Latest Developments

Europe
BBC Business

'Cool in 90 seconds' - the fake portable air conditioners sweeping the internet

Image source, Proper DIYByLaura CressTechnology reporterPublished10 July 2026, 02:33 BSTAs parts of the UK brace for another hot weekend, online adverts have been appearing for portable air conditioners claiming to be "designed by former Nasa engineers" and able to "cool a room in 90 seconds". The adverts have emerged on platforms including Facebook and YouTube, but the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has now warned the products are often "too good to be true". YouTuber Stuart Matthews, who bought several devices to test on his Proper DIY channel, told the BBC that despite paying £70 for one machine, it turned out to be "a small, simple fan worth only a few pounds". The ASA told the BBC that some of the adverts it had seen online in recent weeks made exaggerated claims, including that a small device could cool an entire home within minutes or used very little electricity. It also said the adverts frequently featured fake customer reviews describing dramatic temperature drops or exceptional performance. The adverts direct shoppers to websites selling the devices, typically for between £70 and £120. Many of the adverts also appeared to be AI-generated, using visuals such as copper coils and metallic boxes to make the products seem more sophisticated. The ASA said there were several ways for customers to tell if an advert for a portable air conditioner was likely to be misleading. The watchdog advised consumers who were unsure to research the retailer and check it provided genuine contact details and a business address. Customers should also look for independent reviews rather than relying solely on testimonials on the seller's website. It added that anyone concerned about an air conditioner advert could report it via their website, external. Matthews said he bought several of the devices to see whether they performed as advertised.

'Cool in 90 seconds' - the fake portable air conditioners sweeping the internet
North America
CNBC Finance

Versant agrees to buy golf simulator company Full Swing for $530 million

Versant Media Group, the owner of cable networks including CNBC, MS NOW and the Golf Channel, has agreed to acquire golf simulation company Full Swing from private equity firm Bruin Capital for about $530 million in cash. The deal follows a template CEO Mark Lazarus has outlined to investors since Versant began trading as a public company in January following its spinout from Comcast. Versant has been investing in nontraditional media businesses that broaden the scope of the brands it already owns. Earlier this year, the company acquired StockStory, an AI-powered tech platform that provides financial analysis, market insights, and stock recommendations, for CNBC. The company's golf business already owns digital media platform GolfPass and tee-time reservation company GolfNow. In May, Versant reported that revenue for its platforms business, which includes GolfNow, Fandango and some recently launched direct-to-consumer units, was up 9.5% to $192 million. The company has called out its growth in its news and sports units. Executives have said they aim to rebalance Versant's revenue mix so that eventually 50% of it is derived from digital, platform, subscription, ad-supported and transactional businesses. "Full Swing is exactly the kind of strategic platform that reflects how we are building Versant: investing in our core markets, extending the reach of our iconic brands and creating new ways to serve passionate audiences," Lazarus said in a statement. Full Swing develops and sells golf and baseball simulators for consumers, sporting goods stores and athletic training facilities. Both recreational and professional athletes use the technology. Bruin Capital purchased Full Swing in 2021 for $160 million, Sportico reported at the time. "Joining Versant gives us the scale and distribution to bring our technology to even more golfers, athletes and fans," Full Swing CEO Ryan Dotters said in the statement. Dotters will stay at Versant and will report to Will McIntosh, president of digital platforms and ventures. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis.

Versant agrees to buy golf simulator company Full Swing for $530 million
Europe
The Guardian

‘Why take those jobs away?’: the unionized workers decrying Trump’s war on wind

Cows stand in a field near a wind farm along Route 66 in Groom, Texas. Photograph: Al Drago/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenCows stand in a field near a wind farm along Route 66 in Groom, Texas. Photograph: Al Drago/Getty ImagesWind power‘Why take those jobs away?’: the unionized workers decrying Trump’s war on windWorkers proud of their efforts to grow renewable energy say US president pursuing ‘personal vendetta’ at their expense Donald Trump has blamed everything – from “national security” issues, the deaths of birds and whales, and cancer – in his decades-long campaign against windfarms. But as the Trump administration continues to undermine the industry, what worries workers most are their jobs. Since taking office for a second term, Trump has issued an executive order aiming to halt all wind-energy leases and permits, attempted to issue stop-work orders on wind projects under construction, and paid more than $2.6bn in settlements to buy out wind energy leases. And hundreds of workers have been affected. Thomas Kilday, a furnace electrician with IBEW local 99 in Providence, Rhode Island, was in the midst of a four-week shift onboard a vessel off the Atlantic coast working on the Revolution Wind Project in August last year when the Trump administration issued a stop-work order on the project. “No one really knew what was going on. We didn’t know what it meant for us. We just knew that everything was up in the air,” said Kilday. “You plan your whole life around being gone for 28 days, and to come out here and have it thrown up in the air, worrying what does this mean for me, for my pay for the next four weeks, what’s going to happen? There’s a lot of uncertainty.” Construction on the project is done on shifts of 28 days on and 28 days off, with workers residing on a vessel on the ocean and taking helicopters to work on the turbines. A federal court granted an injunction to block the stop-work order in September last year. In December, the Trump administration issued another 90-day stop-work order, citing national security, before a second judge issued an injunction in January. When the second stop-work order was issued, Kilday was celebrating Christmas with his family and preparing for another four-week shift. “That was really difficult,” he said. “I just spent a bunch of money on Christmas gifts for my family, and it was not what I wanted to be thinking about. Six months out of the year we’re away from home, and for what little time we do have at home, not to be able to just focus all of that time and energy on our families, it’s tough. It’s not a great feeling to be worried about your job when you’re supposed to be home.” “We’re proud of the work that we do out here, and we want to be able to continue to do it. We think it’s important work,” added Kilday. “When I’m at home, and I drive down my street, I look up at those power lines. I helped create the power that’s running through those power lines, and I’m proud of that.” Revolution Wind announced in March that it began delivering power to New England, citing the work of more than 1,000 local union workers, and is expected to power more than 350,000 homes and businesses. The project’s construction is over 90% complete. In June, the Trump administration abandoned an effort to try to halt all wind projects and leases across the US, giving up a challenge in court to a judge tossing Trump’s executive order to freeze all permitting and leasing for wind projects.

‘Why take those jobs away?’: the unionized workers decrying Trump’s war on wind
Europe
BBC Business

Package holidays to Dubai and Egypt cheaper as European prices creep up

Image source, Getty ImagesByColletta Smith, BBC Your Voice correspondent and Elaine Doran, BBC Your Voice producerPublished4 hours agoFamily package holidays to destinations like Dubai and Egypt are cheaper this summer than last as tour operators cut prices to tempt people back. The war in Iran has put many UK holidaymakers off travelling to countries near to the conflict or through Middle Eastern airspace - opting instead to stay in Europe. Prices for an average all-inclusive seven-night family stay in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have dropped by 25% this August compared with last. And the same holiday to Egypt is 8% cheaper, according to TravelSupermarket data compiled for the BBC. At the same time, the cost of package deals to Spain, Portugal and Greece are up between 3-5%, the data suggests. Tim and Natalie Harris from Swansea had booked a holiday to Dubai with their two teenage daughters this summer, but when the Iran war broke out they cancelled and lost their deposit. "We did manage to find a package for £6,400 for all-inclusive in Mexico which we've booked," says Tim. Last month, the Foreign Office dropped its advice against travelling to Dubai, after the US and Iran reached an agreement to stop the war, but warned British citizens that "the situation remains unpredictable" in the region. Tour operators have cut prices to other destinations - an average holiday to Morocco is down 6.5%, Tunisia down 2.5% and Turkey 1.6% cheaper than last summer. Mollie Hitchen, assistant manager of Marple Travel Hyde, says customers were more nervous this year about going anywhere near the Middle East, or getting stuck somewhere further afield because of fuel shortages. "People will ask questions, but we just reassure people that there is absolutely no problems with those destinations," she says. Flora Badger is taking three teenage girls on their first holiday abroad this summer. She contacted BBC Your Voice to share her frustrations in watching holiday prices fluctuate.

Package holidays to Dubai and Egypt cheaper as European prices creep up
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Sensex today | Stock Market Live: Sensex falls over 600 points as Iran tensions and oil surge rattle markets

Candle stick graph chart of stock market investment trading, Stock exchange concept design and background. Vector illustrations. | Photo Credit: EMOJOEZ Sensex Today, Nifty 50 | Stock Market Live Updates - Find here all the live updates related to Sensex, Nifty, BSE, NSE, share prices and Indian stock markets for 13th July 2026. Indian equity markets opened sharply lower on Monday as escalating US-Iran tensions fuelled a surge in crude oil prices, dampening global risk appetite and weighing on investor sentiment. At 9.16 a.m., the Sensex was down 614.01 points, or 0.79%, at 76,955.38, while the Nifty declined 178.85 points, or 0.74%, to 24,028.05. Asian markets mirrored the cautious mood, with Japan’s Nikkei and South Korea’s KOSPI falling sharply amid concerns over rising energy costs and renewed geopolitical uncertainty. Brent crude climbed above $78 a barrel, raising worries over inflation, India’s import bill and corporate margins. Despite the near-term headwinds, investors will closely monitor the ongoing earnings season, with results so far broadly in line with expectations. Analysts expect corporate earnings to remain resilient over the medium term, while the recent return of foreign institutional investors as net buyers, strong domestic institutional flows and record SIP inflows are likely to provide support to the market. Crude oil trends, global developments and earnings will remain the key drivers of today’s trade. * Crude oil: Brent above $78, raising concerns over inflation and India’s import bill. * FII flows: Foreign investors turned net buyers last week, offering market support. * Domestic flows: Record SIP inflows and DII buying continue to underpin sentiment. * Key monitorables: Crude oil movement, West Asia developments, corporate earnings and FII activity. India seeks favorable trade terms in US negotiations, rejecting quick deals amid rising exports and economic resilience.

Sensex today | Stock Market Live: Sensex falls over 600 points as Iran tensions and oil surge rattle markets
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Rupee braces for pressure with oil taking centre-stage on US-Iran flare up

The Indian rupee is poised to weaken at Monday's open, with the market's ​focus swinging back to oil after Iran expanded strikes on ‌Gulf states following U.S. attacks, reviving risks to ​India's trade balance. The rupee is expected to ⁠open in the 95.55-95.60 range against the U.S. dollar on Monday, traders said, after settling at 95.3250 on Friday. For the local ‌currency, the focus has swung back to crude oil prices after hostilities between the United ‌States and Iran re-escalated, with U.S. President Donald ‌Trump ⁠saying the ceasefire is over. The rupee traded in ⁠a 94.96-95.60 range last week, largely mirroring moves in crude oil, for which India relies heavily on imports to meet its requirement. ​Traders expect that relationship to ‌persist this week with markets assessing the implications of the latest Middle East strikes and counter-strikes on energy supplies. Beyond the focus on oil, market participants are ‌watching how the Reserve Bank of India responds, a ​currency trader at a private-sector bank said. Bankers said the RBI has been providing its ⁠usual support to the rupee, and the extent of intervention could become more pronounced due to the potential impact ‌from rising oil prices. The private-sector bank trader added that he is monitoring the impact of oil-driven inflation concerns on U.S. Treasury yields. Over the weekend, Tehran expanded its attacks to Qatar and the United ‌Arab Emirates, while the United States launched fresh hits on Iran, ​in the latest part of a cycle of attacks and counter-attacks tied to shipping through ⁠the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said on Sunday that the ⁠Strait remained open to commercial traffic. Earlier, Iran had indicated the strait had been shut. "The latest exchange ‌of strikes has raised fresh doubts about the prospects for a lasting agreement, despite continuing diplomatic contacts," ​ANZ Bank said in a note. Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Rupee braces for pressure with oil taking centre-stage on US-Iran flare up
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

India’s social security network expands to 100 cr citizens: Mansukh Mandaviya

India’s social protection coverage has expanded to over 100 crore citizens in 2026, up from 25 crore in 2015, said Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The steep rise in the social protection coverage in a decade is largely due to the government bringing into the fold informal and unorganised sector workers, who comprise nearly 90 per cent of the total 50-crore workforce. Previously the government’s focus was mainly targeted at formal workers. Mandaviya, in a post on X on Wednesday, flagged the landmark validation of the country’s social security coverage by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). “India breaches 1 billion mark in Social Protection Coverage!” Mandaviya wrote on X, thanking ILO Director-General Gilbert F Houngbo “for acknowledging India’s efforts towards expanding social protection coverage”. In a video message at the BRICS Labour & Employment Minister’s Meeting in Hyderabad on Wednesday, DG Houngbo said, “According to ILO running estimates, India’s social protection system now reaches 1 billion people. This milestone offers lessons that can be shared through South-South cooperation.” Mandaviya, in another post on the social media platform, attributed to the leadership of PM Narendra Modi for steep rise in the social protection coverage, from 19 per cent in 2015 to 68.4 per cent in 2026. This brought more than 100 crore citizens under the umbrella of social protection framework, he wrote. As per the data shared by the Minister in that tweet, the social protection coverage doubled in between 2019 to 2022 if compared with percentage increase recorded in other years from 2015 to 2026. This was a culmination of government’s rapid policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic -- like Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and PM-JAY (Ayushman Bharat) Healthcare scale-up -- followed by a thrust toward digitising the informal workforce, with the launch of the e-Shram portal. On the contrary, the two year period between 2025 to 2026 witnessed social security coverage hike of just 6.38 per cent which is considered as stablisation of the intiative after the exponential growth. The social security coverage between 2015 to 2019 was at 28.42 per cent while it was 31.76 per cent in 2022 to 2025, as per the calculations on the basis of the Ministry’s statistics. The two-day 12th BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers Meeting ended on Wednesday, with member countries adopting a set of declaration, including to advance social security and formalisation of labour markets. Member States have agreed to commend the collective efforts in expanding social protection coverage, the Ministry of Labour and Employment stated. Members shall endeavour to progressively expand social protection coverage from existing levels as per nationally determined levels, based on respective circumstances, priorities, and capacities, the Ministry added. Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

India’s social security network expands to 100 cr citizens: Mansukh Mandaviya
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Tamil Nadu to conduct first phase of Census 2027 in August; self enumeration to begin Friday

The Directorate of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu announced that it will conduct the first phase of the India’s 16th National Census in the State over the course of a month starting from August 1, 2026. Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, Sundaresh Babu, Chief Principal Census Officer, Tamil Nadu said that the first phase will involve Houselisting and Housing Census. For the first phase, citizens can also opt for the self enumeration using the government portal from July 17 to July 31, 2026. “This is a foundational stage where we collect essential information regarding the household details. It will include 33 questions on household amenities, drinking water, sanitation, electricity internet connectivity, cooking fuel and other factors. The phase will serve as a framework for the deeper population census in the second phase scheduled for February of 2027,” he said. Meanwhile, Babu added that for the first time, the entire enumeration process will be 100 per cent digital with all the data collection to be done digitally, including by physical enumerators who will record the data on a mobile app instead of the paper based records of the past. “We have assigned 200-250 households for each enumerator. They have been selected from different government departments and have been given three full days of training for this process. Every six enumerators will have one supervisor, ” he said. Tamil Nadu has about 1,026 charges- the operational units used to organize and conduct the population count. Each charge will be led by a Charge Officer or Sub-Division Officer. Babu added that about 20 States have already completed phase one of the census and are preparing for phase 2. Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Tamil Nadu to conduct first phase of Census 2027 in August; self enumeration to begin Friday
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

JSW MG expects 80% of total sales to come from NEVs

With new energy vehicles (NEVs) picking up on the Indian roads, especially after the West Asia crisis and cut in GST rates last year, JSW MG Motor India is planning to launch more NEVs in the market, which is expected to contribute 80 per cent of its overall sales this year, a top official has said. Anurag Mehrotra, Managing Director, JSW MG Motor India, told businessline that since the GST cut to 5 per cent for EVs last year, the sales have grown multifold for the whole industry and it was not only tier-I cities, but also tier-III and IV towns, where the sales are picking up. “The amount of conversation on EV cars has gone up in the last 6-12 months. Earlier, a year or two ago, one would not have asked. We have 50 per cent of sales coming from tier-I cities and the rest from tier-II, III and beyond,” he said adding that JSW MG sold around 40,000 units of NEVs last year, which was a growth of 12-13 per cent over previous year. For the industry also, Mehrotra noted that in the overall passenger vehicle industry, EV penetration was only 3.8 per cent in January this year and in June, it was over 8 per cent. “Given the growth that we are seeing today, we have already increased our headcount by almost 40 per cent at the plant to cater to the third shift that got added. We will invest ₹3,000-4,000 crore in expansion of the plant to 1.20 lakh to 3-lakh units per annum and new products development, and this year we will spend ₹1,300-1,400 crore out of that total amount,” he said while declining to comment on where the funds would come from. Meanwhile, the company unveiled a new platform called ADAPT (Advance Drive Architecture Platform Technology), under which it will launch four different vehicles in the NEV portfolio in the next one year. Designed as a future-ready modular architecture, MG ADAPT will support electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and range extender electric vehicles (REEVs), bringing multiple energy solutions together on a single intelligent platform. Mehrotra added the company would bring in the products in the shape of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) as of now. Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

JSW MG expects 80% of total sales to come from NEVs