Mountain marvel: how one of biggest batteries in Europe uses thousands of gallons of water to stop blackouts

‘Much-loved’ Dinorwig hydroelectric energy storage site in Wales has a vital role to play in keeping the lights onSeconds after a catastrophic series of power outages struck across the UK in the summer of 2019, a phone rang in the control room of the Dinorwig hydropower plant in north Wales. It was Britain’s energy system operator requesting an immediate deluge of electricity to help prevent a wide-scale blackout crippling Britain’s power grids.The response was swift, and in the end just under one million people were left without power for less than 45 minutes. While trains were stuck on lines for hours and hospitals had to revert to backup generators, that phone call prevented Britain’s worst blackout in a decade from being far more severe.Almost six years later, the owners of Dinorwig, and its sister plant at Ffestiniog on the boundary of Eryri national park, formerly Snowdonia, are preparing to pump up to £1bn into a 10-year refurbishment of the hydropower plants that have quietly helped to keep the lights on for decades

UK employees work from home more than most global peers, study finds

UK workers continue to work from home more than nearly any of their global counterparts more than five years after the pandemic first disrupted traditional office life, a study has found.UK employees now average 1.8 days a week of remote working, above the international average of 1.3 days, according to the Global Survey of Working Arrangements (G-SWA), a worldwide poll of more than 16,000 full-time, university-educated workers across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa that began in July 2021.Hybrid working patterns – in which the week is split between the office and another remote location such as home – have become established as the dominant model in advanced economies for staff who are able to carry out their roles remotely

‘Alexa, what do you know about us?’ What I discovered when I asked Amazon to tell me everything my family’s smart speaker had heard

For years, Alexa has been our on-call vet, DJ, teacher, parent, therapist and whipping boy. What secrets would the data reveal?She is always listening. She is unfailingly polite. She is often obtuse. She is sometimes helpful

Russian-led cybercrime network dismantled in global operation

European and North American cybercrime investigators say they have dismantled the heart of a malware operation directed by Russian criminals after a global operation involving British, Canadian, Danish, Dutch, French, German and US police.International arrest warrants have been issued for 20 suspects, most of them living in Russia, by European investigators while indictments were unsealed in the US against 16 individuals.Those charged include the alleged leaders of the Qakbot and Danabot malware operations, including Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov, 48, who lives in Moscow and Aleksandr Stepanov, 39, AKA JimmBee and Artem Aleksandrovich Kalinkin, 34, AKA Onix, both of Novosibirsk, Russia, the US Department of Justice said.Cyber-attacks aimed at destabilising governments or simple theft and blackmail are becoming increasingly pernicious. The high-street retailer Marks & Spencer is one of the most high-profile and recent victims in the UK this month

County cricket: Ahmed and Hill turn on the style for Leicestershire

With a swish of his velvet cloak and a cut down to third man, Rehan Ahmed reached his second hundred of the summer against Lancashire. It was another hugely enjoyable innings, full of rapier wrist and flamboyant defence. He and Lewis Hill, who hit his own entertaining century – his first for two years – put on 256 for the third wicket, after coming together in tricky conditions on Thursday evening at 24 for two. A partnership of 76 between Ian Holland and Ben Cox added further irritation to another day of toil for Lancashire’s bowlers, With rain skirmishing, Leicestershire collected maximum batting bonus points, to go with the maximum bowling points already in the bag. They were finally all out with a lead of 251

Saints accuse Bordeaux of ‘foul play’ towards Henry Pollock in post-final fracas

Northampton have urged tournament officials to launch an investigation into a post-game fracas involving England’s Henry Pollock after Bordeaux’s Champions Cup final victory. It is understood Saints will make a citing complaint if the incident does not lead to an official disciplinary probe.Phil Dowson, Saints’ director of rugby, said the 20-year-old had been the victim of “foul play” by a Bordeaux player. The meleé was initially sparked by an altercation between the Northampton captain, Fraser Dingwall, and the French international fly-half Matthieu Jalibert, before several other Bordeaux players became involved.Dowson was swift to congratulate Bordeaux on their victory but was clearly unimpressed by what unfolded after the final whistle