Tag - minerals

 
 

MINERALS

An Apple logo is seen in Brussels, Belgium, in 2016.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 17, 2024
Congo files criminal complaints against Apple over conflict minerals
International lawyers representing Congo argue that Apple uses minerals pillaged from the country and laundered through international supply chains.
Flames leap out of an oven where rare-earth-based chemicals are roasted for more than 20 hours, in Changshu, China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 27, 2024
China tightens its hold on minerals needed to make computer chips
The country already produces nearly all the world’s supply of these materials. The new restrictions solidify that market dominance.
Workers transport soil containing rare-earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, China, in October 2010.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2024
China issues rare-earth regulations to further protect domestic supply
The rules focus on the mining, smelting and trade in the critical materials used to make products from magnets in electric vehicles to consumer electronics.
China's Premier Li Qiang visits Western Australia's only operating lithium hydroxide plant Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia (TLEA) in Kwinana, on the outskirts of Perth, on June 18.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 18, 2024
Chinese premier's Western Australia tour spotlights global race for critical minerals
Western Australia supplies more than half of the world's seaborne iron ore, with China its top customer.
A person walks past the logo of the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit in Goyang, South Korea, on Tuesday. Seoul will aim to secure critical mineral imports and boost trade ties with Africa as President Yoon Suk-yeol hosts dozens of heads of state from the continent at a major summit.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 4, 2024
South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol pledges closer ties with Africa on minerals and trade
Hosting an inaugural summit, Yoon said South Korea will increase development aid for Africa as it looks to tap the continent's mineral resources and export market potential.
President of China Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attend the China-Africa Leaders' Roundtable Dialogue on the last day of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 24, 2023.
WORLD
May 28, 2024
Post-COVID, China is back in Africa and doubling down on minerals
While new Chinese investment in Africa increased 114% last year, it was centered on minerals essential to the global energy transition and China's plans to revive its economy.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Wednesday before embarking on a trip to France and South American countries.
JAPAN / Politics
May 2, 2024
Kishida and Attal vow to expand Japan-France ties
Attal also expressed his condolences over the recent death of renowned Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama.
Lithium powder from recycled batteries in Nevada in March
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 21, 2024
Japanese trading firms look abroad to diversify lithium supply
The resource-limited country is aiming to create a stable supply of the mineral, which is critical for producing batteries for electric vehicles.
A helmet jellyfish recorded at depth in the Lurefjord, Norway. The creatures experience acute physical effects from short-term exposure to suspended sediment, which could be caused by deep-sea mining.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Apr 7, 2024
The weird deep-sea world, and how mining threatens it
Demand for metals such as lithium and nickel has driven a rush to take a stake in the seabed, with Japan being a major advocate of deep-sea mining.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden meet at the White House on Jan. 13, 2023. Kishida will hold talks with Biden in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2024
Japan, U.S. and Philippines eye cooperation on mineral supply chains
Japanese and U.S. officials think that security cooperation with the Philippines is important for responding to potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait.
Lithium evaporation ponds in Silver Peak, Nevada. Global lithium demand is expected to outpace supply by 500,000 metric tons annually by 2030.
BUSINESS
Mar 26, 2024
America's lithium laws fail to keep pace with rapid development
Washington's drive to make the U.S. a major global lithium producer is being held back by a confusing mix of state regulations.
Globally, the area covered by mines has doubled over the past three years, driven by demand for critical minerals, according to a 2023 study.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 25, 2024
For mineral-rich Philippines, green metals rush is a balancing act
The county has the world's fourth-largest copper reserves, fifth-biggest nickel deposits and is also rich in cobalt — which are important for clean energy.
A lithium mine near Itinga, Minas Gerais state, Brazil
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2023
We’re not even close to running out of green minerals
Rising reserves challenge fears of mineral shortages in green transition.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a news conference in Hanoi on Sunday, the first day of a visit in Vietnam.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 11, 2023
U.S. and Vietnam ink historic partnership in Biden visit
U.S. President Joe Biden secured deals with Hanoi on semiconductors and minerals amid Washington's growing rivalry with China.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 7, 2023
Japan and Britain confirm close economic security partnership
Japan and Britain adopted a joint statement aimed at strengthening supply chains for critical mineral resources.
Graphite, now deemed an essential mineral by the U.S., is the single biggest ingredient by weight in the batteries that go into electric vehicles and the power grid. It is also used in a variety of defense applications.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2023
Biden deploys Pentagon to beat climate change and China
A $37.5 million grant to Graphite One acts as a relaxed form of venture capital as the White House supports nascent parts of the domestic cleantech supply chain.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023
Japan to strengthen resources diplomacy with Africa
Japanese companies have been falling behind foreign rivals in launching resources development projects in Africa.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 19, 2023
No more plundering: Can Africa take control in green mineral rush?
Governments on the continent have increasingly restricted or banned mineral exports in recent years in a bid to boost processing and retain more of the gains.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 4, 2023
Beijing takes the trade fight to Europe, targeting the green transition
China is the largest producer of the two minerals that are crucial to the semiconductor, telecommunications and electric-vehicle industries.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 28, 2023
U.S. and Japan strike deal on supply of minerals for EV batteries
EVs that use materials that have been collected or processed in Japan will be eligible for incentives under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, Japan's trade minister said.

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Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?