Stories covered: 1. China Rare Earth Group in talks to acquire Shenghe Resources — controls 3% stake in MP Materials (Mountain Pass, California); would deepen Beijing's state consolidation of the rare earth sector 2. Three years of Chinese gallium & germanium export curbs — prices 9-10x 2023 levels; ex-China gallium supply gap of ~678 tonnes by year-end; named expert quotes from Project Blue, Edmund Optics, Lattice Materials 3. EU imposes provisional safeguards on grain-oriented electrical steel imports — minimum prices €2,800-€3,400/tonne within quota, €3,500/tonne above; effective September 25; first-ever full value chain protection 4. Barrick Loulo-Gounkoto Mali strike — September 28 deadline, eight days out; no resolution announced; 796,000 oz Q2 production on full-year guidance of 2.9-3.25 million oz
