NTPC Deputy General Manager Kumar Gaurav murdered in Jharkhand, halting mining operations. Police investigate, NTPC calls for enhanced security for employees.

The Trump administration on Friday added 10 more U.S. mining projects to a fast-track permitting list aimed at expanding critical minerals production across the country. The projects - which would supply copper, palladium and other minerals - have been granted FAST-41 status, a federal initiative launched in 2015 to streamline approvals of critical infrastructure. The Trump administration last month had named an initial 10 projects to the list and said that more would be added in the future. All of the projects are listed on a U.S. federal website where their permitting progress can be publicly tracked, part of what the administration calls a push for greater transparency and faster permitting. The latest 10 include a proposed copper and nickel mine in Minnesota from a joint venture of Glencore (OTC:GLNCY) and Teck Resources (NYSE:TECK); a New Mexico uranium project from Energy Fuels (TSX:EFR); expansion of a Montana palladium project from Sibanye Stillwater (NYSE:SBSW); an Alaskan silver project from Hecla; and a Georgia titanium dioxide project from Chemours. South32 (OTC:SOUHY)’s Hermosa zinc-manganese project in Arizona was fast-tracked by former President Joe Biden, the first mine to receive the FAST-41 treatment. President Donald Trump also last month ordered a probe into potential new tariffs on all U.S. critical minerals imports, a major escalation in his dispute with global trade partners and an attempt to pressure industry leader China.

Investors flock to Africa’s critical minerals as digitalisation boosts mining efficiency and safety across the continent.