Lebanon: Residents in Koura district has demanded that nearby cement plants be closed and cement exports banned due to health fears. George Costantine al-Itani, the environmental committee coordinator for Kfar Hazir issues a list of demands, according to the Daily Star newspaper. The group wants local cement plants in the area to move out of residential areas, close down unauthorised quarries and replace petcoke usage with natural gas. In the longer term the group wants the government to plant trees on cement company land and decrease the cost of local cement. Local company Cimenterie Nationale and Switzerland’s LafargeHolcim operate cement plants in the region.

France: Sonia Artinian, Lafarge’s human resources director from 2013 to 2015, has been charged ‘endangering the lives of others’ during operations in Syria. However, she avoided being charged for financing a terrorist organisation instead being granted ‘assisted witness’ status, according to the Agence France Presse. LafargeHolcim is being investigated in France over claims that Lafarge Syria had paid extremist groups to keep its Jalabiya cement plant operational after the outbreak of war in Syria. Six former Lafarge executives have been charged so far with financing a terrorist organisation.

Russia: Local residents have protested against a cement plant being built at Zueovo near Novgorod. Over 800 residents demonstrated against the project and sent a letter to the regional governor, according to the Kolmovo newspaper. The protestors object to potential health concerns related to the plant such as poor air quality due to dust emissions.

India: The Binani Operational Creditors Forum (BOCF) is seeking a forensic audit of the insolvency resolution process of Binani Cement due to an alleged lack of transparency. The forum has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, according to the Press Trust of India. Binani Cement owes about US$1.07bn to its creditors.

The Supreme Court previously blocked an out-of-court offer by UltraTech Cement for Binani Cement. A consortium led by Dalmia Bharat won an auction for Binani Cement with a bid of US$974m in early March 2018. However, UltraTech Cement then made a direct bid to Binani Cement a few weeks later. According to the BOCF, the operational creditors are expected to only receive US$23.2m from a total exposure of US$107m if the bid from Dalmia Bharat is allowed to complete.

India: The Supreme Court has blocked an out-of-court offer by UltraTech Cement for Binani Cement. Banks had offered conditional support to UltraTech’s bid, seeking indemnity from Binani Industries, the owner of Binani Cement, against any potential legal action, according to the Economic Times newspaper. A consortium led by Dalmia Bharat won an auction for Binani Cement with a bid of US$974m in early March 2018. However, UltraTech Cement then made a direct bid to Binani Cement a few weeks later.

Binani Industries had deposited US$115m with HDFC Bank to show its commitment to the deal with UltraTech, along with a bank guarantee for nearly US$1bn. However, Dalmia Bharat had sent letters to all the banks involved saying that any settlement initiated by them would be a breach of trust as they had entered into a contract with Dalmia.

India: Heidelberg Cement India has been certified as over six times net water positive by TOV SOD, an independent certifying agency. During the 2016 – 2017 financial year the company’s cement plants withdrew 1.09kL of water from various sources but they harvested 6.97kL of water. This implies that the company collected more water from sustainable sources, such as rainfall, than it used. The company's multidimensional approach includes diverting rainwater to
reservoirs, installing water harvesting systems, reviving of bore wells, controlling seepage and educating its staff on water conservation.

Chile: Cementos Bío Bío is considering expansion plans in Argentina and Peru, according to the El Mercurio newspaper. The plans are part of its 2021 strategy. It also wants to consolidate its leadership in its local market.

Kenya: East African Portland Cement plans to build a railway terminal at Athi River near its integrated cement plant. The depot will be used to help deliver raw materials by train on the Standard Gauge Railway to the plant, according to the Business Daily newspaper. Managing director Simon Peter ole Nkeri said that his company relies ‘heavily’ on imported clinker. The cement producer is holding discussions with the government about the project.

Saudi Arabia: Cement sales fell by 11% year-on-year to 11.8Mt in the first quarter of 2018 due to a continued slowdown in the construction industry. Weak demand and high inventory levels has forced cement producers to sell their cement in other parts of the country and export to other countries, according to a report by Al Rajhi Capital. The report cited Yanbu Cement's export agreement although it said that its low production costs gives the company the advantage to export at lower prices than its competitors.

Increased competition within Saudi Arabia has led to a price war. The report marked the central region as an attractive region for northern region cement companies due to the relatively bigger market. The sales market share for northern cement companies increased in the last six months. On the other hand, central region companies' market share decreased slightly during the same period.

Yanbu Cement signed a one-year agreement to export 1Mt of clinker and 0.5Mt of cement from April 2018. It is estimated that the deal with Yanbu Cement US$26.6m in extra sales revenue in 2018. Al Rajhi Capital reckoned that the cement producer would be likely to renew the export deal in 2019 as its low margins are unlikely to aid earnings.

Poland: Cement sales rose by 7% year-on-year to around 18Mt in 2017, according to the Polish Cement Association. The country has a cement production capacity of 24Mt/yr and the capacity utilisation rate is approximately 75%. The Institute of Economic Forecasting and Analysis forecasts that sales will grow by 8% in 2018 to 17.9Mt.