• Musk posted on X that production of Cybertruck will be winding down
• The move has been made to “make room for increased Cybercab production”
• It gives us our best indication yet that Cybertruck will join Model S and Model X

Elon Musk has used his X account to reveal that Tesla will be "winding down" production of its divisive Cybertruck at its Gigafactory in Texas around "the middle of next year", in order to make room for increased production of its Cybercab robotaxi.

Musk stopped short of saying whether this means the end of the Cybertruck altogether, or merely that production is going to be moved elsewhere. But the project’s lead, Wes Morrill, posted a more reflective statement to the social media site, saying: "Cybertruck was an incredible technology development platform and lives on through Cybercab".

That sounds a bit like an obituary to us and many users rushed to post their responses, which ranged from high praise for the angular electric pick-up truck, calming it was “the best vehicle ever made” to blunt putdowns.

Although others highlighted a point that many Tesla commentators have been focussing on in the past few years: the fact that Tesla doesn’t seem all that interested in EVs any more.

One X user wrote: "Serious concern for continuity on Model 3 and Y... sensing here an end on consumer products from Tesla," while another pointed out that the winding down of Cybertruck could mean for owners that they “won't get meaningful software updates anymore” and Cybertruck's software will grow “increasingly stale”.

Whatever the stance, it is difficult to get away from the fact that Cybertruck has been a commercial disappointment.

From claiming it had over one million reservations for the truck shortly after it launched in 2023, to estimations placing deliveries at around 30,000 for all of 2026 — way down on the planed 250,000 annual sales — it hasn’t shipped in the numbers Tesla predicted.

Customers have also had to put up with plenty of compromise, including reports of poor off-road performance, disappointing electric range and worries about recalls, one of which was issued over fears that the wheels could fall off.

Tesla also massively over-promised and under-delivered. It failed to deliver its range-extending battery pack, which was supposed to offer the claimed electric mileage the company originally boasted, while its much-lauded Cybertent, or Basecamp, was a $3,000 disappointment.

Even reducing the price didn't work, as it scrapped the cheapest Cybertruck after just five months on sale.

Analysis: is this the end of the road for Tesla's EVs?

Things haven't been great for Cybertruck ever since chief designer Franz von Holzhausen attempted to demo its "armor glass", only to smash it in front of a live audience.

But one of the most obvious signs of its recent demise is the fact that Tesla has made it deliberately difficult to determine just how many it was selling in recent years.

The company has been bundling sales figures in with the now-defunct Model S and Model X, as well as the Tesla Semi truck, in order to make the numbers seem more impressive than they actually are.

It is not a nailed-on fact that Cybertruck is dead, but it is a good indicator that Tesla is considering wiping yet another EV from its line-up… a worrying trend that points towards a growing focus on autonomous vehicles and its Cybercab program.

Aside from the attention-grabbing Roadster, which used flying stunts to make headlines, there has been no talk of real EV innovation, no word on a new model to rejuvenate the current line-up and no attempt to keep up with the sort of battery-swapping, megawatt charging EV infrastructure China is busy introducing to the world.

Say what you like about Cybertruck, it has always served as a halo product, something that diverted attention towards the brand. But in automotive circles, halo models only work if showrooms are full of great cars customers actually want to buy.

Where Tesla is concerned, that line-up is shrinking and compared to the competition, is rapidly falling behind.

• AMD's CEO has said that it's a "data center first company"
• Lisa Su observed that: "I see AI and super intelligence becoming more and more essential to every aspect of our lives"
• The CEO predicted a double-digit fall in PC sales next year, and gamers aren't happy at all with what they see as an abandonment by Team Red

AMD's chief executive hasn't been making many friends in the PC gaming community this week, having offered up a telling admission, alongside an ominous sales prediction, all off the back of the firm's latest financial results.

In an interview with Brian Sozzi, who is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor, Lisa Su made it clear that AMD is a company with a lot of resources to expand its supply and the "ability to help our customers", but sadly the customers in this case are data centers, not consumers.

Su then delivered a frank admission: "We are a data center first company."

AMD's CEO also again underlined that AI is very much the future, and that "over the horizon I see AI and super intelligence becoming more and more essential to every aspect of our lives."

On top of this, as OC3D spotted, during AMD's earnings call for Q3 2026 (which was all about bumper profits), Su said that "PC sell-through slowed late in the quarter as higher memory and component costs weighed on demand," while forecasting that next year wouldn't be a good one for desktop computers and laptops.

The CEO observed: "In 2027, we are planning for PC market unit shipments to decline by a double-digit percentage."

In other words, an over 10% slump. The chief exec added this caveat: "In this environment, we expect to outperform the market as we deliver our Ryzen roadmap and grow our commercial footprint."

That presumably refers to the launch of Zen 6 processors for consumers (and businesses), the next-gen Ryzen family, which is expected to arrive early in 2027 and should obviously stoke some interest.

Analysis: dark times for the PC

It's no surprise that AMD has 'followed the money', as the old saying goes, because this is how businesses work, and profits reign supreme. Data center GPUs are way more profitable than consumer models.

If we look at the amount of revenue that AMD raked in from its data center business in this latest quarter, it very nearly doubled year-on-year and was up 97% to $8.5 billion. That dwarfed client and gaming (Ryzen and Radeon, mostly consumer) revenue, which was $3.7 billion (down 8%).

Looking at the balance sheet, it's clear enough AMD is a data center-first company — but actually saying this out loud, in no uncertain terms, sends out further signals about where Team Red wants to be, along with all the messaging that AI is the future.

Is it any wonder that gamers feel bitter about this? Hardly. Back at the start of 2024, AMD's consumer revenue was actually more than data center, albeit only marginally, but still — that picture has shifted massively over the past couple of years.

And with the prices of consumer GPUs shooting up as graphics chip production is increasingly prioritizing AI accelerators for data centers, there's a lot of bad feeling for obvious reasons. Nvidia's graphics card business is the same story too, of course, and GPU price hikes have been getting out of hand in the past few months for GeForce and Radeon cards alike.

Given clear negative predictions about the PC market next year — with AMD joining in on that — and the company's equally clear unwillingness to do anything about that with its plentiful resources, consumers are looking at a dismal future. One in which I fear that GPU price hikes are going to follow in the footsteps of steep RAM and SSD inflation, which has become beyond painful at this stage. Many forecasts point to the RAM crisis getting worse in 2027, of course.

All of which means it's hardly surprising that there's a profound sense of disappointment in AMD on social media, given this fresh data center comment from Lisa Su.

One Redditor declared: "AMD was a lot of people's last hope, but looks like PC gaming is over."

Dramatic? Well, yes, it is, but nonetheless, every single metric, forecast, and piece of analysis is strongly suggesting 2027 will be a desperately bleak time for the PC, and I have a hard time disbelieving that this is the truth. I've recently written about GPU pricing and how Black Friday could be your last chance to get an upgrade at a relatively reasonable price, if you need one.

• A new Garmin update could share the location of cyclists
• The locations would show up for drivers in Waze
• It appears the feature will be fully opt-in from the user side

Whether you're a cyclist, driver, or both, we can probably all agree that a better awareness of who's using the road is helpful for everyone — and Garmin is rumored to be working on a new feature that would pass on the location of cyclists to the Waze app.

This comes from Gadgets & Wearables, reporting on hidden code discovered in the latest version of the Garmin Connect app. That code includes the text strings "share location with Waze", "share your rides with Waze", and "Waze location sharing", which is telling.

There also appears to be a consent and onboarding flow already included in the app. That all suggests that the feature could be launching imminently, but there's no guarantee that it will roll out until Garmin makes it official.

Clearly this would be very much opt-in, and only available when the cyclist was using the LiveTrack feature for an activity. LiveTrack is designed for location sharing with friends and family, but it could be easily adapted to work with Waze too.

Safer on the road

We don't know much about how this is going to work yet, but presumably approaching drivers aren't going to be able to see your name and health stats if you decide to make use of this — just that there's a cyclist on the road up ahead.

That should make journeys safer for both cyclists and those in vehicles, especially on narrow and winding roads, and in the evening or when visibility is otherwise difficult. It's actually difficult to see many downsides, if this works as advertised.

Waze is already well known for the depth and breadth of information that it displays on its maps, with a lot of real-time details supplied by users. The maps include updates on roadworks, speed traps, accidents, gas prices, and more.

We'll have to wait and see which Garmin wearables will support the feature and exactly how the integration works, but it sounds promising. As Google owns Waze, cyclist alerts might even graduate to Google Maps eventually.

• Famed game creator Hideo Kojima has voiced his opinions on AI
• He said human creativity is a vital part of the game-development process
• And he’s worried about a future where AI dominates the industry

Legendary games maker Hideo Kojima is known for the creativity of his output, from the Metal Gear Solid series to Death Stranding, so it’s unsurprising to hear that he has strong opinions on the use of AI in video games. And in a fresh interview, he told readers exactly where he feels AI falls flat compared to human-made artistic expression.

Speaking to Japanese site Game*Spark, Kojima said that while it’s good that AI has improved efficiency, “the fun isn’t in finishing the picture. It’s in the process … While it’s fine to tell a computer to create this or that, and then say, ‘That’s wrong, change it,’ I don’t find that very interesting in terms of craftsmanship.”

“I’m worried about what will happen to that aspect of the enjoyment of craftsmanship in the future,” he added.

Kojima said he feels that there’s a distinction between using AI for creative output and employing it to form a finished product: “If you’re just making a ‘product,’ that’s fine, but I think the fun for creators lies in the creative process itself. I think ‘creativity’ and ‘products’ are different things.”

In other words, AI doesn’t offer creators the kind of spark they get from crafting something themselves. And it’s that kind of magic that so often resonates with consumers of Kojima’s media.

His comments reflect those of Jason Graves, the composer of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s soundtrack, who spoke out against AI music generation, saying that “Music is not just a bunch of notes strung together.” Instead, the process is essential as it is based on “creative instincts forged by emotion and all the little decisions that give a piece of art its own unique personality.”

The effort itself is key

Kojima didn’t just muse on what AI means for video games and other creative outlets in the present — he also had thoughts on how it could impact the future.

For instance, the game director said: “It’s not about telling someone to make a song like this and then being satisfied with the result; it’s the trial and error in between that gets the adrenaline pumping, and it’s incredibly exciting. I don’t want a future where that’s lost.”

He then reflected that, “I think it will be fine for five or 10 years, but if AI continues unchecked, perhaps a future where AI plays a vital role in creative fields will come someday. Well, I won’t be around by then. It’s up to the younger generation to decide, so I want to pass the baton to them.”

If the goal is purely to improve efficiency, AI could help to build a “good future,” Kojima noted. But for someone like him, there’s evidently much more to crafting something than just making it quickly with minimal effort.

Indeed, the effort itself is a key part of creative development. As Kojima put it, “Even with plastic models, the shape is the same no matter who builds it, but the process of assembling it is what’s interesting, isn’t it?”

• Deloitte finds 28% of businesses report current revenue growth, up from 20% earlier this year
• Productivity and improved decision-making are still performing better
• Sovereignty has become an integral part of AI strategies

New Deloitte data has claimed that when it comes to business AI, we're finally at the stage of ROI, with more organizations than before now reaping the rewards of their costly deployments.

As many as 28% now report current revenue growth as a result of their AI strategies, up from 20% compared with earlier in 2026, the firm's report found.

Realizing higher revenue is largely seen as one of the most important returns from AI – with companies spending so much on services and infrastructure, they need to make that money back.

AI adopters are finally seeing increased productivity translate into higher revenue

While other areas like efficiency and productivity (up 74%), decision-making and data insight (up 60%), cost reductions (up 45%) and better client relationships (up 44%) are all moving in the right direction, Deloitte says increasing revenue is still one of the slowest to deliver tangible results.

Deloitte's research also indirectly implies that businesses could be getting carried away with these early signs, because the majority (86%) of businesses surveyed plan to increase AI investments over the next financial year.

Additionally, while early ROI markers are now heading in the right direction, Deloitte worries that many businesses still don't have the right visibility into AI's financial impacts. While three in four (71%) are tracking total spend across token consumption, many can only see the total bill and not the breakdown of which activities lead to which spend.

Jobs are changing because of AI

It's becoming an increasingly familiar concept that employers need to redefine roles as AI becomes more engrained – developers are already seeing a shift from writing code to managing AI agents, for example.

Deloitte says there's a long way to go on this front, because while three in five companies have already redesigned jobs 'moderate[ly]', only 15% of them have done so 'extensive[ly]' and 1% 'completely.'

"Many are still just scratching the surface," the report claims.

The future of AI investments looks different

Looking ahead, Deloitte expects sovereign AI to become even more of an important consideration. Nearly half of Americas (46%) and EMEA (47%) businesses are building in-house to regain control over their workloads, with three in four (74%) global respondents reporting at least 'moderate' importance of sovereign AI.

But the paper does acknowledge the benefits of using centralized hyperscalers, noting that going sovereign or building in-house comes with certain trade-offs – usually "capability, speed or cost."

At the same time, we're hearing more and more about enterprises like Revolut picking up the infrastructure bills themselves, choosing to self-host open-weight models for greater cost predictability, usually at the expense of model performance in scenarios where they can achieve their desired outcomes without leading frontier models.

The report sets out six key considerations for the next stages of AI: adopters must respond by redesigning work as a whole, not just the workflow; costs need to be traceable to the token degree, not just the full bill; AI strategies must align with actions that produce revenue; governance needs to keep up as systems become more autonomous; early adopters are now starting to look at physical AI like robots, and so should you; and sovereignty should be seen as an ongoing effort consideration over a one-time fix.

• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 creative director Jan Theysen explains how King Art introduced ideas from the Warhammer 40K TTRPG
• Theysen says it took "basic ideas" from the tabletop game that were familiar to fans
• Features like Armor of Contempt were also adapted to make sense for the real-time strategy experience

King Art Games co-founder and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 creative director Jan Theysen has explained how the studio implemented ideas from the Warhammer 40K tabletop game to make sense for long-time fans and newcomers.

In a lengthy interview with TechRadar Gaming, where Theysen described how the game manifests the classic RTS experience of the 2004 game and which hero mechanics and UI features it borrowed from Dawn of War 2 and 3, the creative director said that it was always King Art's intention to take inspiration from the beloved tabletop game.

"When it comes to basic ideas for factions, or also for units, for abilities, and so on, that's basically the first place we look," Theysen said. "Because instead of inventing completely new abilities for units, it makes sense to see what they have in the tabletop; is this something that we can adapt or change so it works in an RTS?"

Among those features was Armor of Contempt, a combat bonus for the Space Marine faction, which King Art decided to adapt to make sense in the context of the RTS.

"The tabletop is something different, but it's kind of the same idea, which basically means it makes Space Marines harder to kill, right?" the creative director explained.

"In the RTS, we now have Armor of Contempt, which basically works when Space Marines kill enemies, but also if one of them gets killed, there is more contempt [the attribute], and then basically the next damage you receive goes away from the contempt instead of the HP pool, which makes the Space Marine harder to kill, right?"

He added, "It's not the same mechanic, but it does kind of the same thing. And by naming it Armor of Contempt, someone who knows the tabletop already gets a good impression of what it probably does."

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 launches on PC on December 3. The creative director has also suggested that the game could eventually come to console.

• Audiolab unveils new 6000CDT MK II
• It's a CD transport, dedicated to processing a disc (not the full player)
• Requires a DAC and other separates to let you play the music

I'm writing constantly about the physical media revival, and cover new CD players every week, but new disc buyers might not be aware of how frail these things can really be. One scratch can wipe whole songs off an album, and a cheap CD player might be putting undue risk on your collection.

For that — and several other reasons — CD transports exist, and Audiolab has just unveiled a new model in the form of its 6000CDT MK II. No, I'm not talking about those wallets which you used to use to carry hundreds of discs around with you.

These are, to a certain extent, CD players: they have disc drives and let you control your tunes. But they don't have Digital-to-Analog converters, or DACs, which are vital for converting the sound from your physical media into something your amplifier and speakers (also not included here) can understand.

So why buy a CD device which can't play music from the box? Well firstly, housing the CD reading tech away from other electricals can ensure a clean and stable read, and it also lets audiophiles pick their favorite sound by choosing their own DAC, amp stage and speakers.

Transport you to the (Audio)lab

It also lets the CD transport focus on what it does best: reading discs. Everything in the Audiolab 6000CDT MKII is designed around the process; this lets you get the best from the medium, and ensures your little slivers of music are protected while they're in the machine.

Audiolab has rebuilt the device from the original to make sure all the components like the laser, spindle and disc loader are stable, make no noise and are consistent. The laser correction, which counters any unpredictability in the spin of the disc, has been designed to avoid any unnecessary actions, again making sure no noise gets in the way of your playback.

Looking at the technical specs, the 6000CDT MKII supports standard CDs as well as CD-R and CD-RWs (rewritable discs, basically, for which support can often be unreliable).

The device is set to go on sale at the end of November, for a price of £399 (about $540, AU$800, and we're waiting on exact global pricing).

Of course, if you buy it, you'll also need to pick up the other necessary accoutrements, but Audiolab would love to nudge you towards its very own similarly-styled 6000A MKII amplifier, which has a DAC built in — and judging by press pictures, the company is really hoping you'll pick up both. Fair warning though: it may sound very, very good . And his runs the risk of starting a bona-fide hi-fi collection, which can be quite a slippery slope.

Obviously, you'll also need some pretty nice speakers to appreciate them with. Fortunately, I have listed a few below…

• 100+ organizations are supporting European data center moratoriums
• The temporary ban would buy governments time to assess impacts
• UK set to add 6GW by 2030, but new Covenant sets out expectations

More than 100 organizations across 15 European countries have come together to campaign against ongoing AI data center developments, calling for an immediate moratorium on new large-scale campuses.

The Stop Dirty Data Centres campaign wants governments to take the time to consider environmental, economic and social consequences.

To get the message across, the group is reportedly planning protests across the UK, Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands and France, with events set to take place on November 6 and 7 2026.

Europeans are standing up against data centers

Rather than calling for all new data center projects to be called off, the group just wants a temporary pause so that governments can establish stronger planning, regulatory and environmental frameworks.

It's not the first time we've seen such action – groups across the US have also been petitioning for similar moratoriums, and many states and regions have even been successful in imposing such moratoriums, including New York State.

Campaigners are also putting pressure on data center developers themselves, calling for greater transparency around projects' environmental footprints and operating requirements.

"The explosion of AI data centres across our towns and cities is taking a toll that we can no longer afford," the group wrote, citing impacts on local communities, jobs, energy bills, water shortages, mental health, surveillance and e-waste.

"Big tech companies lobby governments to fast-track construction and operate in secrecy, bypassing protections for our communities and ecosystems," the group added.

The campaign claims support from tens of organizations, including Greenpeace UK, multiple localised Friends of the Earth branches and Extinction Rebellion Bristol.

Meanwhile, the UK government anticipates needing an additional 6GW of AI data center capacity by the end of the decade.

The Data Center Covenant, set out by the UK government, insists that future plans pay for their own energy, invest in improving local communities, adhere to stringent environmental standards, support local jobs and help to enhance national security.

• Report finds 74% of firms prioritize recovery speed over quality
• Businesses are torn on whose responsibility a recovery is
• Defining a 'Minimum Viable Company' helps identify what needs fixing first

New Cohesity research has revealed UK businesses could be putting themselves at risk of cyberattacks because they're prioritizing recovery speed over quality.

This applies to three in four (74%) UK organizations, according to the report, with nearly as many (70%) failing to even check that attackers have been fully removed from breached systems after a cyberattack.

Expenses back this up too, because three-quarters (76%) of the businesses surveyed admitted that cyber resilience investments focus too heavily on prevention rather than response and recovery.

Cybersecurity isn't focusing enough on effective recovery

Crucially, Cohesity's data shows that business leaders are virtually clueless about the state of their IT teams' readiness, with half (52%) of UK CEOs expecting basic business operations to resume within just 24 hours. A false sense of security could partly be why budgets aren't being directed to the right causes.

It's also clear that the responsibility for deciding which systems get restored first is still pretty uncertain – 23% say it should be on the entire board, 21% pin it on the CTO, 20% on the CEO and 14% on a security advisory board.

The report urges all organizations to consider their Minimum Viable Company (MVC) – the minimum combination of systems, processes and services that are deemed necessary for a business to carry on essential operations after an attack.

With a clear MVC, teams will be better placed to know which systems to prioritize. But at present, two in five (41%) don't even have their own definition of an MVC – on the flip side, not even one in five (17%) have a documented and tested definition.

"If you restore a system before verifying attacker access has genuinely been removed, you risk reinfecting yourself," UK&I VP Fraser Hutchison summarized.

Looking ahead, the next stages are pretty clear. Businesses need to define which systems are most fundamental to their core operations and who holds the responsibility of post-attack restoration.

Anime fans who are into science fiction and horror will get a kick out of Devil's Crest, the adaptation of Reki Kawahara's light novels (also known as Demon's Crest). It's a story where sixth-grade twins, Yuuma and Sawa, are playing a virtual reality MMORPG and find that the real world and the game world blur into one with devastating consequences.

Now, death is permanent, and Yuuma must embark on a terrifying mission to repair the rupture in reality while avoiding bizarre monsters which are the result of metamorphoses between real people and in-game creatures. Yuuma's sister has been affected, and so, too, have some of their classmates. The stakes are incredibly high, the action is brutal, and the journey is dark and thrilling. What more could you want?

If you enjoyed what Kawahara did with Sword Art Online, we're sure Devil's Crest will be a must-watch. There are two episodes coming at launch, and much more to come.

Read on as this guide explains how to watch Devil's Crest online – and potentially for FREE.

• TV tips email: Never be stuck for anything to watch again

How to watch Devil's Crest in the US

In the US, you can watch Devil's Crest via Prime Video from November 6.

New customers can get a 30-day free trial if you've never signed up to the service before.

Away from home? Access your usual steams from anywhere with a reliable VPN like NordVPN (get 75% off below).

How to watch Devil's Crest from anywhere

Out of the country but eager to stream Devil's Crest online? You’ll likely be restricted from accessing your usual Prime Video library and other usual domestic streams due to geo-blocking.

Luckily, there’s an easy solution. Downloading a VPN will allow you to watch no matter where you are. It's a simple bit of software that changes your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV as if you were back at home.

Use a VPN to watch Devil's Crest from abroad:

How to watch Devil's Crest in Canada

How to watch Devil's Crest in Australia

It's the same deal in Australia, with Devil's Crest releasing on Amazon Prime Video with two episodes on Friday, November 6.

Not at home? Not a problem. You can sign up to a reliable VPN like NordVPN and bypass geo-locked content.

How to watch Devil's Crest in the UK

Devil's Crest will be available on Prime on Friday, November 6 in the UK.

Abroad? Sign up to NordVPN. Having a reliable VPN can help you access your streams as if you were at home, even if you're on holiday in the UK.

What you need to know about Devil's Crest

Devil's Crest cast

• Yūma Ashihara as Haruka Shiraishi
• Sawa Ashihara as Konomi Inagaki
• Teruki Sugamo as Yūsuke Kobayashi
• Aria Misono as Maaya Uchida
• Kai Kisanuki as Rie Murakawa
• Sumika Watamaki as Sora Amamiya
• Kenji Kondō as Yūya Hirose
• Minagi Sano as Satomi Amano
• Shin Haizaki as Atsushi Tamaru
• Kakeru Niki as Ayumu Murase

Devil's Crest trailer

VPN services are evaluated and tested by us in view of legal recreational use. For example:a) Access to services from other countries, (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).b) Safeguarding your online security and making your online privacy more robust when abroad.Future plc does not support nor condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. We do not endorse nor approve of consuming pirated content that is paid-for.

• Around four dozen US recon and intelligence Marines are joining NATO's Baltic Sentry alongside Finland's Coastal Brigade
• They were re-tasked from training rotations already in Europe and will feed drone and sensor data into NATO's shared picture
• It is the Corps' second Baltic Sentry stint, after roughly 40 Marines deployed to Finland in February 2025

A small team of US Marines is being redirected to the Baltic Sea to help NATO keep watch over the cables and pipelines on its seabed, some of the most exposed infrastructure in Europe.

Around four dozen Marines from 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, and the II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group will operate alongside Finland's Coastal Brigade in support of NATO's Enhanced Vigilance Activity Baltic Sentry.

Both units are based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and Military Times reported a headcount of 48, in line with the recent release announcing the move at the start of October 2026.

Eyes on the water not on the helm this time

What the team brings is surveillance. The rotation will use small uncrewed aerial systems and littoral sensors to feed data directly into NATO's shared common operational picture.

Washington is also keen to stress who is in charge to avoid overstepping: Baltic Sentry is led by European allies under Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum and Allied Maritime Command, with the Marine Corps serving in a "supportive, enabling capacity."

Maj. Gen. Daniel Shipley, who commands US Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa, said working side by side with Finnish allies would build "a cohesive, lethal team to deter hybrid threats in the Baltic littoral."

The Finnish Navy's chief of operations, Capt. (N) Johan Tillander, said the Marines' experience, skills and systems were "perfectly suited for supplementing our situation picture."

This is not the first time recon Marines have taken on the task. In February 2025, roughly 40 Marines from the same battalion deployed to Finland with RQ-20 Puma drones, in what the Corps described as the first activity between Finland's armed forces and the Marine Corps since a US-Finland defense cooperation agreement took effect in September 2024. At the time, the Corps said its expertise in coastline environments made it "a logical partner" for the mission.

Baltic Sentry itself launched in January 2025, after a run of incidents put the region on edge. Two fiber-optic cables more than 100 nautical miles apart were severed on November 17 and 18, 2024, and on Christmas Day the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia was damaged along with four telecom lines, according to a Baird Maritime timeline.

Evidence of Russian interest in cables is more than just an assumption: A Telegraph investigation covered by TechRadar Pro logged more than 500 incidents in which 17 Russian trawlers loitered over or traced cables linking Britain to Europe and the US. UK telecoms minister Ian Murray said Russia was "starting to use commercial proxies," and the UK has proposed replacing its 1885 cable law with penalties of up to 14 years' imprisonment.

In the Arctic, British, Norwegian and American forces disrupted a Russian exercise near Svalbard this spring involving vessels tied to GUGI, Russia's deep-sea research directorate, which was reportedly rehearsing with a device designed to cut cables while leaving little evidence behind. Norway's defense minister, Tore Sandvik, said the operation "sent a clear message to Russia that they cannot operate covertly," although reporting so far shows the device was rehearsed rather than used against a live cable.

The deployment lands amid sharpening tension with Moscow. Stars and Stripes reports that allies have accused Russia of repeated airspace violations, that Estonia has arrested suspects over an arson attack it says Russian special services ordered, and that Moscow has warned it could resort to nuclear weapons if NATO tried to isolate Kaliningrad. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte dismissed the threat, saying "if anything happens, we are ready to counter it."

At the same time, Pentagon officials have reportedly asked Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to tone down their public rhetoric on Russia, according to four people who spoke to Reuters, with policy chief Elbridge Colby among those delivering the message. One European official summed up the request as "Just don't be loud. Don't make noise." The Pentagon declined to discuss private conversations, and a review of US force posture in Europe could yet bring a sharp drawdown.

Read against that backdrop, a few dozen Marines re-tasked from an existing rotation, wrapped in language about European leadership, looks less like an escalation than a low-cost signal: Washington is still present in the Baltic, but quietly and in a supporting role. Whether that proves enough is only something that time will tell.

• Putin orders private data centres to reserve 10% of their capacity for state use
• State authorities can request reserved computing resources with 24 hours' notice
• Private operators retain ownership while the government gains access to reserved capacity

Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed privately operated data centres to make part of their computing resources available for government information systems.

The measure requires affected facilities to set aside 10% of their capacity, giving authorities access when state digital services require additional computing resources.

According to Russian media outlet Astra, the directive appeared on the country's official legal information website on November 2 2026, introducing a strict implementation deadline.

Moscow tightens controls

Operators have been given 10 days to meet the new requirement, although they can continue using the reserved resources during ordinary business operations.

A special government subcommission will determine when the state can demand access, with facilities required to provide the requested resources within 24 hours.

The arrangement does not amount to an outright transfer of ownership, since companies retain control over their facilities and continue operating their businesses.

However, the government gains authority to requisition part of their available computing resources when designated Russian information services require additional infrastructure.

The decree specifies that companies will receive payment for providing access, with the government body responsible for establishing a ceiling on applicable charges.

Officials must also establish procedures governing allocation decisions, including the creation of the subcommission responsible for administering access requests.

The government has assigned the Ministry of Digital Development responsibility for overseeing the country's data centre capacity.

The ministry will assess available floor space and computing resources across domestic facilities and establish operational standards to ensure reliable and uninterrupted services.

The directive arrives amid continuing pressure on Russian digital infrastructure, including Ukrainian attacks against facilities supporting important domestic internet services.

In October 2026, Ukrainian strikes hit three Yandex data centres inside Russia, disrupting cloud platforms, stored information, database services and other online operations.

The attacks followed Russian assaults against essential Ukrainian infrastructure, forming part of the continuing conflict between the two countries.

Foreign infrastructure remains possible under security restrictions

Despite requiring greater domestic capacity for government systems, the decree allows Russian information services to temporarily operate using computing resources located abroad.

Such arrangements require approval from the Federal Security Service, commonly known as the FSB, giving security officials authority over exceptions.

This provision means the new requirement does not completely exclude foreign facilities, although their use remains subject to government security approval.

Russia has separately explored cooperation with American interests involving large computing facilities, including discussions about potential infrastructure projects between the countries.

On October 16, Kremlin representative Kirill Dmitriev said Moscow and Washington were discussing joint data infrastructure proposals involving possible Russian nuclear energy supplies.

The discussions reportedly include using electricity generated by Russian nuclear facilities to support computing infrastructure.

Via United24Media

• Consumer advocates in Portugal want the courts to investigate LG TVs for potential privacy breaches
• Concerns are over what data your TV is logging and where that data goes
• A new study shows that on some smart TV platforms, opting out doesn't opt you out of ACR

In September, a report accused LG of creating "216,000 spy TVs", an allegation LG denies. But that isn't good enough for Portugal's consumer association, which is calling for multiple smart TVs to be taken off sale and for others to be updated to protect viewers' privacy.

The organization, Citizens Voice, is asking the Portuguese courts to review LG's statement against findings by the technology title TEK Notícias, which says the statement didn't directly explain tests involving audio storage when the TVs were offline, or of named security vulnerabilities in webOS.

Citizens Voice wants the courts to investigate and determine whether the data collection breaches consumers' rights, and if so to take action against not just LG but against retailers, too.

LG won't be the only smart TV maker watching the Portuguese action with interest, and other consumer advocates are likely to be paying attention, too. TV privacy is a hot topic right now, and a separate study of smart TVs earlier this year found that multiple manufacturers' TVs were ignoring privacy opt-outs either by design or accident.

When opting out doesn't opt you out

Watching the Watchers is an analysis of US smart TVs and their automatic content recognition (ACR) activities, carried out by researchers at Northeastern University (via The Verge).

As the researchers explain: "2% of U.S. households have a smart TV that can take snapshots of whatever is on screen and report them back. We measured where that data goes, and whether turning the feature off actually stops it."

The researchers tested 12 different commercial TVs across multiple brands including Samsung's Tizen OS, LG's webOS, Roku OS, Google TV, Fire TV, VIDAAA and Smartcast OS.

While the majority were well behaved, only used ACR on their own streaming services (while respecting Netflix and other third parties' no-ACR stances), and offered user opt-outs for ACR, those opt-outs only "fully worked" on four platforms: webOS, Google TV on Sony, VIDAA OS and Fire TV OS.

Rather worryingly, 30 out of 30 test runs using Samsung's own TV streaming service found that despite opting out of ACR, the runs all showed "traffic consistent with ACR" if you used Samsung's own streaming channels. And 100% of opted-out runs on Vizio didn't seem to make any difference to ACR at all: every run "still sent traffic to its Amazon Kinesis ACR endpoint, with no decrease."

The researchers go into much more detail in their research paper, but the 'tl;dr' is that opting out might not opt you out completely or at all depending on which smart TV you have. However, there is an important caveat: ACR data is usually encrypted (VIDAA OS is the exception), so the researchers can't say with 100% confidence that the data transmitted on every platform is definitely ACR information. The best they can do is say that it sure looks like it.

It seems to me that this is another example of tech firms' overreach running up against consumer advocacy and privacy legislation: as a former EU resident I've spent many years reporting on tech firms batting heads with regulators over data usage and privacy.

And it seems to me that there's a simple solution for smart TV makers: be up-front about what data you're using and what you're doing with it, and make sure opting out means exactly that. It's probably a lot cheaper than going to court.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

• OpenAI launches new program to protect residents and businesses near its data centers from power outages
• The Grid Protectors Program is designed to prevent OpenAI campuses from “hogging” all the power
• A new development in Effingham County, Georgia, will pioneer the program

OpenAI wants to protect local communities situated around its data centers from power outages, and has launched a new program intended to deliver both reliability and affordability to nearby residents and businesses.

The Grid Protectors Program is launching with the planned Effingham County, Georgia data center campus, which features an agreement with Georgia Power to make power available in a flexible demand scenario, which should cover demand for around 700,000 households.

OpenAI’s future facilities are designed to be more flexible in how they demand power from the grid, and the Grid Protectors Program viewed as a “starting point” for improved reliability for homes, businesses, and of course data campuses.

Grid Protectors pilot

The Grid Protector Program certainly seems a step in the right direction from OpenAI. It comes against a backdrop of growing concerns over the power requirements of AI data centers and protests over their approval, invariably in locations where residents are resistant.

OpenAI says the pilot site at Effingham County incorporates its agreement with Georgia Power to accommodate “up to 1,000 megawatts of flexible demand response.”

This is intended to ensure local residential and business properties have the power available “to help keep air conditioning running in hundreds of thousands of homes during extreme heat. For scale, that is equivalent to the average electricity demand of roughly 700,000 households.”

OpenAI says this is more than enough to cover the combined households of Washington, D.C., and Boston.

Financial assurances

By working to offer communities assurances of flexible energy at its new site, OpenAI clearly hopes that its upcoming data centers are recognized as more suited to locations that have recently come under fire.

Perhaps they want to be a part of those communities? The launch announcement adds that its new compute facilities are more flexible than older facilities, and OpenAI is committing itself under the Grid Protectors Program to collaborate with authorities.

“We will work with utilities, regulators and policymakers to develop practical arrangements for the campuses we build in the future,” it announces, “arrangements that reflect local grid needs, help campuses support the grid when it is under pressure, and pay the costs we create. Long-term contracts and financial assurances can protect other customers if a project is delayed, reduced or canceled.”

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1747) — hint #1 — Vowels

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1747) — hint #2 — repeated letters

Quordle today (game #1747) — hint #3 — uncommon letters

Quordle today (game #1747) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1747) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1747) — the answers

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1747, are…

• CHARD
• THORN
• COVER
• OUTER

After my starter words picked up a lot of letters in incorrect positions this was largely a game of anagram solving.

In fact, only COVER required me to bring a new letter into the game.

Daily Sequence today (game #1747) — the answers

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1747, are…

• STUNK
• BRASS
• SPICY
• HAVOC

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1746, Thursday, 5 November: SHINE, TAROT, VERGE, LANKY
• Quordle #1745, Wednesday, 4 November: JOIST, CROOK, DELAY, ICILY
• Quordle #1744, Tuesday, 3 November: TRIAL, STAID, LEVEL, BONUS
• Quordle #1743, Monday, 2 November: EXTRA, AMITY, LUPUS, EAGLE
• Quordle #1742, Sunday, 1 November: DROVE, PRIED, SHELL, BEGIN
• Quordle #1741, Saturday, 31 October: ANIME, SWARM, CHALK, RAJAH
• Quordle #1740, Friday, 30 October: ULCER, DIMLY, BRAIN, BEGUN
• Quordle #1739, Thursday, 29 October: PRUDE, MINUS, SAVOY, USHER
• Quordle #1738, Wednesday, 28 October: DEALT, FLUME, SLEEK, RELIC
• Quordle #1737, Tuesday, 27 October: ANKLE, HAVOC, SULKY, WHITE
• Quordle #1736, Monday, 26 October: ASSAY, GLEAM, MUCUS, WRING
• Quordle #1735, Sunday, 25 October: RAINY, BUSED, PROXY, UNDID
• Quordle #1734, Saturday, 24 October: TOXIN, SMART, MOUSE, STYLE
• Quordle #1733, Friday, 23 October: BLIMP, HOIST, FRIED, LURID
• Quordle #1732, Thursday, 22 October: DECAL, WIDTH, WOKEN, LEVER
• Quordle #1731, Wednesday, 21 October: MOIST, VALVE, VERSE, NORTH
• Quordle #1730, Tuesday, 20 October: COYLY, SAUNA, TRIAL, RASPY
• Quordle #1729, Monday, 19 October: EXIST, DECOY, HITCH, FLUID
• Quordle #1728, Sunday, 18 October: FLINT, FUROR, WEDGE, RODEO
• Quordle #1727, Saturday, 17 October: QUARK, ENEMY, SPASM, BLOCK

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1244) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BACKUP
• PICKUP
• MAKEUP
• HOT ROD
• FLATBED
• FABRIC
• EXTRA
• WOOLENS
• TRAFFIC CONE
• SEMI
• CONSTITUTION
• REPLACEMENT
• SPARE
• OSIRIS
• STRUCTURE
• TANKER

NYT Connections today (game #1244) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Put it together
• GREEN: A replica just in case
• BLUE: Vehicle types
• PURPLE: Optical elements

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1244) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: COMPOSITION
• GREEN: COPY
• BLUE: KINDS OF TRUCKS
• PURPLE: ENDING IN PARTS OF THE EYE

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1244) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1244, are…

• YELLOW: COMPOSITION: CONSTITUTION, FABRIC, MAKEUP, STRUCTURE
• GREEN: COPY: BACKUP, EXTRA, REPLACEMENT, SPARE
• BLUE: KINDS OF TRUCKS: FLATBED, PICKUP, SEMI, TANKER
• PURPLE: ENDING IN PARTS OF THE EYE: HOT ROD, OSIRIS, TRAFFIC CONE, WOOLENS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

At a push I might have seen iris in OSIRIS and lens in WOOLENS, but congratulations if your eye knowledge extends to knowing that HOT ROD and TRAFFIC CONE are both ENDING IN PARTS OF THE EYE.

Fortunately, getting the green group was pretty easy — although I did think the category was substitutes, rather than COPY.

My mistake came in assembling KINDS OF TRUCKS, as I included HOT ROD instead of TANKER before realizing my error. I can see clearly now, of course.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, November 5, 2026, game #1243)

• YELLOW: KINDS OF HEELS: KITTEN, PLATFORM, SPIKE, WEDGE
• GREEN: FLOWERS: ANEMONE, LOTUS, NARCISSUS, ROSE
• BLUE: TEARDROP-SHAPED THINGS: PEAR, RAINDROP, SPEEDBAG, UVULA
• PURPLE: LIQUORS WITH LAST LETTERS CHANGED: BRANDO, GIG, RUN, WHISKER

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #978) - hint #1 - today's theme

NYT Strands today (game #978) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• SHORE
• GROSS
• SLAVE
• PENCE
• VALE
• CHART
• FLAT
• FATAL

NYT Strands today (game #978) - hint #3 - spangram letters

NYT Strands today (game #978) - hint #4 - spangram position

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #978) - the answers

The answers to today's Strands, game #978, are…

• HUSK
• LEAVES
• MOSS
• PINECONE
• ACORN
• TWIG
• BRANCH
• SPANGRAM: FORESTFLOOR

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

Once I got the spangram this game became quite easy, with ACORN and TWIG running alongside it, but it was far from a walk in the woods up to this point.

Fortunately, while I struggled to find some autumnal words I did find plenty of non-game words, so took a hint. HUSK wasn’t the easiest of starters, but from here the rest of the game made sense.

Autumn-ness has become quite the trend in recent years. After decades of being in the shadow of the other seasons it is almost as if Autumn hired itself a PR company to make us feel as if we can’t live without pumpkin spice lattes, cozy fires and oversized scarves.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, November 5, game #977)

• WIND
• BREAD
• FAITH
• GROUND
• DANCING
• CHARACTER
• SPANGRAM: GIVEMEABREAK

After that disastrous trip to Berlin in season 1, Julie (Keeley Hawes) and her son Edward (Freddie Highmore) are reunited for season 2. It's not a happy reunion, though, as Edward's honeymoon gets upended when his new wife, Kayla, is kidnapped. Can his mother use her unusual talents to bring Kayla home?

Across six episodes we will dive into the criminal underworld of Spain, full of corruption and danger as Julie and Edward try to balance their mission and their fractured relationship.

The good news is, all six episodes drop in one swoop and they're all in one place globally from the same date, which couldn't make it easier to watch along.

Read on as this guide explains how to watch The Assassin season 2 online – and potentially for FREE.

• TV tips email: Never be stuck for anything to watch again

How to watch The Assassin season 2 in the US

In the US, you can watch The Assassin season 2 via Prime Video from November 6.

New customers can get a 30-day free trial if you've never signed up to the service before.

Away from home? Access your usual steams from anywhere with a reliable VPN like NordVPN (get 75% off below).

How to watch The Assassin season 2 from anywhere

Out of the country but eager to stream The Assassin season 2 online? You’ll likely be restricted from accessing your usual Prime Video library and other usual domestic streams due to geo-blocking.

Luckily, there’s an easy solution. Downloading a VPN will allow you to watch no matter where you are. It's a simple bit of software that changes your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV as if you were back at home.

Use a VPN to watch The Assassin season 2 from abroad:

How to watch The Assassin season 2 in Canada

How to watch The Assassin season 2 in Australia

It's the same deal in Australia, with The Assassin season 2 releasing on Amazon Prime Video in its entirety on Friday, November 6.

Not at home? Not a problem. You can sign up to a reliable VPN like NordVPN and bypass geo-locked content.

How to watch The Assassin season 2 in the UK

The Assassin season 2 will be available on Prime on Friday, November 6 in the UK.

Abroad? Sign up to NordVPN. Having a reliable VPN can help you access your streams as if you were at home, even if you're on holiday in the UK.

What you need to know about The Assassin season 2

The Assassin season 2 cast

• Keeley Hawes as Julie
• Freddie Highmore as Edward
• Shalom Brune-Franklin as Kayla
• Arnaud Binard as Bastien
• Natalia Tena as Inspector Cortez
• Boris Van Severen as Titus
• Jacqueline Boatswain as Isha Lockwood
• Monic Hendrickx as Louise

The Assassin season 2 trailer

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• Ukraine is exploring satellite communications it can eventually control independently
• A SpaceX service disruption exposed Ukraine's dependence on commercial satellite links
• Himera and GomSpace have begun testing Obria Nano in orbit

Ukraine is moving to reduce its reliance on foreign satellite communications by testing technology intended for a future network under national control.

The new initiative brings together Ukrainian defence technology company Himera and Danish spacecraft manufacturer GomSpace, which have developed an experimental satellite called Obria Nano.

The announcement follows recent interruptions affecting SpaceX services used by Ukrainian forces, exposing the risks of depending heavily on one communications provider.

Ukraine seeks greater control over military communications

Since the war in Ukraine began in 2022, Starlink has become an important communications channel for Ukrainian military units operating across the country.

Its connectivity supports battlefield coordination, drone missions and communications in locations where Russian attacks have damaged or interrupted conventional telecommunications infrastructure.

The importance of satellite links became particularly apparent after restrictions introduced in mid-October disrupted Ukrainian connectivity and interfered with operations involving military drones.

Ukraine announced on October 24 2026 that Starlink and Starshield connections had returned to normal speeds following the disruption.

However, disagreement emerged over who had approved the restrictions, with SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk and American officials giving different accounts.

The disruption encouraged Kyiv to explore satellite infrastructure that it can control rather than depend entirely on external services.

At this stage, Obria Nano remains an experimental spacecraft intended to support the development of a Ukrainian communications constellation.

“For us, this project is about more than launching a satellite. It is an opportunity to lay the foundation for an independent communications network for Ukraine,” said Misha Rudominski, Himera's co-founder and chief executive

Obria Nano begins orbital testing as constellation plans develop

The companies said their Obria Nano spacecraft entered orbit after travelling aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission on October 1.

Himera and GomSpace announced on October 27 that testing was underway, with results expected to guide the design of additional satellites.

They intend to develop a constellation capable of providing communications coverage across Ukraine.

Himera and GomSpace also envisage eventually producing spacecraft and ground terminals within Ukraine.

GomSpace, based in Denmark, supplies small spacecraft, communications payloads and satellite components, while Himera contributes experience developing military radio equipment.

Neither company has released Obria Nano's technical specifications, communications capacity, financing arrangements or the proposed number of spacecraft required for the planned network.

This system will probably not replace Starlink, whose existing network provides broader geographic coverage and established operational capacity.

Instead, a smaller Ukrainian constellation could supply dedicated links for selected defence activities while leaving commercial satellite services available for additional communications requirements.

Rudominski said the initial orbital work would help establish the technical capabilities needed for greater national control over communications infrastructure.

“We are starting by testing technologies in orbit, while our long-term goal is to develop capabilities that will strengthen the country’s strategic security and reduce dependence on external communications providers,” he said.

Via Spacenews

• Khadas Mind Go switches between tablet, laptop, and desktop configurations
• A detachable keyboard increases battery capacity from 18Wh to 53Wh
• The cooling stand increases processor power from 12W to 30W

Khadas has introduced the Mind Go, a computer running the Windows operating system which changes between tablet, laptop and desktop configurations through detachable hardware modules.

The central idea is that users retain the same computing components, applications and documents while changing how the computer is assembled.

Weighing 611g and measuring 6.1mm at its thinnest point, the fanless touchscreen computer can operate independently or connect to accessories.

One computer with three working configurations

In tablet configuration, Mind Go functions as an 11.6-inch touchscreen computer, with an LCD panel offering 2800 × 2000 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.

The display reaches 500 nits of brightness and covers 100% of the sRGB colour gamut, while supporting both portrait and landscape orientations.

For laptop use, a magnetic keyboard module adds 79 keys, a full-area trackpad and a separate 35Wh battery to the computer, which increases the computer's total battery capacity from 18Wh to 53Wh.

With the keyboard attached, Khadas claims the device can play videos for up to 12 hours, which is decent for a computer designed with portability and aesthetics in mind.

The keyboard also includes white backlighting with three brightness settings, 1.3mm key travel and a leather-textured cover over its aluminium build.

Desktop operation requires the Mind Go Stand, which provides active cooling and raises the processor power limit from 12W to as much as 30W.

The stand also supplies additional connections, including two HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports and a 2.5Gbps Ethernet connection.

Its other interfaces include two USB-C ports, a headphone socket, built-in speakers and a USB4 connector linking the computer to the docking module

Processor options and prices

Buyers can choose between Intel Core Ultra 5 226V and Core Ultra 7 258V processors, both featuring eight cores and eight threads.

The first configuration includes 16GB memory, 512GB storage and Intel Arc 130V graphics, while the higher option doubles memory and storage capacity.

The Core Ultra 7 version uses Intel Arc 140V graphics, reaches a maximum turbo frequency of 4.8GHz and provides 115 TOPS peak AI performance.

The lower processor reaches 4.5GHz and offers 97 TOPS total peak AI performance, compared with the more expensive model's higher computing figures.

Both versions include Intel AI Boost neural processing, while their respective neural processing capacities are rated at 40 TOPS and 47 TOPS.

The 16GB memory and 512GB storage configuration with an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor costs $1,999 during the super early promotion and $2,299 at retail.

Upgrading to an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, 32GB memory, and 1TB storage increases the price to $2,699 initially and $3,099 at retail.

Adding the keyboard and cooling stand to the 16GB and 512GB configuration brings the price to $2,799 during the super early promotion and $3,099 at retail.

The version combining both accessories with the Core Ultra 7 processor, 32GB memory, and 1TB storage costs $3,399 initially and $3,899 at retail.

As of the time of writing, Khadas has not announced an official launch date or confirmed when sales will begin.

• Huawei's new router replaces conventional styling with a book-inspired enclosure
• The Router X2 Pro supports Wi-Fi 7+ wireless networking technology
• Magnetic covers allow users to customize the router's external appearance

Huawei has introduced the Router X2 Pro, a wireless networking device with a book-inspired design that departs from conventional router appearances.

The new model combines Wi-Fi 7+ technology with mesh Wi-Fi and a decorative enclosure, allowing it to function as part of a home's interior rather than simply networking equipment.

It also supports interchangeable magnetic covers, four integrated Wi-Fi antennas and several networking technologies intended to improve wireless performance.

A router designed to look like a book

Unlike routers built around exposed antennas and angular plastic housings, Huawei's latest model uses a rectangular enclosure resembling a closed book.

Its measurements are 191.7 × 51.1 × 141.1mm, while the complete unit weighs 475g, making it relatively compact for household placement.

A magnetic panel fitted along the side can also be replaced with alternative covers, including customised designs produced via three-dimensional printing.

These decorative designs feature pandas, cats, dogs and penguins, but there is no confirmation that they come with the device.

The Router X2 Pro uses four integrated Wi-Fi antennas, alongside dedicated components supporting smart antenna functions, Bluetooth and Strobe connectivity.

A separate indicator communicates the system's operating condition and Mesh networking status, providing a visible reference for the router's current state.

Connectivity features, smart networking and pricing

This Wi-Fi router uses Huawei's Lingxiao 760 series chipset alongside four high-performance signal amplifiers designed to strengthen wireless signal transmission.

It also includes dynamic narrowband technology, which improves transmission speeds and signal penetration and reduces lag by up to 80%.

These technologies help to maintain reception when signals must pass through several walls and other obstacles.

In addition, the Router X2 Pro supports NearLink technology, which improves network stability by 50%.

According to Huawei, the hardware and software combination reduces compatibility losses and supports faster video loading, responsive gaming and consistent connections.

The router supports wired connections and wireless Mesh arrangements, allowing households to select an installation method suited to their existing network.

Its AI Mesh system can analyse an uploaded home floor plan through Huawei's Smart Life application and recommend suitable equipment placement.

Additional Mesh Lights allow users to inspect connection strength, while automatic roaming manages movement between the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands.

The system monitors reception conditions and switches between available bands, while NearLink, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi provide three supported connection methods.

A unit of this device sells at 588 yuan (~ $88), while customers seeking two units can purchase the combined package for 1,108 yuan (~ $166).

The decorative casing option costs 99 yuan (~ $15), although the announcement does not clarify whether every customised cover carries that price.

The available finishes include Earthy Brown, Oak White, Stone Gray and Spruce Green, giving buyers several options for matching different interior arrangements.

Via Huawei Central

• Apple is reportedly cutting AI budgets per worker
• Developers will still likely have more than other workers
• Model choice and hosting provider could be enough to cut costs

Apple has reportedly started cutting the amount employees can spend on artificial intelligence, per Bloomberg reporting, making it one of the latest companies to be limiting AI tool expenditure as unpredictable costs skyrocket.

The Cupertino giant had already reportedly cut budgets from $300 per engineer per day to $200 in October 2026, but further reductions are said to be planned as this figure could be on track to drop to $100.

Non-engineers are likely to face even tougher restrictions, with the company considering a 75% cut from $100 to $25 per worker per day, the report claims.

Apple could be set to limit workers' AI budgets

Like other tech giants that have introduced similar cuts, budgets will likely be determined by team and project, and certain projects and individuals could be able to justify higher consumption if their work requires it. However Apple declined to comment on Bloomberg's story.

Workers could also be asked to reconsider the tools they use, with the company said to be permitting the use of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, rather than just one. Engineers may be asked to use lesser models, which are cheaper, or even transfer workloads to even cheaper models that run locally on the company's own hardware.

UK digital bank Revolut has already moved away from Claude in favor of open-weight models hosted on its own infrastructure.

While a budget cut from $300 to, possibly, $100 per day may sound like a 3x decrease, it might be more attainable for some workers than those figures suggest. Earlier AI efforts among tech giants saw developers so-called 'tokenmaxxing' – using AI more than they really needed to, just to appease company metrics. It's unclear whether this applies to Apple's developers.

Still, the company likely faces an expensive short-term future, with R&D expenditure up 32% in FY 2026 compared with FY 2025, and total operating expenses up 22%. Quarterly revenue rose just 12% year-over-year, in comparison.

• Stream Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 on bTV and VOYO (Bulgaria)
• Unlock your stream with NordVPN (75% off)
• Premieres Friday, November 6

There's hardly a country left in the world that doesn't have its own version of The Traitors now, and Bulgaria's effort is going strong as Vladimir Karamazov returns for a second season, but this time he's taking a bunch of celebrities to Euxinograd Palace instead of last season's location at the Bononia Estate.

This season, we'll see contestants including professional volleyball players and brothers, Valentin and Georgi Bratoev, actors like Daniel Varbanov, Emil Markov, and Stoyan Doychev, a former Miss Bulgaria in Nansi Karaboycheva, and even romantic partners Naum Shopov and Tea Minkova.

Clearly, Traitors: Igra Na Predateli is looking to mix things up this time around by introducing various pre-existing relationships. With up to €75,000 on offer for the winners, we doubt any of those relationships will get in the way of the standard backstabbing and games of deception.

Read on as this guide explains how to stream Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 online – and potentially for FREE.

• TV tips email: Never be stuck for anything to watch again

Can you watch Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 for free?

Yes, if you're in Bulgaria you can find episodes of Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 on the free-to-air channel bTV, starting on November 6.

The show will also be on the VOYO streaming service and episodes arrive there a day earlier, but that platform does come with a subscription cost.

Moving around? Bypass geo-locked content and access Traitors: Igra Na Predateli episodes by using a reliable VPN. We can show you how to do that below...

How to watch Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 from anywhere

Out of the country but eager to stream Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 online? You’ll likely be restricted from accessing your usual services and other domestic streams due to geo-blocking.

Luckily, there’s an easy solution. Downloading a VPN will allow you to watch no matter where you are. It's a simple bit of software that changes your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV as if you were back at home.

Use a VPN to watch Traitors: Igra Na Predateli from abroad:

Can you watch Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 in the US?

Unfortunately, Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 is restricted to Bulgarian television and will not get a linear broadcast or streaming release in the US.

The solution? Sign up for a reliable VPN like NordVPN and access streams as if you were back in Bulgaria.

Can you watch Traitors: Igra Na Predateli in Canada?

Unfortunately it's the same story in Canada, with Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 not getting any kind of release on TV or streaming.

Away from home? Sign up for a reliable VPN like NordVPN and access streams as if you were back in Bulgaria.

Can you watch Traitors: Igra Na Predateli in Australia?

You'll face similar issues in Australia, as Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 will not be on any TV channel or streaming platform Down Under.

Just visiting? Sign up for a reliable VPN like NordVPN and access streams as if you were back in Bulgaria.

Can you watch Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 in the UK?

Likewise, fans of the show in the UK will have some trouble catching the latest episodes of Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2.

Travelling around while the show airs? Sign up for a reliable VPN like NordVPN and access streams as if you were back in Bulgaria.

What you need to know about Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2

Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 contestants

• Alexandra Zhekova (38) – Snowboarder
• Valentin Bratoev (38) – Volleyball player (twin brother of Georgi)
• Georgi Bratoev (38) – Volleyball player (twin brother of Valentin)
• Vanya Shtereva (55) – Writer and screenwriter
• Ventsislav Mitsov (55) – Musician and politician
• Daniel Varbanov (26) – Actor
• Denislava Velkova (26) – Athlete/Entrepreneur
• Emil Konrad (36) – Writer and vlogger
• Emil Markov (63) – Actor
• Yordan Krachunov (27) – Athlete and IT specialist
• Kristina Kostova (24) – Vlogger and speedcuber
• Kristiyan Makarov (29) – Singer (from Molets)
• Maria Chakardakova (33) – Folk singer
• Mila Mihova (39) – Opera singer
• Milen Keredmedchiev (58) – Politician and diplomat
• Mihaela Zinoviev (32) – Influencer
• Nansi Karaboycheva (33) – Model and TV presenter (Miss Bulgaria 2013)
• Nedelcho Bogdanov (43) – Podcaster and animator
• Olga Modeva (33) – Model
• Poli Genova – Singer and entertainer
• Simona Dyankova (31) – Former rhythmic gymnast
• Stephanie Laleva – Model
• Stoyan Doychev (38) – Actor
• Naum Shopov (32) – Actor and TV host (partner of Tea Minkova)
• Tea Minkova (33) – Influencer (partner of Naum Shopov)

Traitors: Igra Na Predateli season 2 trailer

• How to watch The Celebrity Traitors season 2
• How to watch The Traitors Telugu
• How to watch The Traitors Canada season 4 — free streams from anywhere in the world

VPN services are evaluated and tested by us in view of legal recreational use. For example:a) Access to services from other countries, (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).b) Safeguarding your online security and making your online privacy more robust when abroad.Future plc does not support nor condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. We do not endorse nor approve of consuming pirated content that is paid-for.

• General Motors is recalling some 67,380 vehicles in the US
• Chevrolet Blazer, Cadillac Lyriq, Vistiq and Celestiq could all be affected
• Software could be to blame for a temporary loss of braking

General Motors has issued a recall for 67,380 vehicles after it became aware of a number of incidents where some of its electric vehicles suffered a temporary loss of braking power.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, GM is aware of 20 minor incidents to date, two of which resulted in minor injuries. In all cases, the accidents have occurred at low speed.

Two GM brands are affected by the recall, with the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV a particular focus, while three separate models from Cadillac are also included — these are the Lyriq, Vistiq and Celestiq.

According to Electrek, General Motors said the issue stems from a software glitch with the brake system control module (BSCM) that can cause a temporary loss of braking while driving under certain conditions.

The glitch only affects all-wheel-drive models and owners of the vehicles involved will receive a letter in the mail.

Alternatively, VIN numbers are searchable on the NHTSA website, or customers can contact Cadillac or Chevrolet’s customer service phone numbers for clarity.

Unlike more serious mechanical issues, General Motors says the software glitch can be patched via an over-the-air (OTA) update or via a local dealer free of charge.

In addition to this recall, GM has also issued another for 12,000 Chevy Express and GMC Savana models due to a loose steering gear assembly nut, which could require replacement of the steering gear assembly.

Analysis: A simple over-the-air fix

While recalls can seem serious, especially when a temporary loss of braking is reported, many modern vehicles, particularly those powered by electricity, can be corrected quickly and easily via over-the-air updates.

The software glitch discovered by General Motors is a great example of something that can be ironed out without, in most cases, having to get a dealer involved.

According to the NHTSA, Tesla has partially or fully remedied recalls affecting 12.1 million of its vehicles between 2021 and 2025 alone, while most other EV manufacturers are following suit in terms of manufacturing “connected” cars that can receive software updates.

• Nvidia has a new interactive demo out on Steam
• It offers a virtual unboxing of a GeForce 8800 GTX… 
• …but you need an RTX 4070 to run it, and the recommended GPU is an RTX 5080
• Some gamers feel that it's a 'slap in the face' for several reasons

Can't afford a new GPU thanks to the ever-worsening RAM crisis? Well, Nvidia wants to take you back to the days when a graphics card didn't destroy your bank balance, courtesy of a new demo on Steam where you get to unbox and install a GeForce GPU from 2006.

The Verge spotted the interactive demo entitled 'GeForce 8800 GTX — 20 Years of a Legend' which can be grabbed for free on Steam.

It was developed by Dylan Browne, an Unreal Engine artist who was commissioned by Nvidia, and the demo is rendered in Unreal Engine (unsurprisingly). The idea is that you can: "Step into a 2006-era PC gaming room, unbox the GeForce 8800 GTX, inspect it up close, and install it in an era-accurate PC tower."

On the face of it, that's a rather fun idea — and it's smartly implemented to be fair, including revisiting Windows Vista on a CRT monitor — but if you start to think about it more deeply, this exercise seems more than a little tone deaf in the current PC components climate.

Have a watch of Nvidia's illustrative clip below first off, before we move on to discuss this one.

Analysis: ragebait, greed, and a lot of other accusations from gamers

One of the most obvious sticking points here is the requirements to run this demo. What Nvidia GPU will you need to take part in a virtual unboxing? Here's a clue: it certainly won't run on a GeForce 8800 GTX. In fact you'll need an RTX 4070 at the minimum, and the recommended GPU as per the Steam specs is a… wait for it… RTX 5080. (You must have 32GB of RAM, as well, at minimum).

And this comes at a time when the RAM crisis has made that RTX 5080 soar in price to over double its MSRP in the US, and with hefty inflation evident in all countries (over 50% in the UK for example). Don't even start with the RTX 5090, and as we've seen, even lower-end graphics cards are being hit hard with price hikes.

As one Redditor put it neatly (with the swearing removed): "A 5080 for an unboxing simulator. They are just laughing in our faces."

Another in that thread replies to say: "Ragebait? You are not able to afford a real graphics card — here, take this virtual one?"

Speaking of rage, there's quite an outpouring of it in the comments for Nvidia's YouTube video (the one embedded above), such as: "Great job, today consumers have no chance to be able to afford new high end gaming video cards in favor of greed and AI money. A 5090 is $10-15k, and a 5080 is $2k or more — it's a slap in the face to post this tbh."

Nvidia has a clear priority for AI, data centers and profits over consumers and gaming GPUs – and it's a business, that's where the money lies, we get that. Shareholders for-the-win and so forth, but given that, the thoughtlessness of this little PR nugget is pretty staggering really.

What sort of reaction did Nvidia expect it would get? Okay, there are some Redditors reminiscing about the good old days of 2006, and the 8800 GTX that they owned. However, many more are simply bitter (or indeed incandescent) that Nvidia appears to be reminding us of better times, having done a good deal to cause the GPU pricing pain which is now prevalent thanks to chasing AI profits. While asking for a high-end, now ridiculously expensive, Blackwell GPU to run the demo (at the recommended level).

The GeForce 8800 GTX was $599 as a top-end monster GPU when it arrived, and if you want an RTX 5090 these days, you'll pay over 15x that amount. I would think that Nvidia would want to do anything but take a nostalgic trip back to the days of relatively affordable high-end graphics cards at this point in time.

Maybe Team Green should have saved this one for the card's 25th anniversary. Will the RAM crisis be over by then?

• Etsy has updated its Seller Handbook to include new guidance on how AI can be used
• Products must include at least one unaltered listing image that shows the actual product
• AI can still be used for some purposes, but misleading images will hopefully start to disappear

In the wake of Just Eat’s AI generated food image fiasco, Etsy has decided to update its policies to prevent AI being used to generate or edit images, create guides, or use bots to generate listings.

The new guidelines, enacted in October, are part of an effort to crack down on images, recipes, and instructions that have been partially or fully AI generated that could mislead customers — and it could help cut down on the torrents of AI slop that have infiltrated the internet.

“You, our seller community, have told us you’re concerned about your work appearing alongside items that use AI in misleading ways, and that it’s becoming harder for buyers to recognize your role in creating your items,” the announcement states. “We're taking an important first step to address these challenges.”

Etsy changes AI usage rules

The steps Etsy is taking include changes to how products are physically presented in images, how AI can be used to edit images, and how functional guides are written.

For a start, Etsy now requires at least one of the listing images to be a real photo of the actual item being sold with on a real background without any edits or alterations made. But this image doesn’t have to be the first image potential customers will see when viewing your listing.

But if you’re wondering about non-physical purchases — such as artwork printed by a third-party — Etsy will allow unedited mock ups from manufacturers for print-on-demand services to be used as the ‘real’ product photo. As for audio and digital downloads, Etsy says the imagery cannot mislead customers.

Don’t worry, AI editing is still allowed in some circumstances such as to change lighting and exposure or to resize an image. Backgrounds can also be AI generated as long as the actual product isn’t changed in any way, but using AI to alter the actual product by changing colors, condition, or features of an item is now a hard no in Etsy’s books.

Finally, when it comes to other products commonly listed for crafters or cooks, Etsy is changing how they can be written. Written work for instructions, patterns and recipes have to be fully written by the seller with an image representing the real results. So for a knitting pattern or bread recipe, the image must show the finished product.

To enforce better detection of AI generated or misleading content, Etsy says it is “investing in tools to better identify authentic versus misleading images and detect and remove listings that use AI to create fraudulent inventory.”

The platform is also expanding categories to include misleading AI imagery when reporting listings, which will be used to “help us better understand how members perceive potential AI misuse.”

If you are currently using AI generated images for products on Etsy, you still have some time to update listings and won’t face immediate enforcement. The company says it will “provide tips to help you accurately represent your items and meet our photo expectations,” with guidance also provided to sellers with existing AI edited listings.

• AmneziaVPN's latest update adds location sorting, favorites, and a browser proxy for desktop
• At a more technical level, the update brings log separation, server patching, and design tweaks
• Roadmap hints at seamless location switching and domain-based split tunneling

Amnezia VPN version 5.1.0.6 is now available, bringing location sorting to the forefront of its Premium service. For users comparing it against the best VPN options, this update addresses one of the most frequent user requests as the number of available server locations continues to grow.

With over 50 Premium locations now active, the previous flat list had become difficult to navigate. The new version introduces filtering options that let users organize countries by geographic region or alphabetically.

Navigation features

The latest update places a “Filters” button to the right of the search field, offering two organization modes.

Users can group countries by world region – with alphabetical ordering within each section – or maintain a single alphabetical list spanning all locations. A search bar enables quick lookup by country name.

Users may also mark up to 15 frequently used locations as favorites by tapping a star icon. This feature works across both the main location screen and the Config Files section.

However, favorites are stored locally on each device and tied to the subscription key. This means favorite selections made on a phone will not sync to a desktop computer, though the settings persist through app updates and device restarts.

Browser proxy for desktop users

Amnezia has also introduced a local proxy option for Premium subscribers using Windows, macOS, or Linux. The Xray proxy runs at 127.0.0.1 on port 10808 by default, routing browser traffic through Premium servers without establishing a full system-wide VPN tunnel.

The feature requires the CensorTracker browser extension to function. It operates for a single subscription at a time and automatically stops when the main VPN connection activates. This suits users seeking selective browser routing without affecting other applications on their machine.

Additional improvements

The update also separates app logs from tunnel logs, giving users clearer visibility before sending diagnostic data to support.

Connection handling for Self-hosted servers using XHTTP and XMUX protocols has been refined, alongside fixes for mobile operator connectivity.

The Switzerland P2P location now supports bidirectional traffic, with Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocols enabled there – handy for hosting game servers, for example. Self-hosted users also gain a one-click button for updating server packages, and some interface tweaks lay groundwork for a redesign due in the next release.

What comes next

Users can check for updates within the app under Settings > About Amnezia VPN. Desktop installations apply the update automatically, while mobile users can download from the App Store or Google Play.

Looking ahead, Amnezia has outlined several planned improvements. These include seamless location switching without disconnection, domain-based split tunneling for desktop users, better stability when managing large domain lists, and more transparent Self-hosted server management.

As internet restrictions evolve around the world, tools like Amnezia VPN continue iterating to remain effective. This update signals a focus on usability alongside security – a balance that’s particularly important for users relying on these services for daily access to information.

• Researchers spot White House network traffic being routed through dozens of residential proxy services
• Findings suggest a device on government infrastructure may have been enrolled in a proxy network
• Security experts warn proxy services on sensitive networks could enable abuse, anonymity, and potential lateral movement

The IT network at the White House was seen routing traffic for at least 28 residential proxy services, meaning there is a strong chance government infrastructure is being abused by (malicious) third parties, cybersecurity experts are warning.

Security researchers at Layer3 Intel published a new report, saying they saw 236 instances of residential proxy traffic originating from AS2650. That is the name of an autonomous system registered to the Executive Office of the President, the federal agency that hosts the White House network.

The researchers observed the traffic between October 5 and November 3 2026, and said that in 26 of the 30 days of observation, six IP addresses kept appearing.

Dozens of proxies

“This is public access,” the researchers said. “Anybody can obtain it by signing up to a public residential proxy service, paying a few dollars and sending requests through it.”

Residential proxy is a service with a self-explanatory name: paying customers can route their internet traffic through devices connected to residential internet connections (households, essentially), making it appear as though their requests originate from those connections rather than their own. They are not malicious per se, and have legitimate uses, but they’ve become popular among cybercriminals looking to hide their identities, evade security controls, and distribute malicious traffic.

Now, according to Layer 3 intel, 28 different residential proxy providers were able to route traffic through the White House network. The researchers cross-checked the IP addresses against public databases maintained by residential proxy detection companies Spur and Synthient, and both identified them as proxy exits.

Apparently, the researchers did not set out to analyze the White House’s network. Instead, they said they were testing a newly launched platform that “gives researchers a global view of residential proxy and anonymized internet activity,” and stumbled upon the activity while requesting rotating access through residential proxy services.

The cybersecurity community did not seem all too surprised with the news. In a Reddit discussion, IT experts shared their experience with senior leadership, both in public and private sector organizations, saying many were happily sacrificing security for convenience, opting not to install 2FA, or leaving their devices and email inboxes wide open.

One reader suspected someone in the White House “probably installed a sketchy free app on their phone, and now strangers are browsing the internet through the building's connection.”

The timing of the activity is also worth a mention. Around half of the observed connections happened between 5pm and midnight, Eastern time, with almost no activity recorded during the early morning. Layer3 Intel surmised that a device was regularly connecting to the White House network during evening hours, potentially one compromised by a residential proxy SDK.

Reaching internal systems

“That pattern suggests a person rather than a public guest Wi-Fi network: someone regularly on the White House network late into the evening, whose device is infected with a proxy SDK,” the researchers explained.

The researchers also pointed out that poorly secured proxy SDKs can allow internal network access and lateral movement. “This is how past botnets have spread,” they said. “If an SDK on this network has the same kind of flaw, anyone buying proxy access could use it to reach internal systems.”

There are plenty of other unanswered questions, too. For example, the researchers acknowledged that the data only shows network exits, not specific devices. Therefore, they don’t know if the activity is coming from a personal device, a guest network, or an entirely different source.

The White House discovery was not the only unusual thing Layer3 Intel laid out in its report. They also reported seeing residential proxy activity in some of the most remote players on the planet: Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote South Atlantic territory. The researchers saw 413 IP addresses and more than 32,000 observations on these locations, involving Elon Musk’s Starlink internet, as well as local internet service provider Sure Saint Helena.

The researchers also detected activity related to residential proxy networks in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, the Chagos Islands, Tokelau, South Georgia, Pitcairn and Svalbard.

• Stream Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia season 3 on FTV Prima and Prima+ (Czechia)
• Unlock your stream with NordVPN (75% off)
• Airs Wednesdays on Prima+ and Sundays on TV, from September 16 through to December 2

While the latest celebrity edition of The Traitors in the UK may be over now, there's always another version of the show for you to tune into. Who needs Claudia Winkleman, when you've got Czechia host, Vojtěch Kotek?

Season 3 of Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia sees 24 real-world contestants drop into Křivoklát Castle looking to take a share of a total prize pot worth up to 1 million Czech Koruna.

Contestants this year include a toy building set designer, a couple of scientists, a wildlife smuggler hunter, a motorcycle builder, a hostage negotiator, and even a nuclear physicist.

Read on as this guide explains how to stream Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia season 3 online – and potentially for FREE.

• TV tips email: Never be stuck for anything to watch again

Can you watch Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia season 3 for free?

Yes, if you're in Czechia you can find episodes of Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia season 3 on the free-to-air channel FTV Prima, starting on September 20.

The show will also be on the Prima+ streaming service and episodes arrive there four days earlier, but that platform does come with a subscription cost.

Moving around? Bypass geo-locked content and access Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia episodes by using a reliable VPN. We can show you how to do that below...

How to watch Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia S3 from anywhere

Out of the country but eager to stream Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia season 3 online? You’ll likely be restricted from accessing your usual services and other domestic streams due to geo-blocking.

Luckily, there’s an easy solution. Downloading a VPN will allow you to watch no matter where you are. It's a simple bit of software that changes your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV as if you were back at home.

Use a VPN to watch Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia from abroad:

Can you watch Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia S3 in the US?

Unfortunately, Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia season 3 is restricted to Czechia television and will not get a linear broadcast or streaming release in the US.

The solution? Sign up for a reliable VPN like NordVPN and access streams as if you were back in Czechia.

Can you watch Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia S3 in Canada?

Unfortunately it's the same story in Canada, with Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia season 3 not getting any kind of release on TV or streaming.

Away from home? Sign up for a reliable VPN like NordVPN and access streams as if you were back in Czechia.

Can you watch Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia S3 in Australia?

You'll face similar issues in Australia, as TZrádci - The Traitors Czechia season 3 will not be on any TV channel or streaming platform Down Under.

Just visiting? Sign up for a reliable VPN like NordVPN and access streams as if you were back in Czechia.

Can you watch Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia S3 in the UK?

Likewise, fans of the show in the UK will have some trouble catching the latest episodes of Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia season 3.

Travelling around while the show airs? Sign up for a reliable VPN like NordVPN and access streams as if you were back in Czechia.

What you need to know about Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia S3

Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia season 3 contestants

• Annelie Herz – Realtor
• Dáša Čechová – Writer
• Kryštof Maliňák – Toy building set designer
• David Rezazgui – Scientist
• Domi Tornikoski – Professor
• Majda Bohutínská – Scientist
• Matěj Sysel – Motorcycle builder
• Mây Kieu – Brand manager
• Štefan Rehák – Lawyer
• Tomáš Ouhel – Wildlife smuggler hunter
• Zdislava Pokorná – Journalist
• Petr Kadlec – Sales representative
• Petr Barnabáš Jurič – Social media manager
• Klára Felixová – Tailor
• Jan Špaček – YouTuber
• Nika Vujisicová – Nuclear physicist
• Adam Dolník – Hostage negotiator
• Lukáš Semerád – Coach
• Anastázie Meindl – Psychologist
• Jura Sousedík – Student
• Karolinna Neumann – Artist

Zrádci - The Traitors Czechia trailer

• How to watch The Celebrity Traitors season 2
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• How to watch The Traitors Canada season 4 — free streams from anywhere in the world

VPN services are evaluated and tested by us in view of legal recreational use. For example:a) Access to services from other countries, (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).b) Safeguarding your online security and making your online privacy more robust when abroad.Future plc does not support nor condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. We do not endorse nor approve of consuming pirated content that is paid-for.

• ExpressVPN has added tracker blocking to its Basic plan, a tool previously limited to Advanced and Pro plans
• ExpressAI is also now included with 50 daily credits, 1 model, and 100MB of storage
• The change follows the February 2026 shift to three plans offering its new spread of tools

ExpressVPN has expanded what its entry-level Basic plan includes, adding two features that were previously reserved for higher-priced tiers.

Subscribers on Basic now get tracker blocking alongside access to ExpressAI, the company’s private AI assistant.

Until now, that level of protection started with the Advanced plan, while ExpressAI was exclusive to Pro. Here’s what’s changed, and why it matters.

Tracker blocking comes to Basic

The Basic plan already blocked ads, malicious sites, and adult content – a package ExpressVPN calls Lite Protection.

It lacked tracker blocking: the ability to stop scripts that follow you around the web and quietly build a profile of what you browse. That capability used to start at the Advanced tier but is now part of Basic.

For a plan that already sits at the cheaper end of the market, at just $2.99/month, that narrows the gap between budget and mid-tier subscriptions considerably.

Advanced keeps its other perks – 12 simultaneous connections versus Basic’s 10 and a more generous email protection allowance.

ExpressAI arrives on the lower tiers

The bigger addition is ExpressAI, a private AI assistant built on confidential computing. In plain terms, that means conversations are processed inside a protected environment that even the provider itself can’t read – a pointed answer to the growing unease over how much consumer AI chatbots actually see.

Basic subscribers get 50 credits a day, 1 AI model, and 100MB of storage, with web search included. Advanced bumps that to 100 credits daily, the same single model, and 500MB of storage. Pro – still the home for power users – retains the fullest version, with 500 credits per day, six AI models, and 2GB of storage.

Whether 50 credits and 100MB is enough depends on how heavily you lean on an assistant; it’s best thought of as a taste of the full service rather than a replacement for it. Yet for anyone curious about private AI who was put off by the Pro price, there’s now a much lower barrier to entry.

Part of a bigger push

The update extends a strategy ExpressVPN kicked off in February 2026, when it rebuilt its plan lineup around a suite of tools: the ExpressAI assistant, the ExpressMailGuard email shield and the Identity Defender monitoring service, which was limited to US users at launch.

ExpressKeys, the provider’s password manager, moved from the main app to a standalone one as part of the same shake-up. At the time, TechRadar’s Rob Dunne called the restructure “the biggest expansion to ExpressVPN’s portfolio since its eSIM launched in December 2024.”

Even then, Basic users missed out on much of it – no ExpressKeys, no Identity Defender, and no tracker blocking either. That’s what makes the current update notable.

With Black Friday landing on November 27, VPN providers are already dangling enticing offers: Surfshark was one of the first out of the blocks, dropping the price of its mid-tier plan to match its entry-level one. Against that backdrop, ExpressVPN’s richer Basic plan looks well positioned for the sales season.

• Researchers report on 3 huge 'perturbations' caused by Artemis II
• The rips in the ionosphere could affect GPS systems
• Further study is needed to assess the impact of the rocket launch

The April 2026 Artemis II mission marked the first time humans have been in lunar space since 1972, and scientists are still picking through the masses of data collected along the way. New research set to be published in Geophysical Research Letters has now revealed some unprecedented tears the rocket launch ripped in our upper atmosphere.

Known as the ionosphere, this layer is bombarded with solar radiation, causing it to be packed with free electrons and positively charged ions — a mix which means it has a strong influence on radio waves, such as signals sent by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites, including the Global Positioning System (GPS).

The study team found that Artemis II triggered three separate disturbances in the ionosphere, all directly above North America, and measuring more than 5,000 kilometers (3,106 miles) in size. These pulse waves were caused by the initial rocket launch, and then by upper-stage orbital engines firing directly in the upper atmosphere.

It's a more powerful barrage of atmospheric disruption than we've seen from any previous rocket launch, including those launched by SpaceX, and it gives scientists important context on human-made 'space weather' — disturbances in the atmosphere that have the potential to interfere with ground infrastructure.

GPS disruption on the ground

While it's worth noting that this study didn't directly measure any disruption in GNSS or GPS systems — it's something the team hopes to follow up on later — the sort of disturbances recorded here have the potential to cause significant, if temporary, shifts in our navigation systems.

"A positioning error of a couple of meters is enough to cause an autonomous car to change lanes," study author and earth scientist Charles Lin, from National Cheng Kung University, in Taiwan, told Space.com. "It could have a strong impact not only on self-driving cars but also on drone positioning."

"Though space launches often induce ionosphere disturbances, the Artemis-II Lunar mission for the first time produced extremely rare reoccurring perturbations over the same geographic region on three different occasions," write the researchers, while also suggesting it "will be essential to assess" future impacts from rockets on the ionosphere.

The impact of the ionosphere disruptions on GPS and GNSS are what the researchers are planning to look at next, including to what degree errors might have been introduced, and how long they lasted for. The results are likely to be vital in planning future rocket launches and maneuvers.

• French deputies voted 11 to 10 to tax content providers €0.055 for every gigabyte sent to French internet subscribers
• Backers claim €10 billion a year in taxes, but the government disputes both the figure and whether traffic can be measured fairly
• Five days later, the Assembly rejected the budget's whole revenue section 458 to 0, wiping out the tax with it

France's lower house had voted to charge content companies for every gigabyte they deliver to French internet users - but the measure lasted only five days before it was shot down unanimously.

Deputies rejected the revenue half of the 2027 budget by a vote of 458 to 0, LCP reported.

Every amendment adopted during three weeks of debate fell with it, including the per-gigabyte levy; this means that what now goes to the Senate is the government's original bill, which never contained it to begin with.

How a gigabyte would have become a tax bill

The amendment, tabled by Socialist deputy Laurent Lhardit, would have required content providers to pay €0.055 (roughly $0.06) per gigabyte delivered to customers of French internet providers.

It passed at the opening of the 9 am sitting on Friday, October 30, with just 35 of the National Assembly's 577 deputies taking part: 11 voted for, 10 against and 14 abstained, according to the official session transcript. Both the government and the finance committee's general rapporteur, Philippe Juvin, opposed it. Its authors said it would raise around €10 billion ($11.2 billion) a year.

The mechanics are spelled out in the amendment itself: Internet providers, along with any company selling internet access to households or businesses, would count the data flowing to their customers and attribute it to whoever sent it, under the supervision of telecoms regulator Arcep and France's tax authority.

Senders would be identified by company name and their Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) registration number, and no record of what the data contained or where it went could be demanded.

The move has not only found obvious opposition within French politicians after its surprise initial approval in a nearly empty chamber, but has found surprisingly vocal critics at home: VideoLAN, the nonprofit behind VLC, warned the levy would cost it more than €1 million a year, MacGeneration reports, though Lhardit replied that the caps would protect it. The founder of a national ISP, Free, Xavier Niel, dismissed the deputies on X as "ignorant incompetents."

OVHcloud founder Octave Klaba, whose company raised some server prices by up to 87% this autumn over memory costs, calculated that on a 100Gbit/s transit port costing around €6,300 a month, the tax on his assumed traffic would reach €1.02 million a month. He put OVHcloud's exposure at €23 million to €70 million a year.

Even the operators who would have done the counting were unenthusiastic. The French Telecoms Federation, which represents Orange, Bouygues Telecom and SFR, does not reject the idea that big platforms should contribute more to networks, according to Freenews, but it is worried about the technical and administrative load of a scheme whose revenue would go to the treasury rather than to networks, and would rather see commercial negotiations with the platforms.

The solemn vote on the revenue section was due on Tuesday, November 3, but it slipped because 758 amendments were still unexamined at midnight on Monday, NosParlementaires noted. It came on Wednesday evening instead, and no group voted for the amended text, essentially killing the entire proposal in its tracks before the French Senate got involved.

To reappear, the tax would need a senator to refile it and a chamber controlled by the center-right Les Républicains to back it, which Next considered unlikely.

The idea itself is not going away: The Socialists put a €0.10-per-gigabyte version in the program they presented this summer, ahead of next year's presidential election. There is, however, international pressure and considerations that would ensure this never actually happens, even as countries vie to attract the most AI infrastructure investments, and this could be the biggest dealbreaker for multiple players.

Beyond France, it runs against the tide. Brussels spent years fielding telecom operators' demands that Big Tech chip in for network upgrades, the so-called "fair share" fight, and in January the European Commission's Digital Networks Act proposed only a voluntary cooperation mechanism rather than mandatory network fees.

Then there is Washington: Donald Trump has long threatened tariffs on countries that tax US tech firms, and in June 2026 he warned of 100% tariffs on any country implementing a digital services tax on American companies. A per-gigabyte levy whose biggest payers would be Google, Meta, Amazon, and Netflix would be hard to present as anything other than that.

For now, the proposal stands killed; nothing has changed on anyone's phone or internet bill, and, seemingly, for the 2027 budget at least, nothing will. But the idea could show up in other forms in the near future.

• Hitman World of Assassination senior level designer Marin Ansdal explains how IO Interactive designs the best Elusive Target elimination methods
• Ansdal says the elimination has to serve "the target poetic justice for their central character flaw"
• He adds that it also requires "intriguing toybox mechanics to set up the kill and a nice juicy payoff presentation"

IO Interactive has shared its recipe for constructing the most creative Elusive Target eliminations in Hitman World of Assassination.

The ongoing Hitman game just received another major update in the form of a new Elusive Target mission called The Host, which tasks Agent 47 with taking down YouTuber JackSepticEye’s in-game character, Finn Colton.

As with every new Elusive Target mission, players will be able to use their imagination to eliminate Colton with the many possibilities on offer, which is what the game is best known for, and according to senior level designer Marin Ansdal, IOI has a very specific way of designing these murder methods.

"For each mission we brainstorm a bunch of elimination ideas and choose the ones that hit the most of our success criteria," Ansdal told TechRadar Gaming following the mission's release.

Ansdal explained that the Elusive Target's characterisation and mission story factor into what makes a good elimination as much as the mechanics, despite the player being given free rein to get creative.

"A great signature elimination is a combination of serving the target poetic justice for their central character flaw, intriguing toybox mechanics to set up the kill, and a nice juicy payoff presentation," he said.

"For example, JackSepticEye’s character Finn Colton is obsessed with generating online content and has no concern for safety or ethics. So we designed a kill where you overheat and burn down his generative AI server farm with him inside. Then his employees film him on their phones as he dies."

Hitman World of Assassination's new The Host Elusive Target mission is free-to-play now until November 25.

Ansdal also shared IOI's process for selecting the game's targets, confirming that the level designer and writer take over once a celebrity or public figure is on board, and "We try to find a location which thematically suits the talent and craft a story that synergizes with the talent in tone and genre."

• Sony has launched MDR-3R, an update on its 1979 'Walkman headphones'
• The aesthetic is virtually unchanged — even down to the packaging
• Two key upgrades: USB-C (not 3.5mm termination) plus an in-line remote
• Oh, and for $20 / £20 / AU$10 more, there's a Stranger Things edition… 

Well now. 'Newtro' (a portmanteau of 'new retro') audio kit is trending, and doesn't Sony know it? The company says it sees people embracing wired, physical music products for "both functional and cultural perspectives", and it is seizing the day — just as Bose has, with its new, affordable, wired noise-canceling earbuds.

I am fortunate enough to have lived through the introduction of Sony's original Walkman in 1979, to have seen Julia Roberts singing Prince in a bath tub in Pretty Woman and to have fallen in love with Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, skateboarding with an Aiwa CassetteBoy clipped to his denim jacket pocket in Back to the Future.

Cut to around 40 years later, and the kids are watching Max fight Vecna using Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill and a Sony Walkman WM-8 as her only weapon in Stranger Things. And who could forget Peter Quill's Walkman (a Sony TPS-L2 Walkman and Headset, complete with alternate orange ear pads) given to him by his mom long before he became one of the Guardians of the Galaxy?

Want a bit of that? Yearning for a simpler time, when your copy of a musical recording actually belonged to you and Bluetooth connectivity didn't open the door to sign-ups, account creations and data capture? You're not alone — and that's why Sony has just released the MDR-3R.

You can't spell America without Erica, and you can't get this sound without wires

It's not hard to see the new 2026 Sony MDR-3R's resemblance to the Sony 1979 MDR-3 — in fact, it's incredibly difficult to tell the difference between them (and I know because I attended a briefing and saw the old and new products side by side).

It's a significant moment. Nearly half a century after the originals launched (Sony says it went back to work on the drivers using Sony's hand-drawn diagrams from the 70s), the new set is in, and one of the only real differences is that they end in a USB-C termination.

So no more 3.5mm jack, but the iconic silhouette and signature aluminium frame, look, hinges and so on are all virtually identical. There’s the trademark cheeky bend (or kink) in the aluminium frame just above the earpiece, the Sony logo, that soft plastic ‘flexible adjuster’ piece across the top of the crown, square slider hinges and the ‘sound holes’ (no, those aren’t just design flourishes). At 38g, the MDR-3R is also by far the lightest pair of overhead headphones in Sony’s lineup.

What of the sonic chops? Sony says the original MDR-3’s sound quality was "surprisingly good", but nevertheless Sony's audio engineers have taken the classic analog warmth and built on it with a few tweaks. The MDR-3R's 23mm driver is still based upon original hand drawings for the 1979 model, but Sony claims to have eked a wider frequency range out of it, particularly in the bass registers. Also, you now you get an in-line controller with a mic for hands-free calls along with the updated cable and plug.

Wondering how you’ll choose between those Guardians of the Galaxy -style orange foam pads or the MDR-3's original blue pads? Don’t stress, you get both in the box!

The in-line remote also has volume up, volume down, plus a play/stop button that can be double-pressed to skip forward or triple-pressed to skip back. You can hold it to activate your phone's voice assistant, or press it to answer and end calls. So three buttons in total, but lots of added functionality.

Things can get even Stranger…

While the packaging of the 'basic' MDR-3R is very similar to the original 1979 box (think light blue and geometric, but with modern 2026 techniques and nods to sustainability), there is another option as well.

There’s a special Stranger Things-themed edition, complete with red ear pads (you also get black in the box) and a moody black top headband. The box is black, and there’s a Stranger Things logo on the headband too.

You may want to go full Upside Down with the themed set. For me, the choice of blue or orange ear pads and a true 1979 aesthetic is the one.

Either way, for $59 / £49 / €59 / AU$89.95 for the Sony MDR-3R, or $79 / £59 / €69 / AU$99.95 for the Sony MDR-3R Stranger Things variant, someone's Christmas present just got sorted — and I wouldn't be surprised to see them in our best wired headphones guide, if I can only put them through their paces for a full review…

• OpenAI used AI agents to analyze the Linux kernel, uncovering 948 distinct privilege-escalation vulnerabilities
• The automated pipeline generated exploits, validated findings, and helped create patches for Linux maintainers
• Researchers say AI is increasingly capable of finding and prioritizing serious software flaws at scale

OpenAI has spent more than a million dollars to analyze the Linux kernel code, and found thousands of vulnerabilities, including countless privilege escalation flaws that could have been quite problematic for the popular operating system.

The AI company published a new in-depth report describing how it built a five-stage pipeline that helped it surface thousands of vulnerabilities, identify which ones were actually dangerous, helped create patches, and ended up securing the Linux ecosystem some more.

The pipeline covered vulnerability discovery, dynamic validation, exploitability assessment, patch generation, and human review, and once it was done, it found 948 privilege escalation flaws in the Linux kernel.

Guerilla marketing

“The Linux kernel underpins Android devices, cloud infrastructure, supercomputers, and other systems used by billions of people,” OpenAI said.

“With more than 40 million lines of code, the kernel exposes a broad attack surface through system calls, networking, filesystems, and device drivers. We chose Linux to study how effectively frontier models could find vulnerabilities and demonstrate their security impact in a codebase of this scale and importance.”

While the efforts are certainly commendable (especially the fact that the entire ordeal cost roughly $1.21 million in API credits), the report also reads like guerilla marketing for the company’s latest cyber model. After all, the report never mentions its name, apart from the fact that it is an “upcoming cyber model” that found 900+ flaws, which is then compared to GPT 5.5-Cyber which “developed 24 local privilege escalation exploits.”

That being said, the results cannot (and should not) be ignored. The first stage used AI agents to identify security-relevant parts of the kernel and scan them for potential flaws, and within 12 hours, more than 2,300 candidates emerged. Then, OpenAI used additional agents to generate proof-of-concept (PoC) code and test each candidate. The entire process lasted 30 hours, and the system successfully reproduced 1,724 findings (roughly 75% of the initial candidates), while just 3% of the remaining findings apparently came from incorrect model analysis.

In the next step, the agents ranked the vulnerabilities by impact, developing 1,169 working local privilege escalation exploits and 291 PoCs demonstrating information disclosure. After eliminating double entries and false positives, the researchers arrived at 948 distinct escalation flaws and built patches for them.

OpenAI said its researchers reviewed all of the generated exploits and patches before reaching out to Linux kernel maintainers. Following guidance from the Linux community, the team ranked the flaws by priority, and some seem to have already been patched. The remaining findings are currently being addressed, it was said.

New exploitation techniques

“We provide the model with the relevant source code and prompt it with best practices in patch writing, such as performing static checks on the patch, following the software development practices used in nearby code, and performing variant analysis to make sure the patch is complete,” OpenAI explained the process.

Not all of the vulnerabilities were “brand new”, so to speak. OpenAI said Linux maintainers already patched 61 of the identified privilege elevation flaws by the time it completed its analysis, while another 43 had staging patches. Just under 300 (roughly a third) were being reported and discussed publicly, which is also worth putting into context.

On top of it all, the team examined 166 exploitation techniques and found 10 that were previously undocumented. They include kernel memory manipulation, page grooming, and privilege escalation through data-only attacks. OpenAI decided not to share the details on these flaws until they are fixed, in order not to give threat actors the upper hand.

• DreamHost discloses breach exposing FTP/SFTP credentials and some webmail account session data
• Attackers exploited a vulnerability in the company’s File Manager service to access customer accounts
• DreamHost reset affected passwords, offered credit monitoring, and urged users to strengthen account security

Popular web hosting provider DreamHost has confirmed threat actors walked away with login credentials to its customers’ hosting accounts, as well as webmail accounts.

It is now urging organizations to take steps to protect themselves, as it works to tighten up on security and make sure these things never happen again.

In a copy of a data breach notification letter sent to affected organizations, DreamHost said that roughly two weeks ago it discovered unauthorized third-party access to the server that runs its web-based File manager at files.DreamHost.com.

Access to the manager was compromised during August 2026, the company further said, adding that the threat actors walked in by exploiting a vulnerability in that software.

Payment data secure

The flaw, which the company did not detail or describe, granted the attackers access to FTP/SFTP usernames and passwords of logged-in individuals. Furthermore, they were able to reach some webmail systems and grab session information - including credentials - of a “limited number” of webmail users.

Cybercriminals having access to login credentials means that whatever information is stored inside File Manager and the webmail should also be considered compromised. Furthermore, it means the emails can be used to disseminate spam, launch phishing attacks, or even engage in highly disruptive Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks that could be almost impossible to detect.

DreamHost did not discuss the identity of the attackers, and did not say if they reached out with an extortion attempt. “We believe this as a deliberate attack, and our team worked around the clock to contain it,” is all it said on the matter.

The investigation is still ongoing so the information is inconclusive, but DreamHost said there is currently no evidence that the attackers accessed control panel login information or customer billing details. The company allegedly doesn’t store full payment card numbers and only retains a secure token representing the payment card information. This token cannot be used to make purchases elsewhere.

“However, our investigation is ongoing, and if we discover any significant additional information, we will update this post,” DreamHost said.

DreamHost’s response

In response to the incident, DreamHost said it “took steps” to stop the attackers from further accessing its systems, and to address the exploited vulnerability.

Active sessions of users who may have been affected have been terminated, and their passwords were reset. Therefore, if you try to log into your DreamHost account and see that the password was reset, consider your data breached. DreamHost claims to have implemented “additional security measures” to prevent such incidents from happening again, although it did not say exactly what was done.

“DreamHost also is working closely with outside legal advisors and security and forensics experts to ensure the incident is properly addressed,” it said.

In the meantime, it urged customers to review their statements and notify the police of any suspicious activity, as well as to obtain and monitor their credit card reports. The company also advised users place a fraud alert on their credit report. Detailed steps on what customers can do to defend themselves can be found on this link.

Finally, DreamHost offered all affected individuals one year of free credit report monitoring and identity theft protection services through Equifax which is more or less standard practice in these situations.

So far, no threat actors claimed responsibility for the breach, and the data has not yet leaked to the dark web.

This is not the first cybersecurity incident DreamHost has experienced. In 2012, attackers gained access to one of its database servers, potentially exposing customer FTB and shell-access passwords. The company responded by resetting affected passwords, although it reported no evidence of significant malicious activity against customer accounts. Five years later, in 2017, the company suffered a major Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack against its DNS infrastructure, resulting in widespread connectivity issues for customers.

Via BleepingComputer

We all know the talents of chefs like Marco Pierre White, Heston Blumenthal, and Gordon Ramsay now, but what about their rise to fame? Thanks to three-part doc Rise of the Rockstar Chef, we will learn how these superstar cooks came to be.

From sex with customers to slinging out celebrities and the infamous theft of the Gordon's reservations book, Rise of the Rockstar Chef is not for the faint of heart. Interestingly, we get to see Gordon Ramsay shed a tear...

Blumenthal talks about the Fat Duck in Bray, but this is really all about the Gordon vs Marco rivalry. Bear in mind that it's made by Gordon's production company, but still, this is a good doc.

Hungry for more? Here's how to watch Rise of the Rockstar Chef online right now.

How to watch Rise of the Rockstar Chef from anywhere

If you're keen to watch Rise of the Rockstar Chef but you're away from the UK and access to the show is geo-blocked, then you could 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. Plus, we have a great 75% discount on our #1 VPN...

How to watch Rise of the Rockstar Chef in the UK

In the UK, Rise of the Rockstar Chef is available on BBC iPlayer for free from Thursday, November 5.

You can also watch the show on BBC Two. The first episode airs on Thursday, November 5 at 9pm GMT, with episode 2 to follow a week later, and episode 3 a week after that.

Outside the UK? Unblock your BBC iPlayer stream with NordVPN.

Can you watch Rise of the Rockstar Chef in the US?

There is currently no release plan in place for Rise of the Rockstar Chef in the US. However, the show is produced under Gordon Ramsay's banner, which has partnerships with FOX, so there is a chance it'll land there eventually, alongside the likes of Hell's Kitchen.

Visiting the US from the UK? You can use our most-trusted VPN (try risk-free) to unlock your usual streaming platforms and watch the show from anywhere.

Can you watch Rise of the Rockstar Chef in Canada?

Similar to the US, Rise of the Rockstar Chef will not be releasing in Canada at this time, either on linear TV or streaming.

The solution? Use a VPN to gain access to all the content you'd normally stream at home.

Can you watch Rise of the Rockstar Chef in Australia?

Likewise, there is no release plan in place for Rise of the Rockstar Chef in Australia, but thanks to FOX's involvement you might find it on SBS or Foxtel eventually.

Away from home? Use NordVPN to access your usual shows from anywhere in the world.

Rise of the Rockstar Chef: Additional Information

Rise of the Rockstar Chef cast and crew

• Ellie Taylor (presenter)
• Zoe Dobson (director)
• Gordon Ramsay (guest)
• Marco Pierre White (guest)
• Heston Blumenthal (guest)
• Amanda Westwood (executive producer)
• Lisa Edwards (executive producer)
• Rhe-an Archibald (executive producer)
• Ross Proudfoot (producer)
• Richard Berkshire (editor)

Rise of the Rockstar Chef episode guide

• Episode 1: Marco Pierre White's meteoric rise opening Harvey's and how the unpredictable young genius took fledgling Gordon Ramsay under his wing as a young Heston Blumenthal began his career.
• Episode 2: Marco chases three Michelin stars, Gordon breaks away to build his own name, and Heston rewrites the rules as huge success brings both fame and a new world of pressure.
• Episode 3: Marco, Gordon and Heston reunite for the first time in decades. Will time have healed old wounds or will old rivalries still burn brightly?

You may also like to watch...

• How to watch Awkwafina: The Unlikely Cook online — Watch the cooking docuseries from anywhere in the world
• The best BBC iPlayer VPNs
• How to watch BBC iPlayer from abroad

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.

• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 creative director Jan Theysen suggests a console version could be achieved on a "technical level"
• Theysen says bringing RTS games to console "is always a big challenge" because of the many key prompts on PC
• He adds that King Art would ideally make adjustments so that it "actually works well on controller"

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 creative director Jan Theysen has suggested the upcoming real-time strategy (RTS) game could eventually come to consoles, as King Art plans for its future.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, where the creative director confirmed that the studio borrowed hero mechanics and UI features from Dawn of War 2 and 3 for inspiration, Theysen said that while nothing has been announced at the moment, he believes a console edition of Dawn of War 4 isn't out of the realm of possibility.

"I mean, I think we could do it on a technical level," Theysen said. "We are also looking, of course, into what else might come in the future."

The King Art co-founder explained that since RTS games generally have a wide selection of keyboard and mouse prompts, it can be difficult to cohesively translate the controls to a gamepad. However, King Art has achieved this in the past with games like Iron Harvest and Battle Worlds: Kronos.

"RTS on consoles is always a big challenge when it comes to the controls, right?" he said. "And so if we did it, I think our goal would not be to try to get the exact same controls mapped on a gamepad because that's not really working. I think we literally have something like 40 keys on the keyboard for different things."

He added that King Art would ideally look at how it could change the gameplay in places and make adjustments so that it "actually works well on controller."

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 launches on PC on December 3. In the same discussion, Theysen also described how the game manifests the classic RTS experience of the 2004 game and how the game's advanced animation system, Combat Director, initially sounded like an impossible challenge.

• The UK government is planning to set up a new arm of it's emergency response committee to help fight wildfires
• After the UK's hottest summer on record, firefighting crews were left under equipped to fight wildfires covering thousands of acres
• Satellite imagery, AI, and military aircraft armed with firefighting equipment are expected to be part of the new wildfire response

Following plans to build a £100 million AI Biosecurity Lab and plans to turn the UK into a global AI powerhouse, the UK is now looking at how AI can help detect and fight wildfires after a summer of extreme heat.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to reveal plans for a new AI arm of the cabinet’s crisis-management committee, COBRA, at a resilience summit hosted at the National Situation Centre on Friday.

The new wildfire AI unit will combine satellite imagery with early detection systems offering firefighters faster response times, with military planes and helicopters to be made available to help tackle blazes in hard to reach areas.

AI satellites to spot wildfires

Several tech and aerospace companies are expected to be in attendance at the announcement of the plans - including Google, Airbus and VodafoneThree - with the government saying the AI unit will help “spot and fight fires faster.”

Top universities and tech firms are expected to help the AI unit develop new tools to be used to detect potential wildfires across the country, while Royal Air Force aircraft will have firefighting equipment sourced to help respond to wildfire outbreaks in remote or hard to reach areas.

“As the threat of wildfires in the UK grows, defense will step up to provide greater support to our emergency services and protect military training areas across the country,” Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said. “This will see the RAF’s Chinook helicopters and A400M aircraft equipped with new specialist firefighting equipment to enable them to tackle wildfires from the skies for the first time”

The UK faced an unprecedented number of wildfires during its hottest summer on record, with thousands of acres of wildlands destroyed, a nationwide emergency alert broadcast, and a wildfire that burned kilometers away from the Sizewell B nuclear power station.

How can AI detect wildfires?

Airbus already operates a fleet of early-detection satellites that are capable of measuring the dryness of forests and detect tiny heat signatures from space in near-real time.

Earlier this year, NASA launched the first satellite with an AI geospatial foundation model on board into space.

The open-source Prithvi model - developed in collaboration with IBM - can detect flooding, wildfires, and landslides, alongside quantifying biomass, classifying specific crops, and measuring canopy heights to help with predicting how wildfires develop and spread.

There is the obvious contradiction here that AI is being used to solve problems that AI is contributing towards. Many AI firms are turning to fossil fuels for energy as supply lags behind the demand of the AI boom, but a recent report has found that 80% of AI data centers are constructed in natural disaster zones - so are AI firms helping to protect the world, or just their assets?

• A gamer took the GTA 6 'extended look' trailer and fudged it to work with DLSS 5 and Frame Generation
• The results posted on YouTube look impressive, albeit with some notable glitches
• It'll actually be possible to run the game on console, piped through a PC with an Nvidia GPU to add DLSS 5 and other visual trickery, at the cost of some input lag
• …and some believe that trade-off might be worth it

Will the best way to play GTA 6 at launch be to pipe it from your PS5 to your PC with an Nvidia GPU and then back out to your TV?

No, it absolutely won't, but a convoluted setup along these lines could be the optimal way to experience the game visually (with some major caveats) — before the PC version arrives — given that you can fudge the addition of DLSS 5 this way.

How does this work? Wccftech picked up the story of the Redditor who proposed this experiment, and actually applied DLSS 5 to the GTA 6 'extended look' trailer that Rockstar brought out a couple of months ago.

To be specific, this gamer gave the trailer a DLSS 5 makeover with 3x Frame Generation tripling the frame rate from 30 fps to 90 fps, via an app called Veyra, which is a GPU video enhancement tool for Windows on GitHub.

The Redditor explains: "I used Veyra 2.1.1, a tool that can take a video source (video files, capture cards, Remote Play) and apply Neural Rendering [DLSS 5], upscaling, and Frame Generation in real time. I also integrated MFG Unlocker into it so I can unlock Multi Frame Generation on my RTX 4080 and experiment with 3x/4x FG on 40-series cards."

MFG Unlocker is an experimental tool (again on GitHub) which the Redditor is using for getting Multi Frame Generation on their RTX 4080, in case you were wondering. (As ever, download any third-party software entirely at your own risk).

As you can see in the YouTube clip below, the results of this polishing of the official trailer are very impressive in some ways. That said, there are clear issues with artifacts and glitching in terms of the characters and lighting, with the best results seen in the background environment details.

It's pretty remarkable given that this is a fairly aggressive implementation of DLSS 5 by all accounts, fudged on top of a video with no relevant game data (the likes of vector and geometry data) to guide the neural rendering.

The Redditor's plan is to use a console-to-PC pipeline to play GTA 6 on the PS5, with the PC effectively sitting between the console and final output on the TV, adding DLSS 5 and jazzing up the visuals.

This means taking the PS5 and hooking it up to a 4K HDR capture card in the PC, running it through Veyra with the RTX 4080, then outputting to the 4K TV. It's a roundabout way of using the Nvidia GPU as an external graphics card for the console, except all the GeForce GPU is doing is applying DLSS and/or MFG to the image the PS5 has rendered — although there is a price to pay in terms of input lag, of course.

Analysis: capture capers

The Redditor doesn't actually have their PS5 yet (although they've ordered it) to try out this setup fully, but others on Reddit have run such a setup, and in fact it's not that uncommon (albeit still far from a mainstream concept).

One gamer says that they've played GTA 5 using an Elgato capture card with NitLink software, and "the gameplay was 100 times better", and while "there is a noticeable input lag" they claim that "it's completely acceptable — around 1-2 milliseconds."

That little input lag seems a stretch (to say the least), and overall, there's some dispute on whether this way of gaming is viable. Some gamers say that such a setup is just too laggy, while others claim it provides a decently playable experience. Of course, it will depend on what type of game you're playing — a fast-reaction shooter, for example, isn't going to do well with any extra lag being introduced, and you're certainly going to get some.

Really, the success of this kind of console to PC capture card to TV setup is going to heavily depend on a number of factors. The quality of the capture card (a PCIe board would be best, rather than one connected via USB) and the related software are the primary factors, and by all accounts, a higher-end Elgato with NitLink gives you a good chance of enjoying your PS5 games with an Nvidia GPU souping them up using DLSS 5 and Frame Generation.

I'm betting there will also be an element of subjectivity here, too, with some people likely to feel any latency more keenly than others.

Some gamers use this setup to play PS5 games on their PC monitor (in other words, without piping the image back out of the PC to the living room TV, which would cut down on some of the input lag), and there are guides to running this kind of setup on YouTube, like this one. Others recommend Zanit's tutorials on YouTube, but those videos are in Portuguese, so you'll need to translate them if you're not a native speaker. It's pretty cool stuff, if rather convoluted — and a good capture card doesn't come cheap (neither does a high-end RTX 5000 GPU).

Meanwhile, as far as GTA 6 on the PC goes, we may see this happen a lot sooner than expected, due to the way the emulation scene is going right now (in turbo mode thanks to AI). In other words, Rockstar may want to get the PC port on sale before PC gamers start playing it via emulation.

• Bluetooth LE gets support for High Data Throughput (HDT)
• It boosts the standard's maximum supported bit-rate by almost four times
• That means support for hi-res audio, spatial audio and multi-channel audio

Good news for the best headphones of 2027 and beyond: the latest Bluetooth technology includes High Data Throughput technology, HDT for short, which gives Bluetooth LE a huge performance boost. It can transmit almost four times as much data as the current version, enabling it to send hi-res audio, spatial audio and multi-channel audio to other devices.

The fact that HDT is part of Bluetooth is important, because that means you aren't reliant on a proprietary technology for your hi-res music: if manufacturers choose to use HDT, which we'd expect them to do, then you'll have compatibility across a huge range of headphones, Bluetooth speakers and other home entertainment hardware.

There are other benefits too, as many current hi-res audio streams are sent via Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth. Sending them over Bluetooth LE removes that traffic from your home network, potentially cutting down on congestion, and it is likely to boost your headphones' battery life, too.

Faster data transfer means less work for your Bluetooth radio, whether you're listening to hi-res audio or lower-res streams.

What's new in the blue

HDT is an optional feature in the newly published Bluetooth Core 7.0 standard, and it ups the bitrate of Bluetooth LE connections from 2.5Mbps to 7.5Mbps. Those are headline speeds, and as ever you'll get a bit less in the real world. But it's still a huge boost.

The benefits aren't just limited to headphones and other audio equipment. Anything that currently transmits or receives data via Bluetooth could benefit from the improved throughput of HDT, whether that's a smartwatch, smart glasses or a smart home device. If HDT can make updating my Apple Watch software take less time than forever, I'm sold on it already.

The downside is that you can't buy an HDT device yet. That's because there's always a lag between a new version of Bluetooth being published and products with the latest version appearing on shelves.

Bluetooth 6.0 was released in September 2024 and the first Bluetooth 6.0 headphones arrived in June 2026, with major headphone brands such as Sennheiser updating their flagships mid-year. You can expect a similar time frame with Bluetooth 7.0, so that's a summer to look forward to.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

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• AI is definitely speeding up worker output, but it's not necessarily boosting quality
• Workers feel that AI makes them feel more disconnected and lonely
• Companies need to consolidate fragmented tools and siloed data

While 86% of UK respondents say AI has made them more productive and capable, Miro's latest State of Intelligent Collaboration report is questioning what 'productive' actually means, because fewer workers (57%) have seen improvements in organizational output quality.

What the report hits on is that, while AI is undoubtedly making workers quicker at getting the job done, it doesn't always translate into better work.

But the company chose not to slate the technology in favor of criticizing the way we're working with it, noting that 71% of UK respondents use AI in private sessions rather than collaboratively.

AI is best when used as a team, Miro says

The report found workers are operating in a 'single-player' approach, which means that colleagues aren't benefitting from shared context, knowledge or visibility, limiting AI's efficacy to delivery organization-wide benefits.

To that tune, 28% of British respondents say increased AI use has made them feel more disconnected from their colleagues, and 18% now say work feels lonelier than it did before.

"What this research points to is the growing need for a place where AI and people can collaborate together to make those critical decisions, instead of in fragmented and disjointed individual single-player tools," Miro Product Evangelist Leader Dave Ross said.

To fix the problem, Miro suggests businesses should now start to invest in shared AI technologies by consolidating fragmented tools. The report also cites similar Gartner research which introduces the idea of 'AI workhubs' – approaches that connect fragmented tools and siloed data.

"With AI workhubs, teams and their agents have the context and shared understanding they need to make better decisions and turn decisions into faster execution and better outcomes," Ross added.

All in all, businesses are under increased pressure to deliver ROI from their AI investments, and simply demonstrating the use of AI is no longer sufficient. With the battle to actually improve output now underway, Miro's work stresses the importance of a clearer, organization-wide AI strategy.

• Motorola has announced the flagship Signature 27
• It features a 12,000-nit screen, a 7,000mAh battery, a top-end chipset, and other impressive specs
• However, it also has an iPhone 18 Pro-rivaling price

The original Motorola Signature only launched back in January, but a successor has already been announced in the form of the Signature 27 — and while it fixes its predecessor’s main weakness, it also comes in at a far higher price.

This is a top-end phone with a 7,000mAh battery (complete with 90W wired and 50W wireless charging), and what Motorola claims is “the brightest display available in a smartphone” — one that tops out at 12,000 nits of brightness.

For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery and a display with a 2,600-nit peak brightness, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a 5,567mAh battery (or a 5,391mAh one in models with a removable SIM card) and a display with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits.

So the Motorola Signature 27 dwarfs both of those top phones in these areas, and as far as addressing its predecessor’s main weakness, it’s one of the first phones to feature the exceptionally powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset.

This chipset was only announced in September and is a generation ahead of the chipset found in the Galaxy S26 series. It's also far more capable than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset found in the original Motorola Signature.

Other highlights of the Motorola Signature 27 include a triple-lens camera, with a 50MP wide snapper, a 50MP ultra-wide, and a 200MP 3x zoom periscope that’s also capable of 100x AI-powered zoom. This camera setup also includes the first-ever dedicated EVS action sensor on a smartphone, to help capture fast-moving subjects. And there’s a 50MP camera on the front, too.

So its photography features sound promising; on top of that, the Motorola Signature 27 also has Audio by Bang & Olufsen, which the company claims can deliver “richer, more immersive sound.”

Durable but expensive

The Signature 27 has a premium yet durable build — its chassis is a mix of ceramic, glass, and aluminum, and the phone boasts both IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance. And while it runs Android out of the box (complete with support for Gemini Intelligence and the promise of seven years of software updates), it also supports the privacy-focused GrapheneOS, which has hitherto been limited to Google Pixel devices.

So, on paper, this phone sounds extremely promising, but it might be held back by its price, as it's set to retail for £1,299.99 (roughly $1,750 / AU$2,495 — US and Australian pricing and availability are yet to be confirmed). That makes it even more expensive than the iPhone 18 Pro and roughly the same price as the iPhone 18 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

So Motorola is definitely positioning the Signature 27 as a truly top-end handset, and while it has the specs to support that ambition, the brand might not be enough of a household name in 2026 to pull off that price.

Still, if you do want the Motorola Signature 27, it’s shipping in Europe on November 16, in a choice of Pantone Coal Smoke and Pantone Capulet Olive shades. Stay tuned for our full review of the phone in the coming weeks.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 composer Jason Graves shares his stance on AI being used as a creative tool for video games
• Graves says, "Nothing will ever replace the emotional depth and creative inspiration of human beings as artists and creators"
• He says music creation is based on "personal experiences" and "creative instincts

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 composer Jason Graves has spoken out against AI taking over human creativity in video games and believes technology should only help artists work more efficiently.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, where Graves also discussed what it was like to create a full score for a Modern Warfare multiplayer mode for the first time, the composer shared his stance on the rise of AI in music creation, especially in entertainment and video games.

"Nothing will ever replace the emotional depth and creative inspiration of human beings as artists and creators," Graves said. "Music is not just a bunch of notes strung together."

He added that human music creation is based on "personal experiences" and "creative instincts forged by emotion and all the little decisions that give a piece of art its own unique personality."

While against AI as a creative tool, Graves said he's "all for technology that supports artists and helps them work more efficiently." However, he added, "There's a big difference between supporting human creativity and replacing that creative process completely with digital ones and zeros."

In the same interview, the composer shared his process for designing the game's multiplayer music, which he described as wholly different from the campaign and explained what inspired him most when writing the score.

"Fortunately, I have no lack of inspiration from the amazing gameplay itself," Graves said. "The incredible team at Infinity Ward, led by audio director Stephen Miller, was also such a huge creative influence."

• The UK is the latest country to consider restricting the use and sale of smart glasses
• Safeguarding minister Satvir Kaur said "the government is looking into options to restrict smart glasses in certain settings and restricting the sale to certain users"
• During a debate around the technology, concerns were raised around the discreet filming of women and girls

As the adoption of smart glasses increases across the world, so too have restrictions and bans on the technology from businesses and governments alike. Australia has banned the tech in public spaces such as pools, gyms and government buildings, and now the UK government is also considering implementing restrictions.

The devices have become unpopular in many circles, even earning the nickname 'pervert glasses' after some men began using them to secretly film women and girls, then posting the captured videos online. Some private businesses, such as the Wetherspoons British bar chain, have also banned the use of the devices.

In a debate at Westminster Hall titled 'Smart glasses and violence against women and girls', UK safeguarding minister Satvir Kaur said (as reported by The Guardian): “the benefits of smart glasses must be weighed against the harms they can cause. The government is already looking into options to restrict smart glasses in certain settings and restricting the sale to certain users.”

This might be similar to Australia's ban on the technology being used in public spaces. Kaur also highlighted that “other settings, such as healthcare and education, have existing safeguarding or professional policies that are relevant to smart glasses and any kind of digital recording." Kaur seemed to be hinting that where limitations on recording on smartphones already exist, this would extend to smart glasses and similar tech, but we could also see wider smart glasses-specific rules in future.

Anna Sabine, the Liberal Democrat MP who opened the debate, reportedly said: “Women are reporting waking up after nights out to find videos of themselves have gone viral online, filmed without their knowledge or consent by men wearing smart glasses... these devices not only have the potential to erode safety and privacy in public spaces, but raise really important questions about consent.”

Analysis: More restrictions will surely follow

Kaur did also highlight the useful aspect of smart glasses, such as helping visually or hearing-impaired people understand their surroundings. For those people, she said "smart glasses have been a game-changer, helping them navigate the world around them.”

Our writer Kevin Lynch, who has a hearing impairment, reviewed the Nuance Audio smart specs equipped with directional microphones, which he said were 'genuinely impactful'. It's likely any incoming legislation would allow for this usage.

However, there's no getting around the harmful uses of smart glasses too. A secondary cottage industry of Amazon sellers hocking black stickers, sized to cover the LED recording light, or offering to drill it out entirely, has sprung up online. This is all to enable people to record footage without letting others know they're doing so.

With the invasive potential of smart glasses to target women and post the footage online, companies like Meta are left with a clear stigma they'll have to shake before smart glasses can be seen as cool.

Prosecutors in Paris have also opened probes into smart glasses-related sexual harassment offenses, according to the French national newspaper Le Monde. I predict Australia won't be the only country to adopt legislation that restricts the sale or usage of smart glasses in 2027.

Do you think smart glasses should be banned, or should we be free to record wherever we like? Have your say in our poll below.

• Businesses are starting to recognize that they're locked into vendors from all angles
• AI could add yet another element to keep customers locked into providers
• Four in five have already taken action to move, many would even pay a premium

Nine in 10 (89%) businesses admit they couldn't migrate business-critical workloads away from their primary cloud provider within three weeks if it came to it evidencing widespread vendor lock-in challenges.

New Leaseweb research found more than half (55%) said it would take longer than three months, not weeks – or that it wouldn't even be possible.

But this reality contrasts with a false perception of control – three in four (76%) of the 800 surveyed C-suite leaders feel they have 'complete' or 'high' control over their ability to move data to another provider.

Cloud lock-in is more widespread than businesses perceive

One of the biggest challenges cited in the Leaseweb report centers around applications built to a particular provider's infrastructure – while the customer may retain control over their data, picking up and moving that application to another cloud provider isn't so simple.

But despite best efforts to level the playing field, improve interoperability and eliminate vendor lock-in, many European countries are still struggling on this front. The Netherlands reported the longest average migration time, at 4.7 months.

Looking ahead, four in five (79%) business leaders expect things to get worse through AI adoption, because buying into specific AI tools would increase their dependence on a small number of providers.

Cloud infrastructure is undergoing a global change

Leaseweb also noted that geopolitical tensions are continuing to reshape the cloud landscape, with four in five (78%) businesses already having taken action to reduce their reliance on a provider.

Interestingly, while the EU leads many discussions around digital sovereignty, it was the US that saw the highest proportion (91%) of businesses taking action.

Crucially, businesses are clearly willing to pay a premium to have greater control over their infrastructure, with the average business prepared to pay 16% more.

Still, Leaseweb is warning businesses that they have less control than they think they have. "With AI expected to tie businesses even more closely to a small number of providers, leaders need to understand and act on those dependencies now, not when a pricing change or geopolitical shift forces their hand," co-CEO Lex Boost wrote.

• Sam Altman says he wants there to be enough RAM for everyone
• He argues his past comments were taken out of context
• Altman previously criticized people using RAM sticks in their home PCs

When OpenAI chief Sam Altman said that it was “quite terrible” that everyday folks were using RAM sticks in their computers when there wasn’t enough for all the data centers his company wants to build, it went down just as badly as you’d expect. Now, Altman has tried to walk back his comments and say it was all just a misunderstanding.

For full context, Altman’s original remarks were made on the Cheeky Pint podcast, where he said: “From a global allocation perspective, actually, it’s quite terrible to have everybody have a bunch of the world’s limited supply of DRAM sitting in their own computer… You want maximum utilization in the cloud if you’re trying to deal with this very supply constrained environment. And somehow many people’s intuition is the opposite of that.”

Posting on X, Altman agreed to a user’s request to change his name to “Ram Altman” in reference to his earlier statements. Altman then commented that he would make the name change “but only because I actually do want the world to have tons of memory and people to put as much as they want in their computers, and it is f*cking annoying that this was taken out of context. I have been arguing for the world to ramp up memory production for a long time.”

Replying to a different X user who asked “why u want my RAM then,” Altman stated: “I want you to have so much RAM.”

A problem of OpenAI’s own making

Some readers might find Altman’s claim that his quotes from the Cheeky Pint podcast were taken out of context to be somewhat disingenuous. As can be seen in the interview transcript, Altman was speaking about people running local AI models on their computers who might feel that these models are the future and that data centers are unnecessary. It was then that his quote starting “From a global allocation perspective” began.

It’s therefore hard to see his comments as being anything other than a criticism of people having memory sticks in their home computers, because it's bad for data centers.

Part of the problem is that Altman’s own company is one of the foremost reasons why RAM stocks are severely depleted in the first place. The global rush for memory is almost entirely due to the needs of AI data centers, leaving everyday consumers with next to nothing.

Altman’s solution — “I have been arguing for the world to ramp up memory production for a long time” — also feels like an underwhelming answer to the problem, as it will take time for new fabrication plants to come online, with some analysts and firms predicting that the current shortages could continue for years.

Altman’s latest comments will therefore probably do little to endear him in the eyes of PC users — despite his protestations.

• Ninja is bringing glamor to the humble espresso machine
• The new-look Luxe Café Pro was made in collaboration with designer and potter Jonathan Adler
• It's priced at $899 (likely £879 / AU$999)

If you've ever looked at your coffee machine and thought 'it's nice and all, but what I really want is a coffee maker so garish that I'll have to make espresso with my eyes closed?' then today is your lucky day.

Ninja has upgraded its excellent Ninja Luxe Café Pro Espresso Machine by getting renowned designer and potter Jonathan Adler to give it a makeover, and the results are, um, well... look at the picture and see for yourself.

The Ninja Luxe Café Pro Espresso Machine by Jonathan Adler is "the most glamorous espresso machine I've ever seen," Adler says. It's certainly very different from the usual look of even the most expensive and best coffee makers. And you've got to admire Ninja's bravery, because this is likely to be the Marmite of luxe coffee makers. For everyone that sees it and falls in love with its loudness there will be others like me who run away screaming.

I'm ribbing Ninja here, but I'm doing it affectionately: my kitchen contains multiple Ninja appliances, and while I happen to like their black and chrome looks I'm very much in favor of more interesting color and design choices — it's why the same kitchen also includes a brightly colored Smeg kettle, toaster and juicer. And this coffee maker is part of a new design direction for the brand, which means some really great-looking products such as the new Ninja MultiPot XL, which I think looks great in its multiple colors, and the gold detailing of the Ninja Luxe Café Pro Limited Edition by David Beckham, which launched in early 2026.

The loudness of the new version is entirely deliberate, I think: it's a halo product that'll raise awareness of Ninja's new design direction, even if that awareness comes via gently mocking articles like this one. It's not for me, but I think plenty of folks will love it.

But enough about the looks. What about the coffee?

Ninja Luxe Café Pro Espresso Machine by Jonathan Adler: key features and pricing

Beneath the new look is a very good coffee machine: the Ninja Luxe Café Pro Espresso Machine by Jonathan Adler is the Pro version of the Ninja Luxe Café, which we gave 4.5 out of 5 stars to in our in-depth Ninja Luxe Café review. The Pro version adds a frother, a lever to tamp the coffee and has even more drinks in its menu.

The differences between the Jonathan Adler version and the standard Pro are cosmetic: natural wood accents, Adler's geometric Versailles pattern on the panel and brass accents instead of the usual chrome.

Inevitably, that adds to the sticker price. The Luxe Café launched in the US with a recommended price of $499.99 (about £400 / AU$750). The Pro by Jonathan Adler version is almost twice the price at $899.99.

That's a significant premium over the non-designer Pro, which is currently retailing at $749 / £729, but it's the same price as the limited edition David Beckham model that's still on sale. We don't have international pricing for the Jonathan Adler version yet, but if Ninja prices it like the Beckham one you can expect a UK price tag of around £879 and an Australian one of AU$999.

We'll leave the last word to Adler. "I believe glamour belongs everywhere," he says. "Including your kitchen countertops."

• UK firms lead the way in hiring AI specialists and investing in training for existing workers
• One in two prefer vendor certifications over traditional university degrees
• Recruiters are struggling to find tech professionals with communication skills

Two in five (42%) UK companies are now hiring dedicated AI governance specialists, according to a new Randstad study, putting the nation ahead of the global average (31%), implying that the UK could well be leading the way when it comes to responsible AI.

Randstad says the findings are evidence that UK businesses are increasingly recognizing the need for dedicated AI oversight, rather than just lumping the new and evolving tech on existing IT teams.

But it doesn't stop there, because British firms (62%) are also ahead of the global average (54%) when it comes to investing in AI compliance and safety training for their existing workers, too.

UK orgs recognize the importance of dedicated AI skills

But at the same time, we're also seeing a major shift in the qualities employers are looking for, with very nearly half (49%) of them prioritizing micro-credentials and vendor certifications that prove a level of competency over traditional university degrees.

This shift in attitude comes against a backdrop of ongoing recruitment challenges, with companies struggling not only to recruit the right talent, but enough of it – ads for junior roles require AI skills have reportedly climbed 6.5x compared with early 2022.

Despite a clear rise in the importance of having dedicated AI skills, that's not to say that traditional qualities have been thrown out of the window. Two in three (64%) recruiters now say it's harder to find tech professionals with strong communication skills than coding skills.

"While technical certifications and practical experience are becoming increasingly valuable, human skills such as communication and stakeholder management remain critical," Randstad Digital UK MD Sanjeev Kaul said.

Kaul also highlighted the UK's unique position in "preparing their workforces for the shift" by investing in existing workers and new recruits simultaneously, but the data shows plenty more organizations could follow suit to keep up with competition.

• FCC listings hint to another pair of Samsung earbuds coming soon
• This pair looks set to have exercise hooks
• Samsung may be aiming at sporty users, as open earbuds go mainstream

If you cast your mind back to a time Before The Pandemic, you might remember that Samsung used to release products with the 'Gear' name. These were smartwatches and earbuds designed for fitness (see the Samsung Gear Icon X for reference, also in the main image of this piece), but the line was retired when the company started making its all-in-one Galaxy gadgets which could do everything, making its fitness-specific tech all-but obsolete.

But it looks like Samsung's Gear range could be back — in spirit.

An FCC filing for an as-yet-unreleased pair of Samsung earbuds have been spotted. No, these aren't the Galaxy Buds On open-ears, because they're already out in many parts of the world. This is another pair of mystery earbuds.

The documents refer to them as the Samsung Galaxy T1, though that's possibly a code-name. Either way, it points to a new pair of earbuds coming from the company soon, and a previous leak pointed to the T1 earbuds having sports loops.

Earbuds with sports loops are, naturally, made for fitness users, as they keep the buds locked in place when you're running or jumping up and down. So these could be the first pair of exercise-designed buds from Samsung since the Gear line was ditched (it's worth noting that Gear earbuds didn't actually use sports loops, just ear ridges to lock them in place, like in the picture above).

It's unlikely that Samsung will revive the Gear name itself, but if it did put out some exercise earbuds, they'd be Gear in spirit.

Samsung's return to fitness earbuds

Since it stopped making Gear earbuds, Samsung hasn't made bespoke workout headphones. Instead, it pitches its standard buds like the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro as being great for running, and as someone who's tried to work out with them, their fit issues ensure this is not the case.

Perhaps that's why the tech giant began branching into the world of open-ear headphones. These non-noise-blocking buds are bought for a range of safety and awareness reasons, but their initial (and, to my eyes, still primary) use case was for running in busy areas while remaining aware of your surroundings.

As we covered recently, stats show that open ears are massively surging in popularity, so the release of the Galaxy Buds On makes sense. But what about noise cancelling exercise earbuds? I can't find any sales figures that suggest this kind of bud is 'booming', more than just growing at roughly the same rate as the entire market is.

Discounting open earbuds, the bespoke sports earbuds market is a rather quiet one. Options from brands such as Skullcandy, JBL, JLab and Soundcore mark some of the few in-ear buds with sports loops, and new releases aren't afforded the attention or buzz that non-sports-buds are.

Does Samsung know something we don't? Hopefully. It has its own research and sales figures that we're not privy to, and so any decision to release sports-specific headphones or earbuds likely points to the market segment being bigger than we realize.

That would also explain why Sammers also supplements its fancy premium smartwatches, such as the Galaxy Watch 9, with cheaper options like the Galaxy Fit 3: it knows sports users want their own tech, not just jacks of all trades. It's as true in wearables as it is in hearables.

When I tested the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, their in-ear fit was the big issue. If Samsung released them but with a sports loop to lock them in place, they could be the best headphones on the market... for exercise users and normies alike.