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• DigitalEurope is urging the EU to implement voluntary joint procurement procedures based on harmonized criteria to boost regional competitiveness. • The proposal builds upon existing Public Procurement Directives (PPD) and the proposed Cloud & AI Development Act (CADA) to streamline digital acquisitions. • This initiative addresses a significant gap in current operations, as only 11% of EU procurement procedures are currently conducted through cooperative procurement.

• Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated on Monday that India's electoral process is the most transparent among the world's major democracies. • He highlighted that every stage of the exercise, including voter list preparation, polling, and counting, is audited by candidates and political parties. • These remarks were made while Kumar was chairing a session for International IDEA, emphasizing the robustness of India's democratic systems.

• A new report warns that China is expanding its transnational repression efforts, specifically targeting the global digital rights movement and activists within Europe. • While Europe is less dependent on Chinese technology and investment than the Global South, it remains highly vulnerable to Beijing's political pressure and influence campaigns. • The report highlights several recent incidents where Chinese authorities have attempted to silence dissent and monitor activists operating outside China's borders.

• A U.S. class action lawsuit has been filed against memory giants Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, alleging they colluded to manipulate DRAM prices. • Plaintiffs claim the companies intentionally cut production of legacy DDR3 and DDR4 products under the pretext of transitioning to High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), causing prices to surge by 700% over four years. • The price spike reportedly forced Apple to increase the retail costs of its Mac and iPad product lines to offset higher component expenses.

Amos review sets out recommendations for government, but falls short on systemic racism and traumatic birthsEngland to get powerful maternity commissioner after ‘shocking’ failingsThe findings of Lady Amos’ review into maternity and neonatal services across England, which state the system is ultimately no longer fit for purpose, are unsurprising. The systemic failures and inadequacies of these services have been uncovered in several reports already, including Donna Ockenden’s review of the “toxic” Nottingham NHS trust published last week.But what this report does offer are a set of recommendations for the government to implement. Amos states that if they were to be delivered in full then “the overall safety and quality of maternity and neonatal care in England will be materially and sustainably improved”. But how far do these recommendations go, and what will it take for them to be implemented? Continue reading...

• The Supreme Court is scheduled to release all remaining opinions for the current term this Tuesday. • The court will issue rulings on several high-profile and contentious issues, including birthright citizenship, campaign finance laws, and bans on transgender athletes. • These decisions are expected to have significant legal and social implications across the United States, addressing fundamental rights and electoral regulations.

Expected next prime minister focuses on restoring faith in politics, cost of living and devolution in major speechAndy Burnham has set out his blueprint to transform the UK with a promise to improve living standards and restore faith in politics through the “biggest rebalancing of power our country has ever seen”.The person widely expected to be the next prime minister said the current system was “broken” and that “more of the same” would not be enough to tackle the significant challenges faced by the country.A long-term ambition of greater public control of essential services such as water, housing, energy and transport to help curb the cost of living.A No 10 North hub to oversee the distribution of power and resources from Whitehall across the country, which the Guardian revealed would be run by his former chief executive in Manchester.The biggest council housing building programme since the postwar period, and a high street “renaissance” through reform of business rates.Rebalancing an education system that he said had been too focused on the university route and putting academic and technical courses on an equal footing. Continue reading...