France to Ditch Windows for Linux to Reduce Reliance on US Tech
France announced a plan to replace Windows on certain government computers with the open‑source Linux operating system, starting with the digital agency DINUM. The move is framed as a step toward digital sovereignty, reducing reliance on U.S. technology firms. No specific timeline or Linux distribution was disclosed, but the shift follows earlier bans on Microsoft Teams and a planned migration of the health‑data platform. The initiative aligns with broader European efforts to curb dependence on foreign tech providers.
Europe Should Regulate Big Tech Instead of Banning Kids From Social Media, Estonia Says
Estonia’s education minister Kristina Kallas warned the EU against banning minors from social media, arguing that regulation of large platforms is more effective. While France, Denmark and Greece are moving forward with age‑restriction bans, a POLITICO survey shows three‑quarters of...
Bank of France Calls for Tougher MiCA Limits on Stablecoin Payments
French officials are tightening crypto oversight as Bank of France Deputy Governor Denis Beau urged the EU to impose stricter limits on non‑euro stablecoins under the MiCA framework. At the same time, France’s National Assembly approved a provision requiring annual...
The Overlooked Reentry Tool for Veterans: Prison Tablets
Veterans represent roughly 181,000 of the U.S. incarcerated population, yet they must navigate a digital‑first VA benefits system without reliable internet access. Many correctional facilities already use secure‑network tablets for communication and entertainment, but these devices are rarely loaded with...
Waymo Robotaxis Are Now Finding Potholes
Waymo’s autonomous robotaxis are now detecting potholes across five test markets, transmitting the information to city agencies and the Waze navigation app. The fleet’s lidar and camera sensors feed high‑resolution road‑condition data into a shared platform, enabling real‑time alerts for...
Exploring TEFCA's Potential to Empower Rural Providers
University of Iowa Health Care’s AVP for information systems, Josh Wilda, highlighted that connecting to the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) can enable rural Iowa clinics with limited IT resources to share patient data seamlessly. TEFCA’s standardized network...
Longford County Council Launches MyCoCo Online Payments Platform for Housing Rents
Longford County Council has launched MyCoCo, a secure online payments platform that lets local authority housing tenants pay rent digitally. The service joins existing options such as standing orders, telephone payments and cash‑desk transactions, giving tenants flexibility to pay anytime,...
UK Backs Fusion Processing to Explore Driverless Airport Transportation
Fusion Processing has secured UK government funding through the CAM Pathfinder program to study driverless staff transport on airport airside. The feasibility study will assess operational, economic and safety cases for Level 4 autonomous vehicles across multiple UK airports, using a...
L3Harris Wins $150m US Space Force Contract
L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a $150 million contract by the U.S. Space Force to sustain and modernize critical space surveillance and ground systems under the MOSAIC program. The effort aims to boost decision‑making speed, early threat warning, and overall space...
Ind. FD Launches Program to Divert Non-Emergency 911 Calls to Nurses
The Terre Haute Fire Department (THFD) has launched the Crosswalk to Care program to divert low‑acuity 911 calls to registered nurses for appropriate care navigation. Over the past seven years, THFD’s run calls grew by 450 annually, with roughly 20%—about...
UK Considers Ban on Owning Signal Jamming Devices Used by Car Thieves and Shoplifters
The UK government has launched a call for evidence on banning the possession of radio‑frequency jammers, which criminals use to disrupt security systems, GPS tracking, and emergency communications. Misuse ranges from disguising jammers as watches to block video doorbells, to...
Navy’s Free Barracks Wi-Fi Program Reaches Installations in Italy and Greece
The Navy’s free, high‑speed Wi‑Fi initiative for unaccompanied housing is now 86% complete, with service active in 827 of 952 buildings. Expansion reached three overseas sites—Naval Support Activity Naples, Naval Air Station Sigonella and NSA Souda Bay—on April 1. Adoption is...
Coast Guard, NOAA Mission Restores Tsunami Warning Capability on Remote Pacific Atoll
The USCGC Oliver Henry completed a 29‑day Operation Rematau patrol that restored a tsunami early‑warning sensor on Kapingamarangi Atoll, the first upgrade in 12 years. The cutter also delivered 3,000 lb of humanitarian supplies to isolated island communities and conducted multiple...
The Big Change Across the Schengen Area: EES Fully Operational
The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) has moved out of its six‑month transition and is now fully operational across all Schengen states. The digital platform replaces traditional passport stamps, capturing biometric and fingerprint data to record every entry and exit. Interoperability...
UK Looks to Hold Tech Execs Personally Liable for Intimate Image Abuse
The U.K. government will table an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that makes senior tech executives personally criminally liable if they fail to remove non‑consensual intimate images from their platforms. The measure ties Ofcom’s enforcement under the Online...
The Cyber Resilience Act: What It Means for the Rail Industry
The European Union’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) imposes mandatory cybersecurity requirements on all digital products, including those used in rail systems. It forces manufacturers to embed secure‑by‑design principles, manage vulnerabilities throughout a product’s lifecycle, and provide detailed supply‑chain transparency. The...
US Expands Cyber Threat Information Sharing to Digital Asset Firms
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection has launched a new information‑sharing program that extends the same cyber‑threat intelligence used by traditional banks to eligible digital‑asset firms. The service is provided at no cost and delivers actionable...
OPINION: Why Standards Beat Proprietary Systems
JJ Eden, executive director of the North Carolina Turnpike Authority, argues that the biggest hurdle for tolling and connected‑vehicle technology is no longer proving the tech works, but ensuring disparate systems can interoperate. He highlights that payments now span toll...
Britain's Biggest Nuclear Site Skips Competition, Hands SAP £33M to Start ERP Switch
Sellafield Limited, the operator of the UK’s largest nuclear site, awarded a direct £33 million ($41 million) contract to SAP for Core HR SaaS licensing, bypassing competitive tendering. The move initiates the first phase of a four‑deal migration from legacy SAP ECC,...
Copenhagen Achieves 100% Electric Bus Network as Movia Deploys 62 New Units
Denmark’s public transport authority Movia has added 62 battery‑electric buses, raising its operational fleet to 794 vehicles and lifting the electric share to 72 percent. The rollout completes the conversion of all 42 municipal bus lines in Copenhagen to zero‑emission operation,...
Fewer than 3 in 10 Register for HMRC's Making Tax Digital Shake-Up
HMRC reports that only about 28% of the 780,000 sole traders and landlords required to adopt Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax have registered, with 219,000 sign‑ups to date. The deadline for the first quarterly filing is 7 August 2026,...
Ethio Telecom Launches RFID ‘Non-Stop’ Expressway Toll System via Telebirr
Ethio telecom, together with the Ethiopian Toll Roads Enterprise, has rolled out an RFID‑based toll collection system on the Addis Ababa‑Adama Expressway that integrates directly with the telebirr mobile‑payment platform. The solution allows vehicles to pass toll gates without stopping, automatically...
New Pentagon Memo Complicates DJI Drone Ban Reversal
The Pentagon released a memo reaffirming its opposition to any reconsideration of the FCC’s “Covered List,” which bars foreign‑made drones and critical components from U.S. sale. The memo cites both classified and unclassified intelligence, including a classified annex submitted to...
Breaking the Stranglehold: Responses to Data Sovereignty Risk
In January 2026, 45 UK MPs tabled an Early Day Motion demanding a digital‑sovereignty strategy after data showed that 95% of public‑sector organisations rely on US hyperscalers, with the five biggest spenders—MoD, HMRC, Home Office, DWP and NHS England—pouring roughly $1.36 bn,...
Smart Cities and IoT: Infrastructure, Mobility and Urban Services
Smart cities are leveraging IoT to transform urban infrastructure, mobility, and public services. By embedding sensors and connectivity across assets, cities can collect real‑time data, automate decisions, and improve efficiency while reducing environmental impact. The ecosystem relies on a mix...
Govt to Launch Website vs Fake News
The Philippine Presidential Communications Office announced it will launch a dedicated website where citizens can report fake news targeting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The platform promises to investigate each submission and pursue legal action against perpetrators. The move follows a...
FCC Proposes Tougher KYC Rules to Crack Down on Illegal Robocalls
The FCC has issued a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to tighten Know‑Your‑Customer (KYC) requirements for voice service providers that originate robocalls. The agency wants carriers to collect full names, addresses, government IDs and usage details, retain records for up...
SA’s R142bn Connectivity Plan: The Real Question Isn’t Funding; It’s Execution
South Africa unveiled a costed roadmap investing roughly R142 billion (about $7.7 billion) to deliver 100 Mbps broadband to every household by 2035. The plan spreads the spending over ten years, aligning public and private capital rather than creating new funding. Analysts argue...
IBM Win NHS App Deal
NHS England awarded IBM a two‑year contract worth £160.1 million (about $203 million) to advance the NHS App. The deal, running from May 1 2026 to March 31 2028, focuses on expanding features, AI‑driven triage, and user‑centred pathways. It marks a shift from IBM’s previous operational...
Royal Navy Expands Autonomous Underwater Fleet via New Teledyne Marine Contract
Teledyne Marine has secured a UK Ministry of Defence contract to supply autonomous ocean‑observing systems for the Royal Navy’s Future Maritime Data Gathering program. The deal provides Sentinel and Slocum gliders along with APEX profiling floats and full support services,...
Cleveland Police Put More Drones on the Beat
Cleveland Police has rolled out a Drone as First Responder (DFR) system, enabling drones to be launched from weather‑proof boxes in as little as 90 seconds. Operators control the aircraft from the control room, providing live aerial footage to guide...
Welsh Development Bank Invests in AI Skills
Welsh government‑backed Development Bank of Wales has awarded a £60,000 (≈$73,000) contract to Cheshire‑based Generative AI Strategy B.V. to run a year‑long AI upskilling programme beginning 17 April 2026. The initiative will teach staff generative AI fundamentals and safe use of Microsoft...
Multi-Sensor Airspace Management System Deployed at Oklahoma Air & Space Port
Vigilant Aerospace has deployed its FlightHorizon TEMPO airspace management system at the Oklahoma Air & Space Port, integrating long‑range radars and transponder receivers to monitor thousands of square kilometers. The multi‑sensor network currently covers 5,000 km² and will expand to about...
New EPR Goes Live in Torbay and South Devon
The Epic electronic patient record (EPR) system has gone live across Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, linking hospital and community sites. The rollout initially connects Royal Devon University Healthcare and Torbay and South Devon Trust, with University Hospitals...
RBI Proposes 1-Hour Delay for UPI, IMPS Transfers Above Rs 10,000
The Reserve Bank of India has floated a discussion paper proposing a mandatory one‑hour cooling period for person‑to‑person UPI and IMPS transfers exceeding ₹10,000 (about $120). The delay targets high‑value P2P payments while merchant transactions remain instant, and a whitelisting...
NYC Helicopter Crash Prompts Push for New Tourist-Flight Rules
U.S. lawmakers from New York City introduced the Helicopter Safety Parity Act, which would apply commercial airline safety standards to sightseeing helicopters after a 2025 Hudson River crash that killed Siemens Mobility chief Agustín Escobar Canadas, his wife and three...
Waymo and Waze to Share Pothole Data with US Cities
Waymo and Waze have launched a pilot that streams autonomous‑vehicle‑detected pothole data to municipal transportation departments via the Waze for Cities platform. The program currently operates in five U.S. metro areas—San Francisco Bay, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta—where Waymo’s...
AI Is the New Front Door to Government. The Bots Need Help.
Generative AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are increasingly becoming the first point of contact for Americans seeking unemployment, food assistance, health care and tax information. Because most government websites are built for human navigation—interactive calculators, PDFs and...
AI Cameras In This State Are Busting Drivers Who Pick Up Their Phones In Work Zones
Arkansas began using AI‑enhanced cameras in two interstate work zones in January 2026 to detect drivers who pick up their phones, a violation of the state’s strict no‑touch law. The system captures still images, runs them through an AI model...
TPB Consults on AI Guidance
The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) has released draft guidance on the use of artificial intelligence by registered tax professionals. The guidance, issued in mid‑April, makes clear that AI engines are not registered agents and must be employed within existing ethical...
TCS, Kyndryl, NEC & Two Other Firms Empanelled to Build, Run AI for Government Departments
The Indian Ministry of Electronics and IT has empanelled six firms—including Tata Consultancy Services, Kyndryl, NEC, Innefu Labs, CoRover and Cactus Communications—to develop and run AI solutions for government departments. More than 80 companies bid, with Innefu Labs winning the...
DVSA’s New £735m Theory Test Contracts to Offer Option to ‘Explore Remote Testing’
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has launched a £735 million (≈ $940 million) procurement to appoint three regional suppliers that will run the UK driving theory test centre network from September 2028 through 2035. The contracts, split into £235 million for the north,...
Government Pledges ‘Local Conversations and Events to Encourage Participation’ in Digital ID Consultation
The UK government announced a series of in‑person roadshows, roundtables and a "workshop in a box" to boost participation in its digital identity consultation, which runs from 10 March to 5 May. Citizens can respond via an online form, email or post,...
NBTC to Embed OTT Oversight in Plan
Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) reached a consensus that it has the authority to regulate over‑the‑top (OTT) platforms and will embed this oversight in its 2026‑2030 Broadcasting and Television Master Plan. After a five‑hour board debate, the regulator...
India Proposes New Rules to Regulate News and Political Posts on Social Media
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has proposed amendments to the country's IT rules that would extend the existing news‑publisher code of ethics to influencers, podcasters and other non‑publisher users who share news‑related content on platforms like Facebook, YouTube...
Singapore: Public-Private Partnerships to Advance Inclusive AI
Singapore is deepening public‑private partnerships to drive responsible, inclusive AI adoption, as highlighted by Minister of State Rahayu Mahzam at Microsoft’s Public Sector Solutions Day 2026. Initiatives such as the AI Pinnacle Programme, SME AI Adoption Programme, and the MPowerHer...
Vancouver Drivers Can Now Find Arcadis HotSpot
Vancouver has signed a five‑year agreement with Arcadis to roll out its HotSpot digital parking platform citywide. Starting this week, drivers can use the HotSpot app to pay at on‑street meters, view parking maps and track their history. Arcadis highlights...
FCC To Vote on Changes to Audible Crawl Rule
The FCC will vote on April 20 to amend the Audible Crawl rule, which mandates an audio description of visual emergency graphics for the blind and visually impaired. After six postponements since its 2013 adoption, the agency delayed enforcement again until...
Hong Kong: AI, IoT for Sewer Infrastructure Management
Hong Kong Polytechnic University unveiled a multi‑tiered AI and IoT platform that modernises sewer infrastructure management. The system uses deep‑learning algorithms and real‑time sensors to prioritize high‑risk pipe segments, cutting inspection time by roughly one‑third. Predictive analytics achieve 85% accuracy...
CMS Launched First Wave of Its Health Technology Ecosystem
On April 9, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the first wave of its Health Technology Ecosystem, showcasing interoperable digital tools from more than 50 companies. The rollout introduces a "Kill the Clipboard" initiative, digital Medicare cards, and...