Solar powers record share of Britain’s electricity mix in July
Posted on Sunday August 02, 2026

Farms and rooftop panels contribute 14.4% to the grid – and figures reveal a surge in new installations

Solar energy supplied more power to Great Britain’s grid in July than in any previous month as households turned to rooftop panels to cut their energy bills.

Solar farms and rooftop panels provided 14.4% of the country’s electricity after some parts of the UK recorded almost twice the average sunshine hours for the time of year.

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Healey’s profiteering warning on food and fuel risks row with retailers
Posted on Sunday August 02, 2026

Chancellor says the government wants to prevent shoppers being ‘taken for a ride’ at the pump or till

The chancellor, John Healey, has said the government is standing by to prevent the public from “being taken for a ride at the pump or the till” as the Iran war continues to hit prices.

While he said there had been “no significant evidence of so-called price gouging” during the crisis, he used a weekend column to tell the big retailers that ministers were “watching closely” for any signs of profiteering.

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Stock market turmoil sheds stark light on the opaque AI economy
Posted on Sunday August 02, 2026

Investors scramble to make sense of a shock Chinese challenge to the dominance of western chipmakers

Even for the rollercoaster world of AI, last week was particularly volatile as investors scrambled to keep up with developments that threatened the dominance of the largest western chipmakers.

It began with a double whammy. On Monday, the Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT floated on the Shanghai stock market, soaring by 466% in value to 3.3tn yuan (£365bn).

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Inside M&S’s swanky Oxford Street revamp, the blueprint for its £700m growth strategy
Posted on Sunday August 02, 2026

As boss Stuart Machin unveils a new-look Pantheon the retailer has fashion and overseas challenges ahead

On a hot summer’s evening on London’s busy Oxford Street, a crowd of fashion influencers, models, journalists and the odd City analyst gathered for a first look at the upmarket revamp of Marks & Spencer’s landmark Pantheon store.

Some may have had to double-check they had the right address, such is the scale of the makeover at the 88-year-old outlet, which is intended as a blueprint for change across the retailer’s more than 200 large stores.

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Stock market turmoil sheds stark light on the opaque AI economy
Posted on Sunday August 02, 2026

Investors scramble to make sense of a shock Chinese challenge to the dominance of western chipmakers

Even for the rollercoaster world of AI, last week was particularly volatile as investors scrambled to keep up with developments that threatened the dominance of the largest western chipmakers.

It began with a double whammy. On Monday, the Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT floated on the Shanghai stock market, soaring by 466% in value to 3.3tn yuan (£365bn).

Read more...

The great British switch-off: how floating retreats, mobile-free pubs and sauna book groups are freeing people from their smartphones
Posted on Saturday August 01, 2026

Sick of doomscrolling? From venues with smartphone swear jars to cabins with absolutely no signal, here are the fun and freeing ways to ditch your device

There’s a ritual at the start of every event hosted by the Offline Project. Run by Pelé Zachariah, the activities vary – it could be a group walk, a collage‑making class or a supper club – but each one begins in the same way, *with an invitation to hand over your phone. Devices go in a lockbox. Once they’re all in, Zachariah closes the door and turns the key. “I don’t place them in for people, because it’s nice for them to physically put it in the box themselves, walk away, and think: for the next two or three hours, I’m fully present.”

He has been running these screen-free events in London since August 2025. First-timers can be apprehensive about being separated from their phone. “You can sense the vibe when they’re putting it away,” says Zachariah. “People have said to me, ‘I felt really weird’ or ‘I felt super uncomfortable for the first few minutes not having my phone on me.’ Then they’ll say, ‘I didn’t know how much I needed that.’”

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Pressure on Gianni Infantino increases as Uefa members prepare to oppose re-election
Posted on Sunday August 02, 2026

• European nations to withdraw letters of support for Fifa president

• Appetite to ensure Infantino is quickly removed from post

European countries are planning to increase the pressure on Gianni Infantino with a mass withdrawal of letters supporting his re-election as Fifa president.

Infantino’s reign is in severe peril after the collapse of his privately backed scheme to sell off chunks of the World Cup, which was largely scuppered when Uefa member associations threatened to boycott future Fifa competitions. The mood remains febrile and there is a widespread appetite around Europe to ensure that he is quickly removed from his post.

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‘Ready for next 100 years’: Glasgow 2026 chief hails revamped Commonwealth Games
Posted on Sunday August 02, 2026

• Phil Batty hails ‘phenomenal’ success of event

• ‘The Games are relevant, matter and are here to last’

This year’s Commonwealth Games have been “phenomenal” and have shown the events have the potential to carry on for another 100 years, the chief executive of Glasgow 2026 has told the Guardian. Phil Batty also said that the revamped Games, which included only 10 sports rather than the 19 in Birmingham four years ago, showcased a formula that made them financially sustainable as they head to Amdavad in 2030.

“What a phenomenal 11 days,” Batty said. “I have had absolute pride in the way that the city and the Commonwealth has come together. These Games have not only exceeded expectations. They have demonstrated that major events can flex and evolve to be fit for purpose in the future.

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