No Driveway, No Problem? New Rules Could Unlock At-Home EV Charging
The UK government is set to extend permitted‑development rights to cover on‑street electric‑vehicle (EV) charger installations, eliminating the need for planning permission for pavement‑integrated solutions. Homeowners without driveways will be able to install chargers without a formal planning application, though they must still obtain approval from local highways authorities and meet safety standards. The change aligns on‑street charging rules with those already in place for properties that have off‑street parking. While the policy is not yet fully enacted, it signals a major shift toward accommodating EV infrastructure in densely built urban areas.
European Commission Awards New Sovereign Cloud Contracts To ‘Mostly’ EU Clouds
The European Commission has signed four sovereign‑cloud contracts worth about €180 million ($210 million) over six years, aiming to keep public‑sector data inside the EU and curb reliance on non‑European hyperscalers. The deals target German provider STACKIT, French provider Scaleway, a Franco‑Luxembourg...
German Military Adopts Driverless Testing Systems for Safety Evaluation
Germany’s Bundeswehr has deployed driverless testing rigs at its Technical Centre for Land‑Based Vehicle Systems (WTD 41) to evaluate the durability of military vehicles. The autonomous platforms repeatedly traverse extreme surfaces, removing human drivers from high‑vibration environments that can cause spinal...
Thailand Launches BDS Service Catalogue to Help SMEs Access National Research and Innovation Support
Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) has launched a Business Development Service (BDS) catalogue hosted by the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR). The online platform lets SMEs browse and request research, testing, certification...
BlackBox Hosting Bets on Everpure and Points to Growing UK Sovereign Cloud Demand
BlackBox Hosting, a UK‑based managed private‑cloud provider, is betting on Everpure’s all‑flash storage to deliver a truly sovereign cloud as demand for UK‑hosted data climbs. The firm swapped two HP 3PAR racks for two Everpure X50/C50 units, slashing storage footprint...
Hong Kong Reviews Governance and Security Frameworks for AI Agents
The Hong Kong government announced a comprehensive set of measures to govern and secure AI agents, including the Ethical Artificial Intelligence Framework and a Generative AI technical guideline. It mandated risk assessments and human‑in‑the‑loop oversight for public‑sector deployments and prohibited...
The CIO's Case for South Africa's AI Governance Model
South Africa’s draft National AI Policy proposes a distributed governance model, assigning AI oversight to existing sector regulators rather than creating a single AI authority. The approach contrasts with OpenAI’s call for centralized industrial policy and the EU’s AI Act,...
Met Police Defeat Challenge To Live Facial Recognition
London’s High Court rejected a challenge to the Metropolitan Police’s live facial‑recognition (LFR) program, finding the technology and its procedures comply with human‑rights law. The case was brought by youth worker Shaun Thompson and Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo,...
Turning Data From Space Into Action for Earth
The European Space Agency’s FutureEO programme is turning Copernicus satellite data into actionable early‑warning tools for climate‑driven threats. In East Africa, an ESA‑VITO system now alerts officials every ten days, slashing Ethiopia’s insecticide use from over 1.1 million L to roughly 6,000 L...
South Korea Expands AI Cybersecurity to Safeguard Cloud-Based Education Systems
South Korea’s Ministry of Education and KERIS are expanding an AI‑driven cybersecurity platform to protect private‑cloud environments used by schools and universities. The AI‑based Automated Cyber Intrusion Detection and Notification System recorded roughly 480 million threat indicators in 2025, confirming 86 000...
Digital Health Exclusion Mapped
The Digital Exclusion Risk Atlas (DERA) has been launched as an online tool to pinpoint areas in England where residents face barriers to digital health services, such as poor connectivity, affordability constraints, or limited digital skills. By combining device access,...
Shared Vision for Local Government Shaped by GDS Local
The UK Government Digital Service’s GDS Local team is forging a unified digital strategy for local authorities, debuting the Local Government Architecture Model to standardise technology descriptions and procurement. The model, created with input from over 60 participants per session, seeks...
New AI-Powered Tool to Unlock Decades of Planning Data
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, together with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s AI Incubator, has built an AI‑driven tool called Extract to digitise decades of planning records trapped in scanned PDFs, historic maps and paper...
Taiwan's Smart Tolling Technology Goes Global as Thailand Launches AI-Powered M81 Motorway System
Taiwan’s Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection (FETC) has deployed its AI‑enabled electronic tolling system on Thailand’s new M‑Flow M81 motorway, creating a multi‑lane free‑flow corridor between Bangkok and Kanchanaburi. The platform combines AI‑driven automatic license‑plate recognition, IoT sensors and multiple...
Direct Recruitment System for Foreign Workers Still at Research Stage, Says KESUMA
Malaysia’s Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA) clarified that a proposed digital platform for direct foreign‑worker recruitment is still in the research stage, with no decisions or contracts signed. The AI‑driven system would let employers source workers directly from source countries...
HMRC Signs £1.5m Digital Deal for New Expenses Service for PAYE Taxpayers
HM Revenue & Customs has signed a seven‑month, £1.49 million (≈$1.9 million) contract with Indian‑based consultancy Coforge to build a new online expenses service for PAYE taxpayers. The tool will allow up to 35 million workers to submit expense claims, upload evidence, and...
Minister: ‘There Are No Circumstances in Which the Government Will Sell the Public’s Digital ID Data to Private Companies’
UK minister James Frith reaffirmed that the government will not sell citizens' digital ID data to private firms. The pledge comes amid parliamentary questioning and public concern over commercial involvement in the new state‑issued digital identity, which is being built...
Inside Punggol, the “Smart Town” Singapore Is Building with AI
Singapore is turning its northeastern district of Punggol into the nation’s first "smart town," a digital district built on an Open Digital Platform that links sensors, energy management and AI services. In early April, autonomous‑mobility provider WeRide and ride‑hailing giant...
Disappointed by Compliance to AI Rules, Meity Proposes 'Continuous' Watermarks
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is proposing an amendment to the 2021 IT Rules that would require a continuous watermark on AI‑generated content, replacing the current “clear and conspicuous” label requirement. The draft also removes the earlier...
Why Migrating Your ERP Could Be a Risky Move in Government IT
Government agencies are under pressure to modernize legacy ERP systems, but large‑scale migrations often run over budget and schedule, draining scarce resources. Most public‑sector ERPs—typically SAP or Oracle—have proven reliable for a decade or more. Experts argue that extending the...
CMS Orders Medicaid Audits in Data-Driven Fraud Crackdown
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ordered all 50 states to submit a provider revalidation plan within 30 days, aiming to verify Medicaid providers and target high‑risk areas for waste, fraud and abuse. Administrator Mehmet Oz emphasized data‑driven...
DHS Startles Congress with Request for Millions to Develop ICE ‘Smart Glasses’
The Department of Homeland Security has earmarked roughly $7.5 million in its FY 2027 budget to develop operational prototypes of smart glasses for ICE agents. The wearable devices would deliver real‑time biometric identification and video capture, merging existing facial‑recognition tools with augmented‑reality...
Satellite Services for Border Security
Border agencies across Europe are moving from owning satellites to purchasing recurring satellite‑service outputs such as imagery, ship‑tracking, secure communications, and authenticated navigation. The shift is driven by the need for persistent, all‑weather coverage over remote land, sea and desert...
Trump Administration Tosses Degree Requirements for Federal IT Managers
The Office of Personnel Management announced that the federal 2210 IT management job series will no longer require a bachelor’s degree, shifting hiring to competency‑based assessments. The change is the first phase of OPM’s Federal Workforce Competency Initiative, which aims...
Transportation Celebrates Air Traffic Control Modernization, Asks Lawmakers for More Funding
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy marked the one‑year anniversary of the FAA’s air‑traffic‑control modernization push, noting that roughly half of the legacy copper wiring has been replaced and digital voice switches are now operating at 40 sites. While most workstreams remain...
The Wrong Enemy in the War on Fraud
The article exposes the 911 S5 botnet, built by Chinese national YunHe Wang, as the largest ever dismantled, compromising over 19 million devices in 200 countries and facilitating fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims that contributed to $5.9 billion in losses. Federal fraud across programs...
The Missing Layer in Federal Data Protection
Federal agencies have long secured data at rest and in transit, but data in use remains vulnerable. Confidential computing, built on trusted execution environments (TEEs), encrypts memory and isolates workloads, offering a third layer of protection. The technology is already...
Canada’s AI Regulation Will Be “Airtight” On Bias, Racism, and Hate, Solomon Says
Canada’s AI Minister Evan Solomon announced that the nation’s upcoming AI regulation will be “airtight” on bias, racism and hate, while remaining “light” where innovation is needed. The refreshed AI strategy, originally slated for release by the end of 2025,...
Report: How Governments Can Partner with Startups to Deliver Better Services
Governments are turning to startups to modernize services such as housing, health care, and financial assistance, but outdated procurement, clunky tech infrastructure, and complex compliance rules often stall collaboration. A new Kapor Center report surveys entrepreneurs and investors, revealing that...
House FY27 VA Funding Bill Allocates $3.4B for EHR Rollout
The House Appropriations Committee approved a FY27 funding package that earmarks $3.4 billion for the Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic health record (EHR) modernization. The allocation matches FY26 levels but ties 25% of the money to performance metrics and quarterly reporting, with...
One Challenge, Five Startups: Better Public Transport for India
India’s Transport4All (T4A) Challenge, launched in April 2021 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Smart Cities Mission, mobilized over 240,000 citizens, 130 cities and 28 startups to tackle chronic bus‑service unreliability. The competition split the problem...
VA Accelerates Electronic Health Record Deployment to Improve Veteran Services in Michigan
The Department of Veterans Affairs has gone live with its new Federal Electronic Health Record system at four Michigan hospitals on April 11, marking the first wave of 13 deployments planned for 2026. The accelerated rollout replaces fragmented legacy platforms and...
Modernizing Federal Applications Without Disrupting Mission-Critical Systems
Federal agencies face intense pressure to modernize legacy applications, but many rush to cloud migrations without fully understanding hidden security flaws and inter‑system dependencies. Chief architect Greg Peters of CDW warns that undiscovered issues often force agencies to halt projects,...
HHS Watchdog Advises CIOs to Secure Data Before AI Implementation
The HHS Office of the Inspector General warned federal CIOs that AI projects must be preceded by robust data‑security controls. Agencies are urged to adopt operational AI governance, drawing on NIST guidance, and to shift from static policies to real‑time...
Trump Says Anthropic Is Shaping up and a Deal Is 'Possible' For Department of Defense Use
President Donald Trump told CNBC a deal allowing the Department of Defense to use Anthropic’s AI models is “possible,” after weeks of tense negotiations. The Pentagon had labeled Anthropic a supply‑chain risk in March and ordered a halt to its...
China Deploys Robot Dogs, Drones, and Humanoids to Run a ‘Full-Space’ Metro System
During February’s Spring Festival rush, Hefei’s metro deployed a coordinated fleet of robot dogs, drones and humanoid assistants, forming China’s first “full‑space” robot cluster for rail transit. Managed by a single AI‑driven dispatch platform, the machines handle platform patrols, tunnel...
FedRAMP and CMMC Compliance Deadlines Are Looming
Federal cloud and defense contractors face two critical compliance milestones before the end of 2026. FedRAMP requires vendors to submit machine‑readable authorization packages by September 30 2026 and to fully adopt NIST SP 800‑53 Revision 5 controls by September 30 2027. The Department of Defense’s CMMC...
Jeremy Renner Backs RapidSOS Emergency Platform to Advance AI
Actor Jeremy Renner has invested in and partnered with emergency‑response platform RapidSOS, aiming to accelerate AI‑driven data sharing for first responders. RapidSOS pulls real‑time health, location and sensor data from smartphones, wearables, vehicles and surveillance to deliver richer information before...
Clean Building Performance Webinar Series and New and Updated Guidance Documents
The Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS) is hosting a webinar on May 6, 2025, to guide owners of Tier 1 buildings—those over 220,000 sq ft—through the compliance application process via the Clean Buildings Portal. The session will cover portal access, shared‑access setup,...
OMB Seeks Details From Agencies on Their Commercial Buying, or Lack Thereof
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo demanding agencies detail their commercial versus non‑commercial acquisitions under President Trump’s 2025 executive order. Agencies must report every non‑commercial contract awarded between April and September 2025 by May 4, and justify...
Amtrak to Get $4.7B for Northeast Corridor Projects, Opens Bids for New Long-Distance Trains
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced $4.7 billion in grants for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and $2 billion for nationwide passenger and freight rail upgrades, funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The first round targets New York Penn Station and...
Government Efficiency Initiative Hits Arizona
Arizona has launched the Arizona Capacity and Efficiency (ACE) Initiative, a three‑year program designed to save the state roughly $100 million. The effort is headed by Amy Edwards Holmes, a former Bloomberg Center director and Treasury deputy who will steer data‑driven reforms,...
Govt Proposes “Prominent Visibility” Of AI Labels in Whole of AI-Generated Content
The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has proposed an amendment to the IT Rules that would require AI‑generated content to display a clear label continuously throughout the entire visual presentation. The draft replaces the earlier wording that...
Japan Weighs Age-Based Filtering on Social Media to Combat Addiction
Japan is weighing a regulatory push that would require social‑media firms to enable age‑based content filtering by default. The proposal also includes a government‑run risk‑assessment system to evaluate each platform’s impact on minors. Officials say the measures aim to stem...
Spokane, Wash., Police to Use Drones to Protect World Cup Team
Spokane’s City Council approved a $227,000 purchase of four Skydio surveillance drones and a rapid‑deployment barrier system to protect Egypt’s World Cup team during its training camp. The police department will initially absorb the cost, expecting reimbursement from FIFA‑related grants....
Kenya Wants Lenders to Prove Borrowers Can Repay Before Approving Loans
Kenyan regulators have drafted a Financial Consumer Protection Framework that would require all lenders—including banks, fintechs, and mobile‑money providers—to prove a borrower’s ability to repay before issuing a loan. The rule mandates verification of income, expenses and existing debt, moving...
Ofcom Probes Telegram over Child Safety Concerns Under Online Safety Act
Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom has opened a formal investigation into Telegram after evidence that child sexual abuse material (CSAM) may have been shared on the app. The probe follows a submission from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection and comes...
Vietnam Requires Face Re-Verification When SIM Users Swap Phones
Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology enacted Circular 08/2026/TT-BKHCN on April 15, 2026, mandating facial biometric re‑verification whenever a mobile subscriber swaps devices. Carriers must suspend outbound calls and SMS within two hours if the verification is not completed, with...
India Drops Mandatory Aadhaar App Preload for Smartphones
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology rejected a proposal to pre‑install the Aadhaar mobile app on Apple, Samsung and other smartphones, keeping the app optional for users. The demand, originated by UIDAI in January 2026, faced OEM pushback over...
Singapore Must Use Technology for Law Enforcement Judiciously, Given Privacy Concerns: Ong Ye Kung
Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Ong Ye Kung told reporters in Hangzhou that Singapore must deploy law‑enforcement technology judiciously, balancing security gains with privacy safeguards. He cited the installation of cameras in public areas of HDB blocks, which helped curb...