Rare

Winning bidders include Chevron, Eni, QatarEnergy and Aiteo.

Libya has assigned new oil and gas exploration rights to foreign firms, aiming to revamp the sector after years of civil strife.

The country’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced the results of its first licensing round since 2007 on Wednesday. Winners included US oil giant Chevron and Africa’s largest privately-owned energy company, Nigeria’s Aiteo.

Other winning bidders were consortia: Spain’s Repsol with British Petroleum, Eni North Africa with QatarEnergy, and Repsol with Hungary’s MOLGroup and Turkiye Petrolleri.

The licensing awards signal some renewed interest in Libya’s oil sector, which foreign investors had long been wary of after the country erupted into conflict in 2011 with the overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi. But experts said the response was smaller than expected.

“It is likely that lingering uncertainty over Libya’s political dysfunction and insecurity in the areas around the blocks on offer were factors in the underwhelming response,” Hamish Kinnear, an analyst with UK-based risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, told the AFP news agency.

Libya remains politically divided between rival administrations in the east and west, and disputes over the central ‌bank and oil revenues often disrupt production at key oil fields.

‘Return of trust’

The licensing round, in which five of 20 blocks on offer were awarded, follows a $20bn deal last month with France’s TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips to boost oil production over 25 years.

Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah, who announced the deal, said the goal was to increase daily oil production by 850,000 barrels within that timeframe. Libya currently produces approximately 1.4 million bpd.

The round used a new, more investor-friendly contract model to replace the rigid terms that previously deterred investment.

NOC chief Masoud Suleman said a committee will be created to further “improve the terms” of the bidding system and negotiate with candidates to grant unallocated blocks.

Speaking at the bid’s announcement ceremony, he said “a return of trust and resuming institutional work in one of the country’s most important sectors after a long period of pause and challenges.”

“They are part of a broader national path that aims for prosperity, growth, the return of normalcy,” he added.

SEOUL, Feb. 5 (UPI) — South Korea will seek closer cooperation with China to stabilize supplies of rare earth minerals critical to its high-tech industries, the government said Thursday, as Seoul unveiled a strategy to strengthen supply chain security.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources announced a comprehensive plan calling for expanded cooperation channels with Beijing, including the establishment of a government-to-government hotline and joint consultative body to help prevent supply disruptions.

The initiative comes as South Korea, one of the world’s top high-tech exporters, remains heavily reliant on imported raw materials essential to manufacturing.

“South Korea has developed advanced industries such as semiconductors, electric vehicles and batteries, but as a resource-importing country, we face many challenges in managing supply chains,” Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said during a visit to a rare earth magnet manufacturer in Daegu.

“Our national competitiveness depends on industrial resource security, and the government will focus its policy capabilities on building a resilient industrial structure that is not shaken by external changes,” he said.

Rare earth elements — a group of 17 metals used in components such as permanent magnets, electric motors and advanced electronics — are widely considered vital to next-generation manufacturing. China’s dominance of rare earth processing and refining has left global manufacturers vulnerable to export controls and geopolitical tensions.

Under the plan, South Korea will designate all 17 rare earth elements as core strategic minerals and create new customs classification codes to improve monitoring and demand forecasting.

Seoul also aims to expand domestic production and recycling capacity through regulatory reforms and subsidies for new facilities, while creating a dedicated rare earth research and development fund under an existing industrial innovation investment program.

To support overseas supply diversification, the government will increase policy loans for overseas resource development to $46.2 million this year, up from $26.6 million in 2025, while expanding the state financing coverage ratio to 70% from 50%, the ministry said.

Beyond China, South Korea said it will pursue supply partnerships with countries including Vietnam and Laos as part of efforts to diversify procurement channels and reduce reliance on any single supplier.

The announcement comes a day after South Korea was tapped to chair Washington’s Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement, or FORGE, a U.S.-led framework aimed at strengthening supply chain resilience among allied economies for critical minerals and emerging technologies.

Tony Maudsley has played undertaker George Shuttleworth on Coronation Street since 2020

Coronation Street’s Tony Maudsley has delighted fans after giving them a rare look into his family life.

Tony joined the ITV soap in 2020 as George Shuttleworth, the son of the late undertaker Archie (Roy Hudd). Since then, he’s become a firm favourite with viewers.

After his father’s passing, George took the reins of Shuttleworth’s Independent Funeral Directors on Tile Street, bringing in his mate Todd Grimshaw (Gather Pierce) as his right-hand man.

In 2022, George’s family grew with the arrival of his sister Glenda, portrayed by Jodie Prenger, on the soap. The former cruise ship entertainer quickly won over viewers with her close bond with her doting brother.

He also played a part in several big storylines – including his relationships with Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) – who left the soap last year – and his current romance with Christina Boyd (Amy Robbins).

As well as Corrie, Tony has appeared in Queer As Folk, Emmerdale and even the Harry Potter franchise in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He also starred in the hit ITV sitcom Benidorm playing hairdresser Kenneth Du Beke from 2011 to 2018.

The telly star is also no stranger to keeping his loyal legion of 77k Instagram followers updated on his everyday life. And this week, he had his co-stars and fans swooning after an adorable family update.

Giving fans a rare look at his private life, Tony uploaded several photos of his adorable dog after their groom. He captioned the post: “Took Bosie to a new groomers today in Worsley Village and they did a great job! They even cleaned his teeth (well the few he’s got left!)”

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He added: “New business so give them a try if you’re local! Idyllic setting so perfect for a lovely walk, post-pamper!! Oh by the way that chunk of fur out of his leg wasn’t done by the groomer he had blood tests last week so that was down to the vet!”

Unsurprisingly, his co-stars and were left swooning by the post with Sally Carman writing: “Blow OUT,” along with a love heart eyes emoji. Someone else gushed: “Beautiful boy! Looking fab Bosie.” A third penned: “Omg he is so cute! That face!” Another said: “What a cutie!!!”

Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX

Feb. 2 (UPI) — President Donald Trump plans to launch a $12 billion stockpile of rare earth minerals to curb U.S. dependence on China.

The project is called Project Vault and it will be funded by a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank and about $1.67 billion in private capital.

Trump’s plan seeks to procure and store rare-earth minerals that are critical to the automotive, defense, and tech industries. Minerals would be stored for use by U.S. manufacturers.

Some critical minerals that are of interest to tech companies and electric vehicle manufacturers include cobalt, lithium, titanium, silicon, nickel and graphite.

Rare earth minerals have been a focus of Trump’s during his second term. The White House said the United States was reliant on imports of minerals in 2024. Trump has since used mineral acquisition as a key point of international negotiations.

The president has also eyed Greenland for its mineral deposits. He recently alluded to invading Greenland and raising tariffs but walked back that rhetoric at the World Economic Forum last month.

Some companies that are expected to be involved in the Project Vault stockpile include General Motors, Stellantis, Boeing and Google.

Fans claim it is the best period drama since Mad Men

A captivating period drama with a rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating might be the perfect addition to your mid-week watchlist.

BBC iPlayer is currently streaming Australian hit drama, The Newsreader, which stars Mindhunter actress Anna Torv and Interview with the Vampire’s Sam Reid.

The duo are part of a competitive team of journalists in a 1980s Australian newsroom, with Torv playing the channel’s first female newsreader, Helen Norville.

After fighting various barriers to make her way to the top, Helen gets paired up with producer Dale Jennings (Reid).

Viewers are then thrust into the duo’s personal and professional lives as they cover major historic events such as Halley’s Comet and the AIDS crisis.

Created by Michael Lucas, the workplace drama debuted in 2021 and aired for three seasons. Each instalment earned overwhelming praise from critics and casual viewers alike.

Rotten Tomatoes reviewers awarded the drama a perfect 100% score for its first two seasons, with no score available yet for the third instalment.

Torv and Reid were showered with praise following the release, with one IMDB user raving: “The biggest news to come from the Aussie drama ‘The Newsreader’ is that Sam Reid (Dale Jennings) is sensational.”

“I suggest that his career is about to take off epically. I could see him as the next James Bond!”

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Someone else agreed: “The Newsreader is a brilliantly acted and written drama series. I absolutely love TV shows that are based around historic events and this is the best example since Mad Men.”

While a third fan shared their detailed verdict: “I consider this show a bit of a hidden gem, especially because I discovered it completely by coincidence. It’s difficult to put into words what an intense viewing experience it is.

“The backdrop setting of a 80’s newsroom is so delicious it feels like it could have been written for me personally. The rise and decay of these characters, especially the two leads BRILLIANTLY portrayed by Anna Torv and Sam Reid, is extremely captivating.”

The Newsreader is streaming now on BBC iPlayer.

Jan. 26 (UPI) — Critical minerals startup USA Rare Earth announced Monday that the Department of Commerce will give the company a $1.3 billion loan and $277 million in federal funding.

USA Rare Earth will issue Commerce 16.1 million shares of common stock and 17.6 million in warrants. The federal government will have an 8% to 16% stake in the company, depending on whether it uses the warrants, a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said.

USA Rare Earth shares rose more than 20% Monday after the announcement, CNBC reported.

The injection of funds will help the company build a magnet manufacturing plant in Stillwater, Okla., and a mine at the Round Top mineral deposit in Sierra Blanca, Texas.

CEO Barbara Humpton said the government deal will turn USA Rare Earth into an industry leader.

“This is a watershed moment in our work to secure and grow a resilient and independent rare earth value chain based in this country,” CNBC reported that Humpton told analysts Monday.

“We have long said that meeting the urgent call to reassure the rare earth and critical minerals industry will require a multiplayer solution, and this establishes our company as one of the leaders,” she said.

Commerce will allocate the funding from 2026 through 2028 based on milestones in USA Rare Earth’s business plan, Chief Financial Officer Rob Steele told analysts.

The company needs about $4.1 billion for its plan, he said. It still needs to raise about $600 million more capital.

“We believe we can raise the remaining capital from attractive sources, and you should assume that’s equity capital but that can come from strategic investments as well as institutional investors,” Steele said.

China dominates the global supply chain of rare earth materials. During trade disputes with President Donald Trump, Beijing tried to cut off rare earth exports.

“USA Rare Earth’s heavy critical minerals project is essential to restoring U.S. critical mineral independence,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a statement. “This investment ensures our supply chains are resilient and no longer reliant on foreign nations.”

“The Department of Energy is ending America’s reliance on foreign nations for the critical materials essential to our economy and national security,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright in a statement. “The DOE is partnering with USAR to rebuild the critical minerals supply chain. By expanding domestic mining, processing and manufacturing capabilities, we are creating good-paying American jobs and safeguarding our national security.”

“Accelerating the onshoring of rare earth minerals, metals, and magnets is paramount to national and economic security,” U.S. Investment Accelerator Executive Director Michael Grimes said in a statement. “With the Department of Commerce’s funding for USA Rare Earth’s vertically integrated mine-to-magnet operations, we will significantly increase the domestic supply of crucial components for semiconductors, defense and numerous other industries strategic to the United States.”