KoBold Metals agrees on framework to buy stake in Congo lithium deposit
May 7 (Reuters) - California-based metals exploration company KoBold Metals said on Wednesday that it had agreed on a framework to buy AVZ Minerals' interests in the Manono lithium deposit in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The agreement will enable KoBold, which is backed by billionaires Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, to invest more than $1 billion to bring lithium from Manono to Western markets.
The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here.
Lithium, a key metal used extensively to make batteries for electric vehicles and various consumer electronics, is produced in limited quantities in the United States, leading to a heavy reliance on China.
The administrations of both President Donald Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden, have made efforts to reduce this dependency.
Last month, Massad Boulos, President Trump's senior adviser for Africa, said that the United States is in talks to invest billions of dollars in the mineral-rich Congo.
The country boasts vast reserves of cobalt, lithium, uranium and other minerals essential for the energy transition.
Both the Silicon Valley start-up and AVZ Minerals said that they were collaborating with all stakeholders involved in the deal, including the governments of the United States and the DRC.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Peru allows miners to seek permits in area removed from Nazca Lines protection
Peru announced Tuesday that miners who had been operating illegally in a large protected archaeological reserve around the famous Nazca Lines will now be able to start the process of obtaining mining permits, after the government reduced the protected area by 42%. Energy and Mines Minister Jorge Montero said those working in the area must now legalize their mining activities since the zone is no longer designated as archaeological heritage. 'You're fully illegal when you operate in a place where mining is banned ... but since that cultural heritage restriction no longer exists, they're no longer in violation — they'll need to formalize their operations,' Montero said in a press conference in Lima on Tuesday for correspondents working for the international media. He added that the government does not yet know how many miners are currently active there. The area in question forms part of a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site, home to the Nazca Lines — massive geoglyphs etched into the desert thousands of years ago — and one of Peru's most fragile desert ecosystems. Last week, the Ministry of Culture issued a resolution reducing the protected area around the Nazca Lines by 2,397 square kilometers (925 square miles). The reserve, created in 1993, was set at 5,633 square kilometers (2,175 square miles) in 2004. 'It's incredible how the government is not even interested in the heritage of our ancestors that is unprotected, and will be destroyed without any control,' Peruvian environmental lawyer, Cesar Ipenza, told The Associated Press. Ipenza said once the miners enter, they will create huge environmental impacts, and will not assume responsibility. 'And now that the government has released the area from its protection, mining petitions have already started to appear,' he said. Culture Minister Fabricio Valencia said the reduction was based on 'over 20 years of rigorous studies' and that the true archaeological reserve is about 3,200 square kilometers (1,235 square miles). On Saturday, he acknowledged on local Peruvian media that mining was taking place within the reserve. Valencia said the UNESCO World Heritage site that contains the Nazca Lines themselves, covering about 450 square kilometers (174 square miles), was not affected by the change. The AP reviewed the resolution but found no details about the studies justifying the reduction. Requests for those studies went unanswered and UNESCO told AP it had not been notified by Peru of the change and that it will seek information from the government. In past years, Peru's Culture Ministry, prosecutors, and media reported illegal mining inside the protected reserve, including the destruction of mining machinery and camps. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Pictures of the month — and your chance to ask our photographers about them
Jack Hill, James Glossop and Richard Pohle talk us through their favourite shots — post your questions below and James will answer them on Wednesday , Photographer | Jack Hill , Chief News Photographer | Richard Pohle , Photographer The Times Have you ever wondered how our photographers get the perfect shot? James Glossop will be online from 1pm on Wednesday to answer your questions. You can ask about anything, from equipment and lighting to how he gets into prime position, in the comments below. I've always loved photographing aircraft so it was with some excitement I was assigned to go to Poland to photograph the the jets of Poland, Britain and Sweden taking part in a tri-nation operation to intercept Russian aircraft flying too close to Nato borders. Here a Polish MIG 29 screams low over the Polish air force base of Malbork after returning from a training exercise TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE John Healey posed at Wentworth Woodhouse near Rotherham for The Sunday Times before an interview about Monday's strategic defence review. I got about eight minutes to do this shoot, but managed three or four different setups. I used a deliberately stark lighting style and something called a Gobo projector, with a narrow slit in it to channel light into the spot where the defence secretary stood TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES GLOSSOP I had a fascinating assignment in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the surrounding areas, now under M23 control after government forces were pushed out in January. With permission we visited the mines at Rubaya, a punishing three-hour drive on one of the worst roads I've travelled TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL Rubaya is a critical mining town producing coltan and manganese, key minerals used in modern tech. I chose this shot for its scale — I wanted to convey the enormity of the operation and the conditions involved TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL Before VE Day, the Tower of London planted 30,000 ceramic poppies. I was there mainly to photograph the volunteers tirelessly assembling and planting the poppies but was aware the pictures weren't quite working as nothing I was photographing said 'Tower of London'. Towards the end of my time there I saw several yeoman warders watching from the side. I knew then that this was the picture I needed. I quickly asked permission to photograph one of them and asked if he could plant a poppy and he readily agreed. I was delighted when this image made the front page of The Times the following day TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE I was in Ramsgate, Kent, for the 85th anniversary of the astonishing rescue of British troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940. To mark the anniversary of Operation Dynamo many of the original Dunkirk Little Ships made the crossing again. I was lucky to secure a spot on a pilot boat that accompanied them partway into the Channel TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL Soldiers at Pirbright barracks in Surrey carry the flags of the Commonwealth as they prepare for the VE Day parade in central London. I always like to photograph the rehearsal for a state occasion more than the actual event as you can get much closer to events and catch little moments of detail before discipline takes over TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE On the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland, the annual puffin census involves birds being weighed using an unusual method: placing them upside down in a jug. I knew from the moment I shot this picture that it would be the one that got used, because it hadn't been seen before TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES GLOSSOP Earlier in the month, I travelled with Sir Keir Starmer to the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Albania. I liked the symmetry and formality of this frame — the grandeur of the honour guard welcoming our prime minister to the Presidential Palace for his meeting with the Albanian president, Bajram Begaj TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL Ukrainian recruits are put through a seven-week intensive battle training course in East Anglia run by British and other Nato soldiers intended to give them more 'survivability'. I spent a full day with them as they were put through their paces by the Irish Guards. Here a group of Ukrainians carry a mock casualty away from a battle area. The British soldiers admitted a bond grows through the training and the Ukrainians' inevitable departure to war is always an emotional day TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE Before the Great Ouseburn Garden Festival in North Yorkshire on Sunday, a retired headteacher called Caroline Smale restores some of her fellow villagers' colourful garden gnomes to their former glory. A light into a large brolly helped to fill the foreground in this image while maintaining the outdoor feel TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES GLOSSOP Every two years the members of what must be the most exclusive club in the world — the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association — attend a service of remembrance and a royal reception. To stand among these incredible people is an absolute honour, and although a couple can't be photographed for security reasons I was greeted warmly. Here one Victoria Cross recipient, Johnson Beharry, waits for the King to arrive at Windsor Castle. In the background other members of the association talk among themselves TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE King Charles exits his car on arrival in Bradford, where he made a number of visits relating to the city's status as 2025 City of Culture. I like the way he appears to be staring me down TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES GLOSSOP With a sense of circularity I found myself near Dunkirk again later in the month, this time working on an immigration story. I'd seen groups near the camps heading towards bus stops, some carrying life jackets. With ideal weather forecast for the next day, I travelled to Gravelines beach at dawn. The sunrise revealed hundreds of people, either hidden in the dunes or gathered along the foreshore, waiting to board a dinghy TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL When boarding begins, it quickly becomes organised chaos. It must be a nerve-racking ordeal for everyone involved TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL I used a DJI Mini 2 drone to capture this scene of swimmers at Ilkley Lido in West Yorkshire on its opening weekend. The distinctive shape of the pool helped catch the eye of the picture editors TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES GLOSSOP There are several dress rehearsals for Trooping the Colour; the first is known as the Brigade Major's Review. This is always great to photograph as we can stand in positions usually reserved for TV cameras that give a unique view that isn't available on big day. No members of the royal family are present, so I can concentrate on the precision drill of the guardsmen. Using a 500mm lens, I focused in on the tight formations to create this view TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE Year 11 school leavers celebrate their 'graduation' by throwing mortarboards in the air in what has become an annual tradition at BBG Academy near Bradford, West Yorkshire. There are very few cases where I use my Canon R5's full speed ability to capture 20 frames per second — you simply end up with too many images to edit — but this was one of them
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Imane Khelif breaks silence after leaked medical report ‘proves Olympic gender-row boxer is a biological male'
IMANE KHELIF has issued a response after a leaked medical report claimed the gold medal-winning Olympian was a "biological male". Khelif, 26, won Algeria's first-ever female gold medal in boxing during the Paris Games in 2024. 2 However, during Khelif's run to the final, she was embroiled in a bitter gender row after being banned from International Boxing Association competition in 2023. The IBA banned Khelif after tests taken in New Delhi allegedly produced the DNA of a 'male'. The IOC - who replaced the IBA as the Olympic's boxing governing body - were warned about the tests and urged to remove Khelif from the competition. But Khelif was allowed to box in Paris because of her female passport status. Now, the alleged sex-test results from the 2023 World Championships have been published for the first time by 3 Wire Sports, and suggest the boxer is biologically male. American journalist Alan Abrahamson produced the result of a test said to have been carried out on the boxer in New Delhi in March 2023 - which triggered the boxer's disqualification. The document published summarises the findings on Khelif as 'abnormal', stating: 'Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype." A karyotype refers to an individual's complete set of chromosomes, which in Khelif's case has been reported by (IBA) as being XY, the male pattern. Khelif refused to respond directly to the claims in a social media post on Monday, instead focusing on her work as a Unicef ambassador - a role she has held since January 2024. The post featured a photo of Khelif wearing a blue polo bearing the organisation's logo as she made a heart symbol with her hands to celebrate the "Global Day of Parents". Imane Khelif wins Olympic gold in women's welterweight final after huge gender row that has grabbed worldwide attention She paid tribute to her own parents in the caption, saying: "Today, I became a champion, but it all started long ago. When my parents believed in me, even when the dream felt too big. "When they supported me, listened to me, and stood by me. Being a parent isn't easy. There's no manual. But the love, patience, and trust you give your child can change everything. "On this #GlobalDayOfParents, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every parent who chooses, every single day, to be there for their children. "Together with @unicefalgerie, I'm celebrating these everyday heroes. Because when parents are supported, children can dream and succeed." The alleged test results disputing Khelif's gender carry the letterhead of Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the Swiss-based International Organisation for Standardisation. This directly challenges what IOC spokesman Mark Adams said in a tense news conference at the Paris Olympics. He described the results that saw Khelif banned as 'ad hoc' and 'not legitimate'. IOC president Thomas Bach even claimed that the results are the product of a Russian-led misinformation campaign. It followed after the IBA - headed by Russia's Umar Kremlev - had been stripped of IOC recognition in a row over ethics and financial management. Khelif has always denied being a biological male and even named JK Rowling and Elon Musk in a cyberbullying lawsuit. And the 26-year-old has vowed to fight on, even eyeing another gold at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. But World Boxing has ruled that Khelif is ineligible to enter future events as a woman without first submitting to the same chromosome testing that has already triggered the boxer's disqualification at global level. The governing body - provisionally approved to run Olympic boxing in LA - announced that all athletes in its competitions over 18 years old must undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to determine their sex. The test detects chromosomal material through a mouth swab, saliva or blood. Khelif has failed to provide any evidence of having female chromosomes in the nine months since the gender scandal erupted. In February, Khelif spoke out in her defence and wrote: 'For two years, I have taken the high road while my name and image have been used, unauthorised, to further personal and political agendas through the spreading and dissemination of baseless lies and misinformation. But silence is no longer an option. 'The IBA, an organisation that I am no longer associated with and which is no longer recognised by the IOC, have again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda... 'My team is carefully reviewing the situation and will take all necessary legal steps to ensure that my rights and the principles of fair competition are upheld." An IOC spokesperson told Sun Sport: "The IOC has always made it clear that eligibility criteria are the responsibility of the respective International Federation. "The factors that matter to sports performance are unique to each sport, discipline, and/or event. "We await the full details how sex testing will be implemented in a safe, fair and legally enforceable way."
