Trump signs orders to revive US leadership in nuclear power

President Donald Trump on Friday signed orders meant to accelerate the construction of nuclear power plants, including small, untested designs that offer the promise of rapid deployment but have... 

Rand shrugs off Trump and Budget to end week on a positive note

A week that started fraught with risks for the rand is ending on a positive note for the South African currency. The rand surged toward its sixth straight weekly advance, hitting a five-month high... 

South Africa plans legal workaround to smooth way for Starlink

South Africa’s government is proposing a workaround to Black ownership requirements that will pave the way for Starlink and other satellite services to operate in the country. The government is... 

Hensoldt is said to explore sale of South African optronics unit

German radar maker Hensoldt is exploring options for its South African optronics business, including a potential sale, according to people familiar with the matter. Hensoldt is working with... 

Families of 737 Max crash victims urge US to prosecute Boeing

Family members of people killed in two fatal crashes of Boeing Co.’s 737 Max jets are urging the US Justice Department to reject a possible deal that would allow the planemaker to avoid a criminal... 

Trump’s ambush of Ramaphosa leaves South Africa reeling

South Africans watched aghast on Wednesday as US President Donald Trump berated their leader in the Oval Office over false claims that there’s a genocide against White people in the country.... 

Ghana expects $12bn a year from small-scale gold mining

Ghana expects to rake in $12-billion a year from small-scale gold production if output doubles as planned. Gold exports from the country have surged as international prices have soared, and much of... 

Ontario to spend C$3.1bn on Indigenous role in mining

The Ontario government will spend nearly C$3.1-billion to encourage Indigenous participation in the mining industry, in a bid to ramp up critical minerals production across Canada’s most populous... 

Trump falsely insists Afrikaners face genocide in heated meeting

US President Donald Trump rejected South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s argument that there’s no genocide against White Afrikaners, airing a video and showing images in the Oval Office that he... 

Zimbabwe lithium exporters seek tax delay until 2027

Miners in Zimbabwe are urging the government to defer an export tax on lithium concentrate until plants that will refine the battery material into higher-value products in the country come online.... 

South Africa arbiter proposes more pay to avoid logistics strike

A third-party arbiter proposed a higher wage offer to South Africa’s State-owned ports and rail company and its unions in a bid to stave off a potential strike by thousands of logistics workers.... 

Rio Tinto defends Pilbara after Forrest voices ‘wasteland’ fears

A Rio Tinto Group executive has defended the future of Australia’s iron-ore hub, after mining billionaire Andrew Forrest delivered a downbeat message on its prospects unless it gets more green... 

Trump sets stage to sell ocean mining rights off American Samoa

The Trump administration is setting the stage to sell mining rights off the coast of American Samoa as demand surges for critical materials used in electric vehicle batteries, smart phones and... 

South Africa to offer Musk Starlink deal before Trump meeting

South Africa’s government plans to offer Elon Musk a workaround of local Black ownership laws for his Starlink internet service to operate in the country, aiming to ease tensions with both the... 

China gold imports surge to 11-month high despite record prices

China imported the most gold in nearly a year last month despite record prices, after heightened demand for the precious metal prompted the central bank to ease restrictions on bullion inflows.... 

Gold edges lower as haven demand from Moody’s downgrade fades

Gold edged lower as the haven-demand boost from Moody’s Ratings downgrade of the US faded, and attention turned back to the easing of trade tensions between the two largest economies. Bullion... 

Russia says China’s Zijin agrees to keep Siberian zinc mine open

Russia’s Tuva region said it has agreed with Zijin Mining Group to keep the Kyzyl-Tashtyg zinc mine working after sanctions prompted the Chinese company to weigh suspending operations. Zijin’s... 

Africa establishes a space agency to close its climate data gap

Africa has established the continent’s first space agency to boost Earth observation and data sharing at a time when a more hostile global context is limiting the availability of climate and... 

African Central Banks to join emerging market peers easing rates

Central banks in key African economies are getting set to line up with other emerging-markets in coming weeks and cut interest rates where inflation pressures are seen abating, or stay on guard... 

UAE’s EGA to build US aluminum plant touted by Trump next year

Emirates Global Aluminium plans to start building a $4-billion plant in Oklahoma next year as Donald Trump pushes for massive investments from oil-rich Gulf states to avoid his tariffs. The plant... 

Australia’s richest woman doubles US stocks bet to $2.5bn

Billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart poured hundreds of millions of dollars into broad market-tracking funds during the first three months of the year, boosting holdings of US equities as... 

Transnet is running out of cash, Moody’s warns

South Africa’s State-owned transport and logistics company, Transnet, will run out of money for operations and debt-servicing within three months unless it gets a government bailout, according to... 

Steenhuisen lauds new Budget as ‘credible’

The head of South Africa’s second-biggest political party said talks about the nation’s revamped budget are “are going very, very well,” a signal that the coalition government is resolving... 

Chinese gold miner Chifeng scours globe for takeover targets

A major Chinese gold producer is scouting for acquisition opportunities around the world, although the recent price volatility driven by global trade turmoil means it’s not rushing to secure... 

Deputy Finance Minister sees Budget 3.0 as done deal

South Africa’s deputy finance minister said next week’s national budget is set to secure approval from lawmakers, after two previous iterations were scrapped because of disagreements within the... 

Rand surges after South Africa flags inflation-target change

The rand surged to its strongest level against the dollar in two months and government bond yields fell after South Africa’s deputy finance minister said an announcement on the country’s... 

China’s glut of coal locks market in vicious cycle of decline

Chinese coal prices remain locked in a downward spiral due to a persistent glut of the fuel, according to the country’s top industry group. The optimism that’s taken hold in the wake of China’s... 

South Africa’s Land Bank in talks to raise as much as $1bn

A State-owned South African bank that finances farmers is in talks with funders to raise as much as $1-billion as it recovers from a default five years ago. The Land & Agricultural Development Bank... 

Johannesburg’s ‘decay’ strains South Africa’s ruling coalition

South Africa’s biggest parties are at odds over the governance of the country’s largest city, putting further strain on a tenuous national coalition. The Democratic Alliance (DA) governs the... 

‘Bulldog’ ex-Goldman banker answers Carney’s call to fix Canada resources sector

The first time Timothy Hodgson was asked by Mark Carney to come to Ottawa, he left behind an investment banking career at Goldman Sachs Group that had seen him climb the ranks to lead its Canadian... 

Iron-ore bounces back to six-week high on trade-war truce hopes

Iron-ore rose as trade tensions eased, spurring optimism across a metals market that has been hit especially hard by global growth worries. Futures of the steel-making ingredient reached a... 

NATO is sketching out plan to meet Trump call for 5% of GDP on defence

NATO allies have started cobbling together an agreement to significantly boost defense spending in a way that may assuage US President Donald Trump’s demand to spend 5% of economic output on the... 

Transnet, union in talks to avoid strike

The biggest labour union at South Africa’s State-owned port and rail company are starting final talks with a third-party arbitrator to resolve a wage dispute and stave off a potential strike by... 

Carney puts ex-Goldman banker, Quebec loyalist in key jobs

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled his new economic team, keeping longtime politician François-Philippe Champagne as finance minister and placing former Goldman Sachs banker Timothy... 

De Beers secretly sells discounted diamonds to selected traders

De Beers has been quietly selling rough diamonds at sharply marked-down prices to a small handful of customers, in a highly unusual move that’s fuelling tensions across an industry already mired in... 

Nissan skips profit guidance, shuts factories as crisis deepens

Nissan Motor Co withheld its annual profit guidance and said it will shut production plants as the carmaker struggles with the combined headwinds of surging restructuring costs and the fallout of... 

Gold holds heavy loss as markets latch onto US-China optimism

Gold steadied after a sharp selloff as a major de-escalation in US-China trade tensions hurt demand for havens. Bullion traded near $3 237 an ounce — after losing 2.7% on Monday — with investors... 

Ramaphosa says Trump’s Afrikaner refugee programme is misguided

Dozens of White Afrikaners are scheduled to arrive in the US on Monday, the first beneficiaries of a controversial resettlement programme instigated by President Donald Trump that his South African... 

South African suppliers truck fuel as pipeline fees spike

South African fuel suppliers are looking to utilise trucks to transport the commodity inland as the cost of using the nation’s main pipeline operated by Transnet surges. The National Energy... 

Peru’s emergency mining ban to cost $200m in lost gold output

Peruvian gold output is expected to be significantly dented in the coming month due to a mining ban in a northern region of the country that’s seen an up-tick in criminal activity culminating in...