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  China controls the rare earths the world buys - can Trump's new deals change that? US President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of deals on his Asia visit to secure the supply of rare earths, a critical sector that China has long dominated. The deals with Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia differ in size and substance and it's too early to assess their tangible impact. But they all include efforts to diversify access to the minerals that have become essential for advanced manufacturing, from electric vehicles to smartphones. The agreements, which aim to lock partners into trading with the US, are a clear bid to reduce dependence on China, ahead of a key meeting with its leader Xi Jinping. They could eventually challenge Beijing's stranglehold over rare earths, but experts say it will be a costly process that will take years. "Building new mines, refining facilities, and processing plants in regions such as Australia, the United States, and Europe comes ...
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 Lines reopen after landslip near Gatwick Airport


Train lines have reopened following a "significant" landslip between Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport in West Sussex.

The landslip on the Brighton Main Line first occurred on 27 January at Tinsley Green after heavy rainfall.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) says it has now completed the first phase of repairs, meaning Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink are able to run most of their services on Thursday.

Some services between Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport may still be cancelled and delayed, but the aim is to have a full service available from Friday, GTR said.

Gatwick Express and Thameslink say they will run a normal service on Thursday, with some Thameslink trains stopping additionally at Coulsdon South and Merstham in both directions.

There will be no direct Southern service between Redhill and Gatwick Airport, so fewer trains than usual will stop at Earlswood, Salfords, and Horley.

While the first phase of work saw engineers install a six-metre-long section of steel piles at track level, the second phase will be carried out from the bottom of the embankment.

The slope of the embankment will need to be rebuilt with new material added to the earthworks, a GTR spokesperson said.

A full service is expected to run during this phase, they added.

Network Rail's Sussex route director, Lucy McAuliffe said: "Repairing this landslip now will stop it getting worse."

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