If successful, AstroForge would be the first private company to visit an M-type asteroid and operate in deep space.

Beijing has sought to develop its ties with the Taliban-run government since it took over in 2021, even though no other country has recognised the administration.

The company said it has “initiated a restructuring program” at the Kwinana alumina refinery located near Perth.

Alberta-based Daniola says it has developed a secure digital platform to bring more accountability and transparency to metals transactions. 

Measured by value, that’s a record in data going back to 2018, while in tonnage terms the mismatch is near an all-time high seen in 2019.

The Chilean miner said it produced 469,100 tons of copper in the first nine months of 2023, 4.1% higher than the same year ago period.

Nine years ago, a toxic mining acid spill into the Bacanuchi river in Mexico's Sonora state became one of the country's worst ecological disasters.