Platinum giant wants in on batteries to ease electric car threat

The company said financial losses at the mine threaten the viability of the rest of the Cooke operations, which include four mines and three processing plants.

In what seems like an annual event, platinum companies in South Africa are bracing for what could be another year of labour unrest.

If the class action goes ahead, it will affect almost every gold mine in South Africa, including their parent companies, covering their conduct over the last 50 years.

Combined these mining and metal giants are worth $700 billion with operations in every corner of the world.

Bob Moriarty explains why precious metals investors may want to look beyond gold to a commodity with a long history and an interesting relationship to the yellow metal.

The country is said to be sitting on mineral deposits worth hundreds of billions of dollars which, once developed, could surpass oil as its main source of income.

First time a country partners with privates to boost the development of the industry.

For private capital mining and metals is the riskiest natural resources sector – but only energy beats the returns.

An official endorsement of such mission would pave the way for several other for-profit space ventures currently in the works.