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Law-enforcement in the Australian city of Melbourne have availed themselves of infrared-equipped helicopters in an effort to combat rampant theft of copper cables. Fairfax reports that copper theft has become so problematic for the Melbourne metro system that it is impeding the satisfaction of punctuality targets. The Melbourne Metro saw a sharp surges in copper thefts last year, at 41 incidents in total compared to only 15 in 2011. That trend looks set to continue in 2013, with 12 incidents even before the end of January, affecting 30,000 commuters.

Following receipt of expressions of interest, Nexans is exploring the possibility of the sale of its Berk-Tek copper and fiber cable activity in the US. Berk-Tek focuses on cables for local area network applications and generates annual sales of approximately $200 million.

China is making a second major stimulus push after economic growth slowed to a three-year low of 7.6% in the second quarter. Among them are 66 billion yuan ($10.5 billion) for affordable housing and 26.5 billion yuan ($4.4 bil.) to subsidize sales of energy-efficient appliances. The central bank has also begun loosening bank lending and reserve requirements as inflation has cooled considerably since last year.Other cities have announced plans to subsidize purchase of low-cost housing and efforts to build more and faster roads and railways, push alternative energy, stimulate sales of clean cars, build more hospitals and improve water treatment facilities as part of the stimulus effort.

The Singapore Mining Club was launched on Wednesday March 19, as the city-state took another step in its plans to surpass Sydney, Toronto and London as a global mining hub.

Daimler and BMW – and, to a lesser extent, Volkswagen, Nissan, Renault and Ford – are already ahead of the game in recognising that it will now be sustainable for increasing numbers of single occupancy cars to pour into already congested cities on a daily basis as they do now. BMW's alternative powertrain sub-brand, i – due to be launched later this year – addresses this with a full suite of mobility options, and while Daimler has not formed a separate division in which to wrap the work it is doing, it is starting to move well beyond the traditional role of car manufacturer andretailer.

Tesla Superchargers allow Model S owners to travel for free between cities along well-traveled highways in North America. Superchargers provide half a charge in about 20 minutes and are strategically placed to allow owners to drive from station to station with minimal stops.

According to the report, approximately 333 gigawatts (GW) of new HVDC transmission capacity will be added between 2013 and 2020.  For comparison, peak demand in the United States is estimated to be approximately 800 GW in 2013.  In China alone, nearly 200 GW of new HVDC transmission capacity is planned for build-out over the next 8 years.  Energy from hydroelectric generation in distant inland locations will be tapped and transported to power big cities along the eastern and southern coast.

As aviation becomes increasingly accessible in all parts of the world, future Journeys will increasingly be made by air particularly to and from emerging markets. According to Airbus’ latest Global Market Forecast (GMF) in the next 20 years (2013-2032), air traffic will grow at 4.7 per cent annually requiring over 29,220 new passenger and freighter aircraft valued at nearly US$4.4 trillion. Some 28,350 of these are passenger aircraft valued at US$4.1 trillion. Of these, some 10,400 will replace existing aircraft with more efficient ones. With today’s fleet of 17,740 aircraft, it means that by 2032, the worldwide fleet will double to nearly 36,560 aircraft. Economic growth, growing middle classes, affordability, ease of travel, urbanisation, tourism, and migration are some factors increasing connectivity between people and regions and how often they travel. Increasing urbanisation will lead to a doubling of mega cities from 42 today to 89 by 2032, and 99 per cent of the world’s long-haul traffic will be between or through these.

The World Bank has announced a new initiative to help cities in developing countries integrate energy efficiency into their strategic planning and operations, in order to improve public services, lessen pressure on municipal budgets, and reduce pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

To sustain the economic growth momentum in cities, supply of reliable and stable power is critical. The way electricity is produced, stored, managed, and applied is likely to undergo several challenges due to technological advancements, changing demand patterns, and consumers' awareness level

This is why visualization can be such a powerful tool.