
-
G7 finance talks end in show of unity despite tariff turmoil
-
Hamilton says Ferrari 'running out of time' to save season
-
DR Congo ex-leader Kabila loses immunity to 'treason' probe
-
Trump hosts gala for memecoin buyers despite corruption concerns
-
Heidenheim recover to draw with Elversberg in Bundesliga playoff
-
Israel PM names new security chief, defying attorney general
-
State Dept says Chevron must leave Venezuela, even as American freed
-
England's Crawley glad to 'repay faith' with Zimbabwe hundred
-
US braces for intense hurricane season as climate agency is gutted
-
G7 finance chiefs say economic policy uncertainty is easing
-
Italy, other EU states urge rethink on European rights convention
-
Nuggets confirm Adelman as permanent head coach
-
Birthday boy Djokovic avenges Arnaldi loss in Geneva
-
Israel blames Europe after embassy staff shot dead in US
-
Trump admin sows doubt over vaccines in 'Make America Healthy Again' report
-
Marc Marquez says Silverstone focus is protecting MotoGP lead
-
Madrid ex-mayor's family regains art lost to Franco regime
-
Marsh ton powers Lucknow to IPL upset over Gujarat
-
US govt revokes Harvard's right to enroll foreign students
-
New two-stop rule could produce 'crazy' Monaco race, says Verstappen
-
Power says scandal-hit Penske ready to 'move forward' at Indy 500
-
Top three hit hundreds as England run riot against Zimbabwe
-
Disney suspends Venezuelan workers after protected status revoked
-
Rapper Kid Cudi testifies of torched car in Sean Combs trial
-
California's electric car drive put on blocks by US Senate
-
Raphinha extends Barca deal until 2028
-
Verstappen skips Brad Pitt F1 movie to stay with family
-
France detains 55 men in child sex abuse crackdown
-
Son of former US coach Berhalter in squad for June friendlies
-
Italy court makes 'historic' ruling for same-sex mothers
-
Hijabs onscreen, critics offscreen for Iran film in Cannes
-
Anti-doping bodies condemn 'dangerous' drug-fueled Enhanced Games
-
Kooij turns on the speed to take Giro sprint
-
G7 finance chiefs push for consensus despite Trump tariffs
-
Stock markets sluggish as Trump tax cuts clear House
-
Tariff wars will hamper climate efforts: COP30 CEO
-
PSG sporting director Campos extends contract to 2030
-
Nicaraguan 'dictatorship' is doomed, says exiled author
-
Two Israeli embassy staff shot dead in Washington
-
UK agrees deal over Chagos Islands despite court challenge
-
Bath geared up for 'one-off' Challenge Cup final
-
The surprising climate power of penguin poo
-
Duckett and Crawley lead England run-spree against Zimbabwe
-
Xiaomi launches new advanced in-house mobile chip
-
Trump administration to release 'Make America Healthy Again' report
-
Pope's call to tame AI sets tone for Christian leaders
-
Alcaraz plays Nishikori in Roland Garros opener as Swiatek gets tough draw
-
Modric to leave Real Madrid after Club World Cup
-
Austria's Eurovision winner wants 2026 edition 'without Israel'
-
Zhang Weili confident of UFC's future in China as Fight Night announced

The Metals Company courts Trump for deep-sea mining contract
A Canadian deep-sea mining pioneer, The Metals Company, is charting a new course to land the controversial extraction practice's first commercial contract -- by appealing to US President Donald Trump.
It wants to collect so-called polymetallic nodules -- mineral deposits made up of multiple metals -- on the Pacific Ocean floor.
TMC originally planned to apply for a contract with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) -- the organization with jurisdiction over the seabed in international waters -- in June.
The company's subsidiaries had spent years using contracts awarded by the ISA to explore parts of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a section of the Pacific Ocean rich with these nodules.
The zone contains an estimated 21 billion tonnes (23.1 billion tons) of nodules containing minerals used in high-demand products like electric car batteries.
The ISA has yet to award a contract for industrial extraction, however, as it has spent a decade developing a deep-sea mining code with member states. The extended wait has led the Canadian firm to seek opportunities through different means.
Although the area TMC hopes to deep-sea mine is in international waters, a 1980 US law could be used to issue a commercial extraction permit -- if the Trump administration allows it.
"We are ready," TMC CEO Gerard Barron said on a conference call last month. "What we need is a fair hearing and a regulator willing to engage."
Originally named DeepGreen Metals upon its creation in 2011, the company rebranded to The Metals Company after going public in 2021.
The firm collects nodules more than four kilometers (2.5 miles) underwater, having tested a vehicle that gathers the raw materials from the ocean floor and transports them to a ship on the water's surface using a giant pipe.
The company's change in strategy to bypass the ISA has angered member nations of the international body, as well as environmental NGOs concerned about the impact of deep-sea mining.
Bobby-Jo Dobush, a legal officer with The Ocean Foundation, told AFP that deep-sea mining is "the worst, most environmentally destructive, most expensive way to get minerals."
- 'Political appetite' -
The Metals Company is banking on Washington -- which opted not to join the ISA -- and Trump's desire for minerals not imported from China or other rivals to outweigh the environmental concerns.
TMC Chief Financial Officer Craig Shesky said during the March conference call that the legal precedent for the United States to authorize extraction "has always been there."
"What has been missing is the political appetite in the United States to take advantage of it. And that's the main change that has come with this administration," Shesky said.
He estimated that allowing the company to collect a billion tonnes of nodules via deep-sea mining could provide the United States with "456 years of manganese, 165 years of cobalt, 81 years of nickel and four years of copper" based on current consumption patterns.
Dmitry Silversteyn, an analyst with Water Tower Research, said TMC could begin production some time in 2026, especially "with the administration in the United States now being very focused on standing up a domestic critical metals and critical materials industry that's independent of Chinese supply chain."
Dobush, of The Ocean Foundation, said the apparent rush to nail down a contract shows TMC is "really in dire financial straits."
But Silversteyn said TMC was progressing steadily enough for "getting into production commitment" by the end of 2026.
Barron touted his company's progress, saying last month: "We've shown that we can pick up nodules from the seafloor, we can lift them to the surface and process them onshore, all the way to the refined products, with minimal environmental impacts and limited capital expenditure."
M.A.Colin--AMWN