China rare earth exports to US fall ahead of summit
CHINESE exports of rare earth magnets to the US dropped sharply in August, a decline set to feature as a friction point at this...
MPRD in 2026: A maze of mineral policy
It is a cliché of effective industrial policy that developing an industry works best if there is "policy certainty". It is also one of those...
West lags China on sodium battery tech
THE West has fallen behind China in developing sodium-ion batteries, a breakthrough technology using saltwater rather than lithium, industry experts have told the Financial...
Does Sibanye-Stillwater need its US mine? Probably not
THE Stillwater palladium mine in Montana has performed many functions under the ownership of Sibanye-Stillwater, the JSE miner. When the group first bought it...
Mali unions threaten strikes at Barrick mine
UNIONS at Barrick Mining's Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex in Mali have lodged a series of strike notices, threatening to disrupt operations at one of the...
Transnet is moving but a cash crisis looms
FOR most of the past decade Transnet has had an obvious problem: it wasn’t moving enough freight. Its latest results show good progress on...
Glencore suspends executive over Radiant scandal
GLENCORE has suspended Peter Hill, its head of steelmaking raw materials, as the fallout from its dealings with Singapore-based iron ore trader Radiant World...
Botswana rules out reckless De Beers spending
BOTSWANA will not compromise its financial stability to increase its stake in De Beers, said Bloomberg News citing the country's vice president Ndaba Gaolathe.
The...
US steps back into Niger with $414m uranium deal
THE US government has approved up to $414m in financing for a uranium project in Niger, Reuters reported.
The move comes two years after Niger...
Ivory Coast plans gold refinery start in 2027
IVORY COAST plans to start operating a gold refinery in the first half of 2027 as it seeks to expand local processing and become...