July Layoffs Hit Two-Year Low, Report Finds

Control of Britain’s 39 million smart meters is passing to a non-profit startup, The Guardian reports. The shift affects how household energy usage data is managed and accessed. It matters because smart-meter data underpins billing, grid management and consumer energy services across the UK.

Crude oil prices dropped after markets reacted to signs of a possible diplomatic breakthrough aimed at ending the war involving Iran. The decline reflects how traders are pricing in reduced risk to global energy supplies. Any breakthrough would have wide implications for oil markets and the broader world economy.

A report says the Trump administration used taxpayer dollars and pollution allowances to support about half of U.S. coal plants. The measures may extend coal operations, increase emissions, and shift environmental and financial costs onto the public.

Countries are on track to miss global nature targets, prompting growing calls to reform COP summits. Critics dismissed the current process as a “bunch of baloney” and urged changes to improve accountability and implementation. The push matters because weak follow-through could undermine international efforts to protect biodiversity.

British Gas has resumed force-fitting prepayment meters months after a £112m settlement over the practice. The meters can cut off vulnerable customers who cannot top up, raising concerns about consumer protection and regulatory oversight.