'Jaw-droppingly weird' dinosaur from Morocco was studded with spikes

Around 165-million years ago on a coastal floodplain in what is now Morocco lived one of the most extreme dinosaurs on record, lavishly adorned with armor and spikes - some about three feet (one... 

KoBold Metals granted seven Congo lithium exploration permits

KoBold Metals, the mining company backed by US billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, has received seven permits to search for lithium and other minerals in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it... 

Escondida mine union warns of self-driving truck accidents

Two recent accidents involving autonomous trucks are raising safety concerns, a workers' union at BHP's Escondida mine in Chile, the world's largest copper mine, said in a statement on Wednesday.... 

Hudbay Minerals resumes operations in Snow Lake after evacuation orders lifted

Canadian mining company Hudbay Minerals on Wednesday said it has resumed operations in Snow Lake, Manitoba, following the decision made by the authorities to lift the mandatory evacuation order on... 

Lynas flags uncertainty over Texas rare earths plant, posts profit slump

Australia's Lynas Rare Earths warned of considerable uncertainty over the future of its heavy rare-earths processing plant in Texas and also reported a steeper-than-expected drop in its annual... 

South32 sees limited risk of Indonesia replicating nickel success in alumina

Australian diversified miner South32 is closely watching alumina developments in Indonesia to see whether they will drag down prices in the global market the same way its nickel industry has, CEO... 

Kyrgyzstan begins mining gold at Kumtor deposit after nationalisation

Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday began underground gold mining at Kumtor, one of the largest deposits in Central Asia, which the government said could hold as many as 147 metric tons of gold reserves.... 

Hochschild slashes gold production forecast from Brazilian mine, shares plummet

Britain's Hochschild Mining slashed full-year production forecast for its Mara Rosa mine by more than half on Wednesday, months after a shutdown due to lacklustre gold output, sending shares down... 

Freeport Indonesia to wrap up Gresik plant repairs by early September

Copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia expects to complete in early September repair work at its joint-venture smelter in East Java, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday. Repairs at an oxygen... 

South African rand weakens as dollar firms

The South African rand slipped on Wednesday, as the dollar made a tentative rebound, while concerns lingered over the independence of the US Federal Reserve. By 0925 GMT the rand was trading at... 

Australia's TerraCom to pay about $5m fine for whistleblower protection breach

Australia's corporate regulator fined TerraCom on Wednesday a penalty of A$7.5-million ($4.87-million) after the coal miner breached whistleblower protections. The Australian Securities &... 

EU auto groups press for change to 'no longer feasible' car emission targets

EU targets to cut CO2 emissions from vehicles, including a 100% reduction for cars by 2035, are no longer feasible, the heads of the European automobile manufacturers' and automotive suppliers'... 

Canada and allies to explore funding critical mineral projects, Minister says

Canada is working with its allies to potentially fund critical mineral transactions, similar to what the US government did with MP Materials to diversify the supply chain from China, Energy and... 

Fortescue sticks to green iron in long-term vision

Australia's Fortescue reported its smallest full-year profit in six years, in line with analyst estimates, on Tuesday and lowered its dividend payout while reaffirming its commitment to its green... 

South African rand flat ahead of leading indicator data

The South African rand was little moved in early trade on Tuesday, ahead of the release of local central bank data that will shed light on the country's economic outlook. At 0536 GMT the rand... 

Sasol seeks to soften US tariff blow on South African exports

South African petrochemical firm Sasol is working to contain the impact of higher tariffs on its chemical exports to the US, Chief Financial Officer Walt Bruns said on Monday, saying they could... 

China's commissioning of coal power at 9-year high in first half, report says

China commissioned 21 gigawatts (GW) of coal power plant capacity in the first half of 2025, a new report found on Monday, the highest since 2016 even as the country is building record amounts of... 

Iron-ore hits over one-week high as Rio Tinto suspends work at Guinea mine

Iron-ore futures touched a one-week high on Monday as Rio Tinto suspended activity at its Simandou project in Guinea following an incident, raising fears of a potential delay in production start at... 

Indonesia cancels requirement to use benchmark prices in minerals, coal sales

Indonesia has scrapped a requirement to use government benchmark prices as the floor price in minerals and coal sales, a mining ministry decree reviewed on Monday showed. Issued earlier this... 

Sasol swings to profit on higher chemical prices, lower writedowns

South African petrochemical firm Sasol said on Monday it swung to an annual profit on the back of higher chemicals prices, tighter cost controls and lower asset writedowns. The company, which... 

South African rand pauses rally as investors await local data signals

The South African rand softened early on Monday as investors booked profits after a rally that took the currency to a nine-month peak. At 0603 GMT the rand traded at 17.46 against the dollar, 0.2%... 

Canada to remove many retaliatory tariffs on US, Carney says

Canada will remove many retaliatory import tariffs on US goods and intensify talks with the United States on striking a new trade and security relationship, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on... 

Santos extends exclusivity for $18.7bn ADNOC-led offer, profit declines

Australian gas producer Santos on Monday agreed to further extend the exclusivity period for an $18.7-billion takeover bid from a group led by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC), and reported a... 

Aldebaran plans $1.5bn capex for Argentina copper project

Canada's Aldebaran Resources will require at least $1.5-billion to develop its Altar copper project in northern Argentina, country manager Javier Robeto said in an interview. The company plans to... 

China tightens grip over rare earth supply quotas

China, the world's dominant rare earth supplier, issued on Friday measures to regulate the mining, smelting and separation of thecritical minerals key to energy transition, further tightening its... 

US prolongs Michigan coal plant's operation until November despite costs

The US Energy Department on Thursday extended an order for a Michigan coal plant to stay open through November 19, even though it had been planning to shut permanently for economic reasons and... 

Botswana signs $12bn investment deal with Qatar's Al Mansour Holdings

Botswana's President Duma Boko announced on Thursday an agreement with Qatar's Al Mansour Holdings, aimed at addressing immediate national challenges, with the Gulf firm committing to $12-billion... 

Skydiving-South African Wallis pushes wingsuit flying to global heights

With the jagged peaks of Cape Town's Table Mountain beneath him and the wind roaring past his wingsuit, South African Jean-Jacques Wallis is redefining the limits of human flight – and putting... 

US Defense Department to buy cobalt for up to $500m

The US is seeking to procure cobalt worth up to $500-million for defence stockpiles amid the country's move to boost its critical mineral supplies. Companies have been scrambling to source rare... 

Glencore targets 1Mt of copper in Argentina over coming decade

Miner and trader Glencore will aim to produce nearly one-million tons of copper annually at its planned El Pachon and Agua Rica projects in Argentina over the next 10 to 15 years, the company's CEO... 

ADB to provide $410m package for Barrick-run Pakistan mine, sources say

he Asian Development Bank will provide a $410-million financing package to help develop Pakistan's Reko Diq copper mine, one of the world’s largest untapped deposits, which will be operated by... 

Kenya gets $169m in Japan Samurai financing to boost industries

Japan will provide up to ¥25-billion ($169.42-million) in Samurai financing to Kenya that will be directed towards boosting the East African nation's vehicle assembly and energy sectors, officials... 

SQM expects lithium price boost in third quarter

Chilean lithium producer SQM expects prices and sales volumes to rise in the third quarter, executives said on Wednesday, after the miner missed estimates for second-quarter net profit. The... 

Codelco to lower 2025 copper target after El Teniente accident

Chilean copper miner Codelco will lower its 2025 production guidance after an accident at its flagship El Teniente mine knocked 33 000 metric tons off the facility's output, executives said on... 

Whitehaven Coal posts annual profit slump, signals bigger payouts to shareholders

Australia's Whitehaven Coal reported a steep decline in its annual profit on Thursday and said it will allocate more capital for shareholder returns while reducing its provision for the Narrabri... 

Itac recommends duties to curb steel imports

A South African government trade body looking into the country's struggling steel sector proposed import duties starting at 10% to defend the industry from an influx of imports mainly from China.... 

Trafigura-led Lobito Atlantic Railway aims to finalise US loan deal by end-2025

Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) aims to finalise by the end of this year a $533-million loan deal with the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) that is vital for the upgrade of its... 

South Africa's inflation pushed to 10-month high by food and fuel prices

South Africa's consumer price inflation rose to 3.5% year-on-year in July, driven to its highest level since September 2024 by higher food and fuel prices though still within the central bank's... 

China's rare earth magnet exports hit six-month high in July

China's exports of rare earth magnets recovered to hit a six-month high in July, showing trade flows of the critical minerals key to electric vehicles have returned to levels seen before Beijing... 

South African rand subdued before domestic inflation data

The South African rand eased in muted early trade on Wednesday, before the release of local inflation data which will influence the central bank's thinking at its rate-setting meeting next month....