Project Vault will create a US$12 billion US critical minerals stockpile, combining US$1.67 billion in private capital with a US$10 billion Export-Import Bank loan to buy and store materials for automakers, tech firms and other industrial users. Following a Section 232 probe covering the full USGS critical minerals list plus uranium, the administration found imports threaten national security but chose negotiated price floors and trade mechanisms over tariffs. Forthcoming US–Mexico and US–EU–Japan action plans, under the new FORGE framework, will define which minerals are prioritised, how any border-adjusted price floor is calculated, and how rules of origin or downstream products are treated.

British Columbia investor Varandeep Singh Grewal has agreed to pay C$500,000 and accept a 10‑year ban from acting as a registrant, promoter or securities market consultant after the BC Securities Commission found he facilitated misleading investor relations for a supposed mineral exploration startup. Over two months in 2018, a third‑party IR provider, arranged by Grewal, claimed the company was actively mining, producing minerals and using “state‑of‑the‑art, environmental‑friendly” technology, when it in fact remained purely in the exploration phase with no such infrastructure. The case signals tighter scrutiny of promotional claims around early‑stage mining projects, particularly where production and proprietary technology are asserted without evidence.

Delays at the Building Safety Regulator’s Gateway 3 stage are linked by law firm Irwin Mitchell to 44 undecided schemes and 5,594 completed higher-risk residential units remaining unoccupied, with one case waiting 550 days against an eight‑week target. Of 158 Gateway 3 applications in 2023, 55 took more than three months for a decision, raising concerns over cashflow impacts on developers and handover timing for residents. The BSR disputes the interpretation, stating no new-build higher-risk building that passed Gateway 2 has yet applied for Gateway 3 and that current cases are mainly transitional legacy projects with significant safety issues.