This edition of News of the Week (NOW) features 31 curated stories from July 7–13, 2025, spanning strategic shifts in critical minerals, clean energy infrastructure, social license to operate (SLO), and academic research. Highlights include Peru’s Southern Mining Corridor crisis linked to artisanal deregistration, India’s $160 million push to localize rare-earth magnet production, and Saudi Arabia’s record-breaking $8.3 billion renewable rollout. Africa’s mineral sovereignty movement gains momentum through export restrictions and beneficiation mandates, while Brazil and China launch a feasibility study for a transcontinental railway to the Pacific. Groundbreaking studies on stakeholder trust, conflict cost, and SLO metrics provide fresh academic insights. From Mozambique’s LNG restart to transparency innovations in Peru’s mining regions, this issue captures a pivotal moment where community legitimacy, environmental accountability, and geopolitical realignments define the future of global resource governance.