Fiona O’Brien (MSc&T) at the Transport Research Arena to present a joint research project Fiona O’Brien, a student in the Master of Science & Technology (MSc&T) program “Economics for Smart Cities and Climate Policy” at l’X, and Emma Jung, a student at TUM, submitted their research on the "Impacts of the Paris low-emission zone on mobility and environmental outcomes" to Transport Research Arena (TRA) after having completed this project as part of the course “Cities and Transportation” taught by Professor Zoi Christoforou at École Polytechnique. Fostering connections between science students in Europe To allow qualified students from partner institutions within the European university network EuroTeQ to participate in the course alongside students from École Polytechnique, Professor Zoi Christoforou opened her “Cities and Transportation” course in EuroTeQ’s shared course catalogue. Emma Jung, a master’s student at TUM in Germany, was one of six students from European partner universities who were successfully admitted to the course for the Summer Semester 2025. As part of this course, Fiona O’Brien and Emma Jung studied the impacts of the Paris low-emission zone on mobility and environmental outcomes*, and Professor Zoi Christoforou encouraged them to submit their research project to TRA, where it was selected. The two students presented their research project at the conference in Budapest from May 18-21, 2026, and got the chance to exchange with researchers and professionals from around the world on the topic of low emission zones. Fiona O’Brien’s and Emma Jung’s research compares pre- and post-policy trends between districts inside and outside the Paris low-emission zone to evaluate effects on traffic, metro ridership, bike usage, and air quality. Their findings reveal that the traffic in these zones significantly decreased, but at the same time the air quality worsened citywide. The outcomes suggest the Paris low-emission zone may have displaced congestion
Jul 3, 2026 · via polytechnique.edu
Shell Q&A: Conrad Mummert on 'Economics of Electrification' According to the IEA, only 130,000 electric vehicles were sold around the world in 2012. Fast forward to 2025 and global sales topped 20 million units. But while the market for electric cars has boomed, the electrification of heavier vehicles has been far, far slower. Cost has been a factor, of course, with the average eHGV costing anywhere between US$260,000 and US$435,000. But charging infrastructure has also played a massive role in the hesitance of logistics companies. While charging networks are improving and more freight companies are beginning to go electric, there are still several challenges to solve. Nowadays, the question is less about whether to electrify than how to do so without compromising on performance and flexibility. Companies like Shell are trying to provide the answer to those questions. The firm's Shell Business Recharge Solutions (SBRS) division has built a network that covers more than 100 European cities, providing electric fleets with access to thousands of charging points. Energy Digital spoke with Conrad Mummert, the Head of SBRS, about how Shell is working to make the electrification equation make sense for Europe's heavy-duty fleets. Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your role at Shell? I'm the Head of Shell Business Recharge Solutions (also known as SBRS), which is part of the Shell Group. In my role, I focus on supporting heavy-duty fleets with electrification at scale by leading the development and delivery of solutions that provide a one-stop shop for fleets moving to e-mobility. A large part of my job involves working directly with fleet operators to understand the barriers they face – whether that's infrastructure availability, operational complexity or making the economics of electrification stack up. Ultimately, we're helping these fleets to electrify in a way that supports
Jul 3, 2026 · via energydigital.com
Most engineering leadership teams are grappling with the fact that reliability costs too much, teams are burnt out, and they feel something has to change. Typically, teams resort to optimization: smarter alerting, faster runbooks, better dashboards, and more training. Teams invest heavily, see modest gains, and then end up right back where they started when the next incident hits. Optimization doesnât fail because of execution. Itâs that the underlying model is broken. Reactive SRE â managing reliability by responding to incidents after they occurâ is actually really expensive. No amount of refinements will change this. Organizations need to understand why the reactive model is flawed; until they do, they will keep spending more, only to stand still. The cost of reacting The cost of downtime is often defined by the revenue impact: the minutes of unavailability multiplied by a per-hour rate. However, that number doesnât accurately represent what reactive operations actually cost. True costs include the hours engineers spend investigating incidents. It also includes senior SREs being pulled off a critical project to triage alerts that were just noise, hours-long postmortems, remediation work, meetings held to decide the next step, and burnout and the attrition rate that follow when engineers spend more time firefighting than building. The 2024 CrowdStrike outage is considered to be the largest IT outage. A faulty software upgrade caused a global disruption for 8.5 million Windows systems globally. Flights were grounded, hospital record systems became inaccessible, and financial transactions were disrupted. On paper, Fortune 500 companies suffered a $5.4 billion financial loss, but there was a hidden cost. SRE and DevOps teams had to perform manual remediation plans for days, resulting in team burnout and fatigue. This is a big indicator of how much a reactive model takes from the people on the inside. Reactive SRE
Jul 3, 2026 · via rtinsights.com
‘Public safety outweighs the offence.’ Officer explains why cops don’t chase kids on e-dirt bikes During a wide ranging discussion that also touched on shoplifting and the need for target practice, Coquitlam council interrogated Coquitlam RCMP’s officer-in-charge about youth riding e-dirt bikes on city streets. During the June 22 meeting, Coun. Robert Mazzarolo talked about seeing young riders around Coast Meridian, “blowing past you, doing wheelies in oncoming traffic.” A group of riders on Burke Mountain are “posing a danger to residents,” as well as drivers and pedestrians, he added. Local news that matters to you No one covers the Tri-Cities like we do. But we need your help to keep our community journalism sustainable. “I would strongly encourage that some resources be deployed on Burke Mountain,” he said. Police are handling enforcement with helicopters when possible and issuing fines while avoiding high-speed pursuit, explained Coquitlam RCMP Insp. Todd Balaban. “You’re not going to see us lights-and-siren chasing a guy on a dirt bike,” he said. While there could be an exception when the rider is a threat to the public prompting police to give chase, in most cases: “public safety outweighs the offence,” he said. “Do I want to chase a 14-year-old kid on an e-dirt bike and have him die?” he asked. While e-bikes are regulated and top out at 32 kilometres per hour, e-dirt bikes can hit 100 km/h, he noted. Crime stats Aside from an uptick in residential break-and-enters, property crimes were down in most categories in 2026 with the exception of shoplifting. Coquitlam businesses reported 168 incidents of shoplifting in the first trimester of 2026 – 86 percent more than the three-year average. That increase is largely due to affordability, Balaban told council. “It’s not the transient or unhoused persons,” he said. “it is the
Jul 3, 2026 · via tricitiesdispatch.com
Dubai has launched a new Digital Twin Platform, creating a virtual replica of the emirate that can be used to model infrastructure, simulate future scenarios and support urban planning. The platform, unveiled in the presence of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, is the latest step in Dubai's broader push to use data and emerging technologies to manage the city's growth. According to a statement issued by Dubai Media Office, Sheikh Hamdan said the project would help build "a city that is better prepared for the future" by improving planning and decision-making through advanced technologies and data. A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical environment that is continuously updated with real-world data. The technology is increasingly being adopted by cities around the world as governments look for new ways to manage rapid urbanisation, climate risks and ageing infrastructure. Researchers increasingly view digital twins not simply as planning tools but as a new layer of digital infrastructure that can help cities model future growth, test policy decisions and assess risks before they unfold in the physical world. Cities such as Singapore and Helsinki have invested heavily in city-scale digital twins that can simulate everything from transport flows to climate risks. As artificial intelligence and cloud computing improve, many researchers believe digital twins will become an increasingly important tool for managing complex urban environments. Dubai has been experimenting with digital twin technologies for several years as part of its broader smart city strategy. The emirate has already experimented with several digital twin initiatives. One example is Dubai Live, a platform launched by Digital Dubai that aggregates geospatial and infrastructure data from multiple government entities and provides a shared digital map of the city.
Jul 3, 2026 · via wired.me
| Delegates sign a strategic initiative to address the burden of hypertension and diabetes in Việt Nam in the 2026-30 period. — VNS Photo Thanh Hải | HÀ NỘI — The Department of Medical Service Administration (MSA), the Ministry of Health, Servier Vietnam and their partners, on July 3, signed a strategic initiative to address the burden of hypertension and diabetes in Việt Nam in the 2026-30 period. The collaboration was within the framework of the programme to enhance awareness and capacity for the communication, treatment, and management of hypertension and diabetes in Việt Nam for the 2026–30 period. The programme involves numerous key multi-sectoral partners, such as the Vietnam Society of Cardiology, the Vietnam Association of Endocrinology and Diabetes, the Vietnam Association for Research and Application of Biomedical Technology, the Vietnam Young Physicians Association, the Hanoi University of Public Health, the Hanoi Medical University, and the University Medical Centre Hồ Chí Minh City. The programme seeks to strengthen the healthcare system capacity and improve hypertension and diabetes control effectiveness by 2030. It sets a goal of ensuring that at least 50 per cent of patients with hypertension and diabetes meet treatment targets by 2030. The programme focuses on four core pillars, including professional standardisation, healthcare workforce capacity building, community communication, and project monitoring, research, and evaluation. It also emphasises the use of digital ecosystems and artificial intelligence to educate and empower patients to proactively manage their own health. This long-term commitment aims to minimise cardiovascular complications and improve the quality of life for millions of Vietnamese people. The event marks a significant step forward in transitioning towards a comprehensive, integrated, and systemic approach to managing non-communicable diseases. Speaking at the ceremony, MSA Deputy Director Nguyễn Trọng Khoa stated that the programme represents a significant step forward, building upon the
Jul 3, 2026 · via vietnamnews.vn
Cristina Bueti is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Focal Point on Environment and Smart Sustainable Cities. She is the Counsellor of ITU-T Study Group 20 “Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities and Communities (SC&C)”, where she further serves as the Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau (TSB/ITU) focal point for Latin America. Cristina Bueti graduated from the Faculty of Political Science, Law and International Cooperation and Development of the University of Florence, where she completed postgraduate studies in International Cooperation and Telecommunications Law in Europe. She also holds a specialization in Environmental Law with a special focus on Telecommunications. As a Counsellor at the ITU, she has been working on various projects related to virtual worlds and AI, IoT, and Smart Sustainable cities for over 20 years. Her role involves developing and promoting international standards for IoT, digital twins and smart cities, and contributing to the development of policies and strategies for these areas. She is passionate about leveraging technology to create positive social and environmental impacts. With extensive experience in digital transformation, corporate sustainability, and smart cities, Cristina has contributed to several initiatives and projects that aim to promote innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity in the tech industry. Her goal is to use her expertise and skills to help shape the future of technology and its applications in various sectors. UNU-EGOV: Could you walk us through your professional journey and share some of the key moments that led you to your current role as Counsellor on Smart Sustainable Cities, AI-enabled Citiverse & Virtual Worlds at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)? We can tell that everything started on the “wrong floor”… Cristina Bueti (CB): My professional journey has been guided by one conviction: technology has meaning only when it helps people and communities thrive. I joined ITU in 2004 with a simple dream:
Jul 3, 2026 · via unu.edu
Africa increased its representation in the IMD Smart City Index from six cities in 2019 to nine in 2026, although none has yet entered the global top 100. The IMD report identifies governance and institutional capacity, rather than technology alone, as the strongest predictor of smart city performance. Rabat and Abuja improved through governance reforms, while Cairo, Lagos and Nairobi continued to face structural constraints despite digital investments. Africa has expanded its presence in the IMD Business School Smart City Index, increasing the number of ranked cities from six in 2019 to nine in 2026. However, the continent still has no city among the world's top 100, as governance and institutional capacity continue to lag behind technological investment. The annual ranking evaluates digital quality of life across major global cities through two dimensions: technology availability and structures, including institutions, public services and living conditions. In 2026, the African cities included in the index were Rabat in Morocco, Cairo in Egypt, Cape Town in South Africa, Algiers in Algeria, Abuja and Lagos in Nigeria, Nairobi in Kenya, Accra in Ghana and Tunis in Tunisia. The expanded representation reflects growing digital investment across the continent. However, none of the nine cities has entered the global top 100 during the seven editions of the index. The report consistently shows that most African cities score higher on technology than on institutional structures. The ranking concludes that institutional structures provide the strongest predictor of overall smart city performance. Consequently, African cities could accelerate their progress by investing as heavily in governance as they do in digital technology. Cities Making Progress Some African cities have already started to rebalance that equation. Rabat led the continental ranking in 2026 and continued its steady improvement from previous editions. The city achieved that progress through a long-term strategy launched
Jul 3, 2026 · via ecofinagency.com
Clark Development Corp. (CDC) President and CEO Agnes Devanadera hosted a trade delegation from the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines at the Office of the President on June 24 to explore opportunities that could further strengthen Clark’s position as a smart city. Devanadera met with Counsellor and Trade Commissioner Eleonore Christiane Rupprecht and Trade Commissioner for Infrastructure Dodjie Fabian to discuss potential areas for collaboration in capacity building and development across priority sectors. CDC also presented updates on the Freeport’s development and tourism infrastructure, highlighting opportunities in sustainability, tourism, and investment for Canadian stakeholders. Counsellor Rupprecht and Commissioner Fabian also received tokens bearing the “Made in Clark, Philippines” certification mark, which CDC registered with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines in 2024. PHOTO FROM CDC
Jul 3, 2026 · via manilatimes.net
- | 1:00 pm Egypt’s infrastructure boom is forcing a reckoning with how to protect its ancient cities As Egypt invests billions in infrastructure, Dr. Abdelhamid Salah Al-Sharief says heritage must become central to the country's development strategy. Egypt’s infrastructure sector has undergone one of the region’s most ambitious periods of expansion over the past decade, with more than $100 billion invested in megaprojects and the market projected to exceed $70 billion by 2031. Driven by major public investment, the country has launched a series of large-scale developments aimed at modernizing its economy, strengthening connectivity and supporting long-term growth. From the New Administrative Capital and 14 new smart cities to the expansion of the North Coast and New Alamein, Egypt has embarked on an unprecedented wave of megaprojects. Recent initiatives include The Spine urban development, a $560 million solar project expected to add 1GW of renewable energy capacity, and major transport investments such as the Cairo Monorail and the country’s $4.5 billion high-speed rail network. As these projects reshape Egypt’s urban and economic landscape, they also raise an important question: how can rapid modernization be balanced with the preservation of one of the world’s richest historical and cultural legacies? Egypt’s built heritage spans more than five millennia, encompassing Pharaonic, Graeco-Roman, Coptic, and Islamic civilizations. At Egypt’s Big 5 Construct Exhibition, Dr. Abdelhamid Al-Sharief, Chairman of the Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation, highlighted the importance of integrating heritage conservation into long-term planning to ensure that development enhances, rather than compromises, the country’s unique historical identity. “Ideally, there should be no conflict whatsoever between conservation and development,” said Al-Sharief. “When there is a comprehensive understanding of what needs to be preserved and what our heritage actually is, the development plan becomes adaptable and smart enough to actually add value to that heritage instead
Jul 3, 2026 · via fastcompanyme.com
Better known for its unique Rockchip industrial PC designs, Mekotronics has now launched an “AI Box” based on the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano 4GB/8GB or Jetson Orin NX 8GB/16GB for humanoid robots, smart transportation (V2X) applications, Smart Cities, Smart Agriculture, medical imaging, and more. While the company often provides niche features on its Rockchip systems, its Jetson embedded computer offers pretty standard interfaces with an HDMI video output, six USB Type-A ports, two Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports (one with PoE), a 40-pin GPIO header, two camera connectors, a terminal block for CAN Bus and UART, and a system connector for LEDs, power button, etc… Mekotronics AI Box specifications: - Compatible modules - NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano 4GB up to 34 TOPS - NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano 8GB up to 67 TOPS - NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX 8GB up to 117 TOPS - NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX 16GB up to 157 TOPS - Storage - 2x M.2 Key-M sockets for NVMe SSD - MicroSD card slot - Video output – HDMI port - Camera – 2x camera connectors - Networking - 2x Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports, including one with PoE - Optional WiFi and Bluetooth with external SMA antenna - USB - 4x USB 3.1 Type A ports - 2x USB 2.0 Type A ports - 1x USB 3.0 Type-C port - Expansion - M.2 Key-M (PCIe Gen3 x4) 2280 socket - M.2 Key-M (PCIe Gen3 x2) 2230 socket - 40-pin GPIO header (externally accessible) - 6-pin terminal block with CAN bus, UART, 3.3V, and GND - Misc - 5V PWM fan connector - 10-pin system connector with UART, auto power on, recovery, LEDs, power button, etc… - Wall mounting holes - Power Supply – 9-20V up to 5V via power barrel jack - Dimensions – PCB: 136 x 79mm -
Jul 3, 2026 · via cnx-software.com
On June 22, 2026, the White House made quantum computing a formal US national priority, releasing two executive orders that position quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography at the center of US industrial policy and national security strategy. The urgency is evident in the data. IDC surveyed 535 US government organizations and found that 32% are currently running quantum computing pilots; among federal agencies specifically, that figure rises to 49%, with another 40% planning to launch pilots within the next 12–24 months. This is no longer theoretical exploration; it reflects active government commitment to quantum technology development. Two executive orders target quantum computing The first executive order, “Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation,” establishes the Quantum Computer for Application Development and Discovery Science (QC-ADDS) program. This initiative directs the Department of Energy, in coordination with Defense, Commerce, and intelligence agencies, to develop quantum computing systems capable of solving problems beyond classical computing capabilities. Potential applications include climate modeling, advanced signal processing, and defense logistics optimization. The timeline is demanding: the Department of Energy must publish technical specifications within 90 days and explore private-sector partnership models within 180 days. The Pentagon is directed to field at least three quantum sensor projects by September 2028. The order also addresses critical infrastructure gaps, including stronger protections for domestic quantum supply chains, expanded counterintelligence measures for quantum technology, and a mandate for a government-wide quantum workforce strategy. The second executive order addresses the defensive imperative: “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks.” It confronts a specific and present threat: adversaries may be collecting encrypted US data today, banking on the ability to decrypt it once large-scale quantum computers become operational. This tactic is known as “harvest now, decrypt later”: the practice of stockpiling encrypted data today in order to decrypt it later, once
Jul 3, 2026 · via idc.com
Abstract Electro-medical waste (EMW) management presents critical challenges related to traceability, regulatory compliance, and operational safety in healthcare environments, where improper handling can pose serious risks to public health and the environment. To address these challenges, this work proposes a blockchain-integrated Internet of Things framework, termed BIOT-EMW, which combines IoT sensing, blockchain-based auditability, and edge-level intelligence to enable secure and transparent EMW lifecycle management. A convolutional neural network-based computer vision module is deployed at the edge to automate EMW classification and reduce manual intervention. The performance evaluation of the proposed BIOT-EMW system emphasizes system-level operational metrics, including latency, delay, bandwidth, power consumption, resource utilization, and scalability, rather than exhaustive model-level benchmarking. Experimental results show that edge-level processing latency ranges from 3.45 to 9.33 ms, end-to-edge communication delay from 6.43 to 12.11 ms, bandwidth usage from 24.54 Mbps to 34.87 Mbps, and device-level power consumption from 6.5 to 13.31 mW, with resource utilization between 78 and 92% and scalability reaching up to 97%. In a prototype-scale experimental testbed, the BIOT-EMW framework shows feasible and efficient operation with promising scalability for automated electro-medical waste management in smart healthcare facilities. Introduction The rapid growth of electro-medical waste (EMW) poses important risks to public health and the environment, mainly in healthcare facilities where improper handling can lead to contamination, regulatory violations, and safety hazards. Traditional waste management systems often lack end-to-end traceability, real-time monitoring, and automated compliance mechanisms, making them inadequate for managing the complex lifecycle of EMW. With the deployment of connected medical devices and digital healthcare infrastructure, there is an upward need for intelligent, secure, and scalable waste management solutions personalized specifically to electro-medical waste streams. Recent advances in the Internet of Things (IoT) have enabled real-time sensing and monitoring across healthcare environments. IoT devices equipped with sensors and cameras can capture
Jul 3, 2026 · via nature.com
The global Palmprint Payment Market is poised for robust growth over the next decade as businesses, financial institutions, and consumers increasingly embrace biometric authentication for secure and frictionless transactions. According to a recent study by SNS Insider, the global Palmprint Payment Market size valued at USD 1.30 billion in 2025, is anticipated to grow to USD 3.57 billion by 2035, registering a CAGR of 10.64% over the 2026–2035 forecast period. With the quick transition towards contactless transactions and increasing problems relating to fraud and identity theft, the use of biometric payment systems has gained increased momentum. The method of authenticating a person’s identity through palmprints is an extremely efficient one since it does not require the user to remember a password or carry a card. From retail to banking, transportation to healthcare and educational institutions, corporations and many other sectors are now including palmprint payments in their digital architecture. Advancements in sensor technology, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence are continuously refining the precision and speed of these payment mechanisms, thus increasing trust in the world of biometric payment systems. Contactless Commerce Continues to Unlock New Growth Opportunities The rising inclination towards frictionless payments is prompting companies to adopt new-age biometric systems that can ensure ease of interaction and high levels of security at the same time. Palmprint payment technology eliminates the requirement for any physical card or smartphone from the part of customers for a streamlined transaction experience. Furthermore, banks and other payment service providers are also increasing their investments in sophisticated systems of authentication owing to the increase in the volume of digital transactions. The increased compatibility with cloud-based payment networks and digital wallets helps companies adopt biometric technologies easily and effectively. In addition to that, the supportive trends related to digital transformation, rise in smart cities, and the
Jul 2, 2026 · via snsinsider.com
By REBECCA SANTANA PHOENIX (AP) — For decades, all that separated the U.S. from Mexico was barbed wire. Now, after a massive infusion of cash from Congress, President Donald Trump’s administration is swiftly building what it has dubbed a “smart wall,” a combination of 30-foot-tall steel fencing and an array of sophisticated technology like sensors, cameras and towers allowing Border Patrol to surveil the territory. The wall is under heavy scrutiny for the billions of dollars being dedicated to it when border crossings are at their lowest in decades. Critics say the U.S. is militarizing the border as it increasingly deploys sophisticated surveillance technology to the area, impacting local communities. “We are seeing a massive expansion of surveillance and surveillance technology across the borderlands,” said Ricky Garza, border policy counsel at the Southern Border Communities Coalition, an advocacy group. “The wall in all its forms is harmful to communities.” Officials say the technology is complementary to the physical wall and frees up agents for other tasks. “It’s a smart wall. It’s not just a barrier,” Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said during recent congressional testimony. “It maximizes the use of our most valuable resource, which is our agents.” Contracts for hundreds of miles of wall already inked The wall has been a top priority for Trump, a Republican, since he first ran for president. During the administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, the border emerged as a flashpoint, with thousands of people seeking to cross into the country each day. Those numbers started to taper off shortly before Trump returned to office last year and then slowed to a trickle, with his broader immigration crackdown serving as a deterrent for would-be migrants. Flush with $46 billion to finish the wall after an infusion by Congress for immigration
Jul 2, 2026 · via twincities.com
New laws and regulatory updates related to right-to-repair laws and extended producer responsibility programs have taken effect in July. Some updates help advance EPR for textiles, carpet and packaging programs in California, Washington and New York. Meanwhile, a new right-to-repair program in Connecticut encompasses most types of consumer electronics. These updates build on a list of new laws that took effect in January. What new recycling and waste-related laws are affecting your area? Let us know at waste.dive.editors@industrydive.com. Connecticut right-to-repair law takes effect Connecticut’s right-to-repair law for consumer electronics went into effect July 1. The law covers most new home electronics and appliances manufactured after July 1, but certain products like video game consoles and alarm systems are exempt. The law requires manufacturers of covered equipment to make certain parts, tools and manuals available to independent repair providers. The right-to-repair provisions are part of a larger consumer protection law the Connecticut legislature passed in 2025. Textile producers meet key California EPR deadline Textile and apparel producers selling products in California had until July 1 to meet a key EPR for textiles deadline: register with the state’s producer responsibility organization. CalRecycle selected Landbell USA to manage the country’s first textile EPR program, which aims to divert clothing and other textiles from disposal. The program, which applies to covered materials like clothing, towels and bedding, is set to start in 2030. Washington producers join packaging EPR PRO Packaging producers in Washington had a July 1 deadline to register with the Circular Action Alliance, the state’s producer responsibility organization, under the state’s EPR for packaging program. The law also calls for the state’s Department of Ecology to conduct a statewide needs assessment and submit it by Dec. 31, 2026, to be updated with any new data by Dec. 31, 2027. When fully implemented
Jul 2, 2026 · via wastedive.com
Before the morning tea is brewed and the school rush begins, many Indian households are already thinking about water. Has the supply arrived? Is the overhead tank full? Should the pump be switched on now before the water stops flowing? Across cities, families continue to plan their day around uncertain supply schedules. In villages, many women still spend hours fetching water where piped connections remain unreliable. For millions, access to water is not as simple as turning on a tap. For a country that is building smart cities, these everyday struggles reveal a quieter challenge: how do you make essential services like water and electricity more reliable while reducing waste? The answer, increasingly, lies in data. Over the last few decades, Ahmedabad-based Cimcon has been helping cities, towns and villages do exactly that. Using sensors, automation and artificial intelligence, the company enables authorities to monitor water networks, pumping stations, street lights and other public infrastructure in real time. The goal isn't simply to make cities smarter but to ensure that a leaking pipeline is detected before thousands of litres are lost, a malfunctioning pump is fixed before households run dry, and public infrastructure works efficiently enough to save both water and energy. Behind these solutions is a journey that began nearly four decades ago, when automation itself was still a foreign concept in much of India. Building automation solutions before India was ready When Anil Agrawal returned to India in 1988 after studying advanced automation systems in the United States, he was driven by a simple question: how could technology solve real-world problems back home? Today, Agrawal serves as the Founder and CEO of Cimcon, but back then, the landscape looked very different. "There was very limited automation. Everything was manual," he recalls. Most utilities relied on paperwork, field inspections
Jul 2, 2026 · via thebetterindia.com
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Jul 2, 2026 · via youtube.com
Chandigarh: The municipal corporation has handed over comprehensive financial records and employee dossiers to the Central Bureau of Investigation (
CBI) to assist in its ongoing probe into a scam of fake fixed deposit (FD).
The submission follows a detailed 20-point questionnaire from the cenrtal agency targeting the Chandigarh Smart City projectâs financial dealings, primarily involving IDFC Bank.
Because the request included archival documents, the civic body requested an extension from the CBI to locate and verify the files. âThe accounts department meticulously verified all documents before submission, including authorisation orders for bank emails,â an MC source told
The TOI.
Before moving the files from the Smart City building, the MC filmed the entire collection process to maintain a strict chain of custody and ensure no documents were misplaced.
The relocation also cleared the Smart City building, which has been leased to the corporate affairs ministryâs registrar of companies (ROC) for about â¹30 lakh a month. A dedicated team of engineering and accounts officials managed the transfer of the remaining records to the corporation headquarters.
Jul 2, 2026 · via timesofindia.indiatimes.com