UK Cost Relief for SMEs: Prime Minister Andy Burnham kicked off his term by cutting VAT on household electricity bills from October, a move aimed at easing cost-of-living pressure (costed at about £850m) and framed as part of a broader push to help households and small businesses. Energy Innovation Funding: India’s MNRE approved INR 436.93 crore to continue its Renewable Energy Research and Technology Development programme through 2030-31, including support for pilot lines such as perovskite solar manufacturing. SME R&D Challenge: India’s MC² Foundation launched the Grand Butanol Challenge (up to INR 12.5 crore in prize/grants) to back homegrown bio-butanol production tech, with applications open until Aug. 15. Cross-Border Business Tools: Shufti launched the Glocal Platform to manage identity verification and compliance across regions from one system—built for companies expanding internationally. Cybersecurity for the AI Era: Radware’s survey warns firms are adopting AI faster than they’re securing the new AI layer, with AI agents increasingly used to find and exploit weaknesses. SMB Growth via Social Commerce: A report highlights how home cooks are turning Facebook Marketplace into a fast sales channel, with some sellers seeing order spikes after switching to simple order funnels. Startup Capital for Clean Energy: Transition VC launched a second Rs 1,500 crore fund targeting early-stage energy transition and deeptech hardware startups.