Old Mutual’s Dhesen Ramsamy to Present at ITWeb AI Summit 2026
Old Mutual’s Group Chief Technology and Data Officer Dhesen Ramsamy will speak at the ITWeb AI Summit 2026 on April 22. He will argue that robust data governance and sovereignty are prerequisites for trustworthy, high‑performing AI. Ramsamy highlights South Africa’s National Data and Cloud Policy and the gap between rapid AI adoption and lagging regulatory frameworks. He also warns that skills shortages and limited compute capacity constrain African AI innovation, urging a shift from AI consumers to builders.
Challenging AI Mistakes: Why Inaction Risks More
What if #AI gets it wrong? One of the best things I’ve read about AI and also about benefits and service delivery. What is the harm of status quo? Of not doing anything? 🔥🔥🔥 #SNAP #GenAI
South Africa’s Dynamic Spectrum Breakthrough
Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) was demonstrated in South Africa’s KwaZulu‑Natal region, delivering 5G speeds up to 200 Mbit/s over more than 4 km in both Ntuzuma and Ixopo. The trials, led by regulator Icasa, CSIR and local Wisps, proved that the 3.8‑4.2 GHz...
California Governor Backs Social Media Restrictions for Teens Under 16
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his support for state legislation that would bar users under 16 from accessing major social‑media platforms, echoing Australia’s recent age‑gating rule. The governor’s stance comes as a bipartisan group of lawmakers pushes a bill that...
It’s Time for an End to Two-Tier Tech in the NHS
The NHS is rapidly adopting AI and patient‑facing tools, yet back‑office staff such as roster managers remain stuck with outdated systems. This digital divide fuels stress, mismatched rotas, and higher temporary‑staff costs, contributing to the wider retention crisis. Trusts that...
Smart Insole to Predict and Prevent Elderly Falls
University of Bristol engineer Dr. Jiayang Li has created a smart shoe insole equipped with 253 micro‑sensors that map pressure and gait in real time. The device consumes only 100 microwatts, enabling up to three months of operation on a...
Cattle Electronic ID Tags Plans Seeks Final Consultation
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has launched a final public consultation on proposals to make electronic identification (EID) tags mandatory for all newborn cattle in Northern Ireland. The consultation, closing on 23 February 2026, asks stakeholders to comment...
Latitude59 2026 to Advance “The Global Village Experiment” In Tallinn, Bridging Nordic, African, and Asian Startup Ecosystems
Latitude59 2026 will convene in Tallinn, Estonia, under the theme “The Global Village Experiment,” bringing founders, investors, and ecosystem builders from more than 70 countries across the Nordics, Africa, and Asia. The three‑day conference spotlights artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology,...
A Better Way to Handle Immigrants’ Occupational Licensing
Universal license recognition (ULR) lets professionals keep their state licenses when they move, eliminating redundant testing and paperwork. The article argues that the same competence‑based model should be extended to foreign‑trained workers, whose credentials are often stalled by rigid “substantial...
Hakuhodo Bangkok Brings Humour to Utilities with PEA “Quick Click. Life Slick.” Campaign
Hakuhodo Bangkok unveiled the “Quick Click. Life Slick.” campaign to promote the Provincial Electricity Authority’s new digital hub, PEA Sabuy Service, which bundles five electricity‑related functions into a single online portal. The effort uses humor and the Thai notion of...
The Mandarin Live: Future Ready Public Service Queensland
The Mandarin Live: Future Ready Public Service – Queensland convenes senior leaders on 27‑28 May 2026 in Brisbane and online. The two‑day strategic forum will explore resilient systems, modern governance, and delivery at scale as Queensland prepares for the 2032 Olympics and...
GovGurus Episode 16 – Trade Winds and Floor Moves
GovGurus Episode 16, hosted by J. Richard Jones and featuring Lori Turnbull, examined two fast‑moving Ottawa storylines. Janice Charette was announced as Canada’s chief negotiator for the next Canada‑U.S. CUSMA talks, joining newly appointed ambassador Mark Wiseman in Washington. The episode also unpacked a wave...
DSIT Examines How ‘AI Voice Tech Could Significantly Improve Citizen’s Experience’
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has launched an early‑stage market engagement to explore generative AI voice technology for government call centres, branding the initiative as a potential "GOV Voice" platform. The department seeks suppliers who can demonstrate...
FETC26: Modernizing Ed Tech in the Post-Pandemic Era
At the recent Future of Education Technology Conference, SETDA executive director Julia Fallon warned that the expiration of pandemic‑era emergency relief is forcing K‑12 districts to shift from crisis‑driven spending to sustainable ed‑tech modernization. She highlighted the need to rethink...
Azerbaijan to Build Baku Tram System
Azerbaijan announced a five‑line tram system for Baku, targeting completion by 2030. The first line will run from the city’s northern outskirts to the May 28 metro station, with an open tender for design and construction expected by the end of...
Security as a Service Enhances Federal Cybersecurity and Improves Scalability
Federal agencies are increasingly turning to Security as a Service (SECaaS) to maintain cyber defenses amid staffing cuts and the recent shutdown. The Navy, VA, Energy, Justice and Homeland Security rely on FedRAMP‑authorized AWS and Azure tools such as GuardDuty,...
Emerging Chiplet Designs Spark Fresh Cybersecurity Challenges
Chiplet technology is reshaping semiconductor design by allowing modular, mix‑and‑match silicon components, accelerating AI data‑center and autonomous‑vehicle development. However, the distributed manufacturing model creates new supply‑chain vulnerabilities, as a single compromised chiplet can introduce hardware Trojans that affect entire systems....
Singapore: Science-Policy Integration in Global AI Governance
Minister Josephine Teo highlighted Singapore’s strategy to shape global AI governance through science, multilateral cooperation, and substantial funding. The city‑state has pledged S$1 billion to a National AI R&D Plan and created a Digital Trust Centre, AI Safety Institute, and an...
Meriden, Connecticut Shuts Down City Internet After Disruption Attempt
Meriden, Connecticut, temporarily shut down its municipal internet and public Wi‑Fi after detecting an attempted cyber disruption. The city’s IT department isolated the network within minutes, limiting impact to non‑essential municipal operations while emergency services remained functional. Police have opened...
Voice Is Nothing But an App
The author filed FCC comments urging the agency to drop Title II regulation for voice services and reclassify them as Title I information services. He argues that traditional copper‑based POTS is obsolete and that today’s voice is delivered by a myriad of...
DHS Awards Palantir up to $1B to Deploy AI and Data Analytics Platforms
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has signed a five‑year blanket purchase agreement with Palantir Technologies worth up to $1 billion. The deal lets agencies such as Customs and Border Protection, ICE, FEMA and CISA tap Palantir’s Gotham and Foundry platforms...
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UAE Signs First Contract for $8B High-Speed Rail Project
Etihad Rail Mobility, a joint venture of Etihad Rail and Keolis, awarded the first design‑and‑build contracts for the UAE’s $8 billion, 150‑km high‑speed rail linking Abu Dhabi and Dubai, slated for completion by 2030. The Abu Dhabi section will be built by a...
Clear Error Messages Let Users Self‑resolve Issues
Deployed a new app to prod today. Users ran into an error trying to complete a workflow. The error message told them what the error was, why they got it, and how to fix it. They were able to...
BPS: A New Beat for Sam Matheny
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is championing the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) as a resilient alternative to GPS, citing growing concerns over satellite signal vulnerability. Sam Matheny joined the effort as BPS Executive Vice President at the start of...
Leidos Seeks to Be the Government's 'Beta Tester' For Artificial Intelligence
Leidos CEO Tom Bell said the firm will act as the government’s beta tester for artificial intelligence, embedding AI across its NorthStar 2030 strategy and digital modernization unit. The company plans to prototype AI tools internally before delivering them to...
Five Companies Protest Exclusion From NASA’s $60B SEWP VI Competition
NASA’s $60 billion SEWP VI IT contract excluded five vendors, prompting protests filed with the Government Accountability Office. The GAO must issue rulings by May 27, a timeline that could push award announcements past the current SEWP V deadline of April 30. Delays may force...
Defence Sets Lithium Batteries Ablaze to Fast-Charge Sovereign Cell Development
Australian Defence Science and Technology Group is deliberately igniting prototype lithium‑ion cells to understand failure modes and accelerate development of sovereign, fast‑charging batteries. The research targets military‑grade power solutions for radios, drones, armoured vehicles, future aircraft and Attack‑class submarines. By...
Florida Legislature Advances 'AI Bill of Rights' For K-12
Florida Senate advanced a sweeping AI Bill of Rights, adding education provisions that require schools to notify parents before granting AI tool access and to honor opt‑out requests. The bill defines "AI instructional tools" as a separate regulatory category and...
Regulators Must Consider ‘Citizen Dignity’ in the AI Age: Hirschhorn
Australian Taxation Office second commissioner Jeremy Hirschhorn warns regulators that AI adoption must respect citizen dignity. He highlights the tension between moving quickly to harness AI benefits and the risk of exposing massive personal data sets. The ATO, a pioneer...
Accenture Wins Competition-Free £54m From Post Office
The UK Post Office has awarded Accenture a £54 million, competition‑free contract to manage its back‑office IT services from April 2026 through June 2029. The deal covers finance, ERP, HR, process automation and application modernisation across more than 11,500 branches, but excludes the...
HHS Burrows Into Identifying Risks to Health Sector From Third-Party Vendors
HHS is intensifying its focus on third‑party vendor security after the 2024 Change Healthcare ransomware attack, which exploited a remote‑access portal lacking multifactor authentication and exposed the data of about 190 million individuals. The breach threatened the liquidity of the entire...
ONCD Official Says Trump Administration Aims to Bolster AI Use for Defense without Increasing Risk
The Office of the National Cyber Director announced that the Trump administration will accelerate the deployment of AI-driven cyber defensive tools while safeguarding against expanded attack surfaces. Principal Deputy Assistant Cyber Director Alexandra Seymour said the effort will be coordinated...
Showcase Honors State Projects for ‘Doing Things Differently’
The Apolitical platform, together with the National Academy of Public Administration and Humans of Public Service, launched the inaugural “50 States, 50 Breakthroughs” showcase, honoring innovative projects from every U.S. state, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico. Recognized initiatives span AI‑driven...
AVX Networks Awarded $37.5M Catalina Broadband Grant
California’s Public Utilities Commission awarded AVX Networks a $37.5 million grant to deploy submarine fiber‑optic cable linking Catalina Island to Huntington Beach. The funding will enable high‑speed broadband for more than 3,500 island residents, bolstering telehealth, remote education, and local businesses....
Britain’s Labour Government Feels the Heat over Palantir Contracts
Britain’s Labour government is under growing pressure over its contracts with U.S. data‑analytics firm Palantir, which include a £330 million NHS platform and a £240 million defence deal awarded without competition. Critics cite the company’s founder Peter Thiel, its work with ICE, and...
Federal AI Series: Security Priorities
Federal agencies are rapidly integrating artificial intelligence, prompting heightened focus on securing the underlying data and systems. Zscaler’s Federal Field CTO Chad Tetreault outlined the evolving AI threat landscape, highlighting supply‑chain vulnerabilities, data‑poisoning, prompt‑injection, and emerging agentic AI risks. He...
Stripe's Bridge Secures First Step Toward Nationwide Stablecoin Charter
Stripe's Stablecoin Firm Bridge Wins Initial Approval of National Bank Trust Charter Joins Circle, Ripple, BitGo, Paxos, Fidelity Digital—all got conditional OCC approval Dec 2025. Anchorage Digital (2021) remains only crypto firm with finalized charter. National charter = operate across all...
ICO Wins Appeal over Data Protection Obligations in Currys Cyber Attack
The UK Court of Appeal upheld the Information Commissioner’s Office decision to fine Currys Group Ltd (formerly DSG Retail) £500,000 for failing to protect personal data after a 2017‑18 cyber‑attack. The ruling confirms that organisations must safeguard all personal data,...
Connected and Compromised: When IoT Devices Turn Into Threats
The proliferation of consumer and enterprise IoT devices continues unchecked, yet most lack basic security controls such as passwords and encryption. Research presented by Mattia Epifani at RSAC 2026 shows that devices—from Amazon Echo to smart refrigerators—store unprotected audio, credentials, and personal...
Viridi Replaces New York Municipal Diesel Generator with Battery
Viridi installed a 150‑kWh battery energy storage system at Erie County Sewer District No. 2 in Hamburg, New York, replacing a diesel backup generator. The BESS provides 32‑90 hours of power depending on pump demand, eliminating fuel use and cutting emissions. Real‑time...
WhatsApp Is Banned in Russia
On February 12, 2026, the Kremlin announced a full ban on Meta’s WhatsApp, citing the app’s failure to comply with Russian data‑access laws. The ban blocks the service for its more than 100 million Russian users, representing over two‑thirds of the...
Procivis to Deliver Lithuanian EU Digital Identity Wallet Sandbox
Swiss firm Procivis has secured a contract to build Lithuania’s end‑to‑end Digital Identity Wallet sandbox, a testbed designed to meet the eIDAS 2.0 requirements that mandate citizen wallets by 2027. The sandbox will enable secure, user‑centric wallet use cases for Lithuanian...
Data Protection Failures on Moldovan Portals Leave Citizens at Risk
Moldovan job‑seeker portal cariere.gov.md exposed 7,758 applicant dossiers, including personal IDs, medical forms and criminal records, due to a lack of authentication. The data were accessible simply by altering a URL parameter, revealing nearly 19,000 JSON files. After a researcher...
Stephen Chapman Praises UK Passport System, Calls for International Standards to Support National Systems
Stephen Chapman, a veteran UK passport official, lauded the country's end‑to‑end passport issuance system for its efficiency, security, and alignment with ICAO standards. He warned that rising fraud and border‑security threats are driving the adoption of advanced features such as...
Québec Has a New Digital Sovereignty Plan. Will It Work?
Quebec announced a $1.4 billion digital sovereignty plan to shift data hosting and procurement to local providers, aiming to reduce reliance on US tech giants. The policy emphasizes sovereign cloud services, hydro‑powered data centres, and free‑software development. However, recent cost‑overrun scandals...
BDUK Release Gigabit Figures for October to December 2025
Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) announced that 56,000 premises received gigabit‑capable service in the October‑December 2025 quarter, bringing the cumulative total to 1,373,800 premises – roughly 4.1 % of UK households. The bulk of the new connections came from Project Gigabit contracts...
Prevention Is Turning a Corner as Public Demand Surges – but NHS Digital Infrastructure Is Still Lagging Behind
Public demand for preventative health in the UK is surging, with NHS App registrations now at 33.6 million – roughly twice the nation’s Netflix subscriber base. A PA Consulting survey shows eight‑in‑ten NHS leaders believe digital tools can cut health inequalities,...
Bank of Ireland UK Fined for Late Security System Implementation
The UK arm of Bank of Ireland was fined £3.78 million by the Payments Systems Regulator for a 14‑month delay in deploying the Confirmation of Payee (CoP) system. The lapse left 1.14 million new payees and roughly £7 million in payments without fraud‑prevention...
Neom Partners with DataVolt on $5bn Hyperscale Datacentre Project for Digital Infrastructure
Neom has signed a landmark $5 billion agreement with Saudi‑based DataVolt to build the Kingdom’s first green‑AI hyperscale data centre in Oxagon. The facility will operate at net‑zero, powered entirely by renewable energy and equipped with advanced cooling to support generative...
Capital Projects Spotlight Nationwide Push to Modernize Libraries
Municipalities across the United States are committing substantial capital to modernize public libraries, positioning them as multifunctional civic anchors. Projects range from a $35 million expansion in La Mesa, California, to a $49 million, 45,000‑sq‑ft new facility in Gallup, New Mexico, each...