Looking ahead, natural graphite production is expected grow at a 5.6% CAGR through 2024.

The government accuses Vedanta of failing to honour licence conditions, including promised investment.

Congo is Africa's top producer of copper and the world's leading miner of cobalt.

They advanced for a second day, as demand for haven assets supported bullion prices amid the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic.

The license renewal marks a critical step in the formal sanction of the underground expansion project for the mine.

Investigations, with the assistance of Interpol, are under way to determine the origin of the gold.