* Formentera Partners eyes La Luna and Querecual fields in Venezuela * Independent oil firms expected to lead exploration in Venezuela * Sheffield sees potential in Venezuela's shale akin to Permian Basin * Private family offices may fund independent producers in Venezuela (Updates throughout with comments from founder, background on Venezuela's shale fields and White House meeting) By Arathy Somasekhar...

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Australian rare earths miner VHM said on Monday it had terminated its offtake agreement with China's Shenghe Resources for its Goschen rare earths project after conditions precedent to the deal were not met. Shares ‌of VHM rose as much as 12.1% to A$0.465 in early trading, set for their best ​day since November 10, if current...

By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will urge Group of Seven nations and others to step up their efforts to reduce reliance on critical minerals from China when he hosts a dozen top finance officials on Monday, a senior U.S. official said. The meeting, which kicks off with a dinner on Sunday evening,...

Here are the top stories and upcoming coverage plans for Reuters text service as of 11 A.M. GMT/ 6 A.M. ET. For a full schedule of news and events, go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect or on Media Express. TOP STORIES GLOBAL IRAN-STRIKES-ISRAEL Israel on high alert for possibility of US intervention in Iran, sources say Israel is...