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  • Own a Google Pixel? 8 settings I changed to extend the battery life by hours

    Own a Google Pixel? 8 settings I changed to extend the battery life by hours

    Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

    Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.


    Pixel phones have an excellent reputation for smart software, but battery life has been a common complaint with Google’s smartphones. Thankfully, that same smart…

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  • Bruce Springsteen and Jeremy Allen White Unite in London for an Exclusive Spotify Conversation and Film Preview — Spotify

    Bruce Springsteen and Jeremy Allen White Unite in London for an Exclusive Spotify Conversation and Film Preview — Spotify

    “I was the only pretender onstage. Everyone else—Greta Van Fleet, the New Jersey extras—were the real thing,” said Jeremy on playing Bruce. “At first, singing Bruce’s songs was intimidating. But I found confidence in the booth…

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  • Patch Tuesday: Windows 10 end of life pain for IT departments

    Patch Tuesday: Windows 10 end of life pain for IT departments

    The day Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10 has coincided with a Patch Tuesday update, with several zero-day flaws that attackers could exploit to target the older Windows operating system.

    Among these is CVE-2025-24990, which…

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  • Baker McKenzie advises Return on the acquisition of four battery storage sites in Eastern Germany | Newsroom

    Baker McKenzie advises Return on the acquisition of four battery storage sites in Eastern Germany | Newsroom

    The international law firm Baker McKenzie has advised Return on entering a partnership with BESSMART Energies GmbH. As part of the collaboration, Return is acquiring four battery storage sites in Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony. The facilities are located at strategically important 110-kV grid nodes and have a total capacity of 310 megawatts (MW) and 670 megawatt-hours (MWh). Commissioning is planned from 2027.

    “With this transaction, we were able to successfully support our client legally thanks to our extensive expertise and many years of experience in advising battery storage projects. The transaction highlights the strong interest in high-capacity energy storage in Germany,” comments Holger Engelkamp, lead partner at Baker McKenzie.

    Claire Dietz-Polte, also lead partner, adds: “Our team has been advising investors and developers in the battery storage sector since 2020. The flexibility provided by storage is essential for the expansion of renewable energy in Germany. The scale of projects continues to grow – this transaction also includes large-scale batteries.”

    “Battery storage at this scale is essential for Europe’s energy transition,” said Willem-Jan Schutte, CEO of Return. “With these strategically located sites, we are strengthening grid stability and accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels. We appreciate Baker McKenzie’s support in helping us move this transaction forward.”

    Return is a leading independent European energy storage provider, with full ownership and control of advanced BESS systems that delivers intelligent renewable integration and strengthens the grid. The new sites are part of the company’s pan-European growth strategy. With an active development portfolio of over 8 gigawatts (GW) and plans to deliver around 5 GW of capacity by 2030, Return continues to strengthen grid stability and reduce dependence on fossil fuels across key European markets.

    BESSMART Energies GmbH, based in Berlin, is an independent developer of battery storage systems with extensive experience in infrastructure and renewable energy sectors.

    Baker McKenzie’s Energy and Infrastructure practice regularly advises utilities, infrastructure funds, industrial companies, developers and banks on battery storage investments and project development. Baker McKenzie advices throughout the project life cycle, including land securing, planning and permitting, EPC,O&M and marketing agreements, as well as financing.

    Legal adviser to Return:
    Baker McKenzie

    Lead:
    Projects/Energy & Infrastructure: Dr. Claire Dietz-Polte (Partner, Berlin)
    Corporate/Energy & Infrastructure: Holger Engelkamp (Partner, Berlin)

    Team:
    Projects/Energy & Infrastructure: Dr. Janet Butler (Counsel), Dr. Maximilian Voll (Counsel), Nico Ruepp (Associate, all Berlin)
    Corporate/Energy & Infrastructure: Ben Boi Beetz (Senior Associate, Berlin)

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  • After a career-best INDYCAR season, Pato is ready to step back into McLaren’s F1 fold

    After a career-best INDYCAR season, Pato is ready to step back into McLaren’s F1 fold

    A hero’s welcome

    After two FP1 appearances at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Pato was unleashed around his home circuit in Mexico City last year. Watched by a jubilant, packed-out home crowd, driving the MCL38 around the Autódromo Hermanos…

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  • Brian Cox Explains What He Finds “Remarkable” About Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS’s Story

    Brian Cox Explains What He Finds “Remarkable” About Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS’s Story

    English physicist and science communicator Brian Cox has given some of his thoughts on comet 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar visitor currently hurtling its way through the Solar System.

    On July 1, 2025, astronomers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact…

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  • In Europe, Apple’s new MacBook Pro comes without a charger

    In Europe, Apple’s new MacBook Pro comes without a charger

    If you’re buying Apple’s new M5 MacBook Pro in Europe, you won’t get a charger in the box.

    This is hardly surprising, given that Apple started shipping iPhones and other devices without a charging…

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  • Industrial battery at Swindon council waste centre never used

    Industrial battery at Swindon council waste centre never used

    Aled ThomasLocal Democracy Reporting Service

    SBC Aerial shot of Swindon's Waterside Park with various buildings, yellow lorries and a chimney with smoke emitting. SBC

    The battery at Swindon’s Waterside Park was due to store excess energy

    An industrial-sized rechargeable battery installed at a council waste and recycling facility three years ago to help power the site has never been switched on.

    Councillor Chris Watts, of Labour-run Swindon Borough Council, blamed the previous Conservative administration for the stalled project at Waterside Park waste and recycling plant.

    He said the battery was never connected to the National Grid as planned due to “financial pressures” but there were now plans to do so.

    Swindon Conservative group leader Gary Sumner said: “Our understanding is that the 2.5-MW solar farm and the 850-KW battery at Waterside were correctly installed and signed-off by senior council officers as fully operational.”

    Local Democracy Reporting Service Chris Watts in a high vis jacket with his hands clasped and looking at the camera. Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Chris Watts claimed the council’s previous Conservative administration was to blame

    The battery was due to be hooked up and connected to the Barnfield Park solar farm in 2022 so it could store the facility’s excess energy, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

    Watts said: “I do not have full visibility into why the project was never commissioned, as the officers and councillors originally involved are no longer with the council.

    “However, it is likely that when the battery system failed during the commissioning stage, the limited resources and financial pressures in the summer of 2022 led to the project being mothballed.”

    A report to the council’s Build a Greener Swindon Policy and Scrutiny Committee revealed the battery was never connected, a discovery made in 2024.

    Meanwhile, Sumner continued: “We have asked council officers questions and have yet to receive any responses.

    “We sincerely hope councillors have not been misled, and if we have then someone needs to be held accountable.”

    Work is under way by the council to see if the battery can be used following a visit by a specialist contractor.

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  • World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Israel says ‘dangerous precedent’ set by Indonesia decision to deny athletes visas

    World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Israel says ‘dangerous precedent’ set by Indonesia decision to deny athletes visas

    Indonesia has cited their longstanding political and diplomatic principles for their decision.

    “We are aware of the Israeli Gymnastics Federation’s plan to appeal to Cas. We are anticipating the lawsuit and will face it respectfully, following…

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  • Cardiff University cricket club suspended over ‘degrading’ initiation event

    Cardiff University cricket club suspended over ‘degrading’ initiation event

    A student cricket club in Cardiff has been suspended following allegations of “degrading” behaviour during a social event.

    Cardiff Students’ Union confirmed on Wednesday that it had suspended the men’s cricket club while it conducts an…

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