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First Class Metals (LSE:FCM) has released the final assay results from its drilling programme at the Roy prospect on the Sunbeam property in Ontario, confirming bonanza-grade gold mineralisation in diamond drill hole SUN26-05 and validating earlier photon assay results. The company has now outlined gold mineralisation across approximately 300 metres of strike, with both high-grade intersections and wider lower-grade zones remaining open along strike and at depth.

Recent structural interpretation has also indicated that the Roy, Pettigrew and Sunbeam trends are all part of the Nahanni Shear Zone, a regional-scale geological structure that the company believes is comparable to the Marmion Shear Zone, which hosts the Hammond Reef gold deposit. First Class Metals said this significantly increases the exploration potential of the project. With only around 1% of the interpreted shear corridor drilled so far, the company is expanding its exploration programme through additional soil sampling and very low frequency (VLF) geophysical surveys, while also planning a winter drilling campaign on the frozen lake beside the Roy prospect. Airborne geophysical surveys are also being considered to refine targets at Roy and apply the geological model to the parallel Pettigrew trend.

The company’s outlook continues to be constrained by weak financial fundamentals, including the absence of revenue, recurring losses and ongoing negative operating and free cash flow, leaving it dependent on external funding. These challenges are partly balanced by moderately positive technical indicators, with the share price remaining above key longer-term moving averages despite weaker profitability. Valuation also remains difficult to assess given the company’s negative earnings and the absence of a dividend.

More about First Class Metals PLC

First Class Metals PLC is a UK-listed mineral exploration company focused on identifying and developing economically significant mineral deposits across its portfolio of projects in Ontario, Canada. The company is currently prioritising exploration at its Sunbeam gold property, where it is advancing several prospective trends, including the Roy and Pettigrew targets, within a broader district-scale shear zone.

By combining drilling, geophysical surveys and geological modelling, First Class Metals aims to unlock the potential of its Ontario exploration portfolio and expand known gold mineralisation across multiple targets.

NCC Group (LSE:NCC) has announced plans to return £185 million to shareholders following the completion of the £253 million sale of its Escode division. The proposal follows an earlier £40 million share buyback and includes a capital reduction that will create approximately £225 million of distributable reserves. Subject to shareholder approval and court confirmation, the company intends to launch a £170 million tender offer at 145 pence per share alongside an additional £15 million share buyback.

The tender offer represents an 11% premium to NCC Group’s most recent closing share price and, if fully subscribed, could result in the repurchase and cancellation of up to 41.2% of the company’s issued share capital. Such a move would significantly reduce the group’s equity base. The Board has confirmed that directors will not participate in the tender offer and has chosen not to recommend whether shareholders should accept the offer, leaving individual investors to decide whether to realise immediate value or retain their investment for future growth.

The company’s outlook continues to be affected by weaker financial performance, including declining revenue and operating losses. These challenges are partly offset by strong and improving free cash flow generation and a balance sheet that remains in relatively good condition. Valuation also presents a modest headwind due to the company’s relatively high price-to-earnings ratio, while technical analysis remains inconclusive because of limited indicator data.

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NCC Group plc is a UK-listed cybersecurity and risk management specialist providing cyber resilience, software escrow and digital assurance services to organisations around the world. The company helps businesses identify, manage and respond to cyber threats while supporting operational resilience across a broad range of industries.

Following the disposal of its Escode business, NCC Group is reshaping its operations to focus more closely on its core cybersecurity and risk mitigation activities while returning surplus capital to shareholders.

Great Western Mining (LSE:GWMO) has announced encouraging assay results from machine-cut channel sampling at its Defender-Pine Crow project in Mineral County, Nevada, confirming a skarn-hosted tungsten trend extending for approximately three kilometres. The mineralised corridor links historic mining areas with the company’s M2 copper resource and returned significant tungsten trioxide (WO3) intercepts, alongside low concentrations of metallurgical penalty elements such as molybdenum and areas of silver mineralisation, highlighting the project’s multi-commodity potential.

The latest channel samples, together with infill rock chip sampling, have expanded and confirmed the near-surface tungsten corridor stretching from Dough God and Pine Crow to Widowmaker. The findings strengthen the company’s geological interpretation ahead of its fully permitted maiden reverse circulation drilling programme. Great Western Mining said the results improve confidence in drill targeting and represent an important step forward as the project advances from surface exploration towards systematic resource definition.

The programme also confirmed widespread scheelite-bearing garnet skarn mineralisation with favourable metallurgical characteristics, potentially reducing development risk and supporting future economic studies. In addition, the identification of silver mineralisation within the skarn sequence could provide valuable by-product credits if confirmed by drilling, improving the overall economics of the Defender-Pine Crow project and increasing its appeal as a strategic critical minerals asset.

The company’s outlook continues to be constrained by weak financial performance, including the absence of revenue, ongoing losses and negative free cash flow. These challenges are partly offset by a debt-free balance sheet. Technical indicators remain weak, with the shares trading below their 20-day and 50-day moving averages and momentum indicators remaining negative. Valuation also remains difficult to assess while the company is loss-making and does not currently offer a dividend.

More about Great Western Mining Corporation

Great Western Mining Corporation is a strategic minerals exploration and development company focused on its wholly owned claim groups in Mineral County, Nevada, a well-established mining jurisdiction in the United States. The company is increasingly prioritising tungsten exploration while continuing to advance its Huntoon Copper Project, which hosts a JORC-compliant resource. It also retains exposure to gold and silver through exploration, tailings reprocessing opportunities and potential joint ventures.

Its diversified portfolio of tungsten, copper and precious metals projects is designed to provide exposure to growing demand for critical minerals while balancing exploration risk across multiple commodities. The company is progressing exploration through drilling, geophysical surveys and resource evaluation as it seeks to advance projects towards potential development.

Great Western Mining is listed on AIM, Euronext Growth and OTCQB, providing access to a broad international investor base while supporting the continued development of its exploration portfolio.

Alien Metals (LSE:UFO) has conditionally agreed to acquire Knox Resources, securing full ownership of the Georgina Basin iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) project in Australia’s Northern Territory. The acquisition covers a tenement package of approximately 2,500 square kilometres, supported by extensive historical exploration that includes drilling, geophysical surveys and the identification of more than 90 IOCG-style targets. Three of these prospects have already been classified as drill-ready following gravity and ambient noise tomography studies.

Previous exploration carried out by Greenvale Energy and Venari Minerals, representing combined expenditure of around A$4.8 million, confirmed the project’s IOCG potential and identified anomalous copper, bismuth, silver and uranium mineralisation. High-grade uranium intersections have also been recorded at several prospects. Alien Metals said the £200,000 acquisition, comprising a mixture of shares and cash, adds a highly prospective exploration asset to its portfolio while broadening its exposure to copper and uranium, two commodities expected to benefit from long-term demand linked to electrification and expanding data centre infrastructure.

The acquisition will also be accompanied by significant leadership changes. Current non-executive director Michael Carter will become non-executive chairman, while Venari executive Vincent Fayad will join the Board as an executive director once the transaction completes. The company will also strengthen its technical capabilities with the addition of a new exploration team led by Matt Healy and Paul Abbott, whose experience is expected to accelerate exploration across Alien Metals’ Australian projects.

Current executive chairman Bruce Garlick will move into a temporary non-executive position to oversee an orderly leadership transition and ensure continuity. Alien Metals believes the combination of the Georgina Basin acquisition, strengthened technical expertise and refreshed Board structure will enhance its ability to pursue IOCG discoveries and build long-term shareholder value through increased exposure to Australian copper, gold and uranium exploration.

The company’s outlook remains constrained by weak financial performance, characterised by the absence of revenue, ongoing losses and persistent negative free cash flow. Technical indicators also continue to reflect a generally weak share price trend, while valuation offers little support given the company’s negative earnings and lack of a dividend.

More about Alien Metals Ltd

Alien Metals Ltd is an AIM-listed exploration and development company focused on building a diversified portfolio of base and precious metals projects. Alongside its existing assets, the company is expanding its exposure to copper and uranium, targeting commodities expected to play an increasingly important role in electrification, artificial intelligence infrastructure and broader industrial growth.

The business is also strengthening its corporate governance and technical capabilities through Board appointments and specialist exploration expertise. Its strategy is centred on advancing highly prospective Australian exploration assets while leveraging experienced management and technical teams to accelerate project development and unlock long-term value.

Clean Power Hydrogen plc (LSE:CPH2) has resumed trading on AIM after securing gross proceeds of approximately £2.54 million through the firm placing element of a broader fundraising. The company said the initial proceeds will strengthen its working capital position and provide sufficient funding to support operations through to December 2026.

The remaining elements of the fundraising, once completed, are expected to extend Clean Power Hydrogen’s funding runway until at least June 2027 while supporting a revised capital-light business model. Under the updated strategy, the company intends to focus on strategic partnerships, manufacturing agreements and the global licensing of its proprietary hydrogen technology, reducing capital requirements while expanding its commercial reach within the green hydrogen market.

The company’s outlook remains constrained by weak financial fundamentals, including minimal revenue, widening losses, substantial cash burn and a significantly reduced equity base. Technical indicators are more encouraging, with the shares maintaining an upward trend and positive momentum, although an elevated relative strength index (RSI) suggests the potential for a short-term pullback. Valuation remains difficult to assess as the company is still loss-making and does not currently offer a dividend.

More about Clean Power Hydrogen PLC

Clean Power Hydrogen PLC is a UK-based clean energy technology company developing innovative solutions for the production of green hydrogen and oxygen. Through its subsidiary, Clean Power Hydrogen Group Limited, the business owns a portfolio of global patents focused on reducing the lifetime cost of hydrogen production for electrolysis, decentralised energy systems and wider alternative energy applications.

Listed on AIM under the ticker CPH2, the company is seeking to commercialise its proprietary technology through licensing and strategic partnerships as demand for low-carbon hydrogen solutions continues to grow.

Kendrick Resources (LSE:KEN) has announced new portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) drilling results from three diamond drill holes at its Teufelskuppe rare earth project in Namibia, providing further evidence of extensive, shallow and continuous mineralisation within the carbonatite complex. The latest drilling identified near-surface total rare earth oxide (TREO) intercepts averaging approximately 2% to 3% by weight, supporting confidence in both the quality and continuity of the mineralised system.

Core samples from drill holes TKDD004 to TKDD006 have now been logged and submitted for independent laboratory analysis to verify the in-house pXRF results and support the preparation of a JORC 2012-compliant mineral resource estimate. Kendrick said the grades recorded place Teufelskuppe among the higher-grade rare earth projects globally, while the growing evidence of mineralisation at depth highlights the potential for further resource growth. The company believes the project could develop into an important source of rare earth elements for industrialised markets while contributing to Namibia’s mining sector.

The company’s outlook continues to be constrained by weak financial fundamentals, including the absence of revenue, recurring losses, negative cash flow and a balance sheet showing negative equity. However, technical indicators remain favourable, reflecting positive share price momentum. Valuation remains difficult to assess given the company’s lack of profitability and the absence of dividend payments.

More about Kendrick Resources PLC

Kendrick Resources PLC is a mineral exploration and development company focused on identifying, acquiring and advancing strategic mineral projects through exploration, technical evaluation and project development. The company’s leadership team has extensive experience across southern Africa, with rare earth interests including the Bonya Project in Namibia and the Blue Fox licence in north-west Zambia.

Kendrick’s strategy is to advance projects towards production through joint ventures, strategic partnerships or asset sales, with a focus on supplying critical rare earth minerals to global markets outside traditional supply chains. Its Teufelskuppe project in Namibia is emerging as a potentially significant source of light rare earth elements used in advanced manufacturing, clean energy technologies and defence applications.

Tekcapital (LSE:TEK) has announced a significant commercial achievement for portfolio company Innovative Eyewear, which has secured a nationwide rollout of its Lucyd Armor smart safety glasses across 345 FYidoctors and Visique clinics operated by Canada’s FYihealth group. The launch is scheduled to begin during the third quarter of 2026 through FYihealth’s Visiguard prescription safety programme and represents the first national introduction of Lucyd products into Canada’s $4.5 billion optical market.

The agreement substantially expands Innovative Eyewear’s retail distribution network and makes its ChatGPT-enabled smart glasses available through a professionally supervised optical channel for everyday eyewear users across Canada and selected parts of the United States. For Tekcapital, which holds an investment in Innovative Eyewear, the rollout highlights the value of its portfolio and reflects increasing adoption of smart eyewear through established optical retailers.

The company’s outlook continues to be weighed down by inconsistent operating performance, ongoing negative operating and free cash flow, and earnings volatility. Technical indicators also remain weak, reflecting a prolonged share price downtrend and limited momentum. While a relatively low price-to-earnings ratio and a debt-free balance sheet provide some support, they do not fully offset concerns surrounding cash burn and profitability.

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Tekcapital plc is an AIM-listed intellectual property investment company focused on commercialising technologies developed by universities and corporate research organisations. The group invests in businesses developing innovative products with the potential to improve everyday life across a range of industries.

One of its key portfolio companies is NASDAQ-listed Innovative Eyewear Inc., which designs, manufactures and sells Bluetooth-enabled smart glasses under brands including Lucyd, Lucyd Armor, Nautica, Eddie Bauer and Reebok. The company focuses on integrating connected technology into prescription eyewear for both consumer and professional markets.

FYihealth group is a doctor-led eye care organisation operating more than 370 FYidoctors, Visique, BonLook and Solis Optics locations across Canada and the United States. The group provides optical products and eye care services while supporting optometry education and outreach initiatives for underserved communities.

NeoTerra Group Plc (LSE:TERA) has announced further progress at its Monte Muambe project in Africa after achieving a metallurgical milestone that supports the production of multiple critical mineral products. Test work has established a practical two-stage flotation process capable of separating silicates, oxides and carbonates to produce premium acid-grade fluorspar. The programme also demonstrated that gallium-bearing minerals respond differently during flotation, creating the opportunity to generate a pre-concentrated gallium feed while also supporting the recovery of a separate heavy rare earths concentrate.

The company is continuing additional gallium recovery studies at SGS Lakefield in Canada and COMEX in Poland to refine the processing flowsheet and maximise commercial returns. If successful, the work could enable three separate saleable product streams. At the same time, a US$1.875 million U.S. government-funded prefeasibility programme for the rare earths project is progressing towards execution, with leading engineering firms shortlisted and preparations for metallurgical sampling already under way.

NeoTerra believes changing global supply dynamics are strengthening the strategic importance of Monte Muambe. Increasing separation between Chinese and non-Chinese rare earth supply chains, together with tighter Chinese export restrictions, has driven higher prices for heavy rare earth elements. The company noted that yttrium oxide prices in Europe have risen sharply amid supply shortages, increasing the value of Monte Muambe’s yttrium-rich mineralisation contained within its fluorspar deposit and enhancing the project’s long-term economic potential.

The technical progress has also generated increased interest from critical minerals traders across Europe, North America and Asia, excluding China, as well as from a prospective strategic partner in Japan. NeoTerra believes advances in gallium recovery and support from government-backed funding programmes could help overcome financing challenges associated with developing non-Chinese sources of critical minerals, strengthening the company’s position as it works towards formal strategic partnerships.

The company’s outlook remains constrained by weak financial fundamentals, including the absence of revenue, ongoing losses, sustained cash outflows and higher leverage during 2025. Technical indicators also remain negative, with the shares trading below key moving averages and bearish momentum signals persisting. Valuation offers limited support as the company remains loss-making and does not currently pay a dividend.

More about NeoTerra Group Plc

NeoTerra Group Plc is a London Main Market-listed exploration and development company focused on critical raw materials across Africa. Its strategy centres on advancing assets with near-term commercial potential, targeting minerals such as fluorspar, heavy rare earths and gallium that are increasingly important to global industrial and technology supply chains.

The company’s flagship Monte Muambe project is being developed as a potential source of premium acid-grade fluorspar together with heavy rare earth and gallium by-products. NeoTerra aims to capitalise on rising demand for critical minerals sourced outside China by combining technical development with government-supported initiatives to accelerate project advancement.

Steppe Cement (LSE:STCM) delivered a strong first-half performance in 2026, increasing revenue by 43% year-on-year to KZT29,588 million after selling 978,950 tonnes of cement. Higher average selling prices, supported by increased sales volumes and a 7% appreciation in the Kazakh tenge, helped drive the improvement. Although Kazakhstan’s overall cement market remained broadly unchanged, the company increased its market share to 15%. Steppe Cement expects full-year sales of around 1.95 million tonnes, below 2025 levels, reflecting reduced clinker inventories.

The company continues to progress its capacity expansion project, which will increase annual production capacity to 2.5 million tonnes. Most of the required contracts have already been secured, with commissioning remaining on track for summer 2027. The project is currently being financed through internal cash flow. As a large proportion of the contracts are denominated in U.S. dollars, Steppe Cement intends to hedge its foreign exchange exposure and said it would only consider taking on debt if it decides to pursue additional expansion beyond the current development programme. The business continues to operate against a backdrop of elevated interest rates, although inflation has shown signs of easing.

The company’s outlook is supported by stronger financial performance during 2025, including a sharp recovery in revenue and improved free cash flow, alongside a balance sheet with very low levels of debt. Positive technical indicators also point to an established upward trend in the share price. However, valuation remains a consideration, with a relatively high price-to-earnings ratio partly offset by an attractive dividend yield.

More about Steppe Cement Ltd

Steppe Cement Ltd is a Kazakhstan-based producer supplying cement to the domestic construction industry. The company markets both delivered and ex-factory cement and has increasingly focused sales on regions close to its production facility to help manage rising transport and electricity costs while maintaining a strong position in the national cement market.