Colombia: Officers of the Special Operations Group for Traffic and Transportation seized more than 1t of cocaine that was hidden among a shipment of cement on the Pan-American Highway. The truck was stopped for a routine inspection. Local press reports that the driver’s nervousness and the presence of several poorly sealed packages aroused officers’ suspicions, prompting them to conduct a more detailed search. Inside the vehicle, they found 34 black sacks containing 30 red packages with over 1t of cocaine hidden among cement bags. Authorities seized the 34t of cement the vehicle was carrying, as well as the truck itself and a mobile phone.

"With this result, we continue to significantly impact the finances of criminal organisations dedicated to drug trafficking. Our Traffic and Transportation police maintain permanent controls on the country's main road corridors, strengthening institutional capabilities to detect new concealment methods and prevent these illicit substances from reaching their destination," said Colonel Jair Alonso Parra Archila, Director of Traffic and Transportation for the national police.

Nigeria: Dangote Industries has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth over US$800m with China-based Sinoma International Engineering to expand the production capacity of its Itori cement plant in Ogun State from 6Mt/yr to 12Mt/yr. The agreement was signed by the president of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, and the chair of Sinoma, Lin Zhong.

The expansion project is expected to raise Dangote Cement’s production capacity, enabling the company to meet rising domestic demand and expanding exports to African and other international markets. Dangote attributed the decision to expand the Itori facility to the government’s renewed emphasis on using concrete for road construction as well as growing opportunities to supply cement to African countries facing shortages.

“This US$800m investment represents another bold step in our commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s industrial base and reinforcing our leadership in Africa’s cement industry,” said Dangote. “The expansion of our Itori plant from 6Mt/yr to 12Mt/yr will not only enhance our ability to meet growing domestic demand, but also significantly increase our export capacity, thereby generating valuable foreign exchange for the country.”

Philippines: Holcim has agreed to sell its Philippine operations to China-based Huaxin Building Materials in a multi-stage transaction valuing the company at US$807m. Under the terms of the agreement, Holcim said that it will initially sell a 67.6% controlling stake to Huaxin for US$527m, with the remainder to be sold over the next three to five years for a minimum price of US$280m. Holcim said that the overall valuation could rise ‘based on incremental value creation during this period.’

The initial sale of the majority stake is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. The money raised from the sale of the Philippines business will be used to fund large acquisitions and further investment in Holcim's existing business.

Holcim owns a minority share in Huaxin Building Materials and describes it as a joint-venture. In its annual report for 2025, it stated that it had an effective participation of just under 42% in the company.

UK: Heidelberg Materials UK has said that groundwork is progressing well at its Padeswood site in north Wales, where it is building the UK’s first carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility. More than 60,000t of aggregate has been used to establish the working areas and over 600 concrete piles have already been placed by two piling rigs, as part of the construction of a retaining wall. All of the concrete being used to construct the facility incorporates evoZero carbon captured ‘near-zero’ cement.

“We are delighted with the pace of construction of our Padeswood CCS project and it is great to watch as our plans turn into reality,” said Simon Willis, Heidelberg Materials UK CEO.

“We are using evoZero cement wherever possible to lower the carbon impact of the project and there is a symmetry to using a product produced using CCS to help build the infrastructure for another.”

This phase of the groundwork is being carried out through Worley which, along with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction management contract to build the Padeswood facility. The completed groundwork on site includes installation of newt and security fencing, diversion of overhead powerlines and cables, and removal of 25,000t of topsoil, which has been stockpiled for re-use in reinstatement works on site. Currently, around 80 construction workers are on site each day, which is expected to double by the end of 2026.

The Padeswood facility is designed to capture around 95% of the CO₂ emissions from the existing cement works - around 800,000t/yr once running at full capacity.