Exclusive
‘AI is the engine, diamonds are preserved upside down, copper currently the path to value’ – Botswana Minerals’ Campbell on strategy shift
Botswana Minerals has positioned itself as a data-led, multi-commodity explorer, placing copper at the centre of its growth strategy while retaining diamond assets for future upside, Managing Director James Campbell has told Rough & Polished. In an exclusive...
13 april 2026
Emanuel Vieira Lopes: Angola's new digital mining cadastre to reduce permit times by a third
Angola's new Digital Mining Cadastre (CMA) is on track to reduce average permitting timelines by one-third once fully deployed, according to Emanuel Vieira Lopes, Advisor to the Secretary of State for Mineral Resources. In an interview with...
06 april 2026
Paul Zimnisky warns diamond trade at "crossroads" as geopolitical tensions, pending De Beers sale, and LGDs reshape market
As geopolitical tensions escalate in the Middle East, diamond industry analyst Paul Zimnisky warns that the impact is most acute at trading hubs like Dubai, where flight cancellations and travel fears are keeping buyers away. In a wide-ranging interview...
30 march 2026
From Harry Oppenheimer’s Kimberley House to Hong Kong: SDT's Conrad Van Der Ross on 35 years in diamonds
South Africa's State Diamond Trader (SDT) operations manager Conrad Van Der Ross has witnessed the diamond industry transform over three and a half decades—from his nervous start as a De Beers trainee sorter in pre-democracy South Africa...
23 march 2026
Rough diamond shortage squeezes emerging South African beneficiators, Macs Diamonds founder warns
South Africa’s Macs Diamonds founder Macdonald Mogale has identified a shortage of rough diamonds as the most pressing challenge facing emerging beneficiators amid prolonged subdued market conditions. Speaking to Rough & Polished, Mogale noted that the...
16 march 2026
ALROSA fails at upholding Svetlinskaya HPP safety requirements
06 april 2026
Russia’s Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision has initiated an administrative case against the Svetlinskaya hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in Yakutia, which belongs to the diamond mining company ALROSA, due to non-compliance with safety requirements during the operation of hydraulic structures.
North Pole lost enough ice this year to cover France’s territory twice
03 april 2026
The area of ice cover at the North Pole was 14.29 million sq. km as of the end of March 2026, which is 1.32 million square kilometers below the average level for 1981-2010. It is enough to cover the territory of France twice.
Tundra on Taimyr recovers thanks to reduced sulfur dioxide emissions - report
21 november 2025
The environmental situation in Taimyr has improved thanks to Norilsk Nickel's efforts to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and rehabilitate the ecosystem, a Russian Ministry of Natural Resources expert told TASS.
Yuri Trutnev inspects large-scale renovation program in Norilsk
20 november 2025
Deputy prime minister of Russia and presidential plenipotentiary envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev visited Norilsk on a working visit and assessed the progress of the city's large-scale renovation program.
Russia to open scientific and educational center on Svalbard
18 november 2025
An international scientific and educational center will be established on the Svalbard archipelago to study the Arctic permafrost, atmosphere, and hydrosphere, said Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev.
Nornickel tests first domestic mine survey drone
14 november 2025
Tests of the domestic InnoSpector UAV operating using SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology have been completed in the Polar branch of Norilsk Nickel.
SCO countries to discuss future of sustainable development goals in Moscow
12 november 2025
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum on sustainable development will be held on November 17 in Moscow.
