Zambian President Edgar Lungu threatened to “divorce” the domestic copper units of Vedanta Resources and Glencore after the companies said they’d curb operations in the Southern African nation. The threat marks an escalation in tensions between the mining industry in Africa’s second-biggest copper producer and the state, after an increase in royalties and plans to introduce new taxes. Last week, Mines Minister Richard Musukwa said the government directed Glencore’s Mopani Copper Mines to hand over two shafts to local contractors rather than close them.
