US federal critical minerals support under the Trump administration has reached about $18.6 billion across 60 financings, with roughly $15.9 billion in loans, $2.1 billion in equity and $615 million in grants, but BMO Global Commodities Research says the allocation is heavily skewed to rare earths despite their modest $3.5 billion global market. Major rare earth packages include a $565 million DFC facility for Brazil’s Serra Verde, USA Rare Earth’s planned $2.8 billion acquisition of the asset, and a $400 million US DoD stake in MP Materials. By contrast, tungsten projects such as Fireweed Metals’ Mactung and Northcliff Resources’ Sisson have received only about $15–16 million each, with antimony, nickel, cobalt, tantalum and tin seeing minimal support, signalling continued funding gaps for non-REE critical metals.

HSE has banned dry cutting of engineered stone in the UK and ordered a shift towards lower-silica materials after two worker deaths from silicosis in the sector. The guidance requires wet cutting or on-tool extraction with high-efficiency local exhaust ventilation for any remaining high-silica products, bringing practice closer to controls already used on tunnelling and concrete cutting. Fabricators and contractors now face mandatory process changes, material substitution reviews, and likely revisions to COSHH risk assessments and respiratory protection programmes.

Cenovus Energy CEO Jon McKenzie warns Canada is becoming uncompetitive for oil sands investment, citing lengthy approvals, higher operating costs and a proposed C$130/t industrial carbon tax that he says is unique globally and pushes capital to the US and Middle East. He notes only one new greenfield oil sands project has been approved and built since 2013 despite persistent global oil demand, arguing policy must support “filling a pipeline” with new developments. The warning comes as Cenovus posts Q1 net earnings of C$1.57 billion and record upstream output of 972,000 boe/d after acquiring MEG Energy.