Australia's Alkane Resources is set to acquire Canadian miner Mandalay Resources in a deal valued at approximately $358 million, creating a diversified gold and antimony producer with a combined valuation exceeding $1 billion. This merger aims to strengthen the companies' positions in the gold and antimony markets. Meanwhile, Barrick Gold Corp., one of the world's largest gold miners, announced plans to change its name to Barrick Mining and update its New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol to "B" as it expands its focus into copper mining. Additionally, Centerra Gold has taken a 9.9% stake in Azimut Exploration for $5.7 million to support new gold and critical minerals projects. Separately, KoBold Metals is preparing significant investments to develop ethical sources of critical metals in the Democratic Republic of Congo.