UN-Water has announced the 43rd UN-Water Meeting scheduled for 24–25 March 2026 to coordinate the UN’s approach to water and sanitation issues.

• Event details and organiser: UN-Water (listed via the International Water Management Institute IWMI) will hold the meeting on 24 March 2026 – 25 March 2026, 09:00–17:00 (Europe/Rome).

  • Date: 24 March 2026 – 25 March 2026
  • Time: 09:00 am – 5:00 pm (Europe/Rome)
  • Agenda/Subject: Coordinate the UN’s approach to water and sanitation issues.

• Logistics and background: The event is published on IWMI’s events page and cross-listed on SDG.iisd.org; calendar links are provided (ICS, Google Calendar, iCalendar/webcal, Office 365, Outlook Live). Location is indicated by timezone (Europe/Rome); no specific physical venue or pricing/funding details are provided.

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) will host the 2026 South African International Water Week (SAIWW) in Johannesburg.

• Event details: Host: International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Event: South African International Water Week (SAIWW); Dates: March 16–18, 2026; Times: 9:00 am–5:00 pm (Africa/Johannesburg); Location: The Houghton Hotel, Lloys Ellis Avenue, Johannesburg, 2198, South Africa. The event aims to bring together cross-sector participants to confront water security challenges and convert them into investment opportunities.
• Agenda & logistics:
  • Agenda/Subject: focus on water security, investment opportunities, and cross-sector collaboration.
  • Registration & resources: event page and calendar links available (IWMI event page, ICS/iCalendar, Google Calendar, Office 365/Outlook links).

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) are hosting a public briefing on emerging wildfire solutions and federal policy to accelerate their deployment.

• Event announcement & details: The briefing titled “Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy” will be held on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST at Russell Senate Office Building (SR-385), 2 Constitution Ave NE, Washington, DC; a reception follows and a live webcast will stream at www.eesi.org/livecast. Panelists listed: Kelly Martin (Owner, Lasair Fire Consulting Group LLC), Sara Clark (Partner, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger), and Dr. Hannah Safford (Associate Director, Climate and Environment, Federation of American Scientists). The event is free and attendees are asked to RSVP to expedite check-in.
• Scope, evidence, and context: The briefing will cover preparedness, response, recovery, fuels management, smart zoning, upgraded building codes, and early detection with emphasis on federal policy support for rapid, cost-effective implementation at scale. Background facts cited in the announcement include that wildfires are increasing in intensity and season length and are estimated to cost the United States up to $424 billion annually and displace tens of thousands of people.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced a slate of state executive appointments and reappointments on January 9, 2026.

• Main announcement: Governor Newsom appointed and reappointed multiple individuals to California state offices and boards, including Kaitlin Talbot as Deputy Secretary of Communications (California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency), Gabriel “Gabe” Allen as Chief Counsel at the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Nicole Richardson as Chief Counsel of the Division of Workers’ Compensation, Michael Palmisano as Chief Counsel at the Office of Data and Innovation, and reappointments of Dorene D’Adamo to the State Water Resources Control Board and Ira Lit and Christopher Davis to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Compensation and confirmation requirements are specified per position.
• Background and details: Compensation figures for non-confirmation positions include $171,000 for Kaitlin Talbot, $209,460 for Gabriel Allen, $202,812 for Nicole Richardson, $200,004 for Michael Palmisano, and $186,271 for Dorene D’Adamo; Dorene D’Adamo, Ira Lit, and Christopher Davis positions require Senate confirmation (Ira Lit and Christopher Davis positions note there is no compensation for their Commission on Teacher Credentialing seats); the announcement lists each appointee’s prior roles, education, and party registration.

Researchers report that F-doped graphitic carbon nitride (F-GCN) prepared via solid-state polycondensation achieves high removal of broad‑spectrum antibiotics under visible light.

• Main result: F-doped g-C3N4 (F-GCN) prepared from melamine and F-precursors achieved 98.9% degradation of ofloxacin (OFC) and 96.6% degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) within 90 min under visible light; degradation was primarily driven by holes and superoxide radicals and attributed to improved charge separation and migration rather than enhanced photon absorption.
• Methods and validation: Non-metal dopants studied: B, S, P, and F (confirmed by microscopic, spectroscopic, optical, and electrochemical characterization); practical applicability tested by removing a pharmaceutical cocktail from diverse aqueous matrices; ecological safety confirmed via bacterial colony counting and seed germination tests; material showed remarkable reusability and photostability, supporting potential for large-scale photocatalytic wastewater treatment.