Part of the soundtrack to a day in southern California is the drone of petrol-powered gardening equipment.

Noise is one of the main reasons that cities around the US, external are banning petrol landscaping tools or encouraging electric alternatives.

These alternatives have the additional benefits of reducing carbon emissions, vibrations and the exposure of landscapers to pollution.

In addition they can mean longer working hours, as they can be used at times when residents demand quiet.

Today, I’m taking part in training run by the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA), an organisation supporting the transition towards electric landscaping equipment.

To my surprise, the electric backpack leaf blower I strap on is not much heavier than my normal rucksack. Using the blower to herd balls around the park feels fairly intuitive, though naturally I’m much clumsier and slower than the pro landscapers.

As for noise, there’s still a buzz, but the sound is higher-pitched and not quite so loud as the familiar petrol-powered machines.

The move to electric power is attracting new companies to the market for gardening kit.

US aerospace start-up Whisper Aero is one of those firms. Its main business is electric propulsion systems for aircraft.

But in 2022, after the Covid-19 pandemic made many people more sensitive to noise, and following a couple of years of research and development, the company realised that its aerospace-grade fans would work well in leaf blowers.

“Our technology is cleaner, quieter and more efficient than other air-moving technologies that exist today,” according to Andrew Terajewicz, Whisper Aero’s director of air management. “And the leaf blower is the perfect mix of this.”

The battery on Whisper Aero’s blower lasts up to 50 minutes at full power.

The company has had to scale up its manufacturing volume in its expansion to consumer technology.

Online pre-orders of Whisper Aero’s handheld leaf blower started this year. It’s priced at the high-end of electric leaf blowers, which are often more expensive than traditional petrol versions.

But for that you get a machine which is less likely to disturb the peace.

“It is so ultra quiet yet powerful, that the brain has a hard time understanding what’s happening,” says Dan Mabe, the former landscaper who founded AGZA.

Whisper Aero aims to further develop its products, including a backpack leaf blower that would be better suited to professional landscapers.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy was abruptly cut short Wednesday afternoon after Judge William Sullivan told jurors they were being excused due to an “unforeseen circumstance,” offering no further explanation as proceedings resumed the following morning.

Sullivan informed jurors midway through Wednesday’s session that they would be dismissed until Thursday morning, declining to specify the nature of the disruption. “This is not something we saw coming, but you’re not to speculate about what it is,” Sullivan told the panel. “You’re not to hold it against either side. It’s just something that we have to deal with.” The court went into recess at 2:15 p.m., and jurors were formally excused for the day at 2:33 p.m. Proceedings resumed Thursday at 9 a.m., though the judge had not publicly disclosed the underlying cause of Wednesday’s early dismissal.

The disruption came shortly after Sullivan ruled on a separate, contested defense request earlier in Wednesday’s session. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington had sought to call Emily Thorndike, a licensed clinical social worker and former employee of McLean Hospital, the psychiatric facility where Clancy was admitted less than a month before she killed her three children in January 2023. Sullivan denied the request to call Thorndike as a witness.

Reddington had identified Thorndike as a potential witness after she publicly criticized conditions at McLean Hospital on TikTok during the trial’s early stages. He sought to introduce her testimony to counter what he characterized as misleading impressions about the quality of care at the facility, impressions he argued had been created during prosecutors’ earlier questioning of Clancy’s ex-husband, Patrick Clancy.

In denying the request, Sullivan acknowledged that Thorndike appeared credible but concluded her testimony carried limited relevance to the case. According to the judge’s ruling, Thorndike had stopped working at McLean Hospital approximately a year before Clancy was admitted there, undercutting the direct evidentiary value of her firsthand knowledge of conditions at the facility during the specific period relevant to the case. Sullivan did, however, permit the defense to submit McLean Hospital records documenting staffing levels and treatment programs as an alternative means of addressing the same underlying issue Reddington had hoped to raise through Thorndike’s testimony.

Clancy, 36, has admitted to strangling her three children — Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and 8-month-old Callan — at the family’s Duxbury home in January 2023. She has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, with her defense arguing she was not criminally responsible for the killings because she was experiencing postpartum psychosis at the time. Prosecutors contend she planned the killings and bears legal responsibility for her actions.

Wednesday’s abrupt dismissal added another notable moment to what has already been an emotionally intense trial, now well into its second week of testimony. The proceedings have featured extensive witness accounts from Clancy’s family members, former nanny, treating psychiatric providers, first responders and expert witnesses, painting a detailed picture of her mental health decline in the months preceding the killings.

Supporters of Clancy have continued gathering outside Plymouth Superior Court throughout the trial. According to coverage of the proceedings, Clancy’s attorneys and her supporters maintain that she was in the throes of severe postpartum psychosis at the time of the killings, a position central to the defense’s argument that she should not be held criminally responsible under Massachusetts law.

Wednesday’s session was not the first time the trial has featured contentious exchanges over which witnesses would be permitted to testify or what evidence jurors would be allowed to consider. Throughout the proceedings, Sullivan has periodically ruled on a range of evidentiary disputes between prosecutors and the defense, reflecting the complexity of a case that has required extensive expert psychiatric testimony alongside more conventional witness accounts from family members and first responders.

The specific nature of Wednesday’s “unforeseen circumstance” remained undisclosed as of Thursday morning, with Sullivan’s instruction to jurors explicitly cautioning them against speculating about its cause or allowing it to influence their assessment of either the prosecution’s or the defense’s case. Such instructions are a standard judicial practice used to prevent unrelated courtroom or logistical disruptions from improperly affecting jury deliberations, though the lack of public explanation has left the specific cause of Wednesday’s early dismissal a matter of ongoing curiosity among those following the closely watched trial.

With proceedings having resumed Thursday morning, the trial continues to draw significant public and media attention, both for the graphic and emotionally difficult nature of the testimony presented and for the broader legal questions surrounding how postpartum psychosis is treated under the state’s criminal responsibility standards. The case has also drawn scrutiny toward the mental health care system more broadly, including the adequacy of psychiatric treatment Clancy received in the weeks before the killings, a theme underscored by Wednesday’s dispute over the proposed McLean Hospital testimony.

As of Thursday, no timeline had been publicly indicated for when the prosecution’s or defense’s respective presentation of evidence might conclude, though the trial has already extended well beyond its originally anticipated length, reflecting the scope of expert and lay witness testimony both sides have called to address the central and contested question of Clancy’s mental state at the time of the killings.

For internationally mobile Britons, choosing where to establish a second home or longer-term base has become a much bigger decision than finding sunshine and a favourable tax regime.

Residency rights, access to markets, family mobility, property ownership, political stability and the eventual tax consequences of relocation all matter. Increasingly, the question is not simply where can I live well? but which jurisdiction best supports the next ten or twenty years of my life?

Dubai has dominated that conversation for much of the past decade. Its combination of global connectivity, modern infrastructure and an exceptionally business-friendly environment has attracted British entrepreneurs, executives and investors in considerable numbers.

Yet Greece is becoming a serious alternative — not because it is attempting to replicate Dubai, but because it offers something fundamentally different.

Two destinations built around very different strengths

Dubai’s appeal to internationally mobile professionals is well established. It is one of the world’s most connected aviation hubs, offers an extensive ecosystem for international businesses and has developed a lifestyle infrastructure capable of serving a highly mobile expatriate population.

For entrepreneurs whose commercial interests extend across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, those advantages can be difficult to replicate elsewhere.

Greece presents another proposition.

It combines Mediterranean living with membership of the European Union, Eurozone and Schengen Area. For British nationals adjusting to the loss of automatic EU freedom of movement following Brexit, establishing legal residence in an EU country can therefore carry value extending well beyond the ability to spend more time in the sun.

The decision between Greece and Dubai increasingly comes down to what an individual wants residency to accomplish.

Someone considering Greece as a permanent or semi-permanent European base should look beyond individual visa programmes and understand the wider practical implications of relocation. A comprehensive Guide to Relocating to Greece can help British nationals assess residency alongside healthcare, property, taxation and the realities of establishing life in the country.

Europe itself has become part of the investment case

For some British investors, Greece’s greatest attraction is not a particular property or tax advantage. It is geography combined with legal status.

Holding Greek residence can provide qualifying non-EU nationals with a base inside the Schengen Area. That can be particularly useful for families who expect to spend substantial time across continental Europe, investors with European interests and retirees who want considerably more permanence than repeated short stays allow.

Where someone establishes a long-term home affects family life, education, social networks, travel patterns and eventually succession planning. An investment decision that appears attractive over five years may look very different when considered over twenty.

Greece’s proposition is consequently strongest when viewed as a combination of European access, lifestyle and long-term optionality, rather than purely as an investment migration product.

Dubai’s strengths remain formidable, but different: international commerce, connectivity, efficiency and an environment deliberately designed to attract global capital and talent.

Greece’s Golden Visa has become more selective

Residency by investment remains an important part of Greece’s appeal, although investors familiar with the programme’s original €250,000 headline should be careful.

The programme is now considerably more targeted.

Property thresholds now vary according to location and the qualifying investment route. Standard residential purchases can require €400,000 or €800,000, while certain qualifying commercial-to-residential conversions and listed-building restoration routes can remain available from €250,000. The Greek programme generally provides a renewable five-year residence permit and Schengen mobility without imposing a general minimum physical-presence requirement simply to maintain the permit.

A business owner might continue spending substantial periods in Britain or elsewhere while creating a European base for the family. A retiree could divide the year between jurisdictions. An investor might initially regard Greece primarily as a property and residency decision before considering a more permanent relocation later.

Anyone considering this route should examine the current hyperlink to rel=”nofollowGreece Residence by Investment rules because purchasing Greek property and purchasing property that actually qualifies under a specific Golden Visa route are not necessarily the same thing.

Property also matters to the Greek proposition.

Athens is experiencing significant redevelopment, while investment in the Athens Riviera and major regeneration projects is changing perceptions of parts of the capital and its coastline. The opportunity is consequently broader than acquiring a holiday home.

For overseas buyers, however, residency eligibility should never substitute for investment fundamentals.

Location, title, planning status, rental demand, ongoing costs, developer quality and eventual resale prospects remain important whether a purchase is in Athens or Dubai. A mediocre property does not become a good investment simply because it facilitates residency.

Dubai demands the same discipline. Its sophisticated property market offers substantial choice and strong international demand, but investors need to account for purchase costs, service charges and the performance characteristics of individual developments rather than relying on the city’s wider reputation.

In both markets, immigration benefits should complement a sound investment case — not disguise a weak one.

Tax is where simplistic comparisons become dangerous H2

The most eye-catching difference between Greece and Dubai is often presented as taxation.

The UAE does not impose federal personal income tax on individuals, while Greece operates a conventional European tax system.

It does not.

Immigration residence and tax residence are different concepts. Obtaining permission to reside somewhere does not, by itself, determine where all of an individual’s income and gains will ultimately be taxed. The underlying source article specifically warns against treating either Golden Visa as an automatic determination of tax residence.

For British nationals, the position can be particularly nuanced. UK residence status, time spent in different countries, the location and source of income, property ownership, pensions, investments and applicable double-taxation arrangements can all become relevant.

Greece also has specific tax regimes that can be attractive to certain qualifying new residents. These should be assessed on their own terms rather than treated as automatic benefits of Greek immigration status.

Understanding hyperlink to rel=”nofollow Taxation in Greece is therefore considerably more important than choosing a destination on the basis of headline tax rates.

For affluent households in particular, the sequencing of a move can matter almost as much as the destination. Decisions involving pensions, investment disposals, businesses and property can have consequences on both sides of a relocation.

So is Greece really an alternative to Dubai?

Neither destination wins this comparison universally.

Dubai remains exceptionally compelling for entrepreneurs and executives whose priorities are international business, global flight connections, modern infrastructure and a highly tax-efficient personal environment.

Greece is increasingly compelling for a different group: British retirees, investors and internationally mobile families who want to establish a durable European base while retaining flexibility over how much time they actually spend there.

It can also appeal to people who value the combination of property ownership, Mediterranean lifestyle and Schengen mobility more highly than proximity to the commercial centres of the Gulf.

The decision should not be reduced to tax rates or minimum property prices.

They will ask a harder question: where do I want my family, assets and international life to be positioned ten or twenty years from now?

For commercially focused entrepreneurs, Dubai may remain the stronger choice.

For Britons seeking a long-term European base, Greece presents a credible alternative.

Walmart has received nearly $3 billion in tariff refunds and says it will use some of the benefit to help keep prices low for shoppers, while the windfall also gave quarterly profit growth a significant boost.

The company said it “prioritized investment in price” after receiving refunds tied to tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA.

The refunds came as Walmart continued leaning into its value proposition. The retailer pointed to more than 11,000 price rollbacks across its U.S. stores during the quarter.

“We’re investing in prices because customers are looking to us for value,” the company said in an earnings release. 

WALMART E-COMMERCE SALES SURGE AS CEO TOUTS ‘PRICE, SPEED AND CONVENIENCE’

Customers shop at a Walmart store on May 18, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The tariff refunds also provided a substantial boost to Walmart’s quarterly earnings. Adjusted operating income rose roughly 17% on a constant-currency basis, with the refunds contributing a 750-basis-point net benefit.

Excluding that benefit, Walmart said underlying operating income growth still reached the top end of its previous 7% to 10% second-quarter guidance.

Sales also continued to rise. Total revenue increased 5.9%, while comparable sales at Walmart U.S. grew 2.6%, excluding fuel.

Walmart has received nearly $3 billion in tariff refunds and says it will use some of the benefit to help keep prices low for shoppers. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Walmart’s digital businesses posted faster growth. Global e-commerce sales increased 23%, including a 24% gain at Walmart U.S. and 26% growth at Sam’s Club U.S.

Store-fulfilled delivery at Walmart U.S. jumped 40% during the quarter, while marketplace net sales increased more than 50%.

Customers shop at a Walmart store on May 13, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The retailer said stronger sales, improving business economics and continued investment in pricing and technology gave it confidence to raise its sales and operating-income growth guidance for the year.

Walmart generated $19.7 billion in operating cash flow during the period, along with $5.5 billion in free cash flow.

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The tariff refunds add another lever to Walmart’s push to hold down prices as it competes for value-conscious shoppers while expanding its higher-growth e-commerce, marketplace and delivery businesses.

The branch on Old Christchurch Road will operate under strict safety measures

A Savers store in Bournemouth town centre has been granted permission to sell alcohol, despite concerns over a rise in anti-social behaviour in the area.

The retailer submitted an application for a premises licence to sell alcohol at its outlet on Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, between 7am and 8pm Monday to Saturday, and from 9am to 5pm on Sundays.

During a meeting on August 5, committee members heard that Savers has been selling alcohol across its stores since 2012 and already holds licences at approximately 320 locations throughout the UK.

The company was keen to emphasise that it is not a specialist alcohol retailer, with sales of alcoholic products accounting for approximately one per cent of its overall turnover.

To allay concerns surrounding crime, disorder and public nuisance, the company outlined a series of measures it intends to implement to maintain control of the situation.

These include staff training, CCTV installation, the deployment of a security guard at the entrance, alcohol displays positioned in view and close to the tills, and participation in the Bournemouth Shop Watch Radio Scheme.

A decision notice published on August 19 confirmed that the committee carefully considered all representations but concluded that Savers has “significant experience of operating licensed premises”.

Over recent months, DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy investor, has signed a series of agreements with international companies.

GE Vernova, Octopus Energy, Halliburton – partners of a calibre that would have been difficult to imagine for a country at war just a couple of years ago. DTEK Group is 100% owned by SCM Holdings of Rinat Akhmetov. The strategic vision of Rinat Akhmetov has played a key role in positioning the company as a reliable partner on the global energy stage.

Gas-Fired Generation of 650 MW with GE Vernova

In June 2026, at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, Akhmetov‘s DTEK and the American company GE Vernova signed a memorandum on the construction of a combined-cycle gas turbine power plant at the Burshtyn thermal power station site in western Ukraine. The document was signed in the presence of First Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The plant’s installed capacity will reach up to 650 MW, with investment of approximately €900 million, expected output of up to 5 TWh per year and a planned launch by 2032. The station will serve as a source of flexible generation capable of starting within minutes and balancing grid load. The project has been included among the 18 flagship initiatives of the “Economy of the Future” plan presented by the Ukrainian government.

Solar Energy and Storage with Octopus Energy

In parallel, Rinat Akhmetov’s DTEK and British firm Octopus Energy are establishing a joint venture for Project RISE – an initiative with a target of attracting €100 million in financing to install rooftop solar panels and battery storage systems on Ukrainian businesses and public sector buildings. The concept was first announced in June 2025, and the product has already been launched through DTEK’s retail arm YASNO.

The arrangement works as follows. Equipment is installed at no upfront cost to the client, the contract runs for ten years, after which the equipment becomes the customer’s property. Octopus’s Kraken battery management system enables customers to reduce peak-hour consumption and sell surplus energy back to the grid. Distributed generation is more resilient to missile strikes than large centralised plants, and that is its principal advantage for Akhmetov Ukraine energy strategy.

Gas Extraction with Halliburton

DTEK Oil&Gas, the leading private gas extraction company in Ukraine, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Halliburton. The cooperation covers well completion technologies, production enhancement and software solutions for well design and drilling support. Ukraine holds the second-largest natural gas reserves in Europe, and in the long term production could grow from the current 20 billion cubic metres to 60-70 billion cubic metres per year. This direction is also part of the broader long-term strategy shaped by Rinat Akhmetov to strengthen Ukraine’s energy independence.

Wind Energy in Poltava

Another flagship project is the Poltava wind farm with a capacity of 650 MW. Investment is estimated at €1.2 billion, and the station will supply electricity to up to one million households. Construction is planned to begin in 2027, with full commissioning by 2029. It will become the largest onshore wind farm in Eastern Europe.

What Lies Behind These Deals

The DTEK Advisory Council, which brings together international politicians, economists and energy experts, has published a White Paper with recommendations for modernising the energy sector. The central argument is that reconstruction should not replicate the Soviet centralised model but rather build a decentralised system based on renewables, gas-fired generation and storage.

DTEK Group has invested over €12 billion in Ukrainian energy since 2005 and, following the full-scale war, restored power supply to more than 48 million households. Akhmetov Rinat’s businesses consistently build partnerships with global players through their assets, turning infrastructure recovery into an investment opportunity. Beyond business, philanthropy Rinat Akhmetov efforts through his Foundation and humanitarian programmes continue to support Ukrainians affected by the war. During the full-scale war, Rinat Akhmetov and his businesses have allocated $368 million (UAH 13.5 billion) in assistance to Ukraine and the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Hyundai Motor Group’s luxury brand Genesis is launching a new electric SUV with more than 300 miles of estimated range and a cabin packed with technology. 

The new GV90 is expected to travel about 310 miles on a full charge. Genesis says its battery can charge from 10% to 80% in about 22 minutes when using a 350-kilowatt fast charger, according to a Wednesday announcement from the brand.

“Our new flagship SUV represents our vision for the future while embodying the very best of Genesis, staying true to the distinctly Korean values of hospitality and craftmanship that have shaped our journey,” José Muñoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, said in a statement.

The SUV will be offered in standard and Neolun versions. 

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The Genesis GV90, the luxury brand’s new flagship electric SUV, is shown here. (Genesis)

The standard GV90 features traditional doors, while the Neolun model uses coach-style doors that open in opposite directions. 

The design creates a wider opening, which Genesis says makes it easier for passengers to get in and out of the vehicle.

Safety features include 12 airbags, with a new roof airbag designed to deploy across the glass roof during severe rollover crashes. 

The SUV also includes reinforced structural components, enhanced battery safety and an in-cabin monitoring system, according to Genesis.

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Inside the vehicle, the GV90 comes with a pop-up OLED cinematic display, a 25-inch head-up display, Hyundai Motor Group’s Pleos Connect “infotainment” system and a generative AI assistant called Gleo AI.

It also features a 25-speaker Bang & Olufsen 3D audio system.

The Neolun version adds motorized front seats that can rotate 180 degrees while the SUV is parked.

“Occupants can now engage in a face-to-face lounge-like configuration, ideal for socializing or conducting business,” as noted in the announcement.

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The Genesis GV90 is shown from the rear. (Genesis)

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung described the GV90 as a “new vision for luxury mobility.”

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“Technology alone does not create luxury, and design alone does not define luxury,” Chung said. “The value of innovation lies in transforming the customer experience in intelligent and intuitive ways to improve people’s lives.”

Hyundai Motor Group did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for details on when the GV90 will go on sale.