## Venezuela Opens Its Gold and Rare Earths to U.S. Mining

Authored by riotimesonline.com

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum with over 20 mining executives, the issuance of a U.S. license authorizing gold transactions with state miner Minerven, and the arrival in the U.S. of a first $100 million gold shipment via commodities trader Trafigura.

— The mineral-rich zones targeted for investment — the 112,000-square-kilometer Orinoco Mining Arc — have been controlled for years by guerrillas, criminal gangs, and corrupt officials, with UN reports documenting slavery, trafficking, and environmental devastation.

Venezuela is rewriting its mining laws at a pace that tracks not with ordinary legislative process but with the tempo set by Washington.

At least one opposition bloc abstained, complaining that lawmakers received the draft just before the session opened.

The bill replaces a 2015 decree that imposed state control over mining exploration and a 1999 mining regulation law, opening the sector to foreign corporations for the first time in over two decades.

He brought over 20 U.S. and Canadian mining executives — including representatives from Peabody Energy, Caterpillar, Paulson & Co., and Hartree Partners — many from companies that had operated in Venezuela before the Chávez-era nationalizations. »

### Native American tribes in the West are trying — and succeeding — in getting ancestral lands back

Authored by kjzz.org

Native American tribes across the West are trying — and in more and more cases succeeding — in getting ancestral lands back.

BRADLEY: I think the reason why it just feels so — I'm Native American myself.

And so the extension to where they're trying to protect and preserve lands is also a part of land banking. »

### Trump may be unable to end the war he started with Iran, even if he wanted to

Authored by edition.cnn.com

Trump is now caught in the oldest trap of modern warfare – believing a swift, surgical military operation will yield quick, enduring political results.

But the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28 has caused as many problems as it has solved.

Democracy and regime change are now an aspiration in the rear-view mirror of Trump as he seeks an end to the war. »

### Overwatch co-creator Jeff Kaplan on his exit from Activision Blizzard: 'It was the biggest f**k you moment I've had in my career'

Authored by pcgamer.com

Overwatch co-creator Jeff Kaplan was the public face of Overwatch before he left Activision Blizzard in 2021.

"Where it got away from us is that there was a lot of excitement about Overwatch League, like too much," Kaplan said.

"And so all your plans [for Overwatch content] at that point kinda go out the window," Kaplan said. »

### ROTC students at Old Dominion University subdued and killed shooter who left 1 dead, 2 hurt

Authored by apnews.com

He had yelled “Allahu Akbar” before the shooting, which left one person dead and two wounded, according to the FBI.

Jalloh had pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to aid the Islamic State and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

The school in coastal Norfolk has about 24,000 students and says nearly 30% of its students are military-affiliated. »

## In pictures

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