INFOGRAPHIC: The facts and figures that make space mining real

Widely circulated reports that the 88-year old were fighting for his life in a Singapore hospital were deemed to be "lies meant to destabilise Zimbabwe," according to a spokesman.

Zimbabwe's Black Empowerment Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, announced today it has taken majority ownership of foreign-owned mining firms, which had not already given a controlling stake to black Zimbabweans.

The South African government has ok'd a $443-million platinum mine located north of Rustenburg.

Gold dropped more than $57 or 3.4% an ounce in early afternoon trade while ever volatile silver tanked more than 6%. Platinum crashed through the $1,600 an ounce level and palladium fell almost 4%.

Production at Blanket in Zimbabwe doubled and the Toronto-based company said it paid direct and indirect taxes, royalties, licence fees, levies and other monies to the Government of Zimbabwe totalling $13,6 million.

Gold’s been knocked down lately, but several enduring factors have conditioned the yellow metal for an inevitable comeback.

South Africa took a step closer on Thursday to create a standalone mining company that will take charge of the government's role in the country's rich resources and with ambitions of becoming involved in the continent's mining sector.

The Business Standard reports now that platinum trades more in line with the gold price, Indian jewellery buyers are moving back into gold.

A new survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit finds when institutional investors interested in frontier markets were asked to choose two regions out of five, two-thirds see Africa – projected to be the fastest growing region on the planet this year – as holding the greatest opportunity.