• Calif researchers found a zero‑click WeChat VoIP flaw enabling account takeover via calls
• “WeWorm” spreads through ringing calls; victims need not answer to be compromised
• Tencent patched in Android 8.0.77 and iOS 8.0.76; no exploitation seen in the wild

Security researchers have found a flaw in WeChat which allows malicious actors to take over people’s accounts on both Android and iOS devices - but what makes this flaw stand out is the fact that it’s a zero-click bug - victims need not do a thing to be compromised.

WeChat is a “super-app”, allegedly used by roughly 1.4 billion people, and is especially popular in China. It started as a communications app, letting users send messages, and make voice and video calls, and has evolved to function as a social network, allowing users to share photos and videos, as well as a payment app through which users can transfer money, pay for things, order food, book taxis, and even access government and business services.

Security researchers from Calif have now disclosed finding a ‘memory corruption’ issue in WeChat's VoIP stack. For now, they decided not to share the technical details, and to instead demonstrate the flaw “at an upcoming conference.” To that end, they built a worm called WeWorm, capable of taking over target WeChat accounts and spread through phone calls made via the app.

A phone call would suffice

In practice, it works remarkably simple: an attacker uses WeChat to call a person they have in their contacts list (this is a prerequisite). They can use both an Android and an iOS device, and can call anyone, regardless of the model or the OS they’re using. As soon as the phone starts ringing, WeWorm gets to work, “worming” its way into the victim’s device.

The victim does not even need to answer the phone - having it ring is enough. If they answer, they’ll hear nothing but silence, yet the worm will continue operating. If they decline the call, the attack stops, but this is hardly a mitigation - the attacker can simply call again while the victim is asleep (or otherwise away from their device).

Within a few seconds, the attacker will have access to the victim’s WeChat account, including their messages, contacts list, and virtually anything else found in the app. What makes this bug particularly worrisome on the surface is the fact that WeChat can be used to transfer money and pay for things, but WeChat Pay has additional authentication and risk controls designed to prevent that from happening.

The good news is that there is no evidence of this flaw being exploited in the wild. The bad news is that this is not the first zero-click flaw found in modern-day smartphones, and most likely will not be the last one.

Tencent's response

Calif said it responsibly disclosed its findings to WeChat’s parent company Tencent, who came back with a patch. Versions 8.0.77 for Android and 8.0.76 for iOS have apparently solved the problem, although

Tencent did not list any details in its patch notes, simply saying the version brought “bug fixes”, but in a statement shared with The Hacker News, it said the exploit has been “mitigated for all users”, and that it was applied server-side - users need not install anything, aside from the patch.

It’s also worth mentioning that WeChat has apps for HarmonyOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux. However, it would appear that Calif did not test those, and Tencent did not include them in its patch. The researchers did say that they would be looking into this same flaw in other products, too:

“This specific WeChat bug is one instance of the many unconventional attack surfaces that are present across many messaging apps,” they said. “We're conducting more of this research across other apps and attack surfaces, while working with app developers on attack surface reduction. This may take an industry-wide effort, since some of it depends on the platform owners. Once that work is further along, we'll share our progress, including the technical details of this WeChat bug.”

• A GAO report requested by Bernie Sanders lists Amazon among the top employers of Medicaid and SNAP recipients in every state that supplied employer data
• Amazon's capital expenditure guidance for 2026 has risen from $200 billion to $220 billion citing AI demand as a primary driver
• Amazon contests the findings, stating the rankings used do not account for the employer's workforce numbers

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently published a report claiming Amazon is among the largest employers of Americans who rely on food stamps and Medicaid.

The report, requested by US Senator Bernie Sanders, who is the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, was released publicly on July 22 2026, a month after it was sent to the senator.

The study is not the first of its kind: the GAO published the same in October 2020 at the request of the same committee, though Amazon was far less dominant on the list at a cursory glance.

A report that paints a worrying trend, but fails to provide a complete picture

GAO collected employment records from 15 agencies across 11 states, all of them the same agencies that supplied the 2020 data, and asked for a snapshot of September 2025.

The office then estimated the 25 employers in each state with the most enrollees. The resulting document showed Amazon near the top of every list: It ranked second in five states for Medicaid enrollees, and second or third for SNAP recipients in six different states. Adding the state figures links the e-commerce giant's employee list to 11,338 Medicaid enrollees and 12,346 SNAP recipients.

The report does not, however, directly or indirectly address AI, data centers, or Amazon's Capex ambitions, or point to a particular trend as a snapshot of a single month of data, and it fails to draw a direct comparison with its 2020-based iteration.

It has drawn a sharp rebuke from Amazon, which saw its spokesperson, Rachael Lighty, tell The Washington Post that the company dealt in raw numbers rather than percentages, which was misleading, and CNN that eligibility "is based on total household income and family size, not individual wages or benefits," so an employer offering part-time work will naturally show more eligible staff.

This is something the GAO tends to accept, even in its own footnotes: a larger employer simply has more employees in play and is therefore more likely to be on that list, which is skewed against part-time individuals who are more likely recipients of those food assistance programs.

It does make for an interesting approach to the entire model, which Senator Sanders has pointed out shows "triple" the number on SNAP and Medicaid simply because Amazon's employment statistics have swung so wildly of late.

The e-commerce giant's global workforce went from about 798,000 at the end of 2019 to a peak of 1.61 million in 2021, and stood at 1,576,000 at the end of 2025, effectively doubling from when the report was originally published in 2020, potentially skewing results against itself due to a larger employee base.

The findings and the defense presented by Amazon, however, have not gone down well with certain quarters; Senator Sanders has called the trends "beyond unacceptable", stating that "American taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize the starvation wages of large corporations".

Much of Amazon's recent focus, including a significant increase in Capex spending, has been towards AI and AI-related infrastructure under its AWS arm. Amazon guided to about $200 billion of 2026 capital expenditure on its Q4 2025 call in February, up from $131.8 billion in 2025. On July 30, Andy Jassy raised that to $220 billion, blaming higher memory prices, and said Amazon would still not have enough capacity for the demand it is seeing.

AI data centers are increasingly a point of contention among AI juggernauts, hyperscalers, and less-eager locals bearing the brunt of higher water and power costs, even as availability becomes equally challenging.

For a company spending $220 billion on AI infrastructure this year and rolling out an $1 billion commitment in late 2025 to raise base pay for its US fulfillment and transportation workers, being at the top of multiple lists of states with workers being eligible for (and using) Medicaid and food assistance programs might not be great timing when there is increasing scrutiny of trillion-dollar corporations and their massive profit margins by consumers and jobseekers alike.

• The expanding market for data centers and associated renewable energy supplies has attracted the insurance industry
• Data centers alone could represent a $91 billion market
• A destroyed AI data center could cost $50 billion to replace

The cost of data centers continues to rise, with insurance now added to real estate, communications, energy, and environmental impact. Several reports indicate that not only is insurance a growing cost for big guns like OpenAI and Meta, it’s a market that looks set to expand alongside the increase in data centers.

A new report by the Swiss Re Institute indicates the insurance industry could collect $91 billion in premiums from AI data centers between now and 2030, with a further $111 billion from renewable energy installations linked to the data centers.

With a combined market of around $200 billion across a three year period, the AI boom could represent an accumulation of risk. The report highlights four interconnected factors that could affect multiple businesses if only one is disrupted.

The assurance of data centers

Reliance on new data centers isn’t all about the end product. Construction companies, physical supply chains, and technology and communications organizations all play their part in assembling an AI data center facility. Power stations – traditional or renewable – have similar requirements, and once both types of installation are brought online, their importance increases.

Gianfranco Lot, Swiss Re's chief underwriting officer for P&C Re, told Insurance Business Mag: "AI needs data centers, power grids, and increasingly complex infrastructure - and all of it needs insurance. That creates growth opportunities across multiple lines of business, but also significant risk concentrations. The deployment of capacity will depend on our ability to understand and manage those, and getting paid for the associated tail risk."

Estimates suggest a single AI data center can cost $50 billion to replace.

New market, new opportunities

Insurers are preparing to offer comprehensive support for the data center industry. Risk management firm Aon has released an analytics tool designed to help insurers measure and map exposures for data centers, and it appears the wider industry is exploring options to underwrite these installations.

Indeed, Aon has its own estimations, working on a figure of a $29 billion market by 2030. Meanwhile, other insurers and analysts are assembling databases and exploring opportunities to provide financial fallback to data centers.

Four factors (large assets, geographic clustering, supply-chain dependencies, and shared networks) can each interrupt several businesses within the sphere of the data centers, and the Swiss Re Institute report highlights the importance of insuring against disruption. This represents a previously unseen level of integration and interconnectivity between industries, something that seems to be informing the market estimates.

Ultimately, the insurance price will be factored into the usage costs, with AI token prices and other tariffs added to the bill for end users.

• AI data centers are pushing rural land prices far beyond farm values
• Local officials now face threats over decisions tied to data centers
• Farmers are receiving offers that can be extremely difficult to reject

US officials are facing threats and intense local opposition over artificial intelligence projects that are driving fierce competition for rural property and resources.

The conflict is intensifying, with developers seeking large tracts of land and residents raising concerns about electricity use, water demand, and rising property values.

In several communities, officials have faced intimidation after voting on projects, showing how contentious the expansion of AI infrastructure has become.

Threats intensify as communities resist development

In Michigan, township officials received death threats after supporting a major data center proposal involving Oracle and OpenAI.

An official said threatening messages became severe enough to make ordinary disagreements over development far more troubling.

“We’ve got a lot of recorded messages wishing us dead,” said Kelly Marion, township clerk in Saline Township, Michigan.

Officials elsewhere have faced similar pressure, with some councils delaying meetings or restricting public participation following threats linked to data center plans.

In Box Elder County, Utah, Commissioner Lee Perry said he and two colleagues received threats after approving resolutions concerning development.

The dispute has also reached Marshall, Michigan, where council members were warned about a death threat after approving restrictions on new projects.

Salix, Iowa, postponed a vote concerning development after threatening social media posts prompted authorities to investigate possible risks.

The incidents come amid hundreds of local measures restricting data center construction across different parts of the United States.

Rising land values fuel another fight

The conflict extends beyond security concerns. AI companies are now competing with farmers and other landowners for sites with suitable infrastructure.

According to commercial property firm Avison Young, data center land purchases reached roughly $6 billion during the first half of 2026.

That figure represents a 79% increase from the previous year, while data centers account for 27% of American development sites.

Some developers have offered prices far exceeding agricultural values, giving landowners strong financial incentives to sell their farms.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said developers sometimes offered farmers outrageous prices for their farms.

“When [data centers] first started popping up, nobody really knew much about them,” Miller said.

“I found out real quick that they were taking up our very best farmland. ... And [developers] give sometimes 10 times the value, so it’s hard for farmers to turn that down.”

In Northern Virginia, some sites with reliable grid access have reportedly reached millions of dollars per acre amid strong demand.

The National Association of Home Builders has warned that data center developers can outbid housing companies because their financial limits differ significantly.

Meanwhile, residents fear large facilities could increase pressure on electricity networks, water supplies, roads, and other local services.

Analysts at investment banks have also warned that political opposition could become a risk for future data center expansion plans.

For communities near proposed sites, the unresolved question is whether economic gains can justify the costs associated with scarce land and resources.

Via CNBC

• Russia has launched 32 Rassvet satellites, though coverage remains limited
• Rassvet remains vastly smaller than Starlink’s expanding satellite constellation today
• Russia plans 156 satellite launches in 2026, 292 in 2027, 318 in 2028, and about 900 in 2035

Russia has launched 32 Rassvet communications satellites as Moscow works toward building a domestic network capable of competing with Starlink.

The current fleet, however, remains too small to provide continuous service, while reported orbital problems have raised further doubts about progress.

Russia still plans commercial operations from 2027, although reaching that stage depends on expanding the constellation and overcoming serious technical limitations.

Thirty-two satellites leave Russia far from continuous coverage

Ukraine's Defense Intelligence chief, Oleh Ivashchenko, said the existing constellation cannot yet deliver reliable communications across the areas Russia intends to serve.

“We know that today the Russians are trying to put satellites into orbit. But so far, there are not enough of them, and their effectiveness is low,” said Oleh Ivashchenko, chief of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence.

Ivashchenko did not disclose the spacecraft’s orbital paths, operating frequency, or the Ukrainian regions where the system currently provides coverage.

However, he maintains that Rassvet remains far smaller than Starlink, which has more than 12,000 satellites in orbit and continues adding around 200 spacecraft each month.

The much smaller constellation means Rassvet cannot yet provide the same level of continuous coverage as Starlink.

Moscow has committed 102.8 billion rubles, or about $1.3 billion, to Rassvet as part of efforts to establish domestic broadband connectivity.

Russia plans to launch 156 satellites in 2026, followed by another 292 spacecraft by 2027, when authorities expect commercial operations to begin.

The programme ultimately aims for 318 satellites by 2028, while later plans envisage expanding the network from 250 spacecraft toward 900 by 2035.

Those figures reveal the scale of work remaining, since the existing fleet represents only a fraction of Russia's planned communications infrastructure.

Technical problems could make expansion considerably harder

Reports indicate that some Rassvet spacecraft faced difficulty gaining altitude, with certain satellites drifting downward after reaching orbit.

Defense Express reported on August 25 2026 that one Rassvet-3 communications satellite was lost, while two others faced possible atmospheric reentry.

Such incidents could complicate Russia's schedule because each failed spacecraft reduces the already limited constellation and creates additional pressure on future launches.

Building the planned network would require at least 18 Soyuz-2.1b missions, despite Russia currently carrying out only six to eight launches annually.

The launch requirement therefore creates another obstacle, especially if replacement spacecraft become necessary after further technical failures during orbital operations.

Rassvet could eventually provide communications links for unmanned aircraft and military units operating beyond the practical limits of conventional radio systems.

That possibility gained greater attention after Ukraine and SpaceX restricted unauthorized Starlink terminals reportedly used by Russian forces during February 2026.

“We are working on this. Russia’s ‘Rassvet svg’ must turn into a ‘zakat svg,’” said Oleh Ivashchenko, chief of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence.

Russia continues developing Rassvet despite these setbacks, but the current constellation remains unable to provide continuous connectivity expected from a fully operating network.

Via United24media

• Thailand has frozen 166 data center projects pending new national rules
• Officials found major gaps in data on existing data centers
• Large data centers are putting new pressure on water supplies

Thailand has halted 166 data center projects while officials work on new rules for electricity, water, locations, safety, and economic returns.

The pause covers 49 facilities already being built and another 117 projects still waiting for approval from government agencies.

Officials say the review aims to keep attracting investment while ensuring data centers provide jobs, technology gains, and useful services for Thailand.

Thailand puts data center growth under review

The decision followed a recent meeting of the national data center policy board, which ordered four groups to draft standards within one month.

Four subcommittees will each examine a different area: economic benefits, infrastructure needs, site and location standards, and environmental protection.

The review comes after agencies found limited information about the country’s total data center activity, including facilities already running and projects awaiting approval.

Information from 16 government bodies showed that 35 data centers were operating, with 11 receiving investment support through Thailand’s Board of Investment.

Another 24 facilities gained approval through other routes, while several smaller centers were operated by financial institutions.

The government now wants one central system showing project locations, approval status, electricity sources, water supplies, planning rules, and other key details.

That system would allow agencies to examine the combined effects of multiple facilities instead of reviewing each project through separate approval channels.

Bangkok has also begun checking existing sites, with six projects seeking approval and each requiring between 9 MW and 23 MW of power.

Three received approval and began operations from 2022 through 2024, while the remaining applications will stay frozen until national standards are ready.

Water, power, and economic gains shape new rules

The planned rules will cover electricity demand, water use, site selection, construction safety, backup fuel storage, environmental effects, and distance from nearby buildings.

Officials are also reviewing whether facilities using more than 2 MW should face rules similar to those applied to industrial businesses.

Large centers need constant power and significant water for cooling, creating concerns about pressure on local networks and supplies.

The government also wants prices for water and electricity to account for direct and indirect costs linked to large facilities.

That approach is intended to prevent households and other businesses from carrying costs tied to data center resource use.

Future projects could face a competitive approval process that weighs employment, technology transfer, clean energy use, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said data centers matter to Thailand’s economy, although the government lacked complete information about existing facilities and planned developments.

The government is now seeking full details on data centers so it can develop laws that will guide future investment decisions.

Rather than expanding server capacity without assessing their demand, Thailand wants to gain more value from incoming projects.

The pause does not signal an end to Thailand’s data center ambitions, since officials continue seeking investment while examining how growth should proceed.

Via The Nation

• Watch Patriots vs Seahawks FREE on TVNZ+ (New Zealand)
• Unlock your stream with IPVanish (save up to 83%)
• Patriots vs Seahawks kick-off: Wed, Sep 9 at 8.20pm ET / 1.20am BST (Thu)

The Patriots famously didn't show up for the 2026 Super Bowl, so here's hoping they know this season's NFL Kickoff Game is taking place a day earlier than usual.

The Seahawks tore the Pats apart in February's showpiece. Honours were even in the touchdown count, with each team scoring twice, but Seattle's points haul was fleshed out by five field goals. New England scored none, had two interceptions and a fumble, and allowed Drake Maye to be sacked a staggering – literally – six times.

It's been an interesting summer to say the least for Mike Vrabel, who cheered himself up by getting three-time all-Pro receiver AJ Brown on board. The return of offensive lineman Will Campbell can only be good news for Maye too. However, after drawing a favourable schedule last season, they've been handed a stinker this term, with their first four fixtures dripping with danger.

For all of the terrifying brilliance of "The Dark Side", the Hawks have been largely overlooked by the NFL fortune-tellers. Losing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was far from ideal, but it's worth remembering the reigning champions put together one of the most dominant campaigns in National Football League history. Mike Macdonald has had his first team-talk done for him.

Read on as we explain how to watch Patriots vs Seahawks for free.

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We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

• MagNav uses Earth’s magnetic field to guide aircraft without GPS signals
• Q-CTRL uses quantum gravimetry to navigate ships without satellite signals
• Saab uses quantum timing to keep radar networks synchronized without GPS

Global positioning systems (GPS) have long served as the invisible backbone guiding ships, aircraft, and military operations across the planet.

That reliance now faces a genuine challenge, as adversaries increasingly jam or spoof satellite signals to disrupt navigation entirely.

Three organizations on three continents have each tested working alternatives within the span of a few short weeks.

A wave of independent breakthroughs

The combined progress of these teams suggests the technology is edging out of laboratories and into active field conditions.

The US Defense Innovation Unit, a Pentagon organization tasked with fielding emerging commercial technology for military use, confirmed a successful flight test of its magnetic navigation program, known as MagNav.

The route carried an Embraer 170 aircraft over the Pacific Ocean, running from Seattle's Puget Sound toward southern Alaska and back again.

After four hours and 23 minutes without satellite guidance, the system improved location accuracy by 89% compared to older backup navigation methods.

"This is a significant win for the department's quantum sensing priorities, showcasing that MagNav capabilities are no longer a distant research goal," said Kyle Norman, deputy director of DIU's Kill Web portfolio.

Separately, Q-CTRL, an Australian quantum computing firm, announced a maritime field trial in the Coral Sea; its quantum gravimeter kept location errors within one nautical mile across the entire mission.

That figure reportedly beat conventional satellite backup systems by more than ten times during the same test window.

"Q-CTRL's demonstration shows a credible path to accurate navigation without reliance on external satellite signals," said Steve Sklenka, a retired Lieutenant General with the U.S. Marine Corps.

The company’s founder Michael Biercuk added that the technology is ready now, calling it proof that quantum tools can already support active defense missions.

Radar networks join the shift

Saab UK also reported a milestone, working alongside Aquark Technologies and Britain's Royal Navy to test radar timing without satellite input.

Multiple Giraffe 1X radar units operating from separate locations kept a single, coherent air picture using independent quantum timing sources.

Engineers introduced deliberate timing errors to mimic jamming conditions, then confirmed the network recovered once synchronization returned.

"This trial is a great example of how collaboration can accelerate innovation," said Andy Fraser, Group Managing Director at Saab UK.

Jason Ralph, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Liverpool, noted that gravity sensing remains the only passive alternative technology that works globally and resists jamming or spoofing attempts entirely.

The trials arrive amid rising concern over deliberate satellite interference, with roughly 978,000 jamming events recorded worldwide during the first quarter of 2026 alone, most concentrated in the Middle East.

Taken together, these three trials suggest quantum navigation is edging closer to practical deployment rather than remaining a theoretical concept.

Whether it can fully replace GPS, rather than simply back it up during outages, still depends on further testing and cost considerations.

Apple has unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and its September 9 'Surprise and Shine' event, but how does it stack up against last year’s mighty iPhone 17 Pro?

Among other things here’s the powerful new A20 Pro chip, and the main camera’s new variable aperture, but these mean the iPhone 18 Pro costs a little more than its older sibling.

If you’re weighing up the two iPhone Pros, these are the five key differences you’ll need to consider before you make your choice…

1. Variable aperture

If you care about photography this is easily the biggest iPhone 18 Pro feature: variable aperture.

Normally phone camera apertures are locked, meaning the aperture has to strike a compromise between maximizing depth of field and maximizing night and low-light performance by letting more light in. With its variable aperture the iPhone 18 Pro’s 48MP fusion main camera solves this problem by adapting to meet your needs for each shot.

The iPhone 17 Pro lacks this capability, though its camera array is still very solid, even if it lacks the latest model’s versatility.

2. Battery life and specs

As you’d expect, the iPhone 18 pro boasts better specs thanks to its A20 Pro chip. According to Apple its CPU’s two supercores are 20% faster than what you’ll find in the iPhone 17 Pro, and its GPU is 40% faster. It also boasts improved neural accelerators for better AI performance — meaning on-device Siri AI assistance should feel snappier than before.

The change you’ll notice the most, though, is the bigger battery.

While the iPhone 17 Pro achieved a 33-hour battery life in Apple’s internal video playback tests, the 18 Pro managed to last for 36 hours — the same length of time as the iPhone 17 Pro Max. If you were wondering, the iPhone 18 Pro Max can hold out for a whopping 45 hours.

3. iPhone Pro colors

The iPhone 18 Pro comes in classic Silver and Black, as well as Glacier (a sort of lilac) and Burgundy if you want a more bold and unique look for your new smartphone.

Meanwhile the iPhone 17 Pro comes in Silver, a dark Deep Blue, and that Cosmic Orange hue that people either love or hate.

I was a big fan of Cosmic Orange, but Burgundy takes the cake for me. It looks iconic without looking silly or sickly — traps the orange could sometimes fall into. Though this design choice will be entirely personal, and let’s be real — you’ll probably just put it in a case anyway, whichever model you get.

4. Dynamic Island

As was teased by leaks ahead of the reveal, the iPhone 18 pro boasts a smaller Dynamic Island — which should make it a less annoying permanent distraction on your screen compared with the iPhone 17 Pro’s Island.

At the same time it has become a little more versatile too. The iPhone 18 pro’s Dynamic Island can now support three live activities at once, up from the previous maximum of two.

5. Price and availability

The iPhone 18 Pro was only just revealed, but it’ll be up for sale globally at $1,199 / £1.199 / AU$2,099 for 256GB of storage from September 18, 2026. You can preorder starting Saturday September 12 to lock in a unit early if you decide it’s the smartphone for you.

Meanwhile the iPhone 17 Pro can be picked up right now with a lower list price of $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999.

On paper that $100 difference isn't major, but given that the iPhone 17 Pro is a year old we can expect to see its price drop further, especially as we head into the Black Friday sales period. And with Apple hiking prices of its other iPhone 17 models on the Apple Store by $100 / £100, the 17 Pro — which has been discontinued, so won't be affected — suddenly looks like a relative bargain.

• OpenAI is leading the race to “quietly” open a data center in the Patagonia region of Argentina
• Argentine energy giant Pampa Energia is in talks to develop a 500 megawatt data center site
• The Loma de la Lata thermal power plant would provide the data center’s electricity, burning gas from the nearby Vaca Muerta shale gas formation

OpenAI is among several cloud and AI computing companies looking at Argentina’s Patagonia region as a possible location for fuss-free, opposition-avoiding data centers. Supported by low temperatures to aid cooling, and a clean energy source, a suitable site is currently being explored, following OpenAI signing a letter of intent with Sur Energy in 2025.

The OpenAI-Sur Energy partnership appears to have sparked growing attention on Patagonia, where other major hyperscalers are also said to have shown interest -- these include Google and Apple.

Widespread opposition to data centers in the US have prompted companies like OpenAI, Google, Apple, and Meta to look elsewhere to develop their cloud and AI facilities. However, communications limitations may prove difficult to overcome, and there is uncertainty about Pres. Javier Milei’s long-term future, factors which may explain OpenAI’s slow pace on the project.

Letter of Intent

While OpenAI and Sur Energy initially formalised their collaboration with a letter of intent in October 2025, there seems to have been little movement toward selecting a site, let alone breaking ground.

Sur Energy and Pampa Energia are not direct competitors. Rather, Pampa Energia is a large independent energy company, whereas Sur Energy is a specialized developer within the energy industry. Both organizations would typically be involved with the development of a data center in Patagonia, whether OpenAI’s Stargate Argentina or a rival build. Similarly, many other companies could be involved. For example, FlexDomes is reportly looking for investors into a data center in Patagonia.

Developments in Patagonia may not be limited to the energy from the Vaca Muerta shale field. Hydroelectric may be selected as an alternative; elsewhere, Green Capital is looking at wind and solar farms for a possible site in the Chubut province.

Will it really be easier?

However, whether Sur Energy provides the OpenAI plant with energy or Pampa Energia successfully attracts a data center from a rival cloud AI company, there remains a couple of key challenges.

While Argentina offers tax breaks and regulatory stability with its investor-pleasing RIGI incentives, shale gas energy, and minimal resistance to large projects with an ecological impact, it does not currently have the data links required to make a modern data center viable. That requires considerable investment in upgrading and (for large areas) installing fiber links.

But there is another potential challenge to establishing a data center in Patagonia. Less “anti-data-center” and more “anti-development,” the local area is occupied by the Mapuche Indigenous families, who have previously sued oil giant Exxon, French company Total, and BP-owned Pan American Energy for contracting an Argentine company that dumped waste illegally. Switching data center development to Argentina may have more attractive power and cooling options, but it is not without challenges for OpenAI and its competitors.

• Multiple states have revealed tax exemptions have cost more than $1 billion in lost revenue, more than 10 times some estimates
• Data centers are 'playing God' with their frontier models and need to face more regulation, Bernie Sanders says
• An Act issuing serious consequences, such as prison time and 'corporate death sentences', has been submitted

For many states across the US, the best way to lure lucrative investment from big tech companies was to provide tax exemptions on the equipment they would buy to furnish their data centers.

Before the AI data center boom, this was seen as a fair trade for citizens and politicians alike. But now that multiple states have revealed they have missed out on billions in tax revenue the tune is quickly changing.

Coupled with the growing national opposition movement, revelations that numerous construction sites have been using illegal generators, and frequent breakouts of AI models undergoing testing, it's no small wonder that politicians across the country are calling for greater regulation and greater taxation on big tech and AI.

‘They seem to have more money than God’

Ohio is the catalyst for this exemption withdrawal. The state projected the tax exemptions would cost them just $136 million in lost revenue for 2026 - a worthy cost to attract new investment and potential jobs for a state that has seen a long-term decline in its traditional industries and slow recovery following the 2008 financial crisis.

The loss in tax revenue turned out to be $1.6 billion - 10 times more than expected, or just over 5% of Ohio’s total tax revenue for the 2026 fiscal year. Following the revelation and associated public fallout, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine issued a pause on applications for the sales tax exemption.

But Ohio representatives, such as Democratic Rep. Tristan Rader, believe there is more to be done. Rader has called for a renegotiation on the tax exemptions offered to hyperscalers such as Amazon, Meta, and Google. “They seem to have more money than God and they’re able to build without the need for these types of incentives,” Rader said (via WSJ).

Rader is now calling for AI data centers and their respective companies to face additional requirements before projects are approved, including higher taxation and requirements that companies pay more for the energy infrastructure they rely upon.

Ohio isn’t alone in losing out on such a significant sum. In 2021, Virginia’s data center tax exemptions were predicted to cost $57 million, and Georgia predicted a tax revenue loss of just under $500 million in 2025. Both states have revealed their data center tax exemptions have led to a tax revenue loss of almost $2 billion each. Texas has seen just over $1 billion lost in tax exemptions for data centers.

But extra taxes aren’t the only repercussions hyperscalers and AI companies are facing.

‘We can’t allow a handful of greedy people to play God’

Senator Bernie Sanders has renewed his calls for greater regulation on AI technologies. Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic have all recently revealed that their frontier AI models have escaped testing environments and wreaked havoc on third-parties.

There are also concerns that the guidelines behind the Trump administration's testing of AI tools could be hiding corruption, with Sanders stating that the control of AI technology is driven by “oligarchy & the power of Big Tech billionaires”.

In a post on X, Sanders wrote, “We can't allow a handful of greedy people to play God & determine the future of humanity.” Sanders also said that “CONGRESS MUST ACT” in a post accompanying the announcement of the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, sponsored by Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar.

The act seeks to pace US artificial intelligence development in line with international agreements, and implement export controls that would prevent AI superintelligence being developed anywhere in the world. The ultimate goal of the act is to prevent the development of AI technologies that exceed humanities control.

Casar added that, “Despite its potential deadly consequences, cutting-edge AI technology is less regulated than the average food truck.”

The Act also goes a step further than previous attempts at regulating AI. Companies and individuals who fail to align themselves with the Act’s regulations would face repercussions such as prison sentences of up to 20 years and, as Sanders put it, a “corporate death penalty”.

The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 have landed, along with a revolutionary folding iPhone at this year's Apple event, but despite major advancements under the hood, the feature that is standing out to me is a software-based one.

Siri Recaps is a new Audio Intelligence feature that turns your Apple Watch into an always-listening device. The idea is that Siri Recaps, which lives on the Siri app, uses the Apple Watch's sensors to provide a summary of your day, including conversations that have taken place. It can be toggled with a schedule, or at the top of the Smart Stack.

It's a little like the Amazon Bee, which is a microphone attached to a smart band, which is used to capture and summarize conversations. While I can see this feature as being useful for people who attend lots of meetings (having a virtual assistant taking minutes in the background all day long could be very useful), there are understandably privacy concerns here.

We're told the Recaps feature doesn't record or store audio and it can't show a transcript. Instead, it processes events live as they take place, using Siri AI to turn that raw data into actionable notes, never written into permanent storage. Below is a screenshot from Apple's presentation:

Your watch, like a smartphone or smart speaker, already has to always listen for a wake word (like 'Siri' or 'Alexa'), but the audio it's listening to is not logged or recorded: only interactions starting with the wake word are.

But add an always-listening AI assistant into the mix who's taking notes on your day-to-day, including your conversations with others who may not know they're being surveilled, and suddenly Apple's latest handy feature starts to look a lot creepier. Apple's other big new Audio Intelligence feature for watches is Live Rewind, which can produce a transcript of the last 15 seconds of audio on your watch face — whether a wake word was said, or not.

I'm frankly surprised Apple even went through with this feature at this time, considering the bans and backlash other AI-powered surveillance wearables are getting.

I'm thinking, of course, about Meta, and its smart glasses being banned in some public spaces and generally disparaged with names like 'pervert glasses'. Smart glasses have obviously garnered a real stigma thanks to people drilling out the LED recording light and using them to discreetly record inappropriately and without consent for clout, content, or their own personal use.

This has created a general feeling of malaise around wearables equipped with discreet cameras and microphones in general. Like Meta Glasses, the Live Rewind and Siri Recaps features have accessibility potential for those hard of hearing, but they're going to make most people uncomfortable.

Watch: Audio Intelligence features being announced

Apple is keen to evidence its trustworthiness, with on-device AI and Private Cloud Compute and an insistence that it doesn't record or log audio and transcripts. However, if people think they're being discreetly recorded without their permission, it's possible Apple Watch wearers could experience their own slice of the abuse hurled at Meta Glasses wearers.

I wrote earlier this year that wearable tech has to separate itself from surveillance capitalism if it wishes to be cool again. It seems Apple has taken a step in the other direction.

Update: Apple has published an article on its website, specifically about Audio Intelligence, and much has been made about how Audio Intelligence protects user privacy and is used responsibly. You can read the full article here.

In short, Apple says audio is not recorded or stored because "there is no recording to share, forward, or produce if requested by any party, because no recording exists". Instead, audio data is processed by Siri live, and raw audio "is never accessible".

Your data is not accessible to Apple either, thanks to Private Cloud Compute, and "independent security experts can verify this promise at any time". Siri Recaps auto-delete after seven days too. Apple is serious about getting users to trust this feature.

• Apple introduced a mechanical aperture for the first time in an iPhone camera
• It's included in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max's main camera
• The hardware-based feature offers (limited) manual control over exposure and depth of field

In Apple's big iPhone 18 event, the headline upgrade in the new iPhone 18 camera, from my perspective as a professional photographer, is the company's first mechanical aperture ('variable aperture', as Apple likes to call it).

This feature is not only a first for Apple, it's a rarity in smartphones — Huawei equips several of its flagship devices with one, including its Pura 80 Ultra and other current models.

My 'proper' camera gear has this feature too — whether that's a premium compact camera like my Ricoh GR IV, or the lenses I pair with my pro Nikon mirrorless camera.

But what is a mechanical aperture, why would you want one, and how will it impact the camera experience in the latest crop of iPhones? Let's dive in.

What is aperture and why is it important?

Until now, all iPhones, and indeed the majority of smartphones, feature a fixed-lens aperture. The main camera in the iPhone 17 Pro, for example, has a bright f/1.78 aperture.

That just changed with the iPhone 18 Pro series, and its six mechanical aperture blades, which are thinner than a human hair, and made from a polymer composite.

When I'm using my proper camera gear, aperture tends to be the first manual exposure control I think about — for me it's the single most important camera setting for getting the image to look the way I want, and I change it based on what I'm photographing.

Aperture size determines how much light reaches the camera's sensor; a bigger aperture lets in more light (useful for capturing detail in low light, like at night), while a smaller aperture lets in less light (ideal for, say, a bright sunny day to avoid overly bright images).

Aperture also impacts depth of field; a bigger aperture equals shallower depth of field (useful for punchy portraits when you want to blur backgrounds), while a smaller aperture results in more of the scene being in sharp focus (which is what you might want for, say, landscape photography).

With no control over aperture size, and with small sensors, most phones including iPhone rely on computational photography (software-based) to get effects such as background blur or punchy low light shots — think the portrait and night settings on your phone.

A mechanical aperture, on the other hand, can be opened-up and closed-down, according to the scene you're capturing. The Huawei Pura 80 Ultra, for example, features a f/1.6-4.0 aperture main camera. The user can manually adjust how much light is reaching the sensor at the aperture level. (Shutter speed is the other main factor of exposure.)

Did iPhone cameras just get serious?

I want to be clear from the off — the smaller the sensor size, the less impactful a mechanical aperture is regarding depth of field control.

The iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max's sensor size appears to still be smaller than the 1-inch type in Chinese flagship's such as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Oppo Find X8 Ultra. As such, there's less need to close down the aperture to increase depth of field.

But you'll also notice that the iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max's mechanical aperture range starts at f/1.48 and can be closed down to f/4 — so there's more light entering compared to the previous generation of iPhones too. Apple says this makes it great for indoor portraits and astrophotography.

Exposure control and image sharpness are the big other benefits here, though. Stopping aperture down from f/1.48 to f/4 reduces the amount of light hitting the camera's sensor, and is certainly useful when shooting in bright light.

It enables slower shutter speeds, which is super handy for video recording which natively needs slower shutter speeds compared to photography for smooth motion (and Apple has added the ability to change the shutter speed when video recording), and even for long exposure effects.

A smaller aperture can also increase image quality because you're more likely to get more in focus, and you're using the sharpest central area of the lens, which should deliver the crispest possible detail, without the softness and lens distortion that you typically get with a wide open aperture.

I still expect that that the iPhone's computational skills deliver more obvious improvements in image quality, both creatively and technically.

Portrait mode convincingly blurs backgrounds. Night mode increases light hitting the sensor at a shutter speed level, paired nicely with processing that increases dynamic range and sharpens detail.

But a mechanical aperture is sure to please serious photographers and filmmakers shooting with iPhone. For certain users and situations, it takes on some of the work rather than software doing all of the heavy lifting, and providing us more control.

It's just unlikely to suddenly make your iPhone shots way better just on its own, but I'm excited for the extra control it gives me.

• The city of El Reno, Oklahoma, has condemned a Bitcoin mining site after roughly 3.8 million gallons of water leaked, affecting schools, businesses, and even the county courthouse
• The leak happened despite a stop-work order issued by the city in 2023, which it never followed up on or attempted to enforce
• The water came from an unpermitted private fire hydrant and suppression line, even as the mining facility remained, as per filings by the operator, air-cooled for its operations

A city of roughly 20,000 people in central Oklahoma spent two days hunting for water that was pouring into the ground at an alarming rate.

When crews finally traced it, the source was a fire hydrant nobody at City Hall knew existed, on the grounds of a Bitcoin mining site that had been ordered to stop building three years earlier but had never followed through.

The city of El Reno has now condemned the property, issued a ten-day abatement notice, and scheduled an administrative hearing for September 14 2026.

Flaws in the handling of its own orders

City officials say the leak came from a private fire hydrant and the suppression line feeding it, not from cooling equipment. KFOR reported that Athlon had told El Reno its hardware was air-cooled and would not need water for cooling, and that the line in question was supposed to serve fire protection only.

Interim City Manager Ken Brown told reporters roughly 3.8 million gallons were lost, revising up an earlier estimate of about three million. The property is owned by Athlon BT, described in Canadian County assessor records as a company running data centers for AI storage and Bitcoin mining, and its structures are logged as mobile mining containers.

The company identifies itself as "Athlon Blockchain Technology Corporation" on its website, which is currently undergoing "scheduled maintenance" and is under fire for what is being seen as an unauthorized or unplanned water hydrant.

Ironically, the company has, at least on its website before it went dark recently, advertised "hydro-cooled solutions" in addition to its air-cooled offerings, which should raise a few eyebrows about its current claim, even as the brunt of the focus lies on the city's failure to shut down the endeavor.

The offending hydrant was installed without notifying the city, does not appear on municipal records, and was reportedly found concealed under a large pile of brush.

Brown said the city issued a stop-work order in June 2023 citing electrical, construction, and fire safety violations, along with expired building and electrical permits; gave Athlon until December 2023 to comply; and then never followed up. The company consequently continued building and, the city believes, began operating without a certificate of occupancy.

It doesn't help matters that there is little, if any, information about the operator beyond its website, which is currently under maintenance. KFOR's Spencer Humphrey traced the company to founder and CEO Tony Jiang Shi, a Stanford graduate based in Palo Alto who has registered several other LLCs used mostly for real estate.

The city has, for its part, claimed that residents will not pay for any of this and that it will bill the property owner for water, overtime, and equipment used to locate and repair the leak.

Finding the owner might be easier said than done, however; county records list Athlon's address as an El Reno house a couple of miles from the site, which the station found apparently abandoned, with packages piled on the porch addressed to Shi. Calls and emails from multiple outlets have gone unanswered, and Athlon has issued no statement since the situation started.

• 3 points

Data centers across the United States have been criticized for harming local environments sourcing power - sometimes illegally - from gas burning turbines that can release harmful pollutants into the air surrounding local communities.

But dozens of data centers have been accused of releasing harmful chemicals, heavy metals, and rare bacteria with the wastewater they release into nearby treatment facilities and waterways.

Violations have been logged for data centers in Wyoming, Virginia, New York, and Georgia, but the problem likely extends far across the rest of the US. Information on water usage and discharge for many data centers is hard to come by - or is being actively blocked.

Pollutants released into water across the US

In Wyoming, Meta was recently forced to halt water discharges from the construction site of its enormous 960-acre Cheyenne campus after a resistant bacterium - Cupriavidus gilardii - was found within a local water treatment facility.

The bacterium was identified after regulators tested a sample of the 801,000 gallons Meta had discharged into Cheyenne’s sewers. Following concerns that local residents could inhale droplets of the contaminated water if it was used for irrigation, local officials decided to stop accepting wastewater from the construction site.

Two water treatment facilities were forced offline as part of a multi-month decontamination and cleanup operation. Meta’s contractor responsible for the site, Goat Systems, is appealing the decision of officials to stop accepting wastewater from the site.

Multiple data centers across Virginia are facing enforcement actions from local authorities for violating wastewater and wetland regulations. In one such case, a data center under construction in West Virginia has funneled stormwater runoff into a local residential area, causing flooding on two occasions.

A data center near Lake Seneca, New York, is facing criticism from the Seneca Lake Guardian organization. The site was previously a cryptocurrency mining data center, but has been transitioning towards handling AI workloads instead. Seneca Lake Guardian has said that wastewater from the site flows directly into Lake Seneca at temperatures of up to 108F (42C), which can harm fish living in the lake and cause blooms of toxic algae.

The company behind the data center, Vulcan Infrastructure and Power, says it complies with all relevant environmental laws.

Multiple new data centers in Georgia have been approved to draw water from the Chattahoochee river, but local environmental guardians, such as water policy director at Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Chris Manganiello, are being blindsided by a complete lack of information on how much water will be taken from the river, and what will be put back in.

“We need to know what is in this wastewater but there is a void of information,” Mangeniello told The Guardian. “I would like there to not be more Pfas [forever chemicals] going into the river but there is this level of anxiety because we don’t know what’s there.”

Don’t throw the Pfas out with the cooling water

Data centers pump water through miles of pipes crisscrossing their hardware in order to draw away excess heat. While there have been moves towards “closed-loop” cooling technology - where the water used is recycled within the system - there are still valid environmental concerns associated with these systems.

Before using a closed-loop system, the pipes need to be flushed through with water to wash away any debris or contaminants that were deposited within the pipes during assembly. This water is then released back into sewers to be cleaned by local treatment plants.

But many water treatment plants simply aren’t built to handle filtering water that contains industrial contaminants. These contaminants can include heavy metals or Pfas that can cause health problems in humans and animals.

Data centers are also being built in drought-hit regions, largely because the land is cheap, placing additional strain on already struggling water tables. Data centers can use hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per day to stay operational, and while closed-loop systems ensure this water is only taken out of the cycle once, it is still a significant sum of water to remove from regions experiencing droughts.

• Microsoft has fixed no fewer than 974 vulnerabilities in its latest Patch Tuesday release
• Two were already being exploited in the wild, 114 categorized as 'Critical'
• AI is to blame for boosting CVE discovery and also intensifying attacks

Microsoft's September 2026 Patch Tuesday has become its biggest security release on record, with the company issuing fixes for a staggering 974 vulnerabilities across the entire stack.

According to the company's release notes, an overwhelming majority (723) of the vulnerabilities addressed related to Windows, with Office coming in at second place with 111 of its own vulnerabilities being addressed.

While it's clear that the number of vulnerabilities is going up year-over-year, it's likely that the company was also simply able to find more of them that would otherwise have slipped through the net thanks to AI-assisted discovery tools.

This is Microsoft's biggest Patch Tuesday ever

Speaking about the September 2026 Patch Tuesday in a blog post, Dustin Childs explains that this could be the start of the "new normal." Childs goes on to reveal that Microsoft has patched 2,760 CVEs this year to date – more than double any other year that precedes it.

Childs' figures show that the company patched 1,139 CVEs in the whole of 2025, and a much lower 492 a decade ago in 2016. According to the post, 114 of the vulnerabilities patched in this latest update were 'Critical' – more than one in 10.

In its own notes, Microsoft described CVE-2026-85880 and CVE-2026-81963 as especially notable because they're both being actively exploited, hence the push to get them fixed and for customers to install the update.

Elsewhere in the industry, Microsoft isn't the only company addressing a higher volume of bugs. Childs also highlighted high activity from Adobe, while a number of browser developers including Google, Mozilla, Brave and Microsoft itself have doubled the release cycle to two weeks in order to get fixes into customer hands more quickly.

Besides fixing exploitable bugs, Microsoft also used the opportunity to issue fixes to known issues – including fixing Teams and Outlook crashes on Arm64 PCs – as well as to upgrade Copilot+ AI components.

• Watch Napoli vs Arsenal FREE on Virgin Media Play (Ireland)
• Unlock your stream with NordVPN (save up to 75%)
• Napoli vs Arsenal kick-off: Wednesday, September 9 at 3pm ET / 8pm BST

Watch Napoli vs Arsenal live streams as last season’s beaten finalists visit the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona hoping to start the Champions League 2026/27 league phase with a victory.

After the heartbreak of losing on penalties to PSG in the Champions League final, Arsenal have rebuilt strongly this summer. Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Christos Tzolis have added plenty of quality, with the trio all featuring in recent weeks as the reigning Premier League champions have begun the domestic campaign with three straight victories. After the weekend's 2-1 come-from-behind win against Chelsea, the Gunners will hope to carry that form into Europe and inflict a third successive defeat on Max Allegri’s side.

Napoli failed to make it out of the league phase last season and come into this year’s competition on the back of two disappointing results. Beaten 2-1 by Como, the Little Donkeys then threw away a two-goal lead on Saturday to lose 3-2 to reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan. The one positive for the Italian side is the form of Rasmus Hojlund, who bagged in both defeats, but they must do without Scott McTominay while the Scot undergoes a minor heart operation for a mild benign arrhythmia.

Here's how to watch Napoli vs Arsenal in the 2026/27 Champions League from anywhere in the world.

Can you watch Napoli vs Arsenal for free?

Yes. Napoli vs Arsenal is being shown on free-to-air Virgin Media Two in Ireland, with live streaming available via Virgin Media Play.

Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch Napoli vs Arsenal for free as if you were right at home.

Napoli vs Arsenal team news

Napoli XI: Meret, Olivera, Marin, Rrahmani, Di Lorenzo, De Bruyne, Lobotka, Gilmour, Santos, Hojlund, Politano

Subs: Favasuli, Badiashile, Neres, Contini, Lucca, Vergara, Beukema, Milinkovic-Savic, Spinazzola

Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapie, Rice, Merino, Odegaard, Saka, Eze, Gyokeres

Subs: Kepa, Meslier, Tzolis, Madueke, Havertz, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, Salmon

Use a VPN to watch Napoli vs Arsenal live streams

A VPN is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with up to 75% off.

How to watch Napoli vs Arsenal live streams in the US

In the US, the Napoli vs Arsenal game is being shown on Paramount+.

The streaming service, which is showing all 189 games of the 2026/27 Champions League campaign, starts at $8.99/month or $89.99/year.

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How to watch Napoli vs Arsenal live streams in the UK

In the UK, Napoli vs Arsenal is being shown on TNT Sports 2.

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How to watch Napoli vs Arsenal live streams in Australia

Napoli vs Arsenal, along with all 189 games of the 2026/27 Champions League season, is available to watch on Stan Sport in Australia.

Stan Sport costs AU$20/month on top of a Stan subscription, which itself starts at AU$9.99/month.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch the action as if you were back home.

How to watch Napoli vs Arsenal live streams in Canada

The Napoli vs Arsenal game is available to watch on DAZN in Canada.

DAZN, which is showing all 189 Champions League 2026/27 fixtures, starts at CA$24.99/month, for a plan that also includes EFL, Carabao Cup, Bundesliga and NFL coverage.

If you're out of Canada but still want to tune in, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your accounts from anywhere.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

• Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid: Wednesday, September 9 at 8pm BST / 3pm ET
• Free Stream: RTE Player (Ireland)
• Away from home? Use NordVPN to unblock your live stream

Watch Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid live streams as Reds head coach Andoni Iraola takes charge of his first European match in a potential Champions League 2026/27 classic at Anfield.

The Basque boss recorded his first win as Liverpool boss last Friday, a 2-0 win at Ipswich after worryingly topsy-turvy 2-2 draws with Newcastle and Nottingham Forest. Alexander Isak's early brace at Portman Road was a positive sign that the Swede is coming back into form after a tough first season on Merseyside, while Barcelona loanee Ronald Araujo added solidity to a hitherto creaking defense at right-back. Bradley Barcola, recently signed from PSG, is pushing for a start.

Atleti slipped up at the weekend, losing 3-0 to Iraola's alma mater Athletic Bilbao after opening La Liga with seven points from their opening three games. The three-time beaten finalists are desperate to go one better this year and was why Diego Simeone dug in his heels to prevent Argentine compatriot Julian Alvarez from joining Barcelona this summer. The 26-year-old forward is being reintegrated into the squad after agitating for the move, while Colchonero captain Koke, now 34, will make his 150th Champions League appearance if he features tonight.

Here's how to watch Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid in the 2026/27 Champions League from anywhere in the world.

Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid team news

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Araujo, Van Dijk, Jacquet, Kerkez, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Barcola, Ngumoha, Isak

Atletico Madrid XI: Oblak, Llorente, Pubill, Romero, Hancko, G. Simeone, Barrios, Koke, Baena, Kang-in, Alvarez

Watch Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid for FREE

You can stream Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid for free on RTE2 in Ireland and via the RTE Player streaming service.

This doesn't require an account sign-up or any subscription.

Abroad? Unlock your free Champions League stream with NordVPN.

How to watch Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid from anywhere

A VPN is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with a 75% discount and and extra three months for free...

How to watch Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid live streams in the USA

In the US, you can watch Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid in the UCL on Paramount+.

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How to watch Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid live streams in the UK

In the UK, Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid is being broadcast on TNT Sports 1 and their streaming platform HBO Max.

You can add TNT Sports to your Sky, Virgin Media or EE TV package, or get an HBO Max plan that includes TNT Sports. Prices start at £25.99/month if you commit to a year.

Those visiting the UK from Ireland can explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access the free stream.

How to watch Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid live streams in Canada

In Canada, DAZN is broadcasting Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

You'll need DAZN's soccer package, which starts at CA$24.99/month.

Not in Canada? Use NordVPN if you're away from home, in order to tap into your preferred Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid coverage from anywhere.

How to watch Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid live streams in Australia

A Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid live stream is available in Australia on Stan Sport.

You can pick up a Stan Sport subscription for as little as AU$29.99 per month for the basic plan containing adds. That price consists of the AU$9.99 Stan subscription fee plus the Sport add-on for AU$20.

Outside of Oz? You can use NordVPN to access your usual Champions League coverage.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

• Nearly half of the top mobile apps collect your browsing history
• Social media apps are the worst offenders
• Avoiding in-app browsers can limit data collection

You probably assume your web browser is the only app keeping tabs on where you go online. According to new research from Surfshark, that assumption is incorrect.

The cybersecurity firm analyzed 40 of the most popular Android and iOS apps and found that 18 of them, or 45%, report collecting users' browsing history in their app store privacy labels. In other words, nearly half of the apps you open every day may be logging the websites you visit.

Even the best VPN cannot fully stop an app from recording what you do inside its own walls, which makes understanding what you are signing up for more important than ever.

What Surfshark found

Surfshark's team looked at 40 leading apps split evenly across four categories: generative AI, social media, e-commerce, and messaging.

For each one, the researchers checked whether its Apple App Store label reported collecting "Browsing History" and whether its Google Play label reported "Web Browsing History."

Social media came out as the biggest collector by far. Nine of the 10 social apps studied collect browsing history on at least one platform. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Pinterest do so on both Android and iOS, while Reddit, LinkedIn, and Snapchat collect it on Android only. Discord was the only social app that collected it on neither.

E-commerce came next, with half of the shopping apps analyzed collecting the data on at least one platform.

Messaging was less hungry, with only Rakuten Viber, Messenger, and LINE gathering it, echoing earlier findings on how much data messaging apps collect.

In the generative AI category, Google Gemini was the only app of the 10 to report collecting browsing history.

NEW: Leave No Trace — A weekly newsletter on digital privacy and online surveillance.

Leave No Trace investigates the companies and governments putting our digital freedom at risk — and the people fighting back.

📩 Subscribe now to get every edition delivered to your inbox every Friday, launching this September.

Why apps want your browsing history

The logic is straightforward: the more an app knows about where you go online, the more precisely it can target ads and shape the content in your feed.

As Surfshark's lead system engineer Karolis Kaciulis explains, many apps now route external links through their own "embedded browsers," so the moment you tap a link, they can track what you search for and look at.

The important thing to remember here is that most of these social media and shopping apps do not need your browsing history to provide their services. The practice is not related to providing value to users, and simply takes place to benefit the app companies.

Kaciulis argues that consent for this is usually buried in the fine print, and that the apps fighting hardest to keep you inside their own browser tend to be the ones selling ads rather than the ones that need your history to function.

How to stay safe

There is no single switch that turns all of this off, but a few habits can go a long way.

The easiest is to sidestep in-app browsers: when you tap a link, use the "Open in default browser" option or paste the URL into your default browser, which stops the host app from watching where you go next.

Pair this with switching to a privacy-focused browser, and you'll be able to avoid a lot of the worst data-collecting practices without much effort.

• NordVPN blocked over 5 million malware attempts in January alone
• 99% of phishing attacks impersonate just 300 brands
• AI tools and fraud kits mean attackers no longer need advanced skills

We are well past the days when a cyberattack meant mass-mailing a poorly spelled virus. In 2026, cybercriminals are heavily leveraging generative AI to make their scams highly personal, industrializing fraud on a massive scale.

That is the stark warning from the Consumer Cybersecurity Report: Dismantling the Evolving Threat Landscape, published today by NordVPN. Analyzing threat intelligence data from the first half of the year, the prominent cybersecurity and best VPN provider uncovered that the most exploited vulnerability right now isn't outdated software; it is human trust.

Armed with unrestricted AI models and ready-to-use fraud kits, scammers have drastically lowered the entry barrier for digital crime. The focus has decisively shifted from complex technical exploits to highly targeted campaigns that weaponize greed, urgency, and our faith in familiar brands.

"Bad actors are weaponizing our natural instinct to believe what we see and hear," says Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN, warning that these attacks no longer require advanced skills or significant resources. "Anyone with an internet connection can launch them."

It's in this context that "A single human error is now more likely than ever and likely to be more devastating than ever," Briedis added.

The numbers behind the threat

NordVPN analyzes 12 million unique URLs daily, blocking an average of 130,000 malicious pages every 24 hours before they can reach a user — a critical defense mechanism as NordVPN’s antivirus tool continues to block massive volumes of malicious sites.

Malware remains the single largest threat by volume. January 2026 saw a massive peak of over 5 million blocked attempts as attackers preyed on post-holiday shoppers. Most of these were infostealers aiming to grab saved login credentials.

The US was the hardest hit with 4.89 million attempts across the first half of the year, followed by the UK (2 million) and Germany (1.32 million).

Phishing is equally rampant. NordVPN blocked over 4.4 million phishing attempts in the first half of the year, noting that 99% of these attacks impersonate a narrow list of just 300 brands, often disguised as fake job recruiter campaigns.

Microsoft was the most impersonated company (16.12%), followed by Roblox (12.32%), Google (9.94%), and Netflix (5.99%). Adding to the danger, attackers frequently exploit the trusted .com domain, which accounts for 43.2% of all intercepted scams.

NEW: Leave No Trace — A weekly newsletter on digital privacy and online surveillance.

Leave No Trace investigates the companies and governments putting our digital freedom at risk — and the people fighting back.

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Hijacked sessions and the Dark Web

While users are increasingly wary of downloading fake apps or clicking shady links hidden in pirate sites, attackers are finding stealthier ways in.

Between January 1 and May 26, 2026, a staggering 94 billion cookies were exposed online. Of these, 1.2 billion were active session cookies, which cybercriminals can use to hijack accounts without needing a password, often completely bypassing multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Once data is stolen, it is swiftly commodified. Using its Dark Web Monitoring tools, NordVPN identified 8.4 million compromised accounts in just 90 days.

Frighteningly, over 47% of the exchanged data involved physical addresses and full names, allowing attackers to weave digital and real-world identifiers together into comprehensive victim profiles.

Telephony isn't safe, either. Between the service's launch and June 16, NordVPN blocked nearly 29,000 scam calls and issued spam warnings to over 525,000 users.

How to stay safe

Because technical barriers for criminals are lower than ever, defensive strategies must evolve. NordVPN's report stresses that consumer protection now requires a mix of both technological defenses and behavioral resilience.

Alongside using security tools like a virtual private network (VPN) and antivirus software, users must cultivate a healthy skepticism. If a message, email, or website demands urgent action or offers something too good to be true, pause and verify.

In the age of AI-driven fraud, a moment of hesitation is your best line of defense.

• The official trailer for Mike Flanagan's Prime Video adaptation of Carrie has been released
• All eight episodes of the series are set to drop on October 7, 2026
• Summer H. Howell stars in the titular role

The official trailer for Mike Flanagan's Prime Video adaptation of Carrie has been released, which you can catch up with in full below.

Following the same narrative as the Stephen King novel and subsequent 1976 horror movie starring Sissy Spacek, we can expect the new eight-episode series to "pull back the curtain on the urgent and arresting reinvention, bringing new depth and complexity to its beloved characters while exploring the forces that shape Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) as she navigates the cruelty and pressure of the modern world - building toward a single, shattering night.

"But how much do we really know about Carrie — or what happened in Chamberlain?"

Series regulars include Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White, Siena Agudong as Sue Snell, Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen, Joel Oulette as Tommy Ross, Josie Totah as Tina, Arthur Conti as Billy, Thalia Dudek as Emaline, Amber Midthunder as Miss Desjardin, and Matthew Lillard as Principal Grayle.

Given that streamable titles such as Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House and The Fall of the House of Usher are all already under Flanagan's belt, you might have expected the below trailer to feel a little more... spooky.

However, I think that there's a clever reason why it doesn't, and it's all thanks to Amazon.

Opinion: Prime Video's Carrie series looks frustratingly like yet another YA release

Even just within 2026 alone, Prime Video has an exceptional track record when it comes to creating popular young adult (YA) dramas. Shows like Off Campus, Every Year After and Sterling Point have helped to cement its status as the go-to streaming service for the genre.

As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So if YA is a successful Amazon niche, why not make as much of its content fit the bill as possible? I watch the trailer above and don't see disturbing scares, but fairly run-of-the-mill teenage drama.

Of course, I'm getting ahead of myself here to a certain extent. Flanagan is seemingly allergic to creating bad (or bland) TV, and if a trailer is doing its job properly, what's waiting for us is hidden away rather than shown. It could be the case that the Carrie trailer is a total red herring for what's actually to come... and that idea is incredibly exciting.

I really hope I'm right — as brilliant as Prime Video's YA stories are, I don't want to see another in this instance. Bring on the pig's blood, that's all I'm saying.

• CISA, NSA, FBI warn Chinese AI firms of industrial‑scale knowledge distillation
• Companies like DeepSeek, Moonshot, Alibaba allegedly extracted billions of tokens from US frontier models
• Advisory urges detection of malicious prompts, deceptive responses to distillation, and cross‑provider intelligence sharing

Chinese AI companies’ core development strategy is to steal proprietary functionalities and capabilities from their US counterparts, law enforcement agencies have warned.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has published a new security advisory, drafted jointly with the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), warning American AI companies about an ongoing “aggressive, malicious, and targeted distillation activities at an industrial scale,” and sharing recommended mitigation steps.

Knowledge distillation

IBM defines knowledge distillation as a “machine learning technique that aims to transfer the learnings of a large pre-trained model, the ‘teacher model,’ to a smaller ‘student model’.” It is used in deep learning as a form of model compression and knowledge transfer, it added, particularly for massive deep neural networks.

So, knowledge distillation is not illegal or malicious, per se. Its goal is to train a more compact model to mimic a larger, more complex one. In the security advisory, the agencies stress it is “recognized as a legitimate and useful technique in AI research,” but add that China-based AI companies are using it in ill will.

In other words, the agencies claim that instead of spending months and millions developing new capabilities for their models, the Chinese are simply sending huge numbers of carefully designed questions to US models and extracting the answers.

Which companies are engaged in knowledge distillation?

Apparently, all companies worth anything. DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, Alibaba, MiniMax, StepFun, and Z.AI all allegedly “extracted billions of tokens across millions of exchanges/requests from US frontier AI models, including variants of Claude, GPT, Gemini, and Grok, since at least late 2024.” CISA also stressed that this was likely done with the awareness of the Chinese government. It hasn’t outright said, “with its blessing”, although it could be read between the lines.

The advisory shares a thorough list of all the models that were being trained, as well as all the models being taken advantage of.

On the Chinese side, they include DeepSeek R1 and V3 models, Moonshot’s Kimi-K2 and Kimi-K3 models, and MiniMax’s M2 model. On the US side, they start with earlier models such as GPT-4, Claude 3.7, and Gemini 2.5 Flash Preview, all the way to Claude Fable 5, GPT-5, and similar.

When done in good faith, knowledge distillation is not illegal. However, the report says the companies routed the requests through multiple accounts, different API access points, multiple cloud providers, third-party AI aggregators, proxy services and “transfer stations”, as well as premium subscriptions shared between developers, all in an attempt to work around defenders trying to disrupt the process.

“This represents systematic extraction of proprietary functionalities and capabilities threatening U.S. technological leadership. Addressing industrial-scale distillation merits a coordinated response across the AI ecosystem, including effective information-sharing, spanning the U.S. Government, private industry, and allied nations,” the agencies concluded.

What US companies should be doing

To defend their intellectual property (and thus remain ahead of Chinese competing models) US AI companies should implement comprehensive detection and mitigation, the agencies said. That means hunting for anomalous and malicious prompts, accounts, networks, and behaviors. Furthermore, they should monitor subscription-to-usage ratios, immediate maximum usage from new accounts, and enterprise-scale throughput patterns.

The second step is to “deploy targeted response changes”: “Subtly alter responses for suspected malicious distillation attempts to attenuate the payoffs to companies conducting industrial-scale distillation campaigns.” In other words, AI companies should make sure their products lie when they spot they were being distilled for knowledge.

Finally, US AI firms should set up cross-organization intelligence sharing, correlating activity across model providers, cloud platforms, and API aggregators.

The latest Nintendo Direct has concluded, and what a cracker of a show!

It delivered a huge number of titles for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 owners to look forward to, with some big new entries in major franchises like Kirby and Metroid.

There were also plenty of exciting ports, like three new Resident Evil ports, two Far Cry games, and more. Lots of existing titles also got big upgrades in the form of new Switch 2 Editions or free updates.

There are more maps coming to Mario Kart World later today, for example, and Pikmin 4 is getting a comprehensive Switch 2 upgrade.

If you didn't manage to catch the show, you can see a bullet point list of all the announcements in the order that they happened below.

Everything announced at Nintendo Direct – 09/09/2026

• Monster Hunter Wilds Nintendo Switch 2 port shown, includes all updates — launches on December 4
  • Ascendance expansion is also coming in 2027
• Final Fantasy 7 Revelation trailer shown — launches on April 8, with pre-orders beginning later today
• Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion launches on Nintendo Switch 2 later today
• Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity Definitive Edition coming to Nintendo Switch 2 with visual upgrades and new modes — out February 25
• Viral hit Meccha Chamelon is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 later today
• Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass DLC is adding some cute new accessories later this year
• Star Fox is getting a free update with four split-screen players in battle mode, plus three new stages
• Star Fox Adventures from the Nintendo GameCube is coming to Nintendo Classics later today
• Some Nintendo Switch 2 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered footage shown — out September 29
  • Songs of the Past expansion also shown — coming in 2027
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Royal Edition is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027
• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave new trailer shown — game still set to launch on September 17
• Professor Layton and the New World of Steam finally gets a new trailer showing puzzle gameplay — set to have the biggest number of puzzles yet when it arrives on December 10
• New Yokai Watch game revealed — Yokai Watch 2 Haunted Domain currently in development
• Nintendo Switch 2 Edition version of Pikmin 4 confirmed — adds voice commands, new mode, and more when it comes out
• Onyx The Dead Grip — new horror game from Bloober Team launches as a Switch 2 exclusive next year, can only be played in handheld mode
• New sizzle reel for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
• Stage Fright, a new spooky game from the developers of Overcooked shown — comes to Switch and Switch 2 next year
• Disney Dreamlight Valley: The Keepsake Sea — the game's next paid expansion with underwater areas
• Ondeh Ondeh Kaya's Tasty Tale — a charming rhythm adventure out in 2027
• Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight finally releasing for Switch 2 on September 18
• New Kirby Air Riders amiibo will launch on November 12
• Cairn port arriving in early 2027, with demo out today
• Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition all coming on October 16
• Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis Switch 2 trailer shown — out February 12, 2027
• New Nintendo Switch Sports Resort trailer showing free island exploration — Switch 2 exclusive coming October 22
• New 2D Metroid title revealed — Metroid Ravenous, out January 28, 2027
• Big free update with ten new courses, plus two new knockout tour routes, is coming to Mario Kart World today
• Mega Man: Dual Override gameplay trailer shows off Proto Man
  • New Mega Man and Proto Man amiibo also revealed
• New RPG Eternal Anima shown — comes to Switch 2 on March 4, 2027
• Danganronpa 2x2 port revealed with new 'Slayhem' mode out on January 14, 2027, for Switch and Switch 2
• Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves port is on the way in October
• Metal Slug Ultimate Collection revealed with loads of games — out for Switch and Switch 2 next year
• Yo-Gi-Oh! Tag Force GX port revealed for Switch and Switch 2 — launches February 16, 2027
• Romance Saga 3: Destinies United remake for Switch and Switch 2 also out February 16, 2027
• 007 First Light is actually launching at some point this year, apparently
• Far Cry 3 Classic Edition coming to Switch in 2027
• Far Cry Blood Dragon Classic Edition on the way too
• The Crew Motorfest Switch 2 port shown in the sizzle reel
• The Apothecary Diaries: The First Imperial Brother out in early 2027
• House Flipper 2 out October 15
• Sonic Pico Park spin dashing on to Switch and Switch 2 on November 12
• Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World out on December 3
• Torneko's Mystery Dungeon Classic HD is available later today
• Hela port launching on December 1
• Criksholm The Stolen Dream is coming to Switch 2 on December 3
• Stellar Blade Complete Edition shown with Bayonetta crossover costume
• The Ascent Complete Edition is out in December
• It Takes Two comes out on October 15 for Switch 2
• Palia Nintendo Switch 2 Edition out in December
• Bluey's Happy Snaps — brief bit of new footage shown
• Hot Wheels Infinite Rush dropping on September 10
• Fading Echo out on September 17 — demo later today
• Hell is Us port shown, out October 8
• Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy Encore Edition dropping on November 5 — pre-order today
• Surprise Persona 4 Revival trailer shows off loads of new gameplay
• Persona 6 logo shown on screen
• The final announcement is a new Kirby game that looks almost open-world — called Kirby and the World Beyond and out in Spring 2027

VOD

You can also catch up with the video on demand (VOD) version of the stream via YouTube below.

What did you think?

• Some Android Auto users are missing the Google Maps speedometer
• The feature only recently rolled out to a wider group of people
• Real-time traffic data on the map has also vanished for a number of users

Google Maps has only recently started showing speed limit information on Android Auto screens — so recently that it hasn't reached everyone yet — but now users are reporting that the speedometer has started disappearing unexpectedly, together with real-time traffic data in some cases.

Reports appearing on Reddit (via 9to5Google) suggest the problem isn't affecting everyone, and comes and goes intermittently, but is definitely a real issue. Stop signs and traffic signals also appear to be affected by the same bug.

Some commenters on Reddit are saying that the speedometer shows up in Android Auto when connected to the phones of some family members but not others. That might indicate the problem is related to a specific Android or app version somehow.

Other users say the bug is connected to switching to or from the beta versions of Android Auto and Google Maps, which could be another explanation of what's happening. For now though, Google hasn't officially acknowledged that there's an issue.

Affecting some but not all

The problem of real-time traffic information not showing up has actually been going on for longer, and seems to be sticking around. Again, it doesn't look like a vast number of users are affected, but the bug is definitely having an impact for some.

With so many different Android device models, software versions (including betas), and vehicle types involved, it's perhaps no surprise that annoyances like this crop up from time to time — but that doesn't make the experience any less frustrating for users.

At least one Redditor in the main complaints thread has already quit Google Maps over the decision to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America in the app, under the direction of the White House, which does mean no need to worry any more about these bugs.

The good news for everyone who's sticking around is that Google regularly rolls out updates for Android, Google Maps, and Android Auto, and so we're hoping that these problems are sorted sooner rather than later. In the meantime, if you're seeing these issues, you'll just have to sit tight and wait for a fix to appear.

• Windows 11's latest update has arrived
• The September update brings in the ability to move the taskbar
• There are also new options for resizing the Start menu, and a really useful tweak for Windows 11's search function

Windows 11's latest update has arrived, and it packs some important new features for the interface of the desktop OS.

Bleeping Computer flagged all the additions in the September 2026 update for Windows 11, and there are three major highlights, which I'll pick out here, before providing a general roundup of some of the other tweaks that Microsoft has brought in this month.

As ever, some of these features are being rolled out in a phased manner, so even if you do install the September update today, you may still have to wait a while for certain pieces of functionality to make their way over to your PC.

1. A movable taskbar

Thanks to the September update you'll finally be able to move Windows 11's taskbar away from the bottom of the screen, to the top instead, or the sides if you prefer (an option that people with an ultra-wide monitor often want to use, as it suits that aspect ratio much better).

This is an ability which has always been in Windows 10, but was dropped for Windows 11 because porting it over was a thornier issue than you might think (or so Microsoft told us).

Finally, however, Microsoft has got its act together and the taskbar can now be repositioned in Windows 11 – although I've a feeling this will be one of the features on a slower rollout. Hopefully I'll be wrong on that score and you'll get this ability promptly if you've been keenly awaiting it for the last five years.

It's also worth noting that there's another option introduced here which can make the taskbar smaller, so it takes up less screen real-estate on devices with small displays.

2. The Start menu can now be resized

Want a more compact Start menu? Your wish is Microsoft's command, as this choice has now been introduced to the Settings app for the Start menu. You can elect to have a standard (large) menu, or a small one, rather than leaving it at the default 'automatic' setting whereby Windows 11 chooses the size itself based on your device. The problem with leaving the OS to decide is that sometimes you get the bigger menu on a laptop screen, where it pretty much eats the whole desktop – and so in these scenarios you can now manually choose the more compact Start menu.

With options to remove sections of the Start menu coming on top of this, you can now trim this part of the interface down so it's truly minimal. This choice will be more important than the movable taskbar for many folks – myself included – and it's great to see it now being rolled out.

3. Windows 11 search improvements

Another notable boon with the September update is that there are a few changes for Windows 11's core search functionality, and the most important is a new option that lets you turn off web results in search.

When you're searching for a file on your local drive, those web results often get in the way, so it'll be a relief for many to be able to switch them off. As well as web results (which open in Edge, with searches in Bing, of course), you can also turn off Microsoft Store suggestions. Essentially this is a general decluttering of Windows 11 search which is long overdue, frankly.

Other features in Windows 11's September Update

There's a performance boost for File Explorer in that the Home page now loads faster, and switching between virtual desktops in Windows 11 is now snappier, too.

Microsoft has made some reliability tweaks as well, including ensuring that the app history information in Task Manager is correct, and also that interacting with the Display panel within Settings is now more stable.

Furthermore, Microsoft informs us that there are some design tweaks here: "This update introduces updated progress indicators across Windows, providing a more consistent and modern experience during startup, sign-in, restart, shutdown, and update installation."

It's also worth noting that the weird mouse bug that affected the preview version of this September update (the optional update released at the end of August) has been resolved.

There's a fair bit happening here, and as one Redditor put it: "What's left for the 26H2 [update] then?"

Well, not a great deal in truth, and if you've been following along with Microsoft's annual updates, you may recall that 26H2 is going to be a very minor upgrade that doesn't do a lot. Indeed, some folks are wondering why Microsoft didn't save these juicy new interface features for 26H2, given that it's out next month.

The reason is likely to be because Microsoft wants to ensure that 26H2 runs as smoothly as possible (with no bigger changes involved). Although to be fair, as noted, due to the rollout process, a lot of folks won't be getting the new Start menu options and taskbar repositioning until October (or possibly later) anyway.

• Sony has seemingly been caught testing dynamic pricing again
• PS5 users are seeing different discounts for Star Wars games based on unknown account factors
• Some regions seem unaffected by the experiment

Dynamic pricing is back in the gaming news, as PS5 players are yet again seeing the wild disparity between discount amounts for the same game — and its all-digital future feels ever more like a nightmare.

When looking at buying Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order while logged into their PlayStation account Reddit user Bluemonkey88 was told it would cost them CA$19.24, or a roughly 65% discount from its RRP. Meanwhile the sequel Jedi: Survivor would set them back CA$23.39 (a 74% saving). As soon as they logged out Fallen Order dropped to CA$10.99, an 80% drop from full price, and Survivor fell to CA$13.49, or an 85% discount.

In the replies, we can see folks being offered the games for CA$13.99 and CA$18.19, though further muddying the waters a couple of US users — one with PS Plus and another without — both see the games at $7.99 and $10.49, suggesting not every region or user is subject to the same price testing.

What is dynamic pricing?

If you haven’t heard before, dynamic pricing is where a product’s cost fluctuates based on who is buying the product, or when they’re buying it.

It goes by other names you might have seen like surge pricing on Uber — when everyone is trying to book a cab, say just as a concert ends or if the weather turns bad, you’ll see costs rise because demand is up.

In Sony’s case here the pricing seems more algorithmic. There’s an unending supply of digital games, so instead the discount amount folks are seeing looks to be based on how likely it is you’ll buy the product, and adjusting the sale until it just tips you over the edge.

For example someone who maybe plays a couple of games a year or isn’t a mega Star Wars or action adventure game fan might see a steep discount as they’ll need more convincing. Whereas a mega fan of Star Wars, or a gamer who digests a new title every other week might be willing to pay more.

It’s like how airlines and hotels are accused of upping costs for folks who have filled their search history with holiday plans to a dream destination — if they’re desperate to go to, say, Paris, then they’ll be willing to maybe pay that little bit extra compared with a more agnostic traveller.

No thank you

This isn’t the first time Sony has been caught testing dynamic pricing. In fact, some kind of experiment has been going on from as far back as November last year.

And it’s as scummy a practice then as it is now, and it will continue to be as awfully anti-consumer as some of Sony’s other recent moves (i.e. killing physical games media).

Though if you’re thinking of jumping ship to Xbox it too has been caught with its hand in the dynamic pricing cookie jar. In its case it appears Microsoft is offering deeper Game Pass discounts to some accounts than others, with current subscribers unable to see the deal at all.

A digital-only gaming future already has so many downsides when it comes to ownership, game archiving, offline access and more, that we simply don’t need to add dynamic pricing to the mix.

Maybe Sony will reverse course, though its efforts for the past year suggest that dynamic pricing is here to stay. The best thing we can do is point it out every time it’s spotted, and making sure we don’t get suckered in with higher prices.

• The Aqua20 Pro Ultra Roller X Complete is Dreame's new flagship robovac
• World's first robovac to use heated steam at 180°C as part of its mop system
• Can also clear double-step thresholds up to an impressive 3.9in / 10cm

When I spoke to a load of major robot vacuum brand execs about where they thought robovacs were heading in the next five-to-10 years, a common theme cropped up: the desire to close the performance gap between manual and robotic floor cleaners. That's not just the vacuuming power, but the mopping prowess too.

And so, at IFA 2026, we have the world's first robot vacuum with steam cleaning powers: the Dreame Aqua20 Pro Ultra Roller X Complete. It's an exciting prospect, but based on the demo I saw, I'm not sure I'd be throwing out my manual steam cleaner any time soon.

The Aqua20 Pro Ultra (I'm not typing the full name each time) vaporizes water into 356°F / 180°C steam, which is pushed out through four outlets along the roller edge. This steam is designed to loosen tough, dried-on stains. The roller then gently scrubs them away, using hot water.

On the demo I saw, the steam function seemed quite gentle — there wasn't enough to be visible on a still photo, although you can see it in the video clip above. My first concern about the system is that there might not be enough steam to really make an impact.

The second is that because the heating happens inside the bot itself, using it has a big impact on battery life. I spoke to Dawn Chen, a Director at Dreame, and he confirmed that with the steam function on, the robot's runtime is around 30 to 40 minutes, compared to around four hours with it off. Steam needs to be switched on and off manually, in the app, and can only be used for a zone that's less than 10 square meters in size. Chen explained that the function is meant for spot-cleaning only; to tackle stubborn and dried on stains.

That runtime is fairly limiting. It makes it difficult to use the steam function as part of a more extensive cleaning session, which is a situation I expect will be common.

Making it work

The process of adding the steam function caused Dreame a few headaches. "During this R&D process, we faced two main problems. The first is about the limescale. Because we are turning the water into steam, this process will produce a lot of limescale," Chen explained. "To solve this problem, we added some limescale remover inside the robot, in the pipeline."

The second — and perhaps bigger — challenge was to do with controlling the temperature inside robot itself. "Because we put this kind of heat inside the robot body, the heat it produces will affect other components, especially the electronic components inside the robot body," Chen told me.

To address the issue, the engineers had to add internal insulation to protect the different components. And that was easier said than done — Dreame had to completely redesign the inside of the robovac to add the steam components, and insulation, while still maintaining the streamlined shape and size.

All the talk of limescale and preventing damage to internal components instills a certain amount of fear in me. I can't help but wonder if iRobot might have had the better approach — that brand's new Roomba Max 875 expels warm mist rather than steam, and the active heating happens in-dock rather than on-bot.

The demo showed a much denser cloud of mist than Dreame's bot was expelling, and because the Rooma bot itself isn't doing any active heating, using the mist function has a minimal impact on battery life. Of course, the really important thing is how effectively each robot cleans, and we won't know that until we've had a chance to test them.

Other upgrades

Back to the Aqua20 Pro. Aside from the headline steam feature, you'll also find an upgraded 'Proleap' system that can now bump the bot over single steps up to 2in / 5cm, or double steps up to 3.9in / 10cm. That's the tallest threshold clearance I've seen from any brand (so far) although in the demo it sometimes took a couple of run-ups to make it over.

Dreame has also added enhanced AI vision with adaptive learning — so the robovac can apparently react to moving objects and re-plan its route, in real time, in response.

The roller can kick out from the side of the robovac by up to 8cm / 3in — much further than its predecessor, the Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete — to get nice and close to the edges of rooms. To avoid unwanted dampness while all this is going on, the main vacuum roller and side sweeper can both lift (by 5mm and 10mm respectively) while the mopping is happening. The roller can also lift 15mm when the bot is traversing carpet.

The Dreame Aqua20 Pro Ultra Roller X Complete is due to launch on September 21 in Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland, followed by a number of other European countries. I don't have a launch date for the UK yet, but Chen promises it'll arrive before the end of the year. Due to FCC regulations, launch in the US is unconfirmed.

• Steam achievements of upcoming and unannounced games have leaked
• The achievements include spoilers for games like Control Resonant, Kingdom Hearts, and Persona 6
• Valve hasn't commented on the achievements or recent prototype leak on Steam

Steam achievements for both upcoming and unannounced games may have been leaked by Valve and spotted on the third-party site Exophase.

As reported by PC Gamer, the leak includes nearly 90 games, including Control Resonant, Kingdom Hearts 4, Gears of War E-Day, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and Persona 6.

The leaked achievements are listed for each title on Exophase, including spoilers for major plot points, character reveals, and even weapon unlocks (notably for Kingdom Hearts 4), despite missing full descriptions. It's effectively created a minefield of spoilers to avoid, which is made worse since the list includes games that don't even have a release date.

It's not exactly clear how this leak occurred on Valve's end, but it doesn't appear to be a breach of the Steam platform. Instead, it may very well be an issue with Valve's API exposure, at least according to Exophase owner Mike Bendel, who claims it's a "possible screw-up on Valve's end", which makes this the second slip-up in just a few weeks.

Recently, around 12TB to 13TB of early prototypes, unreleased titles, and scrapped builds of games between 2003 and 2013 were leaked from Steam, including games such as GTA 5, The Binding of Isaac, and even some of Valve's very own games like Left 4 Dead.

It's possibly the worst spell of game leaks for publishers launching games on PC platforms like Steam, especially with the leak of builds for games like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Forza Horizon 6 before launch.

There's clearly a major security issue at hand with Steam, and until it's addressed, game leaks seem inevitable. Game achievements, while potentially spoiler-filled, are minor in comparison to the very recent game prototype leak.

Valve hasn't made an official statement on the Steam prototype or achievements leaks, but with its impact on both publishers and consumers, it wouldn't be surprising to see both cases addressed soon.

• Check Point Research exposed coerced insider flaw in ChatGPT’s agent architecture
• Containers shared metadata via internal service, enabling cross‑account prompt injection and data theft
• OpenAI closed the path, but CPR warns similar risks may exist in other AI platforms

ChatGPT’s AI agents were allowed to pull sensitive data from one account shared with an entirely different account because, colloquially speaking, all agents used to walk down the same hallways, experts have warned.

A new report from security experts Check Point Research (CPR) dubbed the flaw “coerced insider”, since it revolves around persuading the agent instead of abusing a vulnerability.

Coerced insider

When an AI agent is given a task that needs code execution, it handles that task in an isolated container which also sometimes needs to install software. To enable that, without giving containers direct internet access (which would be too risky), OpenAI routes those packages through an internal JFrog Artifactory instance. As a separate security contingency, containers from different accounts cannot talk between themselves.

However - they can reach the same internal service (our proverbial hallways), which exposes an item management feature that lets the containers attach text or binary properties to a repository item. As a result, any container can read back the properties written by any other container.

“Check Point Research confirmed the isolation gap directly: a property written from one account’s container was fully readable from a different account’s container moments later, with data too large for one property simply split into chunks and reassembled on the other end,” the researchers explained.

“The package delivery metadata effectively became a shared clipboard between containers that were supposed to be walled off from one another.”

From there, the exploit turns into your usual, off-the-shelf prompt injection. The only difference is that the malicious prompt is not delivered directly to the victim, but rather left in the hallways, and the results are not shared with the attackers directly, but rather left in those same proverbial hallways, too.

The attacker then delivers a prompt or a shared conversation that instructs the agent to check the same storage during its next ordinary reply. The agent checks, sees the malicious instructions, executes them, all the while replying to the victim’s question in the usual manner. The victim is oblivious to the fact that data theft is taking place in the background.

What kind of information can be stolen?

But this is just half of the equation. How destructive this attack ends up being still depends on the amount of data being shared with the victim agent.

The bare minimum is the information shared while chatting to the agent. It then grows with every connected app: Gmail, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, GitHub, and similar. “In Check Point Research’s demonstration, ChatGPT retrieved the victim’s email data through their connected Gmail account and delivered it to the attacker’s session, all within a single ordinary turn,” CPR stressed.

The good news is that you’ll likely never be exposed this way, at least not via ChatGPT. CPR says it disclosed the findings to OpenAI, who then confirmed that the specific internal Artifactory instance identified in the research has been commissioned. In other words, the hallways attack path has been closed.

The bad news is that this doesn’t automatically mean everyone’s safe. This particular path might be closed, but the architectural pattern behind the flaw could be present in other platforms, CPR warns.

“Any AI assistant that operates inside an organization’s trust boundary, holding credentials, running code, and reaching connected services, can become what Check Point Research calls a coerced insider,” the report states. “The model itself does not need to be malicious. It only needs to be persuaded, through text it was never meant to trust, to use access that was granted for entirely legitimate reasons.”

Going forward, businesses are advised to learn which AI tools their employees are using, and what those tools are connected to. Then, they should govern what AI tools and agents are allowed to do, treating all of their actions (not just output) as something that needs to be monitored.

• CD Projekt Red says The Witcher 3 Remastered and its many upgrades helped realize Songs of the Past
• Game director on Songs of the Past, Jakub Rokosz, says the team had a "certain vision" for the expansion, but there were technological challenges
• He says the remaster "helped with applying optimization" to the expansion

According to CD Projekt Red, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past, may not exist without The Witcher 3 Remastered and its many upgrades.

If you missed the bombshell news the Polish studio dropped during Opening Night Live, The Witcher 3 Remastered is a massive free update arriving on September 29. It offers many improvements to the base game and the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions, such as upgraded visuals, a refined combat system, new Witcher Signs, transmogrification, and more.

The remaster will essentially rework the game in its entirety, giving fans of the 11-year-old role-playing game (RPG) an excuse for another playthrough, ahead of the upcoming expansion Songs of the Past.

Now, in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, Jakub Rokosz, CEO of Fool's Theory and game director on Songs of the Past, and senior quest designer Despoina Anetaki shared that without these technological improvements, their vision for the expansion may not have been fully realized.

"The stars had to align, so to say, because a few things had to happen," said Rokosz, who was also one of the original senior quest designers for The Witcher 3. "The Songs of the Past expansion and Letten itself, the area that it takes place, it had a certain vision. We had a certain vision for it, and it posed us certain specific technological challenges that was impossible to realize without the remaster changes.

"So the conditions had to grow for the remaster to appear on the horizon for us to be able to realize this, so this is actually two things meshing together to make it a reality."

The developer explained that Letten's lush vegetation, small bushes, and dense forests caused issues during development, but were resolved with the remaster's advancements.

"One of the challenges when we started prototyping the area was [that] it was impossible to ride with a horse through it, basically," he continued. "So we had to do some improvements on the horse handling side, right? So it feels more organic or more natural."

Letten also features a big lake in the middle of its map that allows players a view of the horizon, and as Rokosz explained, having this huge amount of open space where you can see fishermen fishing "posed a challenge in terms of how the engine was handling this. So the remaster helped with applying optimization."

Songs of the Past is due to launch in 2027.

• Qualcomm has detailed its next flagship Snapdragon chipset
• It features a Hexagon NPU that reduces the reliance on RAM for AI tasks
• It also includes the world's first 5GHz mobile CPU

AI is transforming technology, but it’s also causing some real issues, especially with regard to RAM, which is now in high demand and short supply (cue spiraling RAM prices). But Qualcomm’s upcoming flagship smartphone chipset could help address this issue.

In a series of blog posts, the company has revealed that its new, as-yet-unnamed mobile silicon brings AI processing closer to the chipset, reducing its reliance on RAM in the process.

It achieves this in large part through a new Hexagon NPU (neural processing unit), which uses various techniques to power “larger-model-class AI experiences with low power consumption and memory requirements” so that AI on phones can be both responsive and private — in other words, it won’t need masses of RAM or to communicate with cloud servers so frequently.

As a result, it’s possible that phones will be able to keep up with growing AI demands without enormous RAM requirements, which in turn could help ease the RAM crisis.

Additionally, the Hexagon NPU includes an Element Accelerator that speeds up AI operations, and it has 50% more Large Shared Memory, which “helps keep model state, context, and KV-cache data closer to the accelerators, reducing trips to external memory and helping agents answer, revise, plan, and act with less waiting” for a smoother experience.

Big upgrades to the CPU and GPU as well

But the NPU is not the only significant selling point of this chipset, as Qualcomm also explained that its new silicon sports the world’s first 5GHz mobile CPU — which, unsurprisingly, means it’s also the world’s fastest mobile CPU.

This CPU also includes a new FlexCache feature, which reduces how often the cores need to reach system memory, helping ensure peak performance is maintained even when memory is limited — which, as with the changes to the NPU, could reduce reliance on RAM.

The GPU, meanwhile, is the largest generational leap yet for Qualcomm, promising major gains in graphics performance and power efficiency. And this element of the chipset helps with AI too, as it includes Adreno Matrix Cores, which are AI-dedicated GPU cores, “designed to run advanced AI models directly inside the graphics pipeline.”

It also includes Adreno Neural Fusion — an AI-driven rendering technology that improves visuals while reducing power consumption.

So, it sounds like this could be a comprehensive upgrade, and while Qualcomm hasn’t confirmed which phones will use this as-yet-unnamed chipset, it’s likely at least some models in the Samsung Galaxy S27 series will ship with it early next year, while other high-end Android handsets from Oppo, Xiaomi, and Honor could get it even sooner.

• Rivals season 2 part 2 release date confirmed for November 11 by Hulu and Disney+
• Begins with a three-episode premiere followed by weekly releases
• Upcoming episodes will feature 'a Hunt Ball, a chaotic Bonfire Night and a very Rivals Christmas

Breathe a sign of relief, Jilly Cooper fans: Rivals season 2 part 2 returns to Hulu (US) and Disney+ (international) from November 11, 2026.

The season's second half is set to kick off with a three-episode premiere, with weekly releases of the remaining three episodes following after.

Our core cast is set to return — well, all except for one, which we'll get to in a minute — but we'll also see the introduction of three important new characters.

Rachael Stirling will play Lady Monica Baddingham’s vampish younger sister Araminta Pemberton, Rupert Evans is erudite headmaster David Hawkley, and Santiago Cabrera takes on the role of Argentinian Polo legend Alejandro Mendoza.

While overarching plot details have been limited to episodes featuring " a Hunt Ball, a chaotic Bonfire Night and a very Rivals Christmas," the shock part 1 cliffhanger tells us exactly where we'll be picking the action up... and that's a bittersweet thing.

Rivals season 2 part 2 first-look images tease a Lizzie-Freddie reconciliation

Spoilers for Rivals season 2 part 1 ahead.

Rivals season 2 part 2 is set to pick back up with Monica's (Claire Rushbrook) funeral, with the full mid-season synopsis reading: " Picking up after the gut-wrenching mid-series finale, Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and Declan O'Hara's (Aiden Turner) battle for the Cotswolds crown reaches fever pitch, while Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) is forced to confront his own personal demons.

"Against a backdrop of hedonistic parties, Bonfire Night chaos, the Hampshire Hunt Ball and a turbulent Christmas, affairs unravel, alliances fracture and rivalries intensify. Caught in the middle of the frenzied franchise war, Taggie O'Hara (Bella Maclean) must find the courage to follow her heart, while those around her face the consequences of ambition, power and secrets that can no longer remain hidden. But as series two draws to a close, who will get their happy ending?"

Not only does this signal that Taggie and Rupert will find their way back to each other before the season ends, but the above first-look image also teases an much-anticipated reunion between Freddie (Danny Dyer) and Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson).

After almost being caught together in the first half of season 2, Lizzie decided to be the bigger person and end things with Freddie before their colliding worlds got any more complicated. Has this decision made her happy? No, so you know that it's not going to last for long.

Expect "secrets, betrayals and explosive twists," and if we're being honest... that's just the start of it.

• Qualcomm to help build custom silicon and optical networking for AWS data centers
• Amazon will acquire 25 million Qualcomm shares, worth over $4 billion
• AWS data centers are more efficient than the industry average, but behind Google's

Qualcomm and Amazon have announced what they have describing as a "multi-generational product collaboration," in which Qualcomm will help build future AI data center infrastructure for AWS.

Because this isn't a one-off project, instead of announcing a single component, the companies are likely to work together across multiple generations of infrastructure spanning both custom inference silicon and high-speed optical connectivity.

Together, the two companies are expected to combine their expertise in AI infrastructure and data centers to improve performance, power efficiency and cost efficiency for a future where data centers exist in even higher volumes.

AWS and Qualcomm to work together on future data centers

The project spans two key areas – custom AI silicon and networking hardware. On the silicon front, Qualcomm will help produce custom AWS silicon with a major focus on inference, giving the chipmaker a potentially big entry into the data center semiconductor market – one that Nvidia has seen major success in.

As for networking, Qualcomm will be behind high-performance optical connectivity for AWS data centers, covering connections of up to 1.6T initially but plans to scale.

With data centers under intense pressure from all angles to boost efficiency and reduce resources consumption, operators are being forced to make progress in all areas, and reducing losses between components with efficient networking is often overlooked compared with outright chip efficiency.

"As AI demand accelerates, data center infrastructure will require advances in both computing and connectivity to deliver greater performance with more efficiency,” Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon summarized.

In Amazon's 2025 sustainability report, it declared a global average PUE of 1.14, which was nearly 9% better than the public cloud industry average of 1.25. Still, Google says it managed a fleet-wide average of 1.09, so Amazon's work with Qualcomm could be key to it overtaking Google.

"By working together on customized silicon and advanced connectivity, we’re delivering more performant, efficient, and cost-effective infrastructure for our customers," AWS VP Prasad Kalyanaraman added.

As part of the deal, Qualcomm has issued warrants for Amazon to acquire around $4.03 billion in stock, per a SEC filing – the equivalent of 25 million shares priced at $161.26. Qualcomm is currently trading at $174.09, up nearly 5% in five days.

• The final season of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has been revealed
• It includes a Doom crossover and lots of Halloween content
• Only one new multiplayer map is being added, however

Activision has lifted the curtain on the content coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in its final season ahead of the Modern Warfare 4 launch.

With a new game on the way, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that this update is going to be a smaller one. Still, it includes plenty of spooky Halloween content as part of the series' annual The Haunting event.

This includes a bombastic Doom crossover, allowing players to unlock loads of Doom-themed rewards in a new limited-time event pass. As usual, this pass will be divided into two tracks: a free one and a premium option.

The free track contains new operator skins for Wei Lin and Falkner, plus an adorable Mini Slayer weapon charm and a range of other rewards. Completing the entire track will grant you the Roc 20mm special weapon — a massive, almost cannon-like rifle that fires devastating 20mm rounds.

The premium track, on the other hand, unlocks the Doom Slayer himself as a playable operator in the JSOC faction. By default, he's wearing his Doom: The Dark Ages attire, but the premium track's final reward is an alternate classic 1993-style skin.

Other weapons introduced in the upcoming season include the TR41 Para Assault Rifle, which will be available at launch, and the Arcblade melee weapon added later on. There are also some new weapon attachments on the way for the VS Recon Sniper Rifle, Dravec 45 SMG, and Sokol 545 LMG.

Unfortunately, the offering is pretty sparse on the map front, with only one new one being introduced. It's called Quantum, and it looks like an appropriately ruined laboratory. There is at least also a new version of the existing Homestead map, called Bloodstead, for you to explore as well.

The cool Hordepoint mode will be returning from previous games in season too, challenging players to face off against a rival team and spawning waves of zombies.

All of this comes alongside a fresh battle pass full of new skins and unlocks, not to mention additional content for the Zombies and Endgame modes, plus the free-to-play Warzone battle royale.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Xbox One.

• Invoke Studios head Dominic Guay says Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons' imp companion Skev provides narrative and gameplay assistance
• Skev will provide lore to the player as they explore Darkon, but can't be controlled in combat
• Guay says the imp is "his own character" with his own personal motivations

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons' imp companion Skev serves multiple purposes for the player, but was designed to be "his own character."

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, Invoke Studios head Dominic Guay offered more insight into Skev and his relationship with the warlock protagonist Kaatri, revealing that the imp will assist the player as they navigate the open world of Darkon both narratively and with his utilities.

However, while Skev will act as a companion to Kaatri, Guay stressed that he still has his own motivations, including seeking out his lost master, just like how Kaatri is searching for someone too.

"We iterated a lot on him. So he actually is his own character," Guay said. "That was important to us. He wasn't born to be a sidekick. That was the mentality. He used to be the advisor to the ruler of Darkon, so in a way, he had a really important role in that land before his master vanished, and his quest is to find his lost master, and Kaatri's quest is to find someone too.

"So, he tags along, and Kaatri's kind of like, 'Oh well, he knows this place, and that's useful.' So he gives you a lot of insights as you travel around. You find new places."

The studio head said Skev will offer lore about new locations as players explore, adding that he thinks of the imp as "your unreliable guide to Darkon."

Skev won't be controlled by the player either, Guay confirmed, so he won't die in combat or get in the way, but will sometimes help in certain instances, like by picking locks.

"You can actually decide how you want to upgrade his abilities throughout the adventure," he added, "So [there's] some practical application."

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons arrives in 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

• iRobot has unveiled its new flagship Roomba Max 875 Combo
• It sprays out heated mist to dislodge dried dirt from hard floors
• There's a seal around the vacuum to maximize pickup power

iRobot has revealed its latest flagship robot vacuum, and I've just seen it in action at IFA 2026. The Roomba Max 875 Combo is a combination robovac-and-mop, and boasts some intriguing features on both of those floorcare prongs.

One that caught my attention in particular is the mopping setup. Robot vacuum mopping has historically been rather underwhelming, but the latest models are showing some significant improvements. iRobot's Roomba Max 875 Combo's USP is its 'ThermaMist' function. I got the low-down from Adam Pope, Chief Engineer & Vice President of Product Planning & Development at iRobot.

"The ThermaMist is a pretty interesting technology," he tells me. "It's an ultrasonic warm mist, meant to pre-treat stains. So it'll detect stains and pre-treat them before it mops. The customer can also activate it in a certain area if they want to just do that whole area.

"The heat gives you a little better power to break up some of the oily or sugary stains that might be sticky. So that's the reason that we have the heat in there, really, try to help break those up."

Unlike on Dreame's new mist-expelling robovac, which heats the water on the robot itself, here the heating happens in the dock. From an engineering perspective, what's interesting is that the on-bot process of creating ultrasonic mist also naturally generates warmth.

"The dock can put hot water in the robot, but the actual ultrasonic ThermaMist part of that process, it does actually heat the water as it's coming out," explains Pope. "When [the water] goes through that process, it comes out warm, even if there's room temperature water in the robot."

The fact there's no active heater on the robot itself is good news for battery life. "With the ThermaMist on, it's going to have a small impact on the battery life, but not a large one, because the process of heating is part of the ultrasonic component," Pope confirms. "It's not like there's a special heater that you're running all the time."

Unfortunately, iRobot wasn't demoing the ThermaMist feature when I visited the booth. However, based on the video (above) I was sent over later, it looks promising — there's a good amount of mist created, and it's being delivered evenly. In theory it sounds like a truly interesting innovation, and one that has plenty of potential to deliver strong mopping results.

iRobot has also extended the mop, which is larger in diameter and spins faster than its predecessors, for extra scrubbing power. It can kick out to one side to get close to the edges of rooms, and there's a shield that will slide under the roller as extra protection against unwanted sogginess when the bot is moving over carpet.

Sealing the deal

There's interesting innovation on the vacuuming front too. iRobot has added a 'SealForce' system, which is essentially a kind of skirt around the suction inlet on the Max 875 Combo, which lowers to form a loose seal against the carpet fibers.

"The SealForce brings a component of the cleaning head down to the floor, so you get all that airflow going right through the deep fibers of the carpet, trying to pull everything deeply out of the carpet, or even out of crevices, grout lines, that sort of thing," says Pope. "It's really kind of applying the suction where you need it most."

In the demo, the 'SealForce' seal wasn't as dramatic as I had been expecting. You can see the moving frame around the suction inlet below, and in the right-hand photo it's about as extended as it gets. That small shift could be enough to make a big difference to the suction, through — we'll need to test it out to find out.

iRobot is traditionally shy about publishing its suction specs, but here it has done: the Roomba Max 875 Combo offers 35,000Pa, which is right up there with the highest numbers you'll find anywhere. I'm increasingly of the opinion that it doesn't really matter anyway. The suction is only as effective as the wider design you put it into — and if it works as intended, this seal could make a big difference to the Max 875's pickup power.

Saving grace

The past few years have been a rocky time for once-supreme robot vacuum brand iRobot. Its bots have fallen behind the pack when it comes to features, so it's exciting to see the company starting to find its footing again when it comes to innovation.

The iRobot Roomba Max 875 Combo is on sale now in the UK, priced at £1,099. (equivalent to about $1,490 / AU$2,060). iRobot has a presence in Australia, but I don't yet have launch details for the 875 Combo there.

What about the US? Due to the new FCC ban on foreign-made "advanced" robots, the Max 875's launch is on pause for now. iRobot was founded in the US, but at the start of the year it was taken over by Chinese manufacturing company Picea. However, this takeover isn't to blame for the fact the brand can't now sell its new products in the US; the ban refers to where the product is manufactured, and Roomba bots have long been made outside of the US.

In terms of future plans, Pope has this to say: "We're working through with our advisors on how we continue to sell in the US. So we have multiple plans that we're working through and multiple strategies that will come to fruition, and we'll still be able to bring cool technology to the US as well."

• The first trailer for Neon's Sam Altman biopic Artificial has been revealed
• The Andrew Garfield-led movie will be released in late 2026/early 2027
• It covers Altman's controversial rise to prominence as OpenAI's co-founder

The first trailer for Artificial, a movie about controversial OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, has been revealed.

Unveiled yesterday (September 8), the teaser for the Neon-distributed film strikes an unusually sinister tone for what's being billed as a biographical comedy-drama.

Indeed, from the gun-laden room that lead star Andrew Garfield, who'll portray Altman, visits, to Garfield's unsettling voiceover that plays over Artificial's publicly-released footage, it's certainly foreboding in nature. I get the feeling, then, that it'll be a dark-comedy dramatization of Altman's rise of prominence, the launch of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT, and his brief and somewhat disputable ousting as OpenAI CEO in late 2023.

Artificial will initially debut in US theaters on December 25, 2026, before receiving a wider international rollout in early 2027. UK viewers, for example, will have to wait until January 22, 2027 to catch one of many new movies that'll arrive in the months ahead.

Artificial cast and crew: who's involved?

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, Call Me By Your Name) is on directing duties, while Saturday Night Live writing alumnus Simon Rich has penned its screenplay. Meanwhile, Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn has also created original music and songs for Artificial.

Where the movie's cast is concerned, Garfield, who impersonates another Silicon Valley techbro following his portrayal of Eduardo Savarin in The Social Network, aka the 2010 dramatization about Facebook's creation, is arguably its most recognizable star — and based on what little footage we've seen thus far, he appears to have Altman's mannerisms, vernacular, and other unique traits down to a tee.

Here's who else you'll see in Artificial:

• Yura Borisov (Anora) as Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's chief scientific officer and co-founder
• Monica Barbaro (Crime 101) as Mira Murati, OpenAI's chief technology officer
• Cooper Hoffman (The Long Walk) as Greg Brockman, OpenAI's chairman
• Ike Barinholtz (The Studio) as Elon Musk
• Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) as Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called 'Godfather of AI'
• Jason Schwartzman (The Grand Budapest Hotel) as TBC
• Chris O'Dowd (The IT Crowd) as TBC

What is the plot of Artificial?

Here's the official logline for Artifical: "[The movie] chronicles the incredibly consequential days leading up to the sudden firing and reinstatement of Sam Altman, as the fate of who gets to control the technology at the centre of an AI arms race hangs in the balance."

It's unclear how much of Altman's backstory, his various relationships with his OpenAI colleagues, and ChatGPT's launch and subsequent sociopolitical impact will be covered as part of Artificial's story. One thing is for sure, though: given that it dramatizes events concerning Altman and OpenAI, the discourse that will surround Artificial's release will be impossible to ignore.

• Google is investing over $15 billion into Finland over two years
• Nuclear energy, wind power and battery storage are top of mind
• The company is also improving local forests, adding new saunas

Google has announced plans to invest around $15.1 billion into Finland's AI and digital infrastructure over the course of the next two years, making it its largest single investment in Europe to date.

The company said the extra capacity is needed to meet growing local demand for services like Gemini, Maps and YouTube, but instead of just growing its data centers, Google is also allocating money for grid upgrades, clean energy projects, battery storage and more.

The country's cool climate and low-carbon electricity are especially attractive for hyperscalers as they try to improve the efficiency of data centers against a backdrop of heightened public and regulatory scrutiny.

Google is investing heavily in its Finnish data centers

The Hamina campus, which it's been running for around 15 years, is especially notable because it uses both seawater-based cooling to minimize its water consumption impact, as well as an offsite heat-recovery scheme to redirect waste heat into local properties.

Local communities in Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos, and Vaala are set to receive a combined $36 million in funding to support upskilling and education, while as many as 37,000 jobs are expected to become available throughout the 2027-2028 construction phase.

On the energy front, Google has signed a 22-year power-purchase agreement to support the extension of the Loviisa nuclear plant and has drawn up plans to add new onshore wind capacity and a new 94MW battery facility to bridge the gap between renewable energy availability.

Google Global Infrastructure VP Bikash Koley also stressed the company's other community and environment investments, including native forest and wetland regeneration, accessible recreational trails, public saunas and fishing piers.

For Finland in particular, Google claimed to have invested around $4 billion in Hamina and related infrastructure alone since acquiring the site, a former paper mill, in 2009.

God, the search for Joe (Zoe Saldaña) is taking its sweet time, isn't it? At this rate, things still won't be resolved by next week's Lioness season 3 finale.

The CIA has narrowed its rescue search to the Houston area, but fallout from dismantled Russian networks in Washington has led to some tense confrontations and a pretty disastrous decision for one of our leading senators.

But surely this week has to bring better things... right? And when does Lioness season 3 episode 7 arrive on Paramount+?

What time can I watch Lioness season 3 episode 7 on Paramount+?

Lioness season 3 episode 7 will drop on one of the world's best streaming services in the US and Canada on Sunday, September 13 at 12am PT / 3am ET.

Here's when it will be released in other nations globally:

• US – 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada – 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK – 8am BST
• India – 12:30pm IST
• Singapore – 3pm SGT
• Australia – 5pm AEST
• New Zealand – 7pm NZST

When do new episodes of Lioness season 3 come out?

Lioness season 3 will have a total of eight episodes, with new entries airing weekly. That gives us the following schedule:

• Episode 1: out now
• Episode 2: out now
• Episode 3: out now
• Episode 4: out now
• Episode 5: out now
• Episode 6: out now
• Episode 7: September 13
• Episode 8: September 20

• Chrome will get new updates every two weeks to minimize real-world attacks
• Smaller, incremental changes should also make it easier to track any issues
• Other major browsers are also shifting to two-weekly release cycles

Google has confirmed that Chrome has officially moved from a four-week Stable release cycle to a two-week one, with effect from September 8 2026 with the launch of Chrome 153.

Besides adding new features, the main objective is for Google to give us performance and security fixes more promptly in an era of increased complexity and heightened vulnerabilities.

And it's exactly those security concerns that pushed Google to want to double Chrome's update frequency in the first lace, with the company now having to deal with a higher volume of patches than ever before.

Chrome will get updates every two weeks

Together with a higher volume of attacks in general, Google has also benefitted from AI-powered vulnerability discovery tools, giving developers more work to do than before. "With automated AI discovery tools and community bug reports generating higher patch volume, shorter release cycles make managing security fixes significantly simpler," the company wrote.

Crucially, the faster cycle reduces the time between a fix landing in Chrome's public codebase and it actually reaching end users, making it less likely for a bug to be exploited in the wild.

Chrome has been adhering to a four-week cycle since 2021, but the world is a very different place in the space of just half a decade.

With the higher pace of releases, Google also anticipates a smaller scope of changes, which could actually be a good thing because it could be easier for developers to identify what went wrong in the event of any issues.

Desktop, Android and iOS versions of Chrome will all be impacted by the change, with Chrome 154 already slated for a September 22 release.

More broadly, Google says Chrome isn't the only browser getting more frequent updates. Microsoft, Mozilla and Brave are also making similar changes, and they're all undergoing those changes right now.

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past spotlights Dandelion and will tell a "complete" story
• Jakub Rokosz, Fool's Theory CEO and Songs of the Past game director, says CD Projekt Red wants to "give justice to Dandelion"
• Senior quest designer Despoina Anetaki adds that "it felt like a chapter was missing"

CD Projekt Red has said The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's third and final expansion, Songs of the Past, will "complete" the game's story by giving Dandelion the bard the spotlight he deserves.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, Jakub Rokosz, Fool's Theory CEO and Songs of the Past game director and former Witcher 3 senior quest designer, explained that rather than the expansion serving as a bridge to The Witcher 4, as some fans might have expected, it actually completes Wild Hunt's story by delivering a new chapter that the team felt was missing.

However, the developer declined to comment on whether the expansion will have any direct connection to The Witcher 4, so we'll have to wait and see.

"We always wanted to give Dandelion the proper spotlight he deserved," Rokosz said, acknowledging that it's odd for an 11-year-old game to receive a new expansion. "So we knew that there was no space in the base game to give him justice. That's what I wanted to say: Give justice to Dandelion."

Songs of the Past will center Dandelion in Geralt's final journey in The Witcher 3, where players will explore Letten, the bard's homeland, and be wrapped up in another supernatural mystery.

"We knew that at some point we wanted to address this thing, because Dandelion is a very important character in Geralt's life," Rokosz continued. "There's a misconception of him being this comedic relief, and this is his only role in the Witcher series, whereas that's not true. He's a very deep and intelligent character. He used to be a professor at Oxenfurt [Academy], and he writes beautiful poetry, so we want to show the players what's behind that mask of a joker, where he came from, what his family is about, what's the world [like] where he grew up."

Senior quest designer Despoina Anetaki added that it doesn't matter that the expansion arrives 11 years later, only that the whole story has been told.

"What's really important to us is not so much like should we release an expansion 11 years later; it could be, I don't know, 20, 100 years later," Anetaki said. "What matters is that the story we tell is complete. This is part of The Wild Hunt, and it felt like a chapter was missing, like something was not there. One more thing we wanted to tell, right? And Dandelion's story was one of those, right?"

The developer revealed that the team went back to the original Witcher novels and used the source material to make something that could "excite fans" and "something that could excite us most of all, because it was a difficult question when this idea was first pitched to the team."

Anetaki explained that the team had to figure out what would pull Geralt out of his retirement, and it had to be important enough to warrant a full-length expansion. That reason was Geralt's best friend, Dandelion.

"Once we identified that important thing," the developer added, "it all clicked together, and it became very clear that yes, we need to make this expansion because it makes us as fans of The Witcher really excited about it, and I hope that the players will also feel that."

Songs of the Past doesn't have a release date yet, but it's slated to launch in 2027. In the meantime, fans can look forward to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered, which arrives this month on September 29.

• Creative Assembly has explained how it designed a faithful Warhammer player experience for Total War: Warhammer 40,000
• Battle product owner Dave Petry says the team didn't directly recreate the tabletop systems, but tried to "authentically simulate" them
• Creative Assembly continued its "trusting" relationship with Games Workshop, which shared its "infinite knowledge"

Creative Assembly worked closely with Games Workshop to ensure the Total War: Warhammer 40,000 player experience was as "authentic" to the tabletop game as possible.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, lead designer Joy Dey and battle product owner Dave Petry discussed the upcoming strategy game's combat system and shared how it was able to faithfully translate the feeling of Warhammer's tabletop systems.

Rather than a complete one-to-one recreation, Petry explained that the goal was to "authentically simulate" the feel of the tabletop's combat.

"We really, really care about trying to authentically simulate the feeling of the type of combat, whatever period or kind of warfare that it is, right?" Petry said. "So in a historical, obviously, war on Earth, and generally we have the sorts of weapons that you have on Earth. When it's fantasy, it's magic and mages and all that sort of stuff, and obviously, with the science fantasy and 40k, the biggest reference point you have to that is the tabletop.

"But it's not necessarily like the be-all and end-all of it," he continued. "We're not transposing the tabletop, right? We're trying to create an authentic sense of the lore and the kind of combat that's there, but the love for the tabletop absolutely is present."

Petry said that, like so many fans, he's been playing and collecting Warhammer 40k since he was young and confirmed that references and nods to the universe, like names, abilities, and lore, are in the upcoming strategy game. However, he said some elements of the tabletop game "just don't fit" with the game's real-time simulation

Creative Assembly also focused on making the game feel "familiar" to the Total War franchise; combat has also been scaled up, and he explained that macro positioning, where the player's forces are, flanking, and enemy morale are all things that come into play.

Petry said positioning in particular is being treated as "an interpretation of the lore and the universe, with the tabletop being one of the most important references."

The developer also added that Creative Assembly continued its long-standing collaboration with Games Workshop to ensure authenticity, saying their "special relationship" has helped the studio combat issues it was dealing with.

"[If] we can't find the thing that quite works for [the game], or this piece of lore sounds similar, but doesn't quite work," Prety added, "And for them to be able to come back with their infinite knowledge of all of this stuff and go, 'Well, you're right. This doesn't quite fit, but over here we have something that actually might be able to do the job.'

"And that close or trusting collaboration has, I think, enabled us to create something that captures that authentic feeling."

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 launches in 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

• Marantz unveils MCR 60n mini hi-fi hub
• Amp and streamer which includes MM phono stage and HDMI eARC
• Designed to be compact, so it won't take up as much space as a hi-fi stack

If you're under the assumption that your small home or rental apartment means you can't enjoy an advanced hi-fi set-up, Marantz's new release might have you re-thinking things.

The beloved heritage hi-fi giant has released a new device: The Marantz MCR 60n — and no, despite the name, it's not solely designed to play My Chemical Romance or songs written in Manchester.

This combined streamer and amplifier has been devised as a "mini hi-fi player", according to the brand. While we weren't told its actual size, its footprint is noticeably smaller than a turntable's in the accompanying images.

It'll go on sale on September 15, 2026, and there are two models. For $1,000 in the US (about £740, AU$1,500) you can get the standard model, and there's one available in Europe and Australia with a DAB radio squirrelled in, for £800 / AU$1,700 (about $1,100).

So it's not cheap per se, but perhaps its range of features — and household name status — will make up for that.

Welcome to the Black Parade

• Watch England vs Pakistan FREE on Tapmad (Pakistan)
• Outside Pakistan? Unblock cricket streams with NordVPN
• 3rd Test: September 9-13 from 11am BST / 6am ET daily

Watch England vs Pakistan live streams as the hosts arrive in Birmingham for the 3rd Test having already wrapped up the series after dominating wins by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and by 194 runs at Lord's. It’s a welcome return to form for a revamped English team, after a tough 4-1 Ashes defeat followed by a 2-1 Test series loss against New Zealand at home.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have pressed the panic button, making a series of changes. They’ve let go of as many as seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, who has been very ordinary, Imam-ul-Haq, who’s surrounded by a fake injury controversy, and Salman Ali Agha, who was captain in the first Test, dropped from the second and now sent home.

They've also let go of Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul after just six matches on the job, with Pakistan having won just one overseas Test in the last three years. They've replaced them with their white-ball coaches Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke. The PCB has also launched an investigation into discipline and conduct within the Pakistan team.

Needless to say, Pakistan need to show some teeth at Edgbaston. They haven't crossed 200 runs in any of the four innings so far, with their bowling also coming under massive scrutiny for their lack of pace and variety.

England, meanwhile, will not be looking to make any changes. Their in-form bowling lineup of Ollie Robinson – player of the match in both of the first two matches – Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson have been performing exceptionally well, and everyone in the batting lineup, barring the two openers, have got runs at some point in the series too.

You can catch all the England vs Pakistan 3rd Test action live and free. Read on to find out how.

Use a VPN to watch England vs Pakistan 3rd Test from anywhere

If you're keen to watch cricket but you're away from home and your preferred coverage is geo-blocked, you could always use a VPN to access it (assuming you're not breaching any broadcaster T&Cs, of course). You may be surprised by how simple it is to do.

The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with a 75% discount, and three months for free.

Quick start: Using a VPN to watch the 3rd Test between England and Pakistan from anywhere

Using a VPN is incredibly simple, just follow these steps.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're visiting the U.S. and want to view a Pakistani streaming service, you'd select a location from Pakistan (like Karachi) from the server list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to Tampad and watch England vs Pakistan 3rd Test just like you would at home.

How to watch England vs Pakistan 3rd Test live streams in the US

Cricket streaming service Willow TV is the place to watch the England vs Pakistan 3rd Test in the US.

If you don't have it as part of your cable package, you can watch Willow coverage through your choice of Sling TV's Desi Binge Plus or Dakshin Flex plans – starting from $10 per month.

Alternatively, you can add Willow TV to your Prime Video subscription and watch cricket live streams from there.

Outside the US right now? You can make use of NordVPN to catch the action.

How to watch England vs Pakistan 3rd Test live streams in the UK

The England vs Pakistan 3rd Test is being shown on Sky Sports on the Cricket and Main Event channels.

Sky Sports plans start from £35/month or £22 if you're an existing Sky subscriber. Alternatively, grab a NOW Sports subscription from £14.99/day or £34.99/month.

If you're on holiday outside the UK, you can use NordVPN to access Eng vs Pak coverage.

How to watch England vs Pakistan 3rd Test live streams in India

In India, England vs Pakistan 3rd Test is being shown on the Sony Sports Network, with live streaming available via Sony LIV.

Sony LIV subscription plans in India start at ₹599 for the Mobile-Only yearly plan, or you can get the ₹999 Premium yearly plan.

If you're currently out of India but want to watch the matches live, you'll need to get yourself a VPN to access streaming services back home.

How to watch England vs Pakistan 3rd Test live streams in Australia

The third Test between England and Pakistan is being shown on Fox Cricket via Foxtel in Australia, with live streaming available via Kayo Sports.

Kayo Sports starts at AU$30 per month after a 7-day free trial. Or you can get your first month for AU$1.

Remember if you're out of Australia at all during the match, get NordVPN to stream Eng vs Pak from anywhere in the world.

How to watch England vs Pakistan 3rd Test live streams in Pakistan

In Pakistan, the third Test is free-to-air on PTV Sports (TV) and on Tapmad for cord-cutters.

That said, the free tier on Tapmad will have a lower-quality stream with ads playing during over breaks and fall of wickets. There's a premium tier, too, at PKR 499 per month, which unlocks an ad-free, high-definition (HD) stream.

If you're currently out of Pakistan but want to watch an England vs Pakistan 3rd Test live stream, you'll need to get yourself a VPN, as per the instructions above.

England vs Pakistan: Tickets

Want to watch England vs Pakistan live? Seat Unique have you covered:

England vs Pakistan 3rd Test Q+A

Squads

England: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Fazal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori, Razaullah, Saad Baig, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah

England vs Pakistan Test series schedule

1st Test: 19-23 August, Headingley (11am BST) - England won by an innings and 103 runs

2nd Test: 27-31 August, Lord's (11am BST) - England won 194 runs

3rd Test: 9-13 September, Edgbaston (11am BST)

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

• First new 'PEN' digital rangefinder with the OM System name unveiled
• It costs from $999.99 / £849 / AU$1,499
• New 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Mark III kit lens launched alongside the camera

Olympus fans, the day has finally come — OM System has relaunched the Olympus PEN series, and put its name on it, with the new OM System PEN.

The new PEN carries the torch of the iconic Olympus PEN-F, with a classic and compact retro form factor and a low-cost plastic body to keep costs down (rather than aluminum). I must say it looks every part the travel and everyday mirrorless camera, with an equally and surprisingly attractive entry-level price point more in line with the PEN E-P7's.

Whereas the (slightly pricier) five star-rated EM-5 Mark II has a viewfinder bump (which also looks great in my opinion), the OM System PEN is a rangefinder-style mirrorless camera, with the same 2.36m-dot OLED viewfinder that sits flush in the body instead.

And the specs are just as attractive as the IPX1-rated dust- and splash-proof body: the same 20.4MP micro four thirds sensor with 5-axis image stabilization rated up to 5.5EV, 121-point phase detection autofocus with subject detection AF for people and animals, plus a host of computational photography modes that are an absolute blast to play with — my OM-3 review paints a picture of how fun modes such as Live ND can be.

OM System has also added various color profiles, including two 'Cinema' picture modes designed for 4K video recording, and once again included a color/monochrome switch on the camera's front which packs numerous film-inspired looks.

The camera uses OM System's BLS-7 battery, which delivers a generous 410 shots on a full charge, while USB-C charging further enhances its travel-friendly credentials.

When you consider the retro IPX1-rated body, built-in viewfinder, and stabilized sensor, the PEN feels like exceptionally good value, even if it features a dated micro four thirds sensor which is smaller than APS-C and full-frame, and adds very little that is actually new.

For me, however, the format has always delivered a compelling mix of quality, power and features, and is an easy recommendation for people stepping up from a smartphone, who will find the computational modes addictively fun and familiar.

It was the PEN series that we have been waiting for OM System to refresh since it acquired the Olympus name, and now that day has come the new compact mirrorless model does not disappoint.

Pricing-wise, the new PEN becomes OM System's entry-level model — $999.99 / £849 / AU$1,499 bags you the camera body, in silver or black, or for an extra $100 / £100 / AU$300 the kit with the new mark III version of the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, which was launched alongside the camera, with both due to go on sale from October 1.

I can't wait to get my hands-on the camera — if it's anything like the previous OM System cameras I've reviewed, it'll be a lot of fun to test. For me, the OM System PEN looks like a serious best beginner mirrorless camera of the year contender.

• Ukrainian drones forced American soldiers to rethink movement, concealment, and battlefield survival
• Blackhawk troops changed their tactics after persistent aerial surveillance exposed their movements
• American armored vehicles suffered losses despite attempts to conceal them from drones

A 10-day US Army combat training exercise in Germany has drawn attention after reports claimed Ukrainian drones overwhelmed an American mechanized company during the drill.

At the center of it is Blackhawk Company, part of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, which spent the ten days training at a range in Hohenfels.

The company commander, Capt. Allan Watson, disputes that account, insisting the report failed to capture what his soldiers actually accomplished over those days.

Entering a battlefield dominated by drones

Blackhawk Company entered a 14-by-27-kilometer range where Ukrainian personnel from the 412th Regiment supported opposing forces during initial operations.

The Ukrainian elite formation, called Nemesis, had battlefield experience and used aerial systems to observe American movements across the range.

The American unit claims to lack the counter-drone equipment its soldiers would have preferred throughout the event.

Rather than relying on unavailable equipment, soldiers altered how they occupied positions, moved vehicles, and concealed personnel from aerial observation.

Bradley vehicles moved beneath dense vegetation, while troops used steep ground and difficult routes to reduce their exposure from above.

The company also studied its movements from an aerial perspective, changing routines that might have made detection easier for enemy operators.

Despite those changes, American vehicles were destroyed during simulated combat, including Bradley vehicles plus tanks, while some crews were also counted as losses.

Watson, however, rejected the idea that these losses proved heavy armor had become unsuitable for modern combat environments.

He said armored vehicles remained useful because they provided mobility and protection while allowing soldiers to move through difficult terrain during operations.

Adapting tactics changed the exercise

The commander said drones could locate American forces, but exploiting that information still required personnel operating at ground level.

That distinction became important as the exercise progressed, because Ukrainian aerial surveillance did not remove the need for conventional reconnaissance.

On the sixth day, Blackhawk Company shifted from defensive tasks toward offensive operations, while the Ukrainian formation later operated alongside American troops.

Watson said the soldiers became increasingly confident as they adjusted to conditions that challenged assumptions formed through earlier training.

The Ukrainian participants also shared methods for operating inexpensive drones over long distances and linking battlefield observation with rapid engagement.

“They put on a masterclass in sensor-to-shooter kill chain management and speed,” said Capt. Allan Watson, Blackhawk Company commander.

Watson also said the experience showed that technology alone does not determine battlefield outcomes, because human decisions remain essential during combat.

For Watson, the principal lesson was not that drones had replaced armored formations, but that units must adjust tactics when aerial surveillance becomes persistent.

However, this is also not the first US military exercise where Ukrainian drone teams have caught American forces off guard.

In an earlier exercise in Germany, US troops were defeated so quickly that exercise officials allowed those units to re-enter the scenario.

These events were designed to expose weaknesses, test countermeasures, and help American forces prepare for drone-heavy warfare.

Ukraine’s experience against Russia has made its drone units especially capable in unmanned systems and electronic warfare operations.

The repeated setbacks, therefore, raise a more direct question about whether US forces should adapt more quickly and improve their capabilities.

Rather than explaining away each defeat as a training outcome, American forces need to treat these exercises as warnings.

Via Task&Purpose

• The LOCUST X3 laser is developed by AeroVironment, Inc.
• It is designed as a “group 3 killer” – meaning it is intended to tackle particularly dangerous drones
• The Xbox controller makes the LOCUST X3 laser simpler to target

A new US Army contract worth around $465 million has been awarded to AeroVironment, Inc. for its LOCUST X3 anti-drone weapon, a 30-kilowatt laser that can be mounted on military vehicles.

Designed to take down mid-sized attack drones, the LOCUST X3 can specifically handle what the Department of Defense refers to as “Group 3” – unmanned aerial vehicles weighing 1,350 pounds and capable of lifting 125 pound payloads over a distance of 8 miles.

Interestingly, AeroVironment, Inc. has designed the LOCUST X3 to be relatively easy to control. Operators (which may be soldiers, sailors, airmen, or even Space Force guardians) can target the anti-drone laser using an Xbox controller.

“The apex predator”

Incredibly, this is the first high energy laser weapon to be awarded a production contract in US history, following several years in development, which included military testing.

Wahid Nawabi, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer at AV said: “The transition of directed energy from experimentation to an enduring, fielded capability reflects years of collaboration, innovation, and operational success alongside the U.S. Army.”

Aaron Westman, senior director for business development at AeroVironment, Inc., outlined how the LOCUST X3’s role is viewed by the company. “It can really kill a lot of threats. Its job is to really, let’s say, thin the herd to be able to kill high volumes of threats.”

John Garrity, vice president of directed energy systems at AeroVironment, Inc, expanded on the use of an Xbox controller for targeting the anti-drone system.

“To a young soldier, sailor, airman, guardian that’s using these systems, it’s not unlike what they’re using at their own house for video games," he noted.

“Group 3 killer”

The purpose of the LOCUST X3 is to dispatch attacking drones relatively efficiently. But what does “Group 3” actually mean?

Garrity told reporters that “LOCUST X3 is intended to be the Group 3 killer. When we talk about Group 3, that’s just one of the more prevalent threats that you see in warfare today, seen in conflicts in Iran and in Ukraine with Shahed drones.” The LOCUST X3 is intended to be a one part of the US Army’s response to done attacks, with other weapons contributing to the multi-layered defense against Group 1-3 UAV threats.

The one-way Shahed-136 drones have been used against US troops in the Middle East. The LOCUST X3 is positioned as a solution to this, and not just due to its portability. It also has longer range than many similar countermeasures.

US interceptor missiles are believed to be largely depleted thanks to the conflict with Iran. Anti-drone weapons like the LOCUST X3 are viewed as a forward-thinking alternative.

• 69% of Americans oppose AI data centers near their communities, a national poll finds
• Public support for nearby AI data centers has fallen sharply since 2025
• Only 4% strongly support new data centers in their communities today

American resistance to AI data centers has intensified sharply over the past year, several national surveys released in 2026 have found.

A new Decision Desk poll conducted by SurveyMonkey found that over two-thirds (69%) of respondents oppose construction of these facilities near their homes.

Nearly half of those surveyed (45%) said they would strongly oppose a data center built anywhere close to their own neighborhood.

Data centers do not have widespread American public support

Separate research from Heatmap Pro, carried out by Embold Research in mid-August 2026, points to an even sharper decline in public backing, as its poll of 2,045 registered voters found 75% opposed building a facility near their community.

Only 4% of respondents said they would strongly support a proposed data center in their area, a drop from 13% recorded a year earlier.

Resistance now cuts across age, income, party affiliation, and the split between rural and urban communities nationwide.

Republicans remain 43 percentage points net negative on the issue, independents sit at 65 points negative, and Democrats register 75 points negative.

Rural voters, a group that has trended Republican in recent years, are 63 points net negative as well.

Officials across the political spectrum have taken notice. New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered a one year pause on new facilities, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott froze several pending projects pending a required audit.

Heatmap Pro figures reveal that over 530 counties and municipalities have restricted or banned data center construction.

Political and economic fault lines

President Trump has pushed back publicly against the trend, framing local opposition as economically self-defeating.

“The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.”

However, Republican supervisor Dawn Vogel backed a local moratorium earlier this year, putting her at odds with Trump's national agenda.

“I don’t think this is a Republican or Democratic issue…It’s an issue of what’s the best use for the land, what’s the best use for our natural resources,” Vogel said.

“You can have all the data you want to in the world, but if you don’t have water to drink, you don’t have humans to use the data.”

Lawmakers who once championed data centers as economic development tools are now revising their positions under mounting public pressure.

Ohio Senator Jon Husted, an early advocate, introduced legislation this year requiring data center operators to cover added electricity and water costs.

The gap between economic promises and local resource concerns appears to be driving much of the shift.

However, labor unions have generally taken a more favorable stance, citing steady construction jobs and strong wages tied to the facilities.

• The AVEN thrust-vectoring nozzle has been added to the X-BAT AI-piloted fighter with vertical take-off capabilities
• Thrust-vectoring allows a plane’s exhaust to be redirected, instead of relying purely on manipulating airflow across the wings for movement
• The engine was first trialed on an F-16 fighter in the 1990s

Shield AI has revealed the X-BAT AI-piloted fighter jet relies on a jet engine variation first developed over 35 years ago and tested on a General Dynamics F-16 in the 1990s.

The AVEN – Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle – essentially replicates the actions of a wing, but instead of manipulating airflow across the airfoil, it directs the exhaust, in a process labeled “thrust-vectoring.”

Developed for the F-16 as part of a dedicated GE Aerospace program investigating Multi-Axis Thrust Vectoring (MATV), the nozzle was proved to work. The technology has recently been revived thanks to GE Aerospace and Shield AI, with the AVEN paired with an F110-GE-129E engine.

The VTOL X-BAT needs AVEN

Using the Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle, the X-BAT is given flight capabilities that would prove demanding for humans to repeatedly endure. It enables hovering, but also superhuman reaction speeds, and removes the risk of G-force induced blackouts. Without pilot fatigue, the X-BAT can commit to extreme maneuvers in aerial combat.

Designed as a Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft, the X-BAT can be deployed in areas with little or no runway. The Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle is a key part of this, providing the necessary thrust for the X-BAT to take off. As the craft launches more like a rocket than a standard jet fighter, the AVEN and the F110-GE-129E engine appear to ensure a steady detachment from the launch dock as the X-BAT heads skyward.

It’s a setup that might resemble something out of a 1950s sci-fi comic, but in reality can only work successfully without a human pilot.

AVEN isn’t unique to the X-BAT. While the GE Aerospace project with the F-16 proved the technology worked, it was pursued elsewhere, most notably with the Russian Sukhoi Su-27SM revision of 2002. Earlier craft, like the Harrier variants, use “2D thrust vectoring” where thrust is directed horizontally or vertically via exhausts on either side of the aircraft. Indeed, the notion of thrust vectoring dates back to the V-2 rocket, the long-rang rocket used by Nazi Germany in the final months of World War Two.

Modernising the AVEN

Shield AI and GE Aerospace haven’t simply stuck to the original AVEN hardware and attached it to the F110-GE-129E engine. The nozzle has been re-engineered, with modern materials and production techniques. Inevitably, it has also been adapted to work with 21st century guidance systems, and the AI piloting and control systems are also accommodated.

First test flights of the X-BAT are expected to take place in Kansas by late 2026, ahead of a planned 2028 operational validation and full production.