors previously thought to be resistant to automation and AI‑driven efficiency gains, leading to selloffs that also spilled into real estate and drug distribution.
All three major indexes closed lower, with the Nasdaq hit hardest.
A softer-than-expected US consumer price index report released on Friday (February 13) morning reinforced beliefs that the Fed is likely to cut interest rates this year, while global concerns about potential AI-driven disruptions kept investors cautious. European and Asian indexes lost ground, tracking Wall Street’s losses.
While the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) closed slightly ahead on the day, mega-cap tech stocks dragged on the Nasdaq, which closed the week 1.77 percent below Monday’s open.
Cybersecurity firm Cloudflare saw its share price surge after its sales guidance for the current quarter exceeded expectations. Shares closed 13.07 percent higher for the week.
Applied Materials, a provider of materials engineering solutions for the semiconductor sector, saw its share price rise sharply after reporting better-than-forecast quarterly financial results. Shares advanced 10.05 percent.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company rose after D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria gave it a ‘buy’ rating with a US$450 price target and called it a top AI foundry name. Shares advanced 5.02 percent.
Cloudflare, TSMC and Applied Materials performance, February 9 to 13, 2026.
Chart via Google Finance.
Tech exchange-traded funds (ETFs) track baskets of major tech stocks, meaning their performance helps investors gauge the overall performance of the niches they cover.
This week, the iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) advanced by 2.56 percent, while the Invesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXQ) advanced by 1.89 percent.
The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SMH) also increased by 2.19 percent.
Tech stocks face a quieter earnings backdrop next week, with no mega‑cap AI giants reporting; instead, the sector will be trading on macro cues and any guidance hints from mid‑tier semis and software names.
Key US data includes jobs‑related releases and consumer confidence surveys.
Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
The head of the Justice Department’s antitrust unit said Thursday she is leaving the role, effective immediately, at a critical moment for corporate mergers in America.
Gail Slater, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Antitrust Division, wrote on X: ‘It is with great sadness and abiding hope that I leave my role as AAG for Antitrust today.’
Slater continued, ‘It was indeed the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role. Huge thanks to all who supported me this past year, most especially the men and women of’ the Department.
The White House referred questions to the Justice Department.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement, “On behalf of the Department of Justice, we thank Gail Slater for her service to the Antitrust Division which works to protect consumers, promote affordability, and expand economic opportunity.”
Slater is leaving just as media giants Netflix and Paramount Skydance battle for control of Warner Bros. Discovery.
President Donald Trump had said he was going to get involved in reviewing whichever Warner Bros. deal proceeds, an uncommon occurrence in antitrust matters.
But in an interview with NBC News, Trump slightly changed his tune. ‘I’ve been called by both sides, it’s the two sides, but I’ve decided I shouldn’t be involved,’ he said.
‘The Justice Department will handle it.’
Trump has met with executives from both of Warner Bros.’ bidders.
The Justice Department will also head to court in weeks in a bid to challenge concert venue manager Live Nation’s ownership of Ticketmaster.
Shares of Live Nation jumped as much as 5.8% after Slater announced her departure. By 1 p.m. ET, the rally had abated to around 2.5%.
When the Senate confirmed Slater, 78 senators from both sides of the aisle voted in her favor. Only 19 opposed her confirmation.
This week, her deputy in the Antitrust Division also departed.
Mark Hamer, deputy assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division, wrote on LinkedIn, ‘Decided the time is right for me to return to private practice.’ He praised Slater as a ‘leader of exceptional wisdom, strength and integrity.’
President Donald Trump’s administration fired a U.S. attorney the same day he was sworn in for the role by a federal court this week.
A board of judges for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York tapped Donald T. Kinsella to serve as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York, according to a court announcement that said Kinsella was sworn in on Wednesday. But Kinsella was then booted from the post on Wednesday.
Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche was blunt about the firing in a Wednesday post on X.
‘Judges don’t pick U.S. Attorneys, @POTUS does. See Article II of our Constitution. You are fired, Donald Kinsella,’ Blanche wrote.
In a Thursday statement, the court noted, ‘Yesterday the United States District Court appointed a United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, a position that was vacant.’
‘The Court exercised its authority under 28 U.S.C. § 546(d), which empowers the district court to ‘appoint a United States Attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled.’ The United States Constitution expressly provides for this grant of authority in Article II, Section 2, Clause 2, which states in part: ‘the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment’ of officials such as United States Attorneys ‘in the Courts of Law.’ By the end of the day, Deputy Director of Presidential Personnel, Morgan DeWitt Snow notified Mr. Kinsella that he was removed as the judicially-appointed United States Attorney, without explanation,’ the statement noted.
‘The Court thanks Donald T. Kinsella for his willingness to return to public service so that this vacancy could be filled with a qualified, experienced former prosecutor, and for his years of distinguished work on behalf of the citizens of the Northern District of New York,’ the statement added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Friday.
Kinsella was tapped to succeed John Sarcone III after a judge declared in January that he was serving in the role of acting U.S. attorney illegally, according to NBC News.
The outlet said U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield ruled that the Department of Justice took improper action to keep Sarcone in the role past the 120-day limit for U.S. attorneys who the Senate has not confirmed. He demoted himself to first assistant attorney while awaiting an appeal of the judge’s decision, the outlet added.
With little time and no deal in sight to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a partial government shutdown by midnight is all but guaranteed.
The battle to prevent the third government shutdown under President Donald Trump in less than six months was lost in the Senate on Thursday. Now, with Congress scattered across the U.S. and several senators headed abroad, there’s no chance that a shutdown will be averted.
Senate Republicans were unable to smash through Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats’ unified front to pass a full-year DHS funding bill, nor were they able to do yet another short-term, two-week extension.
‘The idea of not even allowing us to have an extended amount of time to negotiate this suggests to me, at least, that there isn’t a high level of interest in actually solving this issue,’ Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.
The final fight on the floor Thursday wasn’t with every lawmaker present, but between Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., over giving lawmakers a little more time to keep the agency open while negotiations continue.
Senate Democrats argued that Republicans offered their legislative proposal in the dead of night, giving little time to actually move toward a compromise.
‘We had plenty of time to get a deal in the last two weeks,’ Murphy said. ‘And the lack of seriousness from the White House and from Republicans not getting language until last night has put us in the position we are in today.’
And with the expected shutdown, Democrats’ main targets — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — won’t see their cash flow dry up because of billions injected into the agency by Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill.’
Instead, agencies like TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and several others will suffer the brunt of the shutdown.
‘There is no way that you can’t say we’re working in good faith. We want to continue this conversation,’ Britt said on the Senate floor. ‘But yet you’re penalizing a TSA agent. A TSA agent is going to go without a paycheck. Why? So that you can posture politically? I’m over it.’
‘Everybody on that side of the aisle knows that ICE and CBP will continue to be funded,’ she continued. ‘They’re going to continue to enforce the law just as they should. Who’s going to pay the price?’
The final floor argument was a microcosm of what the week had devolved into. Senate Republicans argued that Democrats had burned too much time producing their list of demands, while Senate Democrats contended that they weren’t given enough time by the White House.
And as is typical during the string of shutdowns in the last several months, it has devolved into a public blame game. When asked about the effects a shutdown would have on the agencies not involved in immigration enforcement, Schumer pointed the finger at the GOP and the White House.
‘Talk to the Republicans, OK? We’re ready to fund everything,’ Schumer said. ‘We’re ready to have good, serious proposals supported by the American people. They’re not; they’re sort of dug in the ground, and they’re not moving forward.’
But neither side is willing to divulge publicly what the exact sticking points are in their ongoing negotiations. And Senate Democrats now appear to be considering a counteroffer to the White House, a sign that negotiations aren’t totally dead in the water.
‘Negotiations will continue, and we will see in the course of the next few days how serious they are,’ Thune said.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., the lone Senate Democrat to join the GOP to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), accused his colleagues of choosing party over country in their shutdown vote.
Senate Democrats dug their heels in against funding the agency on Thursday in their pursuit of stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good during immigration operations in Minnesota.
But Fetterman believed that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his party were missing the point.
‘This shutdown literally has zero impact on ICE functionality,’ Fetterman said in a post on X. ‘Country over party is refusing to hit the entire Department of Homeland Security. Democracy demands a way forward to reform ICE without damaging our critical national security agencies.’
Senate Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS this week has made a partial government shutdown affecting only DHS inevitable. The deadline to strike a deal is midnight Friday, and the likelihood of that happening is nearly nonexistent.
That’s because both chambers of Congress quickly fled Washington, D.C., on Thursday, with many in the upper chamber leaving the country altogether for the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Schumer and his caucus argued that the White House and Republicans weren’t serious about reforms to ICE or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and contended that the GOP’s counteroffer to their own list of demands didn’t go far enough to earn their votes.
But to Fetterman’s point, shutting down DHS won’t halt the cash flow to immigration operations.
That’s because congressional Republicans last year injected roughly $75 billion into the agency for ICE with President Donald Trump’s marquee ‘big, beautiful bill.’ That money is spread across the next four years, meaning that a shutdown now will have little, if any, effect on ICE’s core functions.
But other functions under DHS’ purview, like TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard and more, will experience the brunt of the partial shutdown.
Negotiations on striking a deal are expected to continue in the background, and Senate Democrats have signaled that they’re considering offering a counteroffer to the White House in response to the GOP proposal.
Still, a vote to reopen and fund the agency won’t happen until early next week at best.
Thousands of anti-government protesters violently faced off against riot police outside government buildings in Albania’s capital, Tirana, earlier this week, as people called for the resignation of the government following a massive corruption scandal.
The main Albanian opposition party called for people to take to the streets and demand the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku after she was indicted by a special prosecutor who alleged she had been improperly influenced in her decision to favor one company in a tender for the construction of a 3.7-mile tunnel in southern Albania.
Albania’s Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime suspended Balluku from the government in November, but Prime Minister Edi Rama took the issue to the country’s Constitutional Court, which reinstated Balluku in December.
Balluku denied the allegations, calling the accusations against her amounted to ‘mudslinging, insinuations, half-truths and lies.’ Rama has refused to dismiss her.
The corruption allegations touched off widespread outrage, sparking protests in recent months.
‘The wave of popular protests in Albania reflects a growing societal backlash against what critics describe as the increasingly autocratic rule of Prime Minister Edi Rama,’ Agim Nesho, former Albanian ambassador to the U.S. and the United Nations, told Fox News Digital.
‘Over more than a decade in power, Rama is accused of centralizing authority and personalizing state institutions, while his government has faced persistent allegations of cooperation with organized crime and the misuse of public funds and public assets for the benefit of politically connected clients,’ Nesho claimed.
The shady circumstances surrounding Rama’s most important ally and the lack of accountability reinforces the sentiment that is pervasive in Albanian society that their government is rife with corruption. With both the incumbent government and opposition figures accused of corruption, public confidence in institutions and the justice system has steadily been eroded.
Albania has a long legacy of government corruption and ranks 91st out of 182 countries in Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index.
The protests on Tuesday turned violent when supporters of Berisha’s opposition Democratic Party threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at government offices in Tirana. Security forces responded with water cannons and tear gas.
Berisha claims the protests have been peaceful, and people are only voicing their opposition to Rama’s increasing autocratic rule and his attacks of the justice system.
At least 16 protesters were treated for injuries and 13 protesters were arrested, according to The Associated Press.
Observers of the region believe Berisha, who was prime minister from 2005 to 2013 and faced his own corruption charges, is angling to topple the socialist prime minister and main political rival, Rama, and return to power.
The turmoil in Albania comes as the country has long sought European Union membership, which began in 2014 when it became an official candidate for accession. While the 2025 annual European Commission report stated that Albania made significant strides in judicial reforms and combating organized crime, the latest allegations against Rami’s government will complicate its path to EU membership.
The United States helped implement Albania’s judicial reform process, including the creation of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK). The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) invested millions to foster democratic progress in Albania and assisted in combating Albania’s struggles with corruption and strengthening its weak institutions.
Nesho warned the U.S. and European Union need to get serious with policy in the Western Balkans and help move Albania closer to European integration.
‘If Washington and Brussels continue to look the other way — failing to enforce the rule of law, restore real checks and balances, and cut the regime’s ties to organized crime and drug trafficking — Albania risks drifting into the orbit of Eastern-style autocracy,’ Nesho said.
TSX-V: WLR
Frankfurt: 6YL
Walker Lane Resources Ltd. (TSXV: WLR,OTC:CMCXF) (Frankfurt: 6YL) (the ‘Company’) announces that the Company continues to work diligently toward the completion and filing of the Company’s annual audited financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 (the ‘Required Filings’). The Company is actively working on various strategies that they expect will resolve the preparation of the Required Filings as quickly as possible.
The Required Filings are due to be filed by March 30, 2025. In connection with the anticipated delays in making the Required Filings, the Company made an application for a Management Cease Trade Order (‘MCTO‘) under NP 12-203 to the BC Securities Commission, as principal regulator for the Company, and the MCTO was issued on January 29, 2026. The MCTO restricts all trading by the Company’s CEO and CFO in securities of the Company, whether direct or indirect. The MCTO does not affect the ability of persons who are not directors, officers or insiders of the Company to trade their securities. The MCTO will remain in effect until the Required Filings are filed or until it is revoked or varied.
The Company expects to proceed with the filing of its interim first-quarter financial statements shortly after the Required Filings have been completed and submitted.
The Company confirms that it intends to satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines described in NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of a news release until it meets the Required Filings requirement. The Company has not taken any steps towards any insolvency proceeding and the Company has no material information relating to its affairs that has not been generally disclosed.
About Walker Lane Resources Ltd.
Walker Lane Resources Ltd. is a growth-stage exploration company focused on the exploration of high-grade gold, silver and polymetallic deposits in the Walker Lane Gold Trend District in Nevada and the Rancheria Silver District in Yukon/B.C. and other property assets in Yukon. The Company intends to initiate an aggressive exploration program to advance its projects through drilling programs with the aim of achieving resource definition in the near future.
For more information, please consult the Company’s filings, available at www.sedarplus.ca.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kevin Brewer
President, CEO and Director
Walker Lane Resources Ltd.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains certain statements that constitute ‘forward looking information under Canadian securities laws (‘forward-looking statements’). The use of words such as ‘anticipates’, ‘expected’, ‘projected’, ‘pursuing’, ‘plans’ and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the application for the MCTO and the completion of the Required Filings and the timing thereof. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Walker Lane Resources Ltd
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