The United States is wagging its finger at Zimbabwe, threatening to ratchet up sanctions over a plan to develop a platinum mine involving Russian and Zimbabwean companies.
In response to the widespread devastation caused by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, BHP Billiton Sustainable Communities has donated US$400,000 to the Pooled World Health Organisation (WHO) Ebola Response fund.
The standoff marks a major setback for the miner, which is in the process of upgrading its copper assets in Zambia hoping to increase output by at least 50% by 2017.