Froydis Cameron-Johansson, a former senior executive at Rio Tinto and Anglo American who began her career at Shell, has been appointed the International Council on Mining and Metals’ first woman president and CEO, effective 23 November. She succeeds Rohitesh Dhawan, who will remain to support the transition until end-2026 after overseeing the creation of the Global Tailings Management Institute and the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative. Her mandate centres on tightening industry-wide mining standards, accountability and ESG performance across critical metals and minerals value chains.

More than £2.2bn in unspent Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions held by planning authorities in England and Wales could be redirected to tackle the growing local road maintenance backlog, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Better Roads says. MPs want the government to simplify rules and improve transparency so councils can more readily use CIL funds for carriageway resurfacing, pothole repairs and structural renewals. For highway engineers, this signals potential medium-term funding for asset management plans and heavier interventions beyond reactive patching.

The Department for Transport has refused a freedom of information request to disclose what port facilities Chinese state-owned Cosco Shipping operates in the UK, after US officials alleged the firm has enabled Beijing to monitor US military communications. The decision limits public visibility of Cosco’s role in UK container terminals, logistics hubs and potential access to critical maritime data infrastructure such as fibre links and port management systems. Port planners, marine engineers and security consultants may face tighter scrutiny on future concessions, terminal upgrades and digital systems involving Chinese operators.