The US House has passed H.R. 7037, the DOMINANCE (Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies) Act, aimed at cutting reliance on China, which currently controls about 90% of global rare earth processing capacity. The legislation focuses on overseas strategic mineral investments with allies, expanded energy diplomacy, and workforce development to support mining, processing, refining, and recycling. Backers include the National Association of Manufacturers, the Information Technology Industry Council, SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy, and the US-ASEAN Business Council.

Wales’ new deputy transport minister has written to Great British Railways Transition Team chair Heidi Alexander calling HS2 a “long-standing symbol of unfair rail funding” because the high-speed scheme is classified as an “England and Wales” project despite no HS2 track being built in Wales. He argues this designation blocks Barnett consequentials that could otherwise support upgrades on core Welsh routes such as the South Wales Main Line and the Valleys network. The row intensifies pressure over how multi‑billion‑pound rail megaprojects are accounted for in UK transport budgets.

Charities in the Better Planning Coalition, including the RSPB, Woodland Trust and CPRE, have urged the Prime Minister to reset planning reforms ahead of this summer’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) decisions. Their letter backs measures on compulsory purchase, curbing “hope value”, expanding public bodies’ land assembly powers and enforcing build‑out of consented schemes, alongside extra funding for social and affordable homes. They warn that repeated weakening of planning policy is driving speculative, poor‑quality development in unsuitable locations while major housebuilders cut output amid higher costs and weak demand.