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A Venezuelan influencer who criticized both gangs and allegedly corrupt cops was shot and killed on Monday while livestreaming on TikTok, authorities said.

Venezuela’s Ministry of Public Safety said in a statement on Instagram that influencer Gabriel Jesús Sarmiento died in the city of Maracay.

Sarmiento often criticized criminal groups and alleged corruption in law enforcement through his content online, and the ministry added that his death came shortly after he reported “threats made against him by members of the GEDOs (Organized Crime Structured Groups, in Spanish) and alleged police officials.”

Maracay is the capital of Aragua, the region from which the notorious Tren de Aragua gang takes its name, though there is no known connection between the TikToker’s death and the criminal group.

The ministry also said it assigned the 69th Prosecutor’s Office Against Organized Crime to “investigate, identify, and prosecute” those responsible for Sarmiento’s death.

“What happened, what happened?” shouts the man in the recording, followed by a heavy burst of gunfire.

“They shot me!” the man then screams. The video ends with the image of two unidentified armed men. Seconds later, the livestream stops and the video ends.

Sarmiento’s death comes just over a month after another Latin American influencer was killed while livestreaming. Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Marquez was shot and killed in a salon in Jalisco in May, sparking outrage over high rates of femicide in the region.

Just days before Marquez’s death, another woman – a mayoral candidate in the state of Veracruz – was shot dead, also during a livestream, alongside three other people.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

Canada believes US President Donald Trump is no longer interested in turning it into the 51st state, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday.

“He admires Canada,” Carney told Amanpour. “I think it’s fair to say, maybe for a period of time (he) coveted Canada.”

Carney has frequently pronounced the old, close partnership between Canada and the United States as “over.” He began his term by courting European partners in the United Kingdom and France, and even collaborating with Australia on new radar systems for the Canadian Arctic.

Still, Carney credited Trump for pushing Canada toward higher defense spending, especially meeting the defense spending benchmark for NATO members.

“The president is focused on changing a series of bilateral relations,” Carney told Amanpour. “We’re at NATO. He’s been focused on making sure that all members, Canada included … pay their fair share. I think we’re doing that now.”

Trump now has the “potential to be decisive” in the situation in the Middle East, Carney also told Amanpour. While a broader peace in the region is the ultimate goal, he added, the current priority should be getting “the basics”: a ceasefire, a full resumption of humanitarian aid and the release of all hostages held in the strip.

“He’s used his influence and US power in other situations. We’ve just seen it in Iran. It does create possibility of moving forward and there’s a moral imperative to move forward,” Carney added.

The Canadian leader also credited Iran for its “proportionate” response to the US having bombed three nuclear sites: a highly telegraphed strike on a regional US military base, which was largely intercepted.

“The military action was also a diplomatic move by Iran. We never welcome, obviously, hostilities and reactions, but it was proportionate, it was de-escalatory, it appears to have been previewed,” Carney said.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

Seventy-five years ago this week, more than 135,000 North Korean troops invaded South Korea, starting a war that cost millions of lives and left scars that linger to this day.

Yet, the Korean War has been forever overshadowed by World War II, a much larger conflict that ended less than five years earlier. Even the US Army refers to Korea as “the Forgotten War” – despite more than 36,000 American lives lost.

Sixteen nations, including the United States, sent combat troops in aid of South Korea under the United Nations Command. Chinese troops intervened on the North Korean side.

War broke out on June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces stormed across the 38th parallel dividing North and South Korea. An armistice signed on July 27, 1953, stopped the conflict, but the war never officially ended because there was no peace treaty.

While the twists and turns of today’s US-North Korea relationship have put a spotlight on the Korean War’s legacy, it is still a widely overlooked conflict.

Here are six things you might not know about the Korean War:

The US Army once controlled one of the world’s most secretive cities

It’s almost impossible for Americans to travel to North Korea or its capital city Pyongyang. US passport holders are not allowed to go there without special permission from the US State Department.

But for eight weeks in 1950, Pyongyang was under control of the US Army.

On October 19 of that year, the US Army’s 1st Cavalry Division along with a division of South Korean soldiers captured the North Korean capital, according to US Army histories.

The US forces quickly made themselves at home, according to the histories.

By October 22, the US Eighth Army had set up its advance headquarters in what was the headquarters building for North Korean leader Kim Il Sung.

A picture from the time shows an American intelligence officer sitting at Kim’s desk with a portrait of Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin hanging on the wall behind him.

But the US military’s occupation of Pyongyang was short-lived. When Chinese troops entered the war in late November 1950, they quickly pushed south and vanquished US forces from Pyongyang by December 5.

The US dropped more bombs on North Korea than on the entire region during WWII

Most images of the Korean War are of ground battles fought in places like the Chosin Reservoir and Incheon. But much of the destruction wreaked on North Korea by the US military was done in a relentless bombing campaign.

During the three years of the Korean War, US aircraft dropped 635,000 tons of bombs – both high explosive and incendiary – on North Korea. That’s more than the 500,000 tons of bombs the US dropped in the Pacific in the entirety of the Second World War, according to figures cited by historian Charles Armstrong in the Asia-Pacific Journal.

Journalists, international observers and American prisoners of war who were in North Korea during the war reported nearly every substantial building had been destroyed. By November 1950, North Korea was advising its citizens to dig holes for housing and shelter.

North Korea didn’t keep official casualty figures from the bombings, but information obtained from Russian archives by the Wilson Center’s Cold War International History Project put the number at more than 280,000.

Gen. Curtis LeMay, the father of US strategic bombing and the architect of fire raids that destroyed swathes of Japanese cities in World War II, said this of the American bombing of North Korea:

“We went over there and fought the war and eventually burned down every town in North Korea anyway, some way or another.”

Armstrong said that bombing of North Korea has effects that linger to this day.

“The DPRK (Democratic Republic of Korea) government never forgot the lesson of North Korea’s vulnerability to American air attack, and for half a century after the Armistice continued to strengthen antiaircraft defenses, build underground installations, and eventually develop nuclear weapons to ensure that North Korea would not find itself in such a position again,” Armstrong wrote.

North Korea convinced the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin to let the war happen

When World War II ended, control of the Korean Peninsula – occupied by defeated Japanese troops – was divided between the Soviet Union in the north and the United States in the south.

Kim Il Sung, the leader of North Korea, wanted to unite the two Koreas under communist rule and sought permission of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to do so by force, according to records from the Wilson Center.

Upon Kim’s first request to invade in March 1949, Stalin was wary and did not want to be pulled into a conflict with the United States, which still had occupation troops in South Korea.

But when those troops were pulled in the summer of 1949, Stalin’s opposition softened, and by April 1950 the Soviet leader was ready to hear Kim out again when the North Korean leader visited Moscow.

Stalin told Kim that the USSR would back the invasion, but only if Kim got communist China to approve too.

Emboldened by communist China’s victory over Nationalist forces in 1949 – in a civil war in which Washington did not intervene – Chinese leader Mao Zedong agreed and offered to be a backup force for North Korean troops in the eventuality the US intervened.

With that, Kim had the green light to invade.

The Korean War saved Taiwan from a potential communist takeover

In 1949, communist China was amassing forces along its coast to invade Taiwan, the island to which Chiang Kai-shek and his Nationalist forces had fled after losing to Mao and the communists in the Chinese Civil War.

But the outbreak of the Korean War put a big roadblock in the way of communist China’s plans – the US Navy. Fearful of the fighting in Korea spreading across East Asia, President Harry Truman dispatched US warships to the waters between China and Taiwan.

The US State Department tells how close Taiwan, now a self-governed democaracy that Beijing still claims as part of China, came to a potential communist takeover.

“In late 1949 and early 1950, American officials were prepared to let PRC (People’s Republic of China) forces cross the Strait and defeat Chiang, but after the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, the United States sent its Seventh Fleet into the Taiwan Strait to prevent the Korean conflict from spreading south,” reads a passage from the department’s Office of the Historian.

“The appearance of the Seventh Fleet angered the Chinese communists, who transferred their troops poised for an invasion of Taiwan to the Korean front,” it reads.

By October 19, 1950, 12 divisions of communist Chinese troops, more than a quarter-million men, were in North Korea, according to a Brookings Institution account.

Those Chinese troops would inflict horrific losses on the US and South Korean troops they faced, eventually driving them out of North Korea completely.

But China also suffered massive losses; more than 180,000 of its troops were killed.

The first jet-vs-jet dogfight

Jet fighters entered military service in World War II with the introduction of the German Messerschmidt 262. But the jet fighters didn’t go head-to-head in a “Top Gun”-style dogfight until the Korean War.

Records seem to agree that first dogfight occurred over Sinuiju in North Korea, near the Yalu River, and its border with China on November 8, 1950. The Americans, flying F-80 Shooting Star jets, were confronted by MiG-15s, Soviet-made jets that were probably being piloted by Soviet pilots from bases in China.

According to a report from the historian of the US Air Force’s 51st Fighter Wing, eight to 12 MiGs came after an American flight of four F-80s that day. In a 60-second encounter with one of those MIGs, Air Force 1st Lt. Russell Brown hit a MiG-15 with fire from his jet’s cannon and saw it explode in flames, becoming the first jet fighter pilot to score a kill in a dogfight, the report says.

But others dispute that account, with a report from the US Naval Institute (USNI) saying that Soviet records show no MiGs were lost that day.

What is certain is that the next day, November 9, 1950, US Navy Lt. Cmdr. William Amen, flying an F9F fighter off the aircraft carrier USS Philippine Sea, shot down a MiG-15 during airstrikes against bridges on the Yalu River.

Soviet records confirm the MiG-15 loss that day, according to the USNI report.

Later in the war, the US introduced the F-86 jet to the Korean conflict. That plane won fame in battles against the MiG-15 in what was know as “MiG Alley,” the area along the Korea-China border, where the Soviet pilots flew out of bases on the Chinese side.

The National Museum of the US Air Force in Ohio explains MiG Alley this way:

“Large formations of MiGs would lie in wait on the Manchurian side of the border. When UN aircraft entered MiG Alley, these MiGs would swoop down from high altitude to attack. If the MiGs ran into trouble, they would try to escape back over the border into communist China. (To prevent a wider war, UN pilots were ordered not to attack targets in Manchuria.) Even with this advantage, communist pilots still could not compete against the better-trained Sabre pilots of the US Air Force, who scored a kill ratio of about 8:1 against the MiGs.”

The United States never declared war

Though millions of lives were lost during the fighting on the Korean Peninsula between 1950 and 1953, they were technically casualties of what was called a “police action.”

Under the US Constitution, only the US Congress can declare war on another nation. But it has not done so since World War II.

When North Korea invaded the South in 1950, US President Harry Truman sent the US military to intervene as part of a combined effort approved by the United Nations Security Council.

“Fifteen other nations also sent troops under the UN command. Truman did not seek a formal declaration of war from Congress; officially, America’s presence in Korea amounted to no more than a ‘police action,’” reads a passage from the US National Archives.

And those police actions have become the norm for US military intervention ever since. The Vietnam War, the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, all have seen US troops enter combat under congressional authorizations for the use of military force (AUMF), according to the US House of Representatives website.

Though the AUMF had been around since the beginning of the republic, “after World War II … AUMFs became much broader, often granting Presidents sweeping authority to engage America’s military around the world,” the US House website says.

“The war was the first large overseas US conflict without a declaration of war, setting a precedent for the unilateral presidential power exercised today,” Emory University law professor Mary Dudziak wrote in a 2019 opinion column for the Washington Post.

“The Korean War has helped to enable this century’s forever wars,” Dudziak wrote.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

The S&P MidCap 400 SPDR (MDY) is trading at a moment of truth as its 5-day SMA returns to the 200-day SMA. A bearish trend signal triggered in early March. Despite a strong bounce from early April to mid May, this signal remains in force because it has yet to be proven otherwise. Today’s report will show how to quantify signals and reduce whipsaws using the percentage difference between two SMAs.

First note that MDY is lagging SPY and QQQ because its 5-day has yet to cross above its 200-day. The latter two saw bullish crosses in mid May, over a month ago. A bullish breakout in MDY would reflect broadening upside participation, which would be bullish for stocks. The PerfChart below shows SPY and QQQ with year-to-date gains. MDY and IWM are down year-to-date. 

 

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TrendInvestorPro continues to follow the leading uptrends and recent breakouts in metals-related ETFs. These include gold, silver, palladium, platinum, copper and associated miners. Tech-related ETFs are also leading and featured in our reports/videos. Click here to learn more and get full access to our research.

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The chart below shows MDY hitting its moment of truth as the 5-day SMA (black line) bumps against the underside of the 200-day SMA (blue line). A bearish cross occurred in late February and this signal has yet to be reversed. However, I am not watching for a simple 5/200 cross. Instead, I want to see the 5-day SMA clear the 200-day SMA by a certain percentage. This is a signal threshold.

The indicator window shows Percent above MA (5,200,1), which measures the percentage difference between the 5 and 200 day SMAs. See the TIP Indicator Edge Plugin for details. I placed signal thresholds at +3% and -3% to reduce whipsaws. A bullish signal triggers with a move above +3% and a bearish signal triggers with a move below -3%. At the very least, this indicator value is still negative and bearish. A move above 0 would reflect a positive 5/200 cross, while a move above +3% would trigger a bullish trend signal. This indicator is part of the TIP Indicator Edge Plugin for StockCharts ACP.

The signal threshold levels depend on your personal preferences and trading styles. Tighter thresholds generate earlier signals, but with more whipsaws. Wider thresholds reduce whipsaws, but increase signal lag. This is always the tradeoff. I prefer plus/minus 1 percent when using the 5/200 cross for SPY. I widened these thresholds to plus/minus 3 percent for MDY because it is more volatile.

TrendInvestorPro continues to follow the leading uptrends and recent breakouts in metals-related ETFs. These include gold, silver, palladium, platinum, copper and associated miners. Tech-related ETFs are also leading and featured in our reports/videos. Click here to learn more and gain immediate access. 

Some Sector Reshuffling, But No New Entries/Exits

Despite a backdrop of significant geopolitical events over the weekend, the market’s reaction appears muted — at least, in European trading. As we assess the RRG best five sectors model based on last Friday’s close, we’re seeing some interesting shifts within the top performers, even as the composition of the top five remains unchanged.

The jump in Technology’s ranking is particularly noteworthy, especially when compared to Consumer Discretionary’s drop to the bottom of the list (position #11). These two sectors often move in tandem, so this divergence is worth keeping an eye on.

  1. (1) Industrials – (XLI)
  2. (5) Technology – (XLK)*
  3. (3) Communication Services – (XLC)
  4. (2) Utilities – (XLU)*
  5. (4) Consumer Staples – (XLP)*
  6. (7) Real-Estate – (XLRE)*
  7. (6) Financials – (XLF)*
  8. (8) Materials – (XLB)
  9. (11) Energy – (XLE)*
  10. (10) Healthcare – (XLV)
  11. (9) Consumer Discretionary – (XLY)*

Weekly RRG Analysis

On the weekly Relative Rotation Graph, the Technology sector is showing impressive strength. Its tail is well-positioned in the improving quadrant, nearly entering the leading quadrant with a strong RRG heading. This movement explains Technology’s climb back into the top ranks.

Industrials remains the only top-five sector still inside the leading quadrant on the weekly RRG. It continues to gain relative strength, moving higher on the JdK RS-Ratio axis while slightly losing relative momentum. All in all, this tail is still in good shape.

Utilities, Communication Services, and Consumer Staples are all currently in the weakening quadrant. Utilities and Staples show negative headings but maintain high RS-Ratio readings, giving them room to potentially curl back up. Communication Services is starting to curl back up toward the leading quadrant.

Daily RRG

Switching to the daily RRG, we get a more nuanced picture:

  • Industrials: In the lagging quadrant with stable relative momentum, this sector needs an improvement in relative strength soon to remain in the top position.
  • Technology: Almost static at a high RS-Ratio reading, indicating a stable relative uptrend.
  • Communication Services: Back in the leading quadrant and still moving higher.
  • Utilities and Consumer Staples: Low readings but curling back up, with Utilities already re-entering the improving quadrant.

This daily view suggests that Utilities and Consumer Staples might maintain their positions in the top five, while raising some concerns about Industrials’ short-term performance.

Industrials: Resistance Roadblock

The industrial sector is grappling with overhead resistance between 142.5 and 145. This struggle is impacting the raw relative strength line, which has rolled over, causing the RS-Momentum line to curl as well.

The RS-Ratio remains elevated and moving higher, but the resistance level is a key area to watch.

Technology: Strong Despite Struggles

XLK is facing overhead resistance in the 240 area for the third consecutive week. From a relative perspective, however, the sector looks robust. The raw RS line broke from its falling channel and is clearly moving higher, dragging both RRG lines upward and pushing XLK into the leading quadrant on the weekly RRG.

Communication Services: Balancing Act

XLC is battling resistance around 105, with its raw RS line remaining inside its channel but slowly curling up against rising support. To maintain its position, we’ll need to see either higher prices for XLC or lower prices for SPY in the coming weeks.

Utilities & Consumer Staples: Range-Bound Challenges

Both of these sectors are stuck within their respective trading ranges, causing their RRG lines to roll over. With SPY moving higher, their relative strength is under pressure, positioning both tails in the weakening quadrant on negative RRG headings.

Portfolio Performance Update

From a portfolio perspective, we’re seeing a slight improvement, but the underperformance still persists. We’re continuing to track movements and position the portfolio according to the mechanical model that is the foundation of this best five sectors series.

Looking Ahead

With no changes to the top five sector positions, we’ll be closely monitoring how this selection holds up in the coming week. The divergence between Technology and Consumer Discretionary is particularly intriguing, and the struggles with overhead resistance across several sectors could prove pivotal.

Imho, the limited market reaction to the weekend’s geopolitical events (so far) suggests a certain resilience, but we’ll need to stay alert for any delayed impacts or shifts in sentiment.

#StayAlert and have a great week ahead. –Julius


This week, we’re keeping an eye on three major stocks that are reporting earnings. Two of them have been beaten down and are looking to turn things around, while the third has had a tremendous run and is looking to keep its extraordinary momentum going. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Could FedEx Be Ready for a Comeback?

FedEx (FDX) had a rough go last quarter, missing its EPS estimates and slashing its full-year outlook thanks to softening demand and losing a USPS contract. That combination of earnings shortfall and downgraded guidance spooked investors, with FDX’s stock price tumbling more than 10% in the days following the release. After “Liberation Day,” share prices traded even lower.

FedEx continues to take steps to cut costs and segment spinoffs to streamline and turn the stock around. Can FedEx do it fast enough? Any positive forward guidance will be critical to drive a sustained rebound in the stock’s price.

From a technical perspective, FDX shares have bounced back to the levels traded after its last quarterly results. The stock price is coiling between its longer-term downtrend and near-term uptrend from the lows.

The good news is that shares have recaptured their 50-day moving average; the bad news is that price is bumping up to its longer-term downtrend. Something’s got to give.

  • The average move post-earnings is +/-5.6%. 
  • An upward move should break it out of this downtrend and set shares on a path towards its 200-day moving average, which is just under $255.
  • A downward move would break the near-term downtrend, but could pause around the 50-day moving average and a consolidation area around $215.

Playing this stock into earnings has been a fool’s game. Wait for the dust to settle before jumping in. That could mean:

  • A break below the 50-day moving average and a move to the $200 level.
  • A gap up, which could mean the end of this downtrend and should be chased to the 200-day moving average.

Micron: Time for a Breather?

Micron Technology (MU) has been on fire since selling off during the “Liberation Day” chaos. It broke below a major support area, but quickly recaptured it.

The pendulum price action was a wild swing in the opposite direction. MU’s stock price broke out above a major resistance area and is in a precarious position as Micron heads into Wednesday’s quarterly results.

MU’s stock price is extremely overbought and may struggle to keep this upward momentum going. We have seen other tech stocks, such as Broadcom (AVGO) and CrowdStrike (CRWD), experience similar moves going into earnings. Both stocks reported solid quarters and guided higher, yet sold off.

Given the 100% gain from its April 7 lows, the overbought condition, and natural support areas (old resistance) at the $114 area, a pullback to here seems logical. The area below $114 to watch is the rising 200-day moving average, which is around $96 and seems like a better entry point than chasing the stock now.

Good earnings numbers should see a small fade to the $114 area and then hold. That is what happened in other stocks with big run-ups into earnings: a fade back to the recent breakout. If Micron reports numbers below estimates and/or weak guidance, expect a deeper pullback to the 200-day, which should act as strong support if tested again. Any further rally should be faded as MU nears $150 and all-time highs. That could put its relative strength index (RSI) into the 90s; historically, that doesn’t hold for very long.

Nike (NKE): Waiting for a Spark

Nike (NKE) has traded lower after eight of its last nine earnings reports, including the last six in a row. Shares are still down 66% from their 2021 all-time highs and, year-to-date, are lower by 21%.

It has been a tough environment for the iconic sports brand. Shareholders have been anxiously waiting for new management to turn things around, but high inventories and now tariff concerns have stymied any sense of a sustainable rally.

Technically speaking, things aren’t looking good. Investors are looking for any sign of a turnaround or a tradable bottom. While there has been minor progress coming off the lows, there’s nothing to indicate the stock is back.

Momentum indicators have turned bearish. The RSI has crossed below its midline, while the moving average convergence/divergence (MACD) had a bearish crossover.

Entering the week, the stock is at a good support level around $59, which brings the 50-day moving average and recent lows into play. While NIKE’s stock price has a lot to reverse and looks tempting, there is still much overhead resistance to give the all clear and jump into the trade, based on this week’s earnings. Positive news could see a tradeable upside to its 200-day moving average, which should then be faded.

For this stock to finally reverse, it needs more time and a few quarters of solid growth. It may be wiser to buy shares on a breakdown towards its lows around $52. If that occurs, then expect it to hold and rally back over the weeks ahead of its next quarterly result. 

The Bottom Line

This week’s earnings action is a good reminder to stay patient and be selective. Watch how these stocks react after earnings rather than trying to forecast the move. Sometimes, waiting for confirmation is the best strategy, especially when markets are so reactive.


In this video, Mary Ellen opens with a look at the S&P 500, noting that the index remains above its 10-day average despite a brief pullback—a sign of healthy market breadth. She points to ongoing sector leadership in technology, while observing that energy and defense stocks are breaking higher and offering fresh opportunities. From there, Mary Ellen shares stocks that experienced strong earnings, talks AI-related stocks that are on the move higher, and looks at winners and losers following the passage of the Genius Act.

This video originally premiered on June 20, 2025. You can watch it on our dedicated page for Mary Ellen’s videos.

New videos from Mary Ellen premiere weekly on Fridays. You can view all previously recorded episodes at this link.

If you’re looking for stocks to invest in, be sure to check out the MEM Edge Report! This report gives you detailed information on the top sectors, industries and stocks so you can make informed investment decisions.

White Cliff Minerals Limited (“WCN” or the “Company”) (ASX: WCN; OTCQB: WCMLF) is pleased to announce that John Hancock will join the Board of White Cliff Minerals effective 1 August 2025.

The Company is also pleased to announce that is has entered an advisory mandate with John Hancock’s family office Astrotricha Capital SEZC with Gavin Rezos as its CEO. This engagement, alongside John’s appointment to the Board comes at a pivotal time for White Cliff as its highly anticipated follow up campaign at the Rae Copper Project will shortly commence.

“Alongside our brokers, we have now worked with our Strategic Advisor John Hancock and his family office Astrotricha Capital on two successful capital raises totalling more than A$15m. We now welcome John to the Company as a Non-Executive Director who, alongside Astrotricha CEO Gavin Rezos, will bring further industry experience and strategic advice as we embark on the next phase of exploration at our Rae Copper Project where we will shortly commence drilling at the high-grade Danvers deposit and the giant geophysical anomaly at the sedimentary target – Hulk.’

Troy Whittaker – Managing Director

‘White Cliff’s first mover advantage in what may be one of the most prospective copper regions globally led to my involvement as Strategic Advisor and then via on-market purchases and the capital raises, to become the Company’s largest shareholder. The Company is well-funded to shortly commence the large drill campaign at Rae as a follow on from our earlier world class intercepts at the Danvers deposit. I am pleased Gavin Rezos, via Astrotricha Capital SEZC, will provide his extensive experience and networks to compliment my own contribution.’

John Hancock – Incoming Non-Executive Director

John’s experience in the mining and exploration industry began more than 40 years ago visiting Pilbara iron ore prospects with his grandfather, Lang Hancock. During the 1990s he was part of marketing missions representing the Hope Downs Iron Ore project to customers and investors in China, Japan and Germany, including co-presenting the project at the 1997 Iron and Steel Conference held in Berlin. After two years working in South Africa with Iscor Mining (now Kumba) and on return to Australia completing an MBA, John transitioned to the role of investor and over the last 20 years has built a record of successful early-stage investments in Lithium and Uranium, including substantial holdings in Vulcan Energy and Aura Energy. His experience in international resource development and capital markets includes the role of Senior Advisor to a New York based fund that during his tenure has deployed more than $500m to small-cap companies in both Australia and Canada, particularly within the mining industry.

‘Astrotricha has introduced high net worth investors and funds from Australia and globally to the WCN register. Our combined successful track record in assisting the development of resource projects and many years’ experience in international capital markets, corporate advisory, project development and corporate governance has attracted a range of co investors, both financial and strategic, ready to follow Astrotricha into new companies as those companies develop and their market capitalisation grows. Astrotricha’s aim is to invest at an early stage into potential Tier 1 resource companies and assist them over the development journey. White Cliff was identified as a prime candidate by John Hancock in 2024.”

Gavin Rezos – CEO Astrotricha Capital SEZC

Gavin Rezos has extensive Australian and international investment banking, corporate advisory and governance experience and is a former Investment Banking Director of HSBC Group with regional roles during his career based in London, Sydney and Dubai. Admitted as a solicitor in Australia and England, Gavin has been legal advisor for HSBC on transactions in Australasia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Gavin has held Chairman, Board and CEO positions of public companies in the resources, materials and technology sectors in Australia, the UK, Germany and the US and during these tenures raised a total of over $1.8 billion for project development. Gavin is the former Chairman of Vulcan Energy Resources, non-executive director of Iluka Resources and of Rowing Australia, the peak Olympics sports body for rowing in Australia. As an early-stage founder director, Gavin has taken 3 companies from start up to the ASX300 and one to a market capitalisation of over $1 billion.

Director Retirement

Daniel Smith has informed the Board of his intent to retire as a director of White Cliff to focus on his other professional interests from 1 August 2025. The Board is grateful to Dan for his contribution to White Cliff over the last 5 years and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.

Click here for the full ASX Release

This post appeared first on investingnews.com