Britain’s biggest community solar farm forced to shut over grid overload fears
Posted on Sunday July 12, 2026

Timing of Devon switchoff ‘could not be worse’, says board, as members face an estimated £2m in lost revenue

Britain’s biggest community solar project has been forced to shut for the duration of its first summer by the government’s energy system operator to avoid overloading the local grid with renewable energy.

The north Devon solar farm was ordered to shut weeks before record high temperatures across Europe led to power supply warnings, due to concerns that the large amount of rooftop solar in the area could destabilise the power grid by triggering a “thermal overload”.

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UK to crack down on unlicensed casinos sponsoring football teams
Posted on Sunday July 12, 2026

Exclusive: Government to launch consultation after Everton’s deal with Stake.com went ahead amid Gambling Commission warnings

Ministers are poised to crack down on unlicensed casinos sponsoring British sports teams amid criticism that a delay to the proposals has opened the door for offshore gambling firms to strike lucrative deals with Premier League clubs.

Progress with plans to kick unlicensed gambling operators out of football has stalled since February, when the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said a review would begin in the spring.

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UK must cap political donations to stop the rich buying influence | Heather Stewart
Posted on Sunday July 12, 2026

If Keir Starmer won’t act then his successor should – by restricting the power of a small group of mega-donors

Just as Nigel Farage kicks off a summer of “arguing with a bin”, as the chancellor, Rachel Reeves called it, Labour’s bill to clean up politics returns to the House of Commons this week.

As more questions emerge about the financing of Reform UK and Farage’s mega-donor chums – through the brilliant reporting of Guardian colleagues – MPs should seize the opportunity to toughen it up.

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Reeves tells Burnham to expect ‘shocks and challenges’ from outset in No 10
Posted on Sunday July 12, 2026

Chancellor says PM-in-waiting needs ‘worked through plan’, in what could be one of her final interviews in No 11

Rachel Reeves has urged Andy Burnham to arrive in Downing Street with a “worked through plan”, saying the incoming prime minister will be tested quickly by a range of incoming “shocks and challenges”.

In what could be one of the first female chancellor’s final major interviews while in No 11, Reeves said Burnham should remain focused on the priorities that first brought him into politics.

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Chasing new skills, going back to basics and pushing for collective action: how software engineers are adapting to AI
Posted on Sunday July 12, 2026

Software engineering was one of the best-paying professions in the US in 2022, but the advent of AI has disrupted it, leading to several layoffs and underemployment

Every weekday, Matt, a software engineer, looks forward to his four-hour train commute to Pawling, New York. It’s time he uses to work on his own project: a browser-based video game for which he writes every line of code himself.

“I am actively trying to keep my axe sharp,” said Matt, who did not want to use his actual name, to protect his employment. In the last six months, Matt’s job has increasingly shifted away from coding, problem solving and software architecture towards reviewing code generated by artificial intelligence. Convinced that the shift will weaken his skills, he’s doing what he can to keep them intact. “I am trying not to leverage AI where I can.”

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‘These are some of the most complex structures ever created’: how tech reporting moved into the physical world
Posted on Sunday July 12, 2026

The Guardian’s global tech reporting team are investigating the impact of the vast datacentres being built to power the AI revolution. We spoke to them about how their beat has become increasingly offline

Journalists often use the term “shoe-leather reporting” to refer to the on-the-ground legwork that goes into covering certain stories. As the tech industry’s focus has shifted from screen-based realities to the physical world of colossal AI datacentres and social media harms, comfortable footwear has become more essential to a tech reporter’s job.

Earlier this week, we published the Guardian’s latest investigation into the datacentres and energy infrastructures that underpin AI – revealing that an £8.2bn AI complex in rural Scotland has misrepresented its plans to be powered entirely by on-site renewables. “Our reporting is showing that you can’t simply wave a magic wand and have a datacentre appear,” says Aisha Down, who covers AI for the Guardian and went to Scotland to investigate the story. “There are a lot of huge physical constraints and reality checks. These physical, tangible things are what makes or sinks the AI boom.”

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Jannik Sinner powers past Alexander Zverev in four sets to retain Wimbledon title
Posted on Sunday July 12, 2026

• World No 1 beats German 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4

• Sinner secures second Wimbledon triumph

Jannik Sinner took slightly more time to prepare for his serve as he trailed 15-30 and 1-2 in the fourth set of his second Wimbledon final. In a serve-dominant match that had produced just one break for over three hours, this was a pivotal moment in the contest, but the gusty wind was completely out of control. The wind had only slightly settled down when Sinner stepped up to the baseline, but he still offered a decisive response under immense pressure: service winner, service winner, service winner. Hold.

Sinner delivered this supreme level of serving for the entirety of a bruising three hour, 46-minute contest between the two best players at Wimbledon and alongside his unimpeachable mental toughness, it allowed the world No 1 to brilliantly recover from a bruising first set to defend his Wimbledon title by defeating Alexander Zverev, the second seed, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4.

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Brendon McCullum ‘gutted’ after being sacked as England Test coach
Posted on Sunday July 12, 2026

• ECB moves after Ben Stokes’s retirement

• McCullum will stay on as white-ball coach

Brendon McCullum has been sacked as the England men’s Test head coach, with the England and Wales Cricket Board opting for a completely fresh start for the side following the recent retirement of the red-ball captain, Ben Stokes.

The decision came one day after McCullum guided England to the top of the T20 rankings, and he will continue to coach the men’s white‑ball teams.

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