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Mining and minerals

Extracting minerals can bring a range of benefits but mines can also provoke conflict and harm people and the environment.

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All Content on this topic

A fence and a large painted sign (in Cyrillic) reading 'I heart Kopanki'

A fence and a large painted sign (in Cyrillic) reading 'I heart Kopanki'

Ukraine: What's up with Europe's largest lithium deposits

The US wants Kyiv's rare earths but what do local Ukrainians think?

A panoramic view of a bridge over the Zambezi River

A panoramic view of a bridge over the Zambezi River

Zambia Kafue River contamination from mining sparks concerns

A mining disaster in Zambia has led to the contamination of the Kafue River, a major waterway.

A drilling vessel is being converted to a vessel for deep sea mining.

A drilling vessel is being converted to a vessel for deep sea mining.

Deep-sea mining: New battleground for critical minerals

The deep ocean becomes the new battleground for mining critical minerals. Will it save the climate or unleash disaster?

Niger: a uranium mine in the desert near Arlit

Niger: a uranium mine in the desert near Arlit

Sahel juntas drive new era in mineral extraction

Military governments in the Sahel aim to reduce dependence on foreign mining companies and diversify their economies.

Kupferbergbau in Sambia

Kupferbergbau in Sambia

Kabwe — Zambia's toxic town

In one former mining town in Zambia, over 200,000 children and women have elevated levels of lead poisoning.

A closeup of a hand digging through rocks alongside a stream colored brown

A closeup of a hand digging through rocks alongside a stream colored brown

Congo pays price of progress for electric battery boom

As demand for electric batteries surges, communities in Congo are dealing with the harsh consequences of mineral mining.

A symbolic picture of miners in Spain

A symbolic picture of miners in Spain

Spain: At least 5 dead after blast at Asturias coal mine

Emergency services told reporters that at least five people had been killed in the accident.

A young man looks for copper standing in a pit filled with water

A young man looks for copper standing in a pit filled with water

Congo: Land of riches beset by massive exploitation

Despite its vast mineral wealth, the Democratic Republic of Congo's riches remain elusive to most of its people.

DW Sendung The 77 Percent | DR Congo

DW Sendung The 77 Percent | DR Congo

The 77 Percent — The Magazine for Africa's Youth

We journey into the heart of DR Congo, where a new generation is determined to reclaim its future.

A red warning sign to the right of the picture taken in Ukraine alerts locals to the danger of mines

A red warning sign to the right of the picture taken in Ukraine alerts locals to the danger of mines

Poland, Baltic states back away from land mine treaty

Poland and the Baltic states have said they are planning to leave the global treaty banning antipersonnel land mines.

M23 rebels sit on a truck, holding weapons and wearing camouflage uniforms

M23 rebels sit on a truck, holding weapons and wearing camouflage uniforms

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels pull out of Congo peace talks

The M23 group is blaming EU sanctions for stalling peace talks. Now, many in the mineral-rich region fear more violence.

A gold panner trying his luck to find gold specks in northern Pakistan

A gold panner trying his luck to find gold specks in northern Pakistan

Pakistan: Indus river gold draws panners to try their luck

The lure of gold in northern Pakistan has created a mining boom and jobs. But the industry is dogged by legal questions.

Donald Trump holding up his first, against a map of Greenland

Donald Trump holding up his first, against a map of Greenland

Why the US and Europe are battling for Greenland's future

Donald Trump's push to control Greenland has sparked tension with NATO ally Denmark. Why the sudden interest?

Greenland

Greenland

Trump's Greenland ambitions increase focus on minerals

Trump’s interest in Greenland fuels debate on mining its untapped resources.

Bosnien-Herzegowina Sanski Most 2025 | Fokus auf Kohletagebau

Bosnien-Herzegowina Sanski Most 2025 | Fokus auf Kohletagebau

How Bosnian open-pit coal mines threaten farmer livelihoods

Residents of Sanski Most protest an open-pit coal mine, fearing for their farms and way of life.

Deutschland Berlin 2025 | Massendemonstration gegen AfD und für demokratische Werte

Deutschland Berlin 2025 | Massendemonstration gegen AfD und für demokratische Werte

Focus on Europe — Spotlight on People

Germany's AfD is gaining popularity, raising concerns among migrants.

The colorful history of marble

Marble has been mined since 700 BC. What makes the so-called "white gold" so sought after?

Marble quarry in Carrara, Italy

Marble quarry in Carrara, Italy

Carrara: Mining the world's most precious marble

The statuary marble used by Michelangelo is mined an altitude of around 1,000 meters in Tuscany.

Copper mine

Copper mine

Can the EU become raw material independent?

Lithium, cobalt and rare earths are to be mined in Europe in order to become independent of China.

Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso | Unterstützung der Allianz der Sahel-Staaten (AES)

Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso | Unterstützung der Allianz der Sahel-Staaten (AES)

How Sahel states ditched Western mining interests

Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso no longer orient themselves towards France or Western business interests.

M23 rebels escort government soldiers and police who surrendered to an undisclosed location in Goma, Democratic republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.

M23 rebels escort government soldiers and police who surrendered to an undisclosed location in Goma, Democratic republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.

War in eastern Congo escalates amid international hesitancy

Despite comparisons to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there is little push for sanctions or other international measures.

Donald Trump has expressed a demand that Ukraine give the US access to its minerals in return for military aid.

Donald Trump has expressed a demand that Ukraine give the US access to its minerals in return for military aid.

Trump wants Ukrainian resources in exchange for aid

Ukraine is believed to be rich in valuable rare earth metals needed for manufacturing.

Afghanistan hopes gem mining will boost its economy

Afghanistan hopes gem mining will boost its economy

Afghanistan hopes gem mining will boost its economy

Afghanistan has faced decades of economic crisis, compounded by the Taliban's return to power.

DW Eco India (Sendungslogo Composite)

DW Eco India (Sendungslogo Composite)

Hope, failure and lessons learned in going green | Eco India

The highs and lows of sustainability, from green energy to eco-architecture and electric planes.

A hand holds a chunk of cobolt.

A hand holds a chunk of cobolt.

DR Congo: What role do minerals play in the conflict?

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the world’s most resource-rich nations, yet its people remain poor.

A group of police walk along an arid path as heavy equipment and a tent are seen in the background outside an illegal gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa

A group of police walk along an arid path as heavy equipment and a tent are seen in the background outside an illegal gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa

South Africa police search for gold mine gangster 'Tiger'

An investigation and manhunt have been launched to find him and those who helped him get away.

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

The 77 Percent — The Magazine for Africa's Youth

The 77 Percent and Ghana's Joy News talk to young people about effects of mining on health and environment.

Mine rescue workers hoist up a cage that was used to rescue trapped miners

Mine rescue workers hoist up a cage that was used to rescue trapped miners

South African: Rescue efforts end at abandoned mine shaft

Authorities said that at least 78 bodies were recovered from the Stilfontein mine. Labour unions

Forensic service workers carry remains in blue body bags during a rescue operation at the abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa

Forensic service workers carry remains in blue body bags during a rescue operation at the abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa

AfricaLink News January 16, 2024

+++ CAR president holds cooperation talks with Putin +++ SA: Another 78 miners found dead in Stilfontein mine +++

Illegal miners are escorted by police officers after being rescued from an abandoned gold mine

Illegal miners are escorted by police officers after being rescued from an abandoned gold mine

South Africa: Survivors, corpses pulled from gold mine

Hundreds more people could be underground following a monthslong effort to force them out of the mine.

Südafrika | Minenunglück

Südafrika | Minenunglück

South African mine rescue continues

Illegal miners who were trapped inside an mine in South Africa are being rescued. Many have died.

Demonstrators on September 6, 1990 in front of the occupied Stasi headquarters in Berlin demanded an end to the secret police's activities and the dissolution of the agency

Demonstrators on September 6, 1990 in front of the occupied Stasi headquarters in Berlin demanded an end to the secret police's activities and the dissolution of the agency

Stasi secret police, 35 years on: 'My file is mine'

On January 15, 1990, East Germany's secret police headquarters was stormed, a death knell for the surveillance state.

Divers being lowered into the mine to rescue the miners.

Divers being lowered into the mine to rescue the miners.

India: Three feared dead in mining accident

Rescuers said three out of nine miners were feared dead after a mining accident in India's Assam state.

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

Lubumbashi is more than mining, its young creatives say

There's more to Lubumbashi than just mining and its young creatives want to spread the word.

Lebenswege - Momente, die alles verändern
12329

Lebenswege - Momente, die alles verändern
12329

Paths of life: Stories of moments that changed everything

Looking back, every life has at least one turning point. Change often comes about unexpectedly.

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

Street Debate: Ghana's illegal mining

The 77 Percent and Ghana's Joy News talk to young people about effects of mining on health and environment.

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

Illegal mining — polluting Ghana's rivers and land

Ghana's youths rely on illegal mining for work, a practice that has polluted both land and water bodies.

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

The 77 Percent — The Magazine for Africa's Youth

The 77 Percent meets young people in Ghana and the DRC to understand the impact of mining.

A group of deminers sweep a forested, snowy area with detectors looking for land mines

A group of deminers sweep a forested, snowy area with detectors looking for land mines

Ukrainian war veterans help clear land mines

An estimated 2 million mines are scattered across Ukraine. DW spoke with veterans who are working to clear the land.

DW AfricaLink

DW AfricaLink

How much do Tanzanians benefit from mining?

Josey Mahachi talks to DW's Naomi Jasseda and Dr. Mussa Daniel Budeba, CEO of the Geological Survey of Tanzania.

Seventy-four-year-old Nadaraja Sivaranjani holds a photo of her missing son and granddaughter

Seventy-four-year-old Nadaraja Sivaranjani holds a photo of her missing son and granddaughter

Sri Lanka: Female deminers clear path to postwar recovery

Fifteen years after Sri Lanka's brutal civil war, women are clearing land mines to rebuild their communities.

Philippinen Homonhon-Inseln 2024 | Auswirkungen des Bergbaus

Philippinen Homonhon-Inseln 2024 | Auswirkungen des Bergbaus

Philippine islanders bear the brunt of green energy mining

Residents of Homonhon Island are resisting the expansion of a mine they say is destroying the local ecosystem.

An orca whale swimming close to the water surface with a fin visible over the water

An orca whale swimming close to the water surface with a fin visible over the water

Norway suspends deep-sea mining plans in the Arctic

Norway has paused the licensing process to permit Arctic seabed mining for critical metals as WWF courtcase continues.

A mine tunnel

A mine tunnel

South Korea to shun Sado mine memorial in Japan

South Korea will not attend a ceremony in Japan to commemorate victims of forced labor, its foreign ministry says.

DW Sendung Reporter | Sri Lanka | Landminen

DW Sendung Reporter | Sri Lanka | Landminen

Wounds of war: Clearing land mines in Sri Lanka

After decades of civil war, over a million land mines remain in the ground in Sri Lanka. Demining efforts are ongoing.

A sign in Ukraine warning of land mines, with a skull and crossbones

A sign in Ukraine warning of land mines, with a skull and crossbones

US agrees to give Ukraine anti-personnel mines

How will Ukraine justify the use of US-supplied land mines? Domitilla Sagramoso at King's College London speaks with DW.

Entry of the mine in Stilfontein, North West province, South Africa. People stand around it on rubble.

Entry of the mine in Stilfontein, North West province, South Africa. People stand around it on rubble.

Rescue of illegal miners in South Africa to get underway

A court in South Africa has ordered police to end the risky standoff at a mine in the country's North West province.

A person works in an illegal mine, as a man stands superimposed over the image

A person works in an illegal mine, as a man stands superimposed over the image

What's driving Africa's billion-dollar illegal mining trade?

DW explores the factors behind this underground industry, the people involved and the challenges of regulation.

An aerial view of a mine shaft where an estimated 4000 illegal miners are trapped in a disused mine in Stilfontein, South Africa

An aerial view of a mine shaft where an estimated 4000 illegal miners are trapped in a disused mine in Stilfontein, South Africa

South Africa: Trapped illegal miners face dire conditions

Hundreds of illegal miners are struggling to survive underground in South Africa.

Community members are searched by South African Police Service (SAPS) officers before entering the mine shaft to negotiate with artisanal miners underground to resurface in Stilfontein, South Africa.

Community members are searched by South African Police Service (SAPS) officers before entering the mine shaft to negotiate with artisanal miners underground to resurface in Stilfontein, South Africa.

South African authorities deny help for illegal miners

In South Africa's North West province, hundreds or even thousands of people are trapped in a gold mine fearing arrest.