US mining firm KoBold Metals, backed by billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, has signed a landmark agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo to acquire the disputed Manono lithium deposit, dramatically escalating the battle for one of the world’s largest lithium reserves,

KoBold Metals, the mining company backed by US billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, has signed an agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo that positions the US firm to acquire the contested Manono lithium deposit and launch large-scale critical mineral exploration,

Iraq’s health ministry on Monday recorded 16 new cases and two deaths from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), bringing the total number of cases since the beginning of the year to 231.

Congo and the M23 rebel group on Saturday pledged to sign a peace agreement by Aug. 18, a sign of progress even as outstanding details need to be negotiated. Representatives for both sides were at a ceremony in Doha following months of Qatari mediation.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, located in Central Africa, has endured decades of conflict and instability despite being one of the world’s richest countries in natural resources. With 87 million people and vast reserves of coltan,

Democratic Republic of Congo has agreed to pay more than 40 million euros ($46.37 million) in a sponsorship deal with Spanish soccer club Barcelona that would see a logo promoting tourism appear on some team apparel,

KoBold Metals and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a mineral exploration pact, deepening the company’s activities in the central African nation.