Structural timber’s role in accelerating UK housebuilding was pushed at a Palace of Westminster panel chaired by Matt Turmaine MP and Baroness Ritchie, with senior figures from the Structural Timber Association, Egger UK, Lowfield Timber Frames and Places for People addressing major housebuilders and social housing providers. STA CEO Andrew Orriss noted that seven of the UK’s top 15 housebuilders plan to manufacture in timber frame, aligning with DEFRA’s Timber in Construction Roadmap and Net Zero 2050 targets. Timber’s lower embodied carbon and carbon sequestration were positioned as key advantages over traditional materials.

Northern Ireland manufacturer Screencore has appointed RME Solutions as exclusive distributor for its full range of mobile screens and crushers, plus spare parts, across France. RME, led by managing director Benoît Roglet, will provide nationwide after-sales coverage, including service, maintenance and customer support for quarrying, recycling platforms, demolition sites and public works. The Screencore line will be integrated with RME’s existing sorting, grinding, sieving and cleaning equipment portfolio, giving French operators a single supplier for complete materials preparation circuits.

President Donald Trump will appear on a new US one‑dollar “gold coin” for the country’s 250th anniversary, although the piece will be struck in base metals with only a gold‑coloured finish and no precious‑metal content. Production is scheduled at the Philadelphia Mint ahead of a planned autumn 2026 release, with the design showing Trump’s portrait, “In God We Trust”, and the dates 1776‑2026. The move contrasts sharply with bullion issues like the American Gold Eagle and Buffalo and has triggered legal debate over bans on depicting living presidents.