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August 6, 2025

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European stock markets began Wednesday’s session on a positive note, with major indices rising as investors reacted to a fresh batch of corporate earnings reports.

While concerns about the UK’s fiscal health are simmering in the background, the broader market mood appears to be upbeat, with construction and industrial stocks leading the way.

About 15 minutes into the trading day, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index was trading 0.3% higher, with a broad-based rally seeing most sectors in positive territory.

The gains were particularly strong in construction and industrial stocks. Looking at the major national bourses, the French CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX index each gained a solid 0.5%, while London’s FTSE 100 was up by around 0.2%.

This positive momentum in Europe comes after a mixed session in Asia-Pacific markets overnight. US S&P 500 futures, meanwhile, were near flat on Tuesday night as investors there continued to analyze the latest batch of corporate earnings.

Earnings in focus: Commerzbank, Novo Nordisk report

The European earnings calendar continues to be a key driver of market sentiment.

  • Commerzbank: The German lender reported on Wednesday morning that its second-quarter net profit fell by 14% year-on-year, a decline it attributed to restructuring costs. Net profit for the quarter came in at 462 million euros ($535 million).

    However, the bank’s quarterly operating result told a more positive story, jumping 34% from the previous year to 1.17 billion euros.

    This strong operational performance helped the bank achieve a record 2.4 billion euro operating result for the first half of the year.

    Buoyed by this, Commerzbank raised its full-year outlook, stating that it now expects a net result of around 2.5 billion euros, an increase from its earlier forecast of 2.4 billion euros.

  • Novo Nordisk: The Danish pharmaceutical giant reported that sales of its blockbuster Wegovy weight loss drug continued to surge in the second quarter.

    Overall revenues for the company rose 13% year-on-year at constant exchange rates to 76.86 billion Danish kroner ($11.92 billion) in the three months to the end of June, a figure just ahead of the 76.6 billion Danish kroner that analysts had forecasted.

    Sales of its hugely popular Wegovy obesity drug rose by an impressive 67% over the period to 19.53 billion Danish kroner, though this was slightly below the 20 billion Danish kroner that analysts had predicted.

    The earnings report comes just days after the company had cut its full-year guidance and announced a new CEO.

UK fiscal watch: chancellor faces an ‘impossible trilemma’

Away from the corporate earnings front, a sobering new analysis has put the UK’s public finances under the spotlight.

UK Finance Minister Rachel Reeves could be facing a daunting £51 billion ($67.9 billion) hole in her upcoming autumn budget, according to Britain’s National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR).

The influential thinktank warns that the Chancellor is facing an “impossible trilemma.” The NIESR argues that she cannot simultaneously comply with her own fiscal rules, honor existing spending pledges, and avoid tax increases for working people.

To meet the government’s fiscal targets by 2029-30, the thinktank calculates that she will need to find an additional £41 billion. This stark assessment highlights the significant fiscal challenges facing the UK government as it navigates a complex economic environment.

The post Europe markets open: Equities gain; focus on earnings, UK budget deficit concerns appeared first on Invezz

Questcorp Mining Inc. (CSE: QQQ,OTC:QQCMF) (OTCQB: QQCMF) (FSE: D910) (the ‘Company’ or ‘Questcorp’) is pleased to announce that drilling has commenced on its La Union Project in northwest Sonora, Mexico. This work is being carried out by property vendor and operator Riverside Resources Inc. (TSXV: RRI).

Highlights

  • Initial drill program is designed to expand known zones of mineralization, test new targets, and explore areas surrounding multiple historical mine workings within the 25 km² project area.
  • Drill program will consist of + 1,500m of diamond core drilling across six holes, each averaging 250m in depth.
  • Drilling to test the carbonate-hosted replacement deposit (CRD) style of mineralization, with gold associated with mantos, chimneys, and along structural zones.
  • Angled drill holes are aimed at cutting perpendicular to stratigraphic targets and some structural targets which is typical in CRD systems
  • Structural features may have served as mineralizing conduits and are key targets in the current drill program.

The recent exploration work over the past three months by Riverside has improved the understanding of the structural geology and stratigraphy in the Sierra El Viejo, the mountain range immediately to the west of La Union Project. The La Union district lies along the flanks of this range, where these updated interpretations help guide current exploration efforts. The exploration target focus is for a large potential gold discovery that expands from previous smaller scale mine operations on the property. The drill program will begin to test the new concepts and expand past previous mining.

Saf Dhillon, President & CEO states, ‘Questcorp is proud to be working with John-Mark and his whole team at Riverside in what is a historic moment in the development of this property. The La Union Project has had work conducted on it for decades, including the production of 50,000 ounces of gold itself but, it has never had a drill bit pierce the ground until now!’

Earlier this year, Questcorp entered into a definitive option agreement with Riverside’s wholly owned subsidiary, RRM Exploracion, S.A.P.I. DE C.V. to acquire a 100% interest in the La Union Project. As part of the agreement, Questcorp issued shares to Riverside, making Riverside a shareholder and aligning both parties’ interests in the Project’s success. With funding provided by Questcorp, an initial C$1,000,000 exploration program is now underway. This marks the first phase of a larger, C$5,500,000 work commitment, contingent on exploration results and Questcorp’s continued participation.

The Drill Program Targets include more than four different areas, beginning with this early-stage stratigraphic and orientation phase of drilling exploration aimed at evaluating the scale of alteration and indications of a mineralized system. This will be the first drilling ever conducted on most of the targets, despite past mining having occurred in the majority of these areas. The initial program will consist of one to three holes per area, primarily for orientation purposes. Follow-up drilling is planned and can be expanded based on initial results, which will help verify the stratigraphy, lithologies, and structural features allowing for improved modeling and next-stage discovery targeting. The four areas are listed below:

  • Union Main Mine Area – The program will use angled drill holes to test limestone and other carbonate stratigraphic hosts within the Clemente Formation, with the potential to reach the underlying Caborca Formation. These units are considered the primary hosts for replacement-style mineralization.
  • North Union Mine Area – The initial focus of the program will be on testing structural interpretations. Additional drilling is anticipated following this first phase, as results will help guide future drill testing of areas with past mining activity and various structural orientations.
  • Cobre Mine Area – The Clemente Formation is the primary host unit, and structural features combined with areas of past mining provide multiple target zones. Drilling will begin with an initial stratigraphic test hole to help orient around the thickness of the host unit and extend into the lower Caborca Formation, which is also a favorable host for CRD-style mineralization.
  • Central Union Area – Structural targets, as possible mineralization feeder zones, are a key focus in this past mining manto area. There are extensive additional target zones in the area, and this initial orientation drilling will provide vectoring for the next stage of drilling and further study of the Clemente Formation, and possibly into the Caborca Formation as currently interpreted.

General Overview of La Union Project

The Project is summarized in a recently published NI 43-101 Technical Report available under Questcorp’s SEDAR+ profile (www.sedarplus.ca). Riverside initially acquired the Project and subsequently consolidated additional inlier mineral claims, building a strong land position. Riverside then advanced the Project through surface access agreements and drill permitting, making it a turn-key exploration opportunity for Questcorp.

The Project was originally identified through Riverside’s exploration work in the western Sonora Gold Belt, conducted in collaboration with AngloGold Ashanti Limited, Centerra Gold Inc., and Hochschild Mining Plc. Earlier research by Riverside Founder John-Mark Staude also contributed to recognizing the district’s potential. Initial work by members of the Riverside team, drawing on more than two decades of geological compilation and analysis, further confirmed the region as highly prospective.

At the Project, historical mining by the Penoles Mining Company targeted chimney and manto-style replacement bodies within the upper oxide zones. As a result, the underlying sulfide zones represent immediate and compelling drill targets for further exploration.

The Project features favorable limestone host rocks, an extensive alteration footprint, and multiple small-scale historical workings, with mineralization styles similar to those at the Hermosa Project in southern Arizona. At Hermosa, South32 is advancing mine development following its acquisition of the project from Arizona Mining. On 15 February 2024, South32’s board approved a US $2.16 billion capital investment to develop the Taylor zinc-lead-silver deposit, representing the largest private mining investment in Southern Arizona’s history. The project is now considered one of the most significant undeveloped base-metal assets in the United States.

At the La Union Project, immediate drill targets offer the potential for significant-scale discoveries. La Union is well positioned for near-term exploration success, with targets that include both oxide and deeper sulfide mineralization.

Figure 1. Geologic map with the tenure of the Union internal concession shown in pink. Manto and chimney type CRD targets are shown as red polygons. All mineral tenures on this map comprise the La Union project. The drill program will focus on the Union Mine and areas north of the Union Mine with the initial drill work.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10197/261433_a2ed3d4fb471dade_001full.jpg

Figure 2. Cross section looking west with conceptual drill targets and schematic drillhole traces. Assays from Riverside’s sampling of rock dump materials from the two mine areas are labeled in black. Red areas are interpreted as manto and chimney target bodies that are now well defined and drill ready. Assays shown on figures 1 and 2 have been previously released and disclosed as summarized below the geochemical QA/QC and in published NI 43-101 Report that Questcorp published 2025 on Sedar+.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10197/261433_a2ed3d4fb471dade_002full.jpg

The La Union Project

The La Union Project is a carbonate replacement deposit (‘CRD’) project hosted by Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks (limestones, dolomites, and siliciclastic sediments) overlying crystalline Paleoproterozoic rocks of the Caborca Terrane. The structural setting features high-angle normal faults and low-to-medium-angle thrust faults that sometimes served as mineralization conduits. Mineralization occurs as polymetallic veins, replacement zones (mantos, chimneys), and shear zones with high-grade metal content, as shown in highlight grades of 59.4 grams per metric tonne (g/t) gold, 833 g/t silver, 11% zinc, 5.5% lead, 2.2% copper, along with significant hematite and manganese oxides, consistent with a CRD model (see the technical report entitled ‘NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Union Project, State of Sonora, Mexico’ dated effective May 6, 2025 available under Questcorp’s SEDAR+ profile). These targets also demonstrate intriguing potential for large gold discoveries potentially above an even larger porphyry Cu district potential as the Company’s target concept at this time.

Questcorp cautions investors that grab samples are selective by nature and not necessarily indicative of similar mineralization on the property.

The technical and scientific information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by R. Tim Henneberry, P. Geo (BC), a director of the Company and a ‘qualified person’ under National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Questcorp Mining Inc.

Questcorp Mining Inc. is engaged in the business of the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in North America, with the objective of locating and developing economic precious and base metals properties of merit. The Company holds an option to acquire an undivided 100% interest in and to mineral claims totaling 1,168.09 hectares comprising the North Island Copper Property, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, subject to a royalty obligation. The Company also holds an option to acquire an undivided 100% interest in and to mineral claims totaling 2,520.2 hectares comprising the La Union Project located in Sonora, Mexico, subject to a royalty obligation.

Contact Information

Questcorp Mining Corp.

Saf Dhillon, President & CEO

Email: saf@questcorpmining.ca
Telephone: (604) 484-3031

This news release includes certain ‘forward-looking statements’ under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to Riverside’s arrangements with geophysical contractors to undertake orientation surveys and follow up detailed survey to confirm and enhance the drill targets. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include but are not limited to: the ability of Riverside to secure geophysical contractors to undertake orientation surveys and follow up detailed survey to confirm and enhance the drill targets as contemplated or at all, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, uncertain capital markets; and delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that the geophysical surveys will be completed as contemplated or at all and that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/261433

News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia

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WASHINGTON — The Agriculture Department allowed six additional states Monday to bar participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from using their benefits to buy certain processed foods, such as sodas and candy.

The SNAP waivers for West Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas amend the statutory definition of food for purchase and put an end to the subsidization of popular types of junk food beginning in 2026.

The administration of President Donald Trump has encouraged all states to take such measures as part of its “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, named for the social movement led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The USDA had so far signed waivers to allow six states — Arkansas, Idaho, Utah, Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska — to place similar purchasing restrictions on SNAP recipients.

“I hope to see all 50 states join this bold commonsense approach. For too long, the root causes of our chronic disease epidemic have been addressed with lip service only,” said the U.S. Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the additional waivers at an event at the USDA headquarters in Washington.

“These state waivers promote healthier options for families in need,” said Secretary Rollins.

More than 42 million people receive SNAP benefits, sometimes called food stamps, as part of the nation’s largest anti-hunger program.

The massive tax cut and spending bill signed by President Trump in July makes significant changes to the SNAP program, including expanding work requirements and shifting more spending for the program to states.

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On Monday, Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to be placed under house arrest amid ongoing legal proceedings over his alleged attempt to overturn the 2022 presidential election results.

The case has gripped the nation since its inception in 2023 and has intensified international scrutiny, especially as it unfolds under the authority of a Supreme Court justice recently sanctioned by the Trump administration in the United States.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case, accused Bolsonaro, 70, of violating court-imposed restrictions.

According to the ruling, first reported by the Associated Press, Bolsonaro used a Sunday protest in Rio de Janeiro to publicly address supporters using a cellphone owned by one of his three sons, all of whom are lawmakers.

Bolsonaro’s brief message, ‘Good afternoon, Copacabana, good afternoon my Brazil, a hug to everyone, this is for our freedom,’ was deemed a violation of his release conditions.

Bolsonaro’s legal team announced plans to appeal, arguing that the statement was symbolic, not criminal, and did not justify additional restrictions.

Mounting International Fallout

The political stakes have now extended well beyond Brazil. The case triggered backlash from President Trump, a longtime Bolsonaro ally, who tied newly imposed U.S. tariffs on Brazilian imports to what he called an ongoing ‘witch hunt.’ His remarks have further strained the already delicate diplomatic relationship between the two nations.

In a pointed statement on X, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs condemned the Brazilian court’s actions, writing: ‘Putting even more restrictions on Jair Bolsonaro’s ability to defend himself in public is not a public service. Let Bolsonaro speak!’

The bureau also warned that individuals involved in what it described as ‘sanctioned behavior’ would be held accountable.

The statement marked a sharp escalation, particularly as it followed closely on the heels of sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department, under Trump’s administration, against Justice de Moraes. He was designated a ‘U.S.-sanctioned human rights abuser’ and accused of weaponizing the judiciary to silence political opponents.

The Basis for Sanctions

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent accused de Moraes of leading an unlawful crackdown:

‘Alexandre de Moraes has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against U.S. and Brazilian citizens and companies. He is responsible for an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions, and politicized prosecutions—including those against former President Jair Bolsonaro,’ Bessent said.

These sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 13818, issued during Trump’s first term in 2017. The order declared a national emergency concerning global human rights abuses and corruption and expanded upon the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act passed in 2016. The law empowers the U.S. government to impose financial and travel sanctions on foreign officials accused of human rights violations.

Despite growing international pressure, the Brazilian government has yet to issue a formal response.

Details of the Case

Brazilian prosecutors allege that Bolsonaro led a coordinated effort to delegitimize, and ultimately overturn, the results of the 2022 election, including planning violent acts and even an alleged assassination plot targeting President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Justice de Moraes. Bolsonaro lost the election by a narrow margin.

A panel of Supreme Court justices accepted the charges in March, ultimately ordering Bolsonaro to stand trial. Monday’s house arrest ruling builds on earlier restrictions: an ankle monitor, a nighttime curfew, and a travel ban keeping the former president confined to Brasília despite his deep political roots in Rio de Janeiro.

A former army captain and deeply polarizing figure, Bolsonaro now joins a short but consequential list of former Brazilian presidents arrested since the country’s return to democracy in 1985, a system he has frequently criticized and linked to the military dictatorship he once praised.

Justice de Moraes, defending the court’s decision, wrote: ‘The judiciary will not allow itself to be mocked. Justice applies equally to everyone. A defendant who knowingly violates precautionary measures—especially for the second time—must face legal consequences.’

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

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