As a former mine union leader takes over as president of South Africa, we take a look at whether Cyril Ramaphosa will be good for the mining industry.

Elsewhere, political uncertainty in Mexico has led investment to drop by a staggering 37.4% between 2017 and 2018. We ask how the country can become an attractive investment opportunity again.

The World Bank has launched a ‘Climate Smart’ mining fund, the first ever to be dedicated to sustainable extraction. Countries have been increasingly turning to unusual exploration incentives to encourage activity, with copper exploration being encouraged in particular. We profile the companies leading the big discoveries and developing innovative news ways of approaching copper mining.

We also take a look at a deepsea nodule collector named after the world’s fastest caterpillar, ask whether more should be being done to protect space from mining, and review how times are changing as the London Metal Exchange appoints its first ever female chair of the board.

Join the conversation on Twitter: @MINE_Magazine.

Molly Lempriere, editor