Explorer seeks Trump’s nod to mine metals on Pacific seabed

A seabed mining company has asked the Trump administration for approval to harvest the ocean floor for critical metals in international waters controlled by a United Nations-affiliated... 

China tightens rules on alumina expansion to tackle overcapacity

China tightened rules on building new alumina plants, in a bid to tackle overcapacity that has caused a plunge in prices in the world’s top metals market. Companies won’t be allowed to build new... 

Targeted by Trump, South Africa seeks to reset trade relations

South Africa is working to reset US relations that have been under assault by Donald Trump since his return to the White House. Pretoria is preparing a bilateral trade agreement as a backstop in... 

Gold rises to record as trade war concerns drive haven demand

Gold rose to a record as concerns about a widening trade war remained front of mind for investors, after President Donald Trump pushed ahead with US tariffs on all auto imports. Bullion gained as... 

China’s coal price may extend slump as high stockpiles weigh

Coal prices in China may extend declines from a four-year low as high inventories continue to cast a shadow over the market. Stockpiles at major transportation hubs are near record-high levels,... 

IDC weighs taking control of AMSA

A South African State development bank is considering taking a majority stake in the local unit of ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) as it tries to halt the planned closure of two steel mills... 

World Bank, South Africa have $3bn plan to rescue cities

South Africa, with the help of the World Bank, has a $3-billion plan to reverse the decline in services and infrastructure in eight of its biggest cities. It will use a $1-billion loan from the... 

Goldman increases 2025 gold forecast

Goldman Sachs Group ramped up its gold price forecast to $3 300 an ounce by year-end, citing stronger-than-expected central bank demand and solid inflows into bullion-backed exchange traded funds.... 

Trump may implement copper import tariffs within weeks

US tariffs on copper imports could be coming within several weeks, months earlier than the deadline for a decision, according to people familiar with the matter. US President Donald Trump in... 

Glencore halts Chilean smelter in setback for US copper rush

Glencore has suspended shipments from a copper smelter in Chile after an issue affecting the plant’s furnace, a setback that comes just as traders and producers race to ship more metal to the US... 

Glencore mine spews more methane than it reports, study finds

Glencore’s Hail Creek coal mine in Australia emits between three and eight times more methane than it reports, according to a new study, calling into question the accuracy of conventional... 

Iron-ore fluctuates as Fortescue’s Forrest stays upbeat on China

Iron-ore swung between gains and losses on market uncertainty around steel output cuts and as industry stalwart Andrew Forrest expressed hope that China is serious about supporting its economy.... 

Anglo starts talks with banks on possible De Beers IPO

Anglo American has begun initial talks with banks about listing its De Beers diamond unit, according to people familiar with the matter, as the company looks to move ahead with the final and most... 

South African economic growth could triple this year, Absa says

South Africa looks set for much better growth in 2025 thanks to increased spending and investment, according to analysts at Absa Group, though a cooling of relations with the US may dim the... 

Boom in uranium stocks fizzles as Ukraine ceasefire talks build

Once-booming uranium stocks have been veering toward bust mode to start 2025. Escalating trade tensions between the US and Canada, one of the world’s key producers of the nuclear fuel, are playing... 

South African consumer mood slumps on tax hike, fraying US ties

South African consumer confidence plunged to the lowest level in almost two years, as worries about higher taxes and the country’s deteriorating relations with the US weighed on sentiment. A... 

Congo may extend cobalt export suspension, President says

The Democratic Republic of Congo may extend a suspension of cobalt exports beyond a planned four-month period as it considers ways to maintain higher prices for the electric-vehicle battery... 

Botswana considering new 615 MW coal-fired power plant

Botswana is contemplating building a new 615 MW coal-fired power station near its main generation plant to mitigate generation challenges at the facility. The 600 MW, coal-fired Morupule B power... 

Bullion explorer makes MAGA pitch with new name: Made in America Gold

A Canadian investment firm changed the name of its US-focused subsidiary to Made in America Gold from NV King Goldlands. The switch comes as US President Donald Trump is encouraging firms to... 

Glencore-backed alumina producer declines in Hong Kong debut

Nanshan Aluminum International Holdings, a company backed by Glencore, declined in its Hong Kong trading debut, with sentiment for the top alumina producer in Southeast Asia impacted by falling... 

Zijin Mining profit surges 52% on copper, gold prices

Zijin Mining Group, China’s biggest metals producer, saw profit surge 52% last year on higher output, and rising prices of copper and gold. Net income rose to 32.1-billion yuan ($4.4-billion), the... 

South Africa adds 800 MW capacity unit to national grid

South Africa’s state electricity utility added an 800 MW unit at the Kusile Power Station to the national grid, amid ongoing efforts to boost generation and bring an end to scheduled outages. The... 

KoBold makes offer for Congo Lithium as country courts US

KoBold Metals, backed by billionaires Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, has told the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo it wants to develop one of the world’s biggest hard rock lithium... 

HudBay sees Saudi, UAE and Japanese interest in US copper stake

HudBay Minerals’ top executive says he’s speaking with investors in the Middle East and Japan who are interested in bidding for a stake in the company’s proposed US copper project. The company... 

A critical metal jumps 500% after Xi replies to Trump tariffs

Bismuth — a niche metal used in industries from paints to defense — has rallied spectacularly since early February, when Beijing triggered export curbs in response to US President Donald Trump’s... 

South African central bank keeps key rate steady

South Africa's central bank kept its main lending rate steady at 7.50% on Thursday, saying that a cautious policy approach was needed given global and domestic uncertainties. The decision was in... 

Trump’s love for coal is crashing into market’s economic reality

The US coal industry is once again enjoying support from the White House. Yet that’s unlikely to quell the economic challenges that underpin a long-term decline for the dirtiest fossil fuel. Just... 

China to invest $1.4bn to upgrade Tanzana-Zambia rail line

China Civil Engineering Construction Corp (CCECC) will invest more than $1.4-billion to revitalize a Mao-era railway line connecting copper mines in Zambia to Tanzania’s biggest port. Negotiations... 

US stalls $2.6bn climate finance package for South Africa

The US is stalling the distribution of $2.6-billion in climate finance to South Africa, stoking concerns the money might be blocked outright, people familiar with the situation said. At a meeting... 

Saudi Arabia awards exploration leases to some major miners

Major mining companies including India’s Vedanta and China’s Zijin Mining Group have been awarded leases to explore for metals in Saudi Arabia, part of the kingdom’s push to expand the industry.... 

South Africa set to alter course on rates until ‘dust settles’: Day Guide

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is set to look past a smaller-than-expected rise in prices last month and keep borrowing costs unchanged while it assesses the impact that US President Donald... 

South Africa, facing mill closures, begins steel tariff review

South Africa, facing the prospect of ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) closing two steel mills crucial to the local manufacturing industry, has begun a review of import tariffs on the metals and is... 

Copper climbs above $10 000/t as US buyers ramp up imports

Copper rose above $10 000/t on the London Metal Exchange for the first time since October, as buyers in the US race to import supplies of the key industrial meal ahead of potential tariffs. Prices... 

Australia’s Dutton says Trump meeting will be first if elected

Australia’s opposition leader said he will make his first foreign visit to the US to meet with President Donald Trump if he wins the forthcoming election, arguing the longstanding allies must... 

Poilievre pledges money, fast approvals for Canada’s Ring of Fire mining region

The head of Canada’s Conservative Party says a government led by him would aim to approve all federal permits for Ontario’s Ring of Fire minerals region within six months to speed the harvesting of... 

Deep-sea miners are set to dig for critical minerals, even if rules aren't done

As companies seek to extract critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries and other green technologies from the deep sea, a showdown is under way over when and whether to allow mining of... 

Codelco eyes Friedland’s Pulsed power to boost Chilean mine efficiencies

Codelco, the world’s biggest copper producer, is considering adopting technology being developed by Robert Friedland’s I-Pulse that uses electricity to shatter rocks. Maximo Pacheco, Codelco’s... 

Tariff risk unleashes record copper shipments bound for US ports

The US is about to be flooded with a massive wave of copper as a worldwide dash to front-run potential tariffs by US President Donald Trump comes to a head. Between 100 000 and 150 000 metric tons... 

Congo considers asking Indonesia to help rein in cobalt supply

A Congolese ministerial committee recommended measures to bolster a temporary ban on cobalt exports, including working with Indonesia, the No. 2 supplier of the battery metal. The Democratic... 

Top Calibre investor opposes Equinox’s $1.8bn takeover

Calibre Mining’s top shareholder has come out against Equinox Gold's $1.8-billion bid for the gold miner, casting uncertainty on the biggest bullion deal so far this year. The combination of the...