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Britain announces a critical minerals strategy in order to reduce reliance on external supply
The government announced that Britain has launched a new critical minerals strategy to reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers. By 2035, it aims to supply 10% of the domestic demand with UK-produced materials and 20% through recycling. The strategy, which is backed by new funding of up to 50 millions pounds, aims to ensure that no more than 60 percent of UK supply of any critical mineral will come from one country by 2035. In a statement, British Prime Minister Keir starmer stated that critical minerals are "the backbone of modern living and our national safety." He argued that increasing domestic production and recycling could help protect the economy and assist efforts to reduce living costs. The UK government stated that the country currently produces only 6% of their critical mineral requirements domestically. The plan aims to increase domestic extraction and processing with a focus on lithium and nickel. It wants to produce 50,000 tonnes or more of lithium in the UK before 2035. The UK faces an urgent demand for a long-term, secure supply of minerals such as copper, nickel and lithium, which are vital for electric vehicles, smartphones, and data centers, and are increasingly important for artificial intelligence. The British government has said that the demand for materials essential to Britain is increasing rapidly. By 2035, copper consumption will nearly double, and lithium demand will increase by 1,100%. China's strategy highlights its grip on vital mineral supplies. This leaves the sector vulnerable to price fluctuations, geopolitical tensions and sudden interruptions. Britain pointed out that China controls about 70% of rare-earth mining and 90% refining. This dominance puts countries like the UK at risk. In the early part of this year, Britain signed a deal to cooperate on minerals with Saudi Arabia. The aim was to improve supply chains, open doors for British companies, and attract new investment. (Reporting and editing by Chris Reese in Bengaluru, Mrinmay dey from Bengaluru)
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Australia PM announces formal agreement reached with Turkey for COP31 Climate Summit
Anthony Albanese, Australian Prime Minister, said that a formal agreement was reached on Sunday for Turkey to be the host of the COP31 Climate Summit in 2026. This confirms a document published at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil. In a statement released by Germany at the COP30 Summit this week, following a meeting of Western European and Others Group tasked to select the host for 2026, it was stated that Australia would lead the negotiations, while Turkey will take on the role. This announcement followed an earlier one that said a compromise was expected. The agreement ended a long-running dispute over the hosting of U.N. negotiations. Albanese stated in a press release that "a formal agreement was reached for COP31 in Antalya to be hosted and the Pacific's interest would be advanced by Australia taking on the role of the President of Negotiations leading up to the meeting as well as at the event." According to the statement, Australia would be the "exclusive authority" in guiding the decision-making at the summit. The statement also said that the Pacific region will host a pre-COP special meeting to "bring attention to the existential threats climate change poses for the region." The Pacific Islands Forum is a regional diplomatic bloc consisting of 18 countries that had supported Australia's bid. The rising seas threaten several Pacific island nations. Over the years, the annual COP has evolved from a diplomatic gathering into a massive trade show where the host country can promote their economic prospects. Sam McKeith, Sydney; Chris Reese, editing.
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Tunisians intensify protests against Saied and demand return to democracy
On Saturday, thousands of Tunisians marched through the capital in protest of "injustice" and "repression". They accused President Kais Said of consolidating his one-man regime by using the judiciary. This protest is part of a wave which has been sweeping Tunisia, affecting journalists, doctors and banks, as well as public transport systems. The closure of an environmental-friendly chemical plant was also demanded by thousands. They wore black to show their anger and sorrow over the transformation of Tunisia into "an open-air prison". The protesters held banners that read "Enough of repression", and "No terror, no fear, the streets are the people's". The rally united activists, NGOs, and fragmented political parties across the spectrum to show a rare unity against Saied. This shows the serious political and economic problems in Tunisia and is a challenge for Saied who took power by decree in 2021. The protesters shouted slogans like "We're suffocating!" The protesters chanted slogans such as "Enough with the tyranny! The people want to see the regime fall! ". Ezzedine hazgui, the father of Jawhar Ben Mbark (a politician who is currently in jail), said: "Saied turned the country into 'an open prison. We will never give up." Saied is accused by opposition parties, civil societies and journalists of using the police and judiciary to suppress criticism. Three prominent civil rights organizations announced last month that authorities had suspended their operations due to alleged foreign funding. Amnesty International said that the crackdown against rights groups had reached a critical level with 14 NGOs being targeted for arbitrary arrests and detentions as well as asset freezing, banking restrictions, and suspensions. Saied is accused by his opponents of destroying the independence and integrity of the judiciary. In 2022, he disbanded the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and fired dozens of judges - a move that rights groups and opposition groups condemned as a coup. The majority of opposition leaders, as well as dozens critics, are currently in prison. Saied says he has not become a dictator and is not using the judiciary to punish opponents. He claims he is purging Tunisia of all "traitors". (Reporting and editing by Kevin Liffey; Tarek Amara)
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Nine people are killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes, doctors say
Local health officials said that Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed nine people, and injured several others. This is a test of the fragile ceasefire agreement between Hamas, a militant Palestinian group, and Israel. The first attack, according to witnesses and medics, was on a car that was set alight in the densely-populated Rimal neighborhood. It wasn't immediately clear if the five victims were all passengers in the car, or if they included bystanders. Dozens rushed in to put out the fire and save the victims. Israeli air strikes on two houses near Deir Al-Balah and Nuseirat camps in central Gaza Strip occurred shortly after the attack on a car. At least four people were killed and several more injured. Israeli military claimed that a gunman crossed into Israeli territory in Gaza, exploiting "the humanitarian route in the area where humanitarian aid enters south Gaza", describing it as a "blatant breach of the ceasefire accord". In response, the military announced that it had struck targets in Gaza. Hamas officials in Gaza have rejected Israeli military allegations that the group is committed to the ceasefire. They said the claims were baseless, and an "excuse for killing". Israel and Hamas accuse each other repeatedly of violating a truce that was concluded over six weeks ago. Hamas stated in a press release earlier that day that Israel’s “escalating violations” put the responsibility on mediators, and the U.S., to confront Israel and maintain the ceasefire. The ceasefire of October 10, which ended the two-year Gaza War, has helped to ease the conflict and allowed hundreds of thousands to return to Gaza. Israel has withdrawn troops from city positions and increased aid flow. Violence has not stopped completely. Hamas is trying to assert itself, and many are worried about the de facto division of the territory where conditions are terrible. Palestinian health officials say Israeli forces killed 316 civilians in Gaza in attacks since the ceasefire. Israel claims that three soldiers were killed since the ceasefire was declared and that it has also attacked a number of fighters. Hamas militants attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people - most of whom were civilians - and taking 251 hostages. Gaza's health officials say that Israel's retaliatory attack has killed over 69,700 Palestinians. Most of them are civilians. Hamas agreed to release all 20 hostages still alive in Gaza, in exchange for Israel's nearly 2,000 Palestinian wartime prisoners and detainees. Hamas has also agreed to exchange the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants who were killed during the war for the remains of 28 hostages. So far, the remains of 25 hostages has been handed over. According to the health ministry of the territory, Israel has returned 330 Palestinian bodies. (Reporting Nidal al-Mughrabi. Emily Rose contributed additional reporting from Jerusalem. Editing was done by Emelia Sithole Matarise and Topra Chopra.
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The EU objectors to the proposed deal prolong the COP30 discussions
Brazil's COP30 summit was forced to face a crucial day on Saturday after all-night discussions to break an impasse. The European Union had blocked a deal that it felt would not advance efforts to curb greenhouse gases, which are driving global climate changes. The two-week climate conference, billed as an opportunity to demonstrate that nations could still unite to combat climate change in the absence of the United States, was supposed to end on Friday. However the standoff forced the negotiators to work overtime. The Brazilian presidency tried to reach a compromise over a deal which most of the 200 countries attending the summit would accept but the EU deemed unbalanced. A deal must be approved by a majority. It was unlikely that any agreement would be reached to provide more details on the way and when nations will fulfill their commitments to move away from fossil fuels. The Arab Group countries had led the opposition. The only option left was to agree on a voluntary “Global Implementation Accelerator” in which countries can discuss how they could advance their efforts to reduce emissions. On Saturday, a draft of a part of the final agreement, as seen by, called for the global effort to triple the funding available to assist developing nations in adapting to climate change by the year 2035. The EU said it would "move past its comfort zone" in terms of finance for developing countries - but that only if the clauses on actions to reduce planet-warming emission were strengthened. Sources said the COP30 presidency was preparing a text addressing fossil-fuels. However, it was unclear if Brazil was going to issue the declaration or if it had been endorsed by other countries. The deal was not expected as part of a larger consensus after Brazil's earlier attempts to get all the countries to agree on a text regarding fossil fuels failed. Reporting by William James; Editing and editing by Kevin Liffey and Katy Daigle.
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The EU objectors to the proposed deal prolong the COP30 discussions
Brazil's COP30 Climate Summit faced a crunch-day on Saturday, after all night talks to overcome an impass after the European Union had blocked a deal it claimed would not advance efforts to curb greenhouse gases that are driving global climate changes. The two-week climate conference, billed as an opportunity to demonstrate that nations could still unite to combat climate change in the absence of the United States, was supposed to end on Friday. However the standoff forced the negotiators to work overtime. The Brazilian presidency tried to reach a compromise over a deal which most of the 200 countries attending the summit would accept but the EU deemed unbalanced. A deal must be approved by a majority. It was unlikely that any agreement would be reached to provide more details on the way and when nations will fulfill their commitments to move away from fossil fuels. The Arab Group countries had led the opposition. The only option left was to agree on a voluntary “Global Implementation Accelerator” in which countries can discuss how they could advance their efforts to reduce emissions. On Saturday, a draft of the final agreement, which was part of a draft, called on the world to triple the amount of funding available to assist developing nations in adapting to climate change. The EU said it would "move past its comfort zone" in terms of finance for developing countries - but that only if the clauses to reduce planet-warming emission were strengthened. (Reporting and editing by William James, Katy Daigle, and Kevin Liffey).
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G20 leaders gather in South Africa to seek agreement despite US boycott
The leaders of the Group of 20 largest economies gathered in South Africa for a summit boycotted by the United States on Saturday. They were seeking a deal over a draft statement drafted without U.S. involvement in a surprising move described by a senior White House Official as "shameful". G20 envoys agreed on a draft declaration of leaders ahead of the weekend's summit in Johannesburg. Several of the main agenda items will be about climate change. Four sources with knowledge of the matter told us on Friday that this draft was drafted without U.S. consent. One of these sources confirmed late Friday that the draft contained references to climate changes, despite objections by the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump who questions the scientific consensus on the warming being caused by human activity. Trump has announced that it will not attend the summit due to allegations that have been widely discredited that the government of the country hosting the summit persecutes the white minority. The U.S. President has also rejected the agenda of the host nation, which included promoting solidarity, helping developing countries adapt to natural disasters and transitioning to clean energy as well as reducing their excessive debt costs. Analysts suggest that the boycott could be beneficial if other countries embrace the agenda of this summit and make progress on a substantive statement. There was no clear indication of what language concessions were needed to bring everyone on board. The United States objected to the mention of renewable energy or climate change in the discussion. Other members were also reticent. Climate change is a major concern for three out of four South Africa's top agenda items. These include preparing for weather-related disasters caused by climate change, financing the switch to green energy and ensuring that the rush for vital minerals benefits the producers. The fourth concern is a system of lending that is more equitable for countries in poverty. Ramaphosa stated that the United States would host the G20 2026. He said he'd have to give the rotating presidency over to a "empty chair". The South African president has refused the White House offer to send a U.S. charge-d'affaires during the G20 handover.
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Barrick Mining and Mali reach agreement on principle to settle dispute over gold mine
Two sources familiar with this situation said that Barrick Mining has reached a verbal understanding in principle regarding their dispute concerning the Loulo-Gounkoto Gold Mining Complex. Sources claim that no agreement has been signed yet. Barrick Mining's spokesperson did not respond immediately to a comment request. A spokesperson from Mali's Mines Ministry said that negotiations are progressing well, but gave no further details. Since 2023, the two sides are in dispute over the implementation a new Mali Mining Code that increases taxes and gives the Government a larger share of the gold mines. One of the sources stated that they met on Friday for talks, a week following Barrick's interim CEO Mark Hill's letter to Mali administration asking to resume negotiations. One of the sources said that they discussed a 10-year extension to Barrick's mine licence, which expires on February 20, 2026. Source: They also discussed the release four Barrick employees who were arrested in Mali. The source added that they also discussed the return of three metric tons gold that was seized by Mali authorities, as well as the dropping of arbitration proceedings Barrick initiated against Mali. Barrick halted operations at the Loulo-Gounkoto Complex in January. In June, a Malian court appointed a temporary administrator to restart the operations. However, blasting didn't begin until October. (Reporting from Divyarajagopal and PortiaCrowe in Toronto; Additional reporting from Pranav Mathur in Bengaluru, Editing by Edmund Klamann.)
What you need to Know about the upcoming Norwegian elections
The general elections in Norway on September 8 and 9 are expected to be close between the centre-left block led by the Labour Party and the centre-right group dominated by Progress Party populists and centre-right Conservatives.
Inequality and taxation are two of the key issues that may decide the outcome. The result could also have an impact on the energy and power supply to Europe, as well as the management and control of Norway's massive sovereign fund.
What's at Stake?
Labour, led by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, is seeking to extend its reign after returning to power 2021. This follows eight years of Conservative governments. Labour is leading a minority coalition, which includes the Socialist Left Party and the rural Centre Party.
According to a survey conducted by Respons Analyse on August 7-13 for the daily Aftenposten (in Norwegian), inequality is now voters' top concern, surpassing national security and defence, which have fallen to sixth place from a similar poll taken in April.
Food prices have risen by 5.9% over the past 12 months, putting pressure on the pocketbook and cost of living.
According to the survey, voters also prioritized jobs, taxes, and the economy.
Some of Labour's allies want to raise taxes on the wealthy in order to fund tax cuts for families with low income and public services.
Both Progress and Conservatives advocate for large tax reductions.
SOVEREIGN LAND FUND
Norway's wealth fund of $2 trillion, built from vast oil and natural gas revenues, allows it to spend more freely than other European countries. However, the need to control interest rates and inflation is a constraining factor. The debate about investments in Israel was at the forefront of the campaign and sparked an unusually open debate on how the world's biggest sovereign fund works.
Last week, the Socialist Left said that it would support a future Labour Government only if they divested themselves from companies involved in "Israel's illegal war in Gaza". Labour rejected this demand but it could be hard to reject such demands after the election.
OIL AND GAS
Norway has replaced Gazprom as Europe's largest gas supplier after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The European Union is planning to phase out the use of Russian gas in 2027. However, it is crucial to exploit new oil and gas resources to reduce production decline.
Depending on the influence of the Greens, Liberals, and other smaller parties, the election may decide whether Norway opens up new areas for oil exploration or if it restricts the companies to the existing ones.
It is unlikely that radical proposals such as stopping exploration altogether will receive enough support.
Norway exports its surplus power to Europe. Some left-wing and rights-wing parties continue to campaign on the issue of limiting exports.
This would cause problems for both the neighbours of Norway and Brussels. Norway may not be a member of the EU, but it is a part of the Single European Market and must follow its rules. Restriction of power exports would be a breach.
The parties are divided on how to meet the growing domestic demand, which is eroding Norway’s surplus. In recent years, little capacity has been added for generation.
Solar, wind on land and new hydropower are quick and cheap to build but they face local protests because of their environmental impact. Due to its high cost, offshore wind is controversial.
How does it work?
Norway uses a proportional system where 169 legislators are elected for four years from 19 geographic districts.
A party that receives more than 4% of the vote nationwide will be guaranteed representation. However, a strong showing within a district can also result in one or two seats.
A coalition or continued minority rule by Labour are likely outcomes.
Nine parties are predicted to gain seats, according to polls. On the left are Labour, the Socialists and the Greens.
Labour's Stoere will remain in power if the centre-left party wins. If it is centre-right, either Progress Party leader Sylvi Listehaug, or Conservative Party chief Erna Solberg, could become Prime Minister.
Results
The voting ends on 8 September at 1900 GMT when the first exit surveys are expected.
The results could be revealed late in the evening, but the final result may not be known till the next day.
Negotiations after the election will determine which parties form the cabinet.
(source: Reuters)