The National Hurricane Center is urging beachgoers to stay out of the water. Parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks are under mandatory evacuation orders.
It's been a long time coming, but the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds finally have a release date, after their initial announcement during the Xbox Showcase earlier in June.
The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will both be available on October 16, 2025, launching in multiple regions, including the UK, Australia, and the US (the ROG Xbox Ally will launch in China early next year).
Pre-orders aren't live yet, and pricing is still unknown, despite recent leaks and rumors suggesting a price tag close to $1,000 for the ROG Xbox Ally X. Xbox says both of these details will be shared in the coming weeks, which could be an indication of pre-orders opening in September.
The leaks previously hinted at pre-orders going live on August 20. While this hasn't exactly panned out as suggested, it's the date that was expected for Xbox and Asus' announcement of a release date, and the rumor of an October 16 release date was spot on.
Taking cues from the Steam DeckXbox has also announced a 'Handheld Compatibility Program', which appears to follow in the footsteps of Valve's SteamOS and the Deck Verified system. This will help players identify which games are playable or compatible with their Xbox Ally device. It will also come alongside a feature called 'Windows Performance Fit' indicator, which will help 'reflect expected performance on their supported device'.
To ensure a console-like handheld experience, Xbox is using an Advanced Shader Delivery feature, built to preload any game shaders during downloads, to dive right into games once ready.
These features are expected to come alongside the 'full-screen experience' that is supposed to help streamline the handheld experience on Windows, without unnecessary background processes and more RAM for games.
You might also like...The Business Council of New York State (BCNYS), an association representing businesses, chambers of commerce, and professional organizations across New York, has confirmed it suffered a cyberattack in which it lost sensitive information on tens of thousands of people.
The BCNYS filed a report with the Office of the Maine Attorney General, in which it confirmed the breach, and detailed the type of data that was stolen - in total, 47,329 individuals were potentially affected by the incident, when unidentified cybercriminals stole full names, Social Security numbers (SSN), dates of birth, state identification numbers, financial institution names, financial account and routing number information, payment card numbers, PINs, payment card expiration dates, taxpayer identification numbers, and electronic signature information.
It also included health data such as names of medical providers, information on medical diagnosis and conditions, prescription information, data regarding medical treatment and procedures, and healthcare insurance information.
How to stay safeThe incident apparently happened in late February 2025, but BCNYS did not notice it until early August, when it kicked off an investigation and notified relevant authorities.
So far, there is no evidence that the stolen files were used in identity theft, phishing, or other cybercrime - but of course, this doesn’t mean it’s not happening, or that it won’t happen.
Hackers can use stolen data to open bank accounts or credit lines, make unauthorized purchases, file false tax returns, and even access medical services or prescriptions under someone else’s name.
Victims should place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the major credit bureaus, monitor bank and credit card statements daily, and sign up for identity theft protection or credit monitoring, since BCNYS does offer it, free of charge.
They should also change passwords and enable multifactor authentication on all accounts, notify their banks and insurers of potential fraud, and request an IRS Identity Protection PIN to block fake tax filings.
For the medical data, victims should review insurance Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statements and contact providers to flag any suspicious medical activity.
Via BleepingComputer
You might also likeIf you’ve been looking to upgrade your smart home, it looks like Philips will have you covered with a brand new Philips Hue Bridge Pro that boasts some impressive (in cases almost needlessly so) capabilities.
Signify, the company behind the Philips Hue brand, accidentally leaked the existence of the new Bridge a few days ago alongside spoilers for new lights and a wired video doorbell, but yet another leak – this time via Lowe's – has clued us into what upgrades the Bridge Pro boasts beyond general promises of it being faster and able to support more devices.
Lowe's runs a program called Loop, which gives customers free samples of new and pre-release tech, and it looks like one such item is the Philips Hue Hue Bridge Pro. Several people have shared images and asked questions about the product on social media – with one tester being completely unsure what to do with the new Bridge Pro as they have no Philips Hue smart lights. 9to5Google reports that some people have even taken to Facebook Marketplace to sell their Bridge Pros.
These shenanigans have given us some key details. Firstly, the Bridge Pro can supposedly support 150+ lights – a huge increase from the current limit of 50. That might seem like overkill for smaller homes, but will pique the interest of anyone who's currently using multiple Bridges to cover their whole house.
The Philips Hue Bridge Pro also promises to offer full home control, so you could rely on this Matter-compatible hub to manage more than just Philips Hue technology.
(Image credit: Philips Hue)The other, much more interesting addition is Hue MotionAware tech, which promises to turn your lightbulbs into motion sensors. Exactly how this works hasn’t been revealed, so it’s not clear which Hue smart bulbs will support this upgrade, but it seems rooms with three bulbs or more will be able to detect people walking past and react accordingly.
It's possible that it might use something like the ambient sensing technology that the Communication Standards Alliance showed off in a video earlier this year. Ambient sensing is a use case built by a company called Ivani to demonstrate what's possible using the Zigbee wireless protocol (which is used by Philips Hue devices).
Now that would be smart, and might give me a reason to fill my home with smart bulbs.
Even with these serious leaks we should take details with a pinch of slat – though if you ask us it certainly seems it’s a matter of when not if Philips will debut the Bridge Pro.
IFA looks to be a likely event that'll happen – given the Berlin tech show is due in only a couple of weeks and Philips has debuted tech there before – but we’ll have to wait and see.
You might also likeThe New Yorker's Ruth Marcus says Bondi has presided over the DOJ's most convulsive transition of power since Watergate, aggressively reversing policies, investigating Trump's foes and firing staff.
Cyber threats are increasing in both scale and sophistication, prompting businesses to significantly ramp up their investment in security. From firewalls to threat intelligence feeds, today’s enterprises have access to an expansive arsenal of digital defenses. Yet despite this unprecedented spending, breaches are still occurring, and systems are still underperforming. In fact, according to the Logicalis 2025 CIO report, 88% of organizations experienced cybersecurity incidents in the past 12 months, and 43% endured multiple breaches.
The same research found that over half of CIOs surveyed say their security patching systems have become too complex to manage effectively. What’s more, 50% acknowledge that they are not getting good value from their security tools because the features go unused. In other words, CIOs are spending more, but they are spending inefficiently, and in some cases, ineffectively.
The growing complexity of security systems could become one of the biggest vulnerabilities in enterprise IT.
The illusion of moreOver the past decade, the IT market has exploded with tools. The typical security stack has grown exponentially in response to emerging threats, new regulations and gaps that have been revealed when a breach elsewhere sets off alarm bells. While each solution is well-intended, its cumulative effect can be counterproductive.
Rather than strengthening security posture, the “more is better” approach has led to environments where vulnerabilities hide in plain sight. In fact, only 58% of CIOs feel confident in their ability to identify potential security gaps. This highlights a troubling disconnect between IT leaders’ awareness of cyber risk and their actual capacity to defend against it. The very tools designed to safeguard the business can end up creating blind spots. When security systems become too complex, they overwhelm teams, slow down decision-making, and give threats more time to cause damage.
Simple but effectiveSimplifying cybersecurity doesn’t mean cutting corners or weakening defense areas, it's about assessing tools with intent in order to create a manageable system.
This can start with a foundational assessment: what are we trying to protect and why? What tools overlap? Where are the gaps? Which capabilities are going unused? Where is the complexity slowing the team down?
Organizations need a clear, continuously updated understanding of their digital assets, attack surfaces, and business priorities. Maintaining an accurate asset inventory is more than good cyber hygiene, it’s essential to prioritizing risk and responding quickly when incidents occur.
From this foundation, businesses can begin to:
This urgency to simplify is further underscored by the tightening of global regulations such as the EU AI act. A growing wave of privacy and data protection laws is pushing businesses toward greater transparency and accountability. These regulations demand that organizations have their systems in order, as they may be required at any moment to produce records and demonstrate clear, auditable compliance.
With this approach, businesses can build a leaner security posture where threats are anticipated instead of constantly chased. By taking bold, proactive steps to streamline cybersecurity today, businesses will be far better equipped to handle the risks and seize the opportunities of the digital landscape now and in the future.
We've featured the best encryption software.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro
There’s a quiet but profound transformation underway in how businesses interact with backend systems. It’s not a flashy app or piece of consumer technology - it’s happening at the infrastructure level, where machine learning, automation, and natural language processing are beginning to rewrite how software is built, configured, and controlled.
At the heart of this shift is Machine Communication Protocol (MCP), a new approach being pioneered by fintech leaders like Stripe and Adyen. MCP allows large language models (LLMs) to interact directly with APIs - automating the translation of human intent into technical execution. It’s a change that could streamline how software engineering teams operate, empower business users, and reduce the friction between what people want and what systems deliver.
Although the idea sounds abstract, it’s already being tested in a very practical context: payments. The infrastructure behind every transaction is now where we’re seeing some of the earliest, most meaningful applications of MCP. In this sense, payments teams are acting as canaries in the coal mine for a much broader shift across the software engineering world.
What is MCP and why does it matter?At its core, MCP is a way for LLMs - like ChatGPT - to interact with APIs on behalf of a user. Traditionally, if a business wanted to make a change to its backend system (say, issuing a payment link or modifying risk rules), someone - typically a developer - would have to write an API call, handle authentication, test responses, and integrate it into workflows.
With MCP, that integration layer is abstracted, and a user can issue a request in natural language - “Create a PayByLink for £100 in EUR” - and the LLM handles the translation, executes the API call, and returns the result. It can even ask follow-up questions to clarify intent. The entire interaction becomes conversational, not code based. Adyen recently demonstrated this in a proof-of-concept and Stripe launched a similar capability at its Sessions conference in May, positioning it as part of a longer-term bet on LLMs reshaping developer workflows.
For the user, it feels seamless. For the underlying system, it’s a major shift - automating the middle layer that once required deep technical fluency.
Why start with payments?Payment systems are already heavily API-driven and deeply embedded in enterprise architecture. But despite their flexibility, they’ve historically been gated by technical teams. Every change - like adding ApplePay or updating parameters - requires someone in engineering to write code, test logic, and deploy updates.
That works, but it creates bottlenecks. In developer-centric environments like Stripe’s, MCP represents a way to streamline workflows. In enterprise-first setups like Adyen’s, it’s about empowering operations, product, and risk teams to make changes directly - without joining a development queue or waiting for a sprint cycle.
In both cases, MCP moves control closer to the people who understand the business problem - and speeds up the cycle from intent to execution.
Implications for software engineeringMCP doesn’t just matter to payments - it’s an early example of something much bigger. It signals how software engineers and infrastructure management may evolve over the next few years.
MCP doesn’t eliminate the need for technical expertise. But it does change the role. Software engineers may move from executing tasks to supervising them - designing secure, auditable systems that allow AI agents to operate safely and effectively.
In that sense, MCP isn’t just a new interface - it’s a new paradigm. One that requires engineers to think like systems architects and strategic enablers, rather than gatekeepers of functionality.
Still early, but moving fastAdyen’s POC is limited, Stripe’s implementation is still evolving, and right now, most MCP use cases are simple: generating a payment link, updating a rule, querying a transaction status, but it won’t stay that way for long.
MCP-based workflows could soon handle more complex interactions - onboarding new markets, configuring multi-step authentication, deploying checkout experiments, or dynamically routing transactions - all through natural language.
That won’t stop with payments. MCP could apply to any API-rich system: cloud infrastructure, observability platforms, compliance tooling, data pipelines. The building blocks are already there. The real question is how quickly engineering teams adapt.
The next phase of engineering won’t be about who can write the cleanest Python. It will be about who can define intent clearly, interpret outcomes effectively, and manage AI-driven systems responsibly.
MCP is just the beginning. The businesses - and engineers - that understand what it unlocks will be the ones shaping what comes next.
We've featured the best business intelligence platform.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro
Just ahead of the start of Gamescom 2025, Sony revealed a suite of new products for its Inzone gaming accessory line. This includes two new bits of gaming audio gear: the Inzone H9 II gaming headset and the Inzone E9 gaming earbuds.
The Inzone H9 II is an overhauled version of the existing Inzone H9. It features the same driver unit as the superb Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones, which achieved four and a half stars thanks to its excellent audio performance in our recent review.
You also get full active noise cancellation and the ability to tweak the equalizer (EQ) settings through the compatible Sony Sound Connect up on PC and PS5.
The Inzone H9 II boasts a wide-band adjustable boom microphone complete with AI-optimized noise filtration technology to help cut out background interference. It's also fully detachable, unlike its predecessor.
The II comes in lighter, too, at just 260g, which is presumably a result of its slimmer-looking headband and more streamlined mic.
The Inzone H9 II is available to pre-order now in either white or black for $349.99 / £299.99 and will ship in September.
Image 1 of 2The Inzone H9 II at Gamescom 2025. (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2The Inzone E9 at Gamescom 2025. (Image credit: Future)The Inzone E9 is a pair of in-ear gaming earbuds that comes with a USB-C audio box that can store your customized EQ settings.
They were developed in collaboration with the esports team Fnatic and are intended for "elite FPS play". They cost $149.99 / £129 in either white or black and are up for pre-order now with shipping in October.
You might also like...A hacker was recently spotted patching someone’s vulnerable cloud Linux instance - but they did not do it out of the goodness of their heart.
Security researchers Red Canary observed a threat actor abusing a maximum severity flaw, tracked as CVE-2023-46604, to break into a cloud Linux system.
The vulnerability is found in Apache ActiveMQ, and grants persistent access, among other things - but however, after breaking in, they patched the bug, essentially locking the doors behind them.
DripDropperRed Canary argues that there are different reasons why a cybercriminal might fix a problem after exploiting it, including locking out other adversaries, or hiding their tracks.
The latter makes a lot of sense, especially knowing that cybercriminals often fight for control over different compromised endpoints.
Besides patching the flaw, the hackers did a number of things, including installing the Sliver implant, which granted them unrestricted access to the system.
They also modified the existing sshd configuration file to enable root login, and after that installed a previously unknown downloader that Red Canary named “DripDropper”.
The downloader itself is rather advanced, requiring a password to run, which hinders sandbox analysis.
It communicates with the threat actors via a Dropbox account that has hardcoded bearer tokens, and since Dropbox and similar platforms (Telegram, or Discord) are not malicious by nature, the traffic blends in and is harder to spot. Finally, DripDropper is most likely used to deploy two separate pieces of malware.
Red Canary says that vulnerable web servers are one of the most common initial access vectors to Linux systems.
“Given the prevalence of *NIX-based, or Unix-like systems in modern infrastructure, particularly in rapidly expanding cloud environments, ensuring they’re protected is essential,” the researchers said.
“This requires the development of specialized incident response strategies tailored to the complexities of both cloud architectures and Linux environments and ensuring defenders are equipped with effective, actionable guidance to safeguard these critical assets."
You might also likeThe Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus is a high-end juicer that tackles a variety of foods and drinks with ease. It definitely compares with some of the top picks on our best juicer guide.
The juicer comes with a hopper extension, so you can make larger batches of juice. There are three different strainers included: juice, smoothie, and blank (for thicker foods like sorbet). These accessories allow you to make so many different kinds of foods and beverages. It also comes with three different cleaning tools, which should give you some idea of what's involved in cleaning the machine after use. None of the parts are dishwasher-safe.
I found using the machine to be pretty easy once I figured out how all the parts go together, and it's even kind of fun watching it do its thing. I enjoying throwing a bunch of whole fruits; peels, seeds, stems, and all into the hopper and having delicious, healthy juice a few minutes later. It's kind of satisfying watching the pulp come out the side as fresh juice pours into your juice cup. Some of the pulps can even be used to make other recipes, which I did when I made oat milk.
Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: price and availabilityThe Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus is currently only available on Kuvings' own website, but should be widely available soon. Other models of Kuvings juicers are available at most of the typical big box stores and high-end kitchen chains.
At $739.99 (about £550 / AU$1130) this isn't a cheap juicer. Additionally, I got the citrus attachment, which allows you to make citrus juice without peeling the fruits or putting them in the hopper whole. The citrus attachment, exclusively for the AUTO10 series, sells for $42 (about £30 / AU$60)
Value score: 3/5
Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: designKuvings' Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus is a big boi. It weighs 17.4 pounds (7.9kg) so you won't be sliding it in and out of your cabinet easily. It's also quite tall, at 20 inches (529 mm) and it does not fit under the upper cabinets in my kitchen, even without the hopper extension.
The footprint is 8 inches (209 mm) by 10 inches (256 mm), which is pretty reasonable. Just keep in mind that you'll also need clearance for juicing cups in front of the machine (for juice) and on the side (for the pulp).
Not only will you need adequate counter space for the juicer, but you'll need space to store all of the parts. Some of the parts do nest together, but not all of them, so keep that in mind.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Putting the parts together isn't terribly intuitive, but there are clear instructions in the owner's manual. If that's not enough, Kuvings has a number of instructional videos on their YouTube channel to help you get it all sorted out. Once you have put together the parts a couple of times, muscle memory takes over and it's pretty quick and easy.
The Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus is a low speed compression juicer. The juicer utilizes a juicing screw which nests into one of the three included strainers inside the juicing bowl.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)There is a spigot on the front of the juicer, which you can open and close. Use the large plastic juicing cup which is included to capture your juice/beverage/food, or make your items directly into the container of your choice. Place the smaller included juicing cup on the side, underneath the pulp chute, to capture the pulp that is left over after making juices and plant milks. You can discard the pulp, compost it, or even use it to make recipes.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)I also got the citrus attachment, which is sold separately. This reamer-style attachment lets you make citrus juices without having to spend time peeling.
Lemons and limes can be tossed into the main juicer whole, but orange and grapefruit juices are better without the peels. If you'll be making orange or grapefruit juice regularly, you'll either need to peel them before dropping into the hopper or buy the citrus attachment to avoid this tedious task.
Design score: 4/5
Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: performanceI made a delicious green juice from Kuvings' website called Spring Detox Juice. The recipe consisted of kale, grapes, kiwis, pears, and limes. Conveniently, I only had to remove the stems from the grapes. Everything else I just cleaned and then threw in whole, just as they are pictured above. As recommended, I used the juicing strainer, which has a fine mesh that keeps the pulp out of your juice. Even with all the tart and bitter ingredients, the juice was smooth and sweet without any added sugar or sweeteners.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Using the optional citrus attachment (sold separately), I made orange juice with navel oranges. Four small-to-medium oranges yielded just about 6 ounces of juice. I just washed each orange, sliced it in half and then pressed it onto the citrus attachment. The juice was good but a little bit tart. Obviously the oranges that you use will determine how the juice tastes.
Image 1 of 3(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Image 2 of 3(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Image 3 of 3(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)This juicer lets you make a variety of nut milks and other plant milks. I’d never had oat milk before so I thought I would try making it. I used the recommended juicing strainer. The resulting oat milk did indeed look like milk. I put the oat milk on my cereal; it tasted kind of bland but OK. I also used it in smoothies, chia pudding, and even ranch dressing, and it was totally fine. I had heard that oat milk generally has a slightly slimy mouth feel and I did notice that, but only when drinking it plain.
I used this double recipe from Kuvings' website, Oat Milk & Oat Pulp Cookies. After making the oat milk, I used the pulp to make cookies, which reminded me of healthy cookies that I’ve made before with oats and bananas. They were pretty bland because there was no sweetener in them. If I were making them again, I would definitely add a sweetener or mashed banana. Using the oat pulp instead of whole oats was fine. I also think the oat pulp would be great for making dog treats.
Image 1 of 2(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Image 2 of 2(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Next, I wanted to test out the smoothie strainer, which has larger holes than the juicing strainer. Smoothies don't produce any pulp, as everything goes right into your cup. I make Kuvings' Banana Protein Smoothie Recipe, which was just bananas, milk, and nuts. This recipe was pretty disappointing. The taste was fine, since I do like bananas and nuts, but it was a bit liquidy and bland for my taste. I also noticed that the ingredients weren't fully blended together, as they would be if I'd used a blender.
I ended up pouring the results into a blender with some vanilla yogurt and ice to make myself a thicker and more flavorful smoothie.
Image 1 of 2(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Image 2 of 2(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)To test out the blank strainer, I made Kuving's Dragon Fruit Sorbet. The recipe calls for just two frozen fruit ingredients, dragon fruit and bananas, but I couldn’t find frozen dragon fruit in the stores I checked, so I used cherries instead.
I’ve made fruit-only sorbets many times with other kitchen appliances. The Kuvings juicer does just as good a job as those other appliances and the sorbet is delicious. If you’d like a sweeter sorbet, you would need to add some kind of sweetener, but I like plain old fruit as is. The juicer does not mix the two fruits together. You have to add the two frozen fruits a little bit at a time, alternating between them. The result is a swirled rather than uniform sorbet.
The Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus does a great job making juices and plant milks, which is probably the primary reason anyone would buy it. Making juice is very easy, since you don't have to peel or cut the ingredients before popping them into the big hopper.
It also does a good job making sorbets, as long as you don't mind that the ingredients are somewhat swirled rather than fully mixed. Smoothies came out all right, but I really wouldn't bother making smoothies in this juicer unless you don't have a regular blender.
The hardest part of using this machine is cleanup, for sure. Not only are there a lot of parts to clean, but there are a lot of nooks and crannies. Three different cleaning tools are included in ensure you can get every part clean. None of it is dishwasher-safe, so you'll need to wash it all by hand.
Performance score: 4/5
Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: Score cardAttribute
Notes
Score
Value
Not yet widely available, though I expect it will be soon since other Kuvings juicer models are. It's quite pricey.
3/5
Design
It's easy enough to put together once you learn how, but it does take up a lot of space.
4/5
Performance
It makes excellent juices and also makes lots of other foods and beverages. Cleanup is a hassle, though.
4/5
Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: should you buy it?Buy it if...You’re a hard-core juicer
If you're someone who wants to make a lot of juice, this is the juicer for you. With the included hopper extension, it handles large quantities of whole fruits and veggies at once. No pre-cutting, just pop everything in: peels, stems, seeds, and all. You can also buy a separate citrus attachment for juicing citrus without the peels.
You want to make plant milks at home
Not into dairy milk? Make your own nut milk, seed milk, soy milk, oat milk, or hemp milk in this juicer. The fine mesh juicing strainer makes for a smooth and creamy result.
You want to make smoothies and other blended treats
While these aren't the star features of this juicer, you can also make smoothies, sorbet, hummus, soup, sauces, and more using the smoothie and blank strainers.
Don't buy it if...You’re on a budget
This is a pricey home appliance, there's no question. It's really only worth it if you're serious about juice and/or plant-based milks.
You have a small kitchen
This juicer is a big commitment of counter and storage space. It's both tall and heavy which makes it a challenge to find a good spot to store and use it. Additionally, there are a lot of parts that need to be stored, not all of which nest together.
You’re hate washing dishes
There's no way around it, you'll be doing a lot of sink work here. Use the three included cleaning tools to get into every nook and cranny. None of it is dishwasher-safe, so you'll wash every part by hand.
Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: also considerBreville the Juice Fountain Cold
The winner of our best juicers guide, this one makes smooth juice without the mega price tag. Read our Breville the Juice Fountain Cold review for the full rundown.View Deal
Sage 3X Bluicer Pro
If you want a single appliance that both juices and blends, you might consider this one for roughly half the price of the Kuvings. It's not perfect, but it does the job for a lot less. Read our Sage 3X Bluicer Pro review for more information.View Deal
Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: How I testedI made orange juice with the citrus attachment (sold separately). I made a green fruit/veggie juice as well as an oat milk with the juicing strainer. I baked cookies from the oat milk's oat pulp. I made a fruit smoothie with the smoothie strainer. I made a frozen fruit sorbet with the blank strainer.
First reviewed: August 2025
If you're in the EU, you can now take action against the controversial child sexual abuse (CSAM) scanning bill, which is currently being discussed in the EU Council, thanks to a new citizen-led initiative.
Deemed by critics as Chat Control, the proposal was first unveiled in May 2022 to halt the spread of CSAM content online by scanning all communications, especially those that are encrypted.
A proposal that has attracted strong criticism and pushback among experts and lawmakers alike, Chat Control has never been closer to passing. The Danish version of the bill could be adopted as early as October 14, 2025.
(Image credit: Fight Chat Control, Mastodon)"Our goal is to empower citizens with the knowledge they need to understand the implications of this legislation and to encourage them to take action by contacting their elected representatives in the European Parliament and national governments," explain the people behind the Fight Chat Control initiative, launched on August 6.
The website includes easy-to-understand information about the CSAM scanning proposal, while tracking the positions of EU Member States and EU representatives.
By heading to the Take Action tab, you can contact your country's MEPs within a couple of clicks to ask them to scrap the controversial proposal. The website drafts the message for you based on your concerns about the proposed law.
"We believe that privacy is a fundamental right, and that end-to-end encryption is essential for protecting our personal communications, financial information, and digital identities. The Chat Control proposal would undermine these protections, potentially exposing citizens to new security risks and surveillance without meaningful benefits."
What's next for Europeans' chats?From its first unveiling in 2022, the Chat Control proposal has seen many twists and turns as privacy advocates, technologists, and even politicians raised concerns. Worries for which the Council has failed to find an agreement.
The most contentious point is around encryption, the technology that the likes of WhatsApp, Signal, encrypted email providers like ProtonMail, and even the best VPN apps use to ensure the content of your communications remains private from you and who you are talking to.
Over the years, the EU Council has tried to find a compromise – without any success.
As per its first version, all messaging software providers would be required to perform indiscriminate scanning of private messages to look for CSAM. The backlash was strong, with the European Court of Human Rights proceeding to ban all legal efforts to weaken the encryption of secure communications in Europe.
In June 2024, Belgium proposed a new, more compromising text to target only shared photos, videos, and URLs, with users' permission. In February 2025, Poland tried to find a better compromise by making encrypted chat scanning voluntary and classified as "prevention."
Fast-forward to July 2025, Denmark reintroduced Chat Control as a top legislative priority on its first day of Presidency, and put forward a new compromise text, which former MEP for the German Pirate Party and digital rights jurist, Patrick Breyer, deemed the "more radical version" so far.
Crucially, momentum is growing among EU member states backing up the legislation. At the time of writing, according to Fight Chat Control's latest data, 15 member states support the law (including France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Ireland), nine are undecided (such as Estonia, Germany, and Belgium), and only three oppose the bill in its current form (Austria, Netherlands, and Poland).
On September 12, 2025, the Council is expected to share its final positions, with the vote set to take place on October 14.
You might also likeU.S. farmers are feeling the impact of Trump's immigration crackdown. In some communities, immigration raids have slowed farm operations. NPR reports from Central Florida's strawberry region.
(Image credit: Lexi Parra for NPR)
A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Wednesday, August 20 (game #1304).
Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 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 #1305) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.
* 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 #1305) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.
Quordle today (game #1305) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.
Quordle today (game #1305) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.
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 #1305) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?• Q
• S
• W
• A
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
Quordle today (game #1305) - the answers(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)The answers to today's Quordle, game #1305, are…
In every case today it was a three-letter combination that helped me find the correct word – U-T-E led to ACUTE, I-T-E to WHITE, E-S-T to QUEST and S-P-A to SPARK.
On a day where Q made a rare appearance, I’m pleased to have got through without an error. However, I was brought crashing down to earth by the far trickier Daily Sequence, where it took me five attempts to get FOUND.
Daily Sequence today (game #1305) - the answers(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1305, are…
A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, August 20 (game #801).
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 #802) - today's words(Image credit: New York Times)Today's NYT Connections words are…
What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?
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 #802) - hint #2 - group answersWhat are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #802) - the answers(Image credit: New York Times)The answers to today's Connections, game #802, are…
Connections teased us with two Teletubbies, and had I not known that the missing characters were Tinky-Winky and Po I may have been tempted to cobble a quartet together with BOO-BOO and FLUB, both of which sound as if they could be rotund primary-colored aliens.
Instead, I remembered that a prime feature of the TELETUBBY species was the curly antenna on top of their bulbous heads, something they have in common with INSECT, RADIO TOWER and SATELLITE DISH.
I’m glad I had this useless knowledge as I would never have put together _____ DOODLE, having never heard the phrase DIPSY doodle or having any inkling as to what a CHEESE doodle could be; this particular variety of cheese puff is not available in the UK, where the Wotsit rules supreme.
Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, August 20, game #801)NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.
On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.
It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.
It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, August 20 (game #535).
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 #536) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Marvel-ous and then some
NYT Strands today (game #536) - hint #2 - clue wordsPlay any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
• Spangram has 11 letters
NYT Strands today (game #536) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?First side: top, 4th column
Last side: bottom, 3rd column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #536) - the answers(Image credit: New York Times)The answers to today's Strands, game #536, are…
I spotted the spangram SUPERHEROES first, before I went looking for characters from the Marvel universe – a nice touch to have the letters form an S shape.
I have trouble remembering who is part of the DC family and who is Marvel (apologies) and the one I was certain of – Spider-Man – was not part of the search (quite possibly because of that pesky hyphen).
I needn’t have worried, as you didn’t need to have any comic book knowledge to complete today’s search; none of the words were particular tricky to unravel and required little expertise.
That said, I did get the two most famous first, in HULK and WOLVERINE, before progressing to the lower tier of superherodom.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, August 20, game #535)Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
Alien: Earth has burst on to streaming with critics praising the show and audiences racing to stream the opening episodes.
Disney have revealed that the debut pair of episodes raked in 9.2 million global viewers across FX and Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally, making it the most-watched show last week across two of the best streaming services.
It’s worth taking the above figure with a slight pinch of salt, however, with Disney using hours watched divided by titles' runtime as the means to measure viewers, not simply eyes on the screen. Even so, it’s an impressive number and up there with Marvel and Star Wars content on Disney+.
But strong viewership is only a part of the Xenemorph spin-off’s success, with the show also earning a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics, making it one of the best Hulu shows around right now. If you’re yet to catch up, you can get a taste of what all the fuss is about from the trailer below.
Alien: Earth comes from showrunner Noah Hawley, who has previously worked with FX to bring Fargo and X-Men (Legion) to the small screen and marks the franchise’s first foray into TV after a storied history.
Debuting with Ridley Scott’s space slasher Alien in 1979, the film was followed up by James Cameron’s more action oriented Aliens in 1986. While the initial two installments would be at home on any GOAT list, David Fincher’s studio-meddled Alien 3 and the bizarre Alien: Resurrection from Jean-Pierre Jeunet were less successful. After two crossovers with the Predator franchise failed to reignite interest, Scott returned to the series with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant in the 2010s, delivering two esoteric sci-fis about the nature of humanity and creation that felt at odds with what had come before. Alien: Romulus hit theatres last year, serving as a sequel to the original film, somewhat righting the ship with the sort of blood-soaked horror you’d expect from director Fede Alvarez.
Hawley’s latest installment follows Wendy (Sydney Chandler), a humanoid robot now the host of the consciousness of a terminally ill child. When Weyland-Yutani’s deep space research vessel crash lands in territory controlled by Prodigy, Wendy’s ‘owners,’ she and her rag-tag group of fellow hybrids set out on a mission to investigate, unaware of the deadly cargo on board.
(Image credit: FX Networks/Hulu/Disney+)In its opening episodes Alien: Earth feels like a show inspired by everything that’s come before, with the tension of Alien, the corporate espionage and military presence of Aliens, the philosophizing of Prometheus and the Xenemorph-induced bloodshed of Romulus. There’s even a little bit of Scott’s Blade Runner thrown in for good measure.
And it’s a formula that works based on the show’s excellent Rotten Tomatoes score, with Financial Times calling it “The best Alien installment since 1986 (Cameron’s Aliens"), while The Guardian praised the show’s “bristling, bewildering, overpoweringly confident aura.” Empire, meanwhile, called Alien: Earth “a rare prequel that manages to enrich its source material.”
The first three installments of Alien: Earth can be streamed on Hulu and Disney+ right now, with the rest of the series mostly coming out each week… mostly.
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Inotiv, an American pharmaceutical and biotech company, has confirmed it has suffered a ransomware attack which forced it to shut down parts of its IT infrastructure.
In a report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company said it spotted the attack on August 8, 2025.
The initial investigation determined that someone broke in and encrypted “certain parts” of its systems. Inotiv then did the usual, locking the network down, notifying the police, and bringing in third-party security experts for forensic analysis and security improvements.
Qilin takes the blameHowever, the attack seems to have caused noticeable damage:
“The cybersecurity incident has caused, and is expected to continue to cause, disruptions to certain business operations of the company,” Inovit said in the filing. “The incident has temporarily impacted the availability of and access to certain of the company’s networks and systems, including access to portions of internal data storage and certain internal business applications.”
As it works on restoring the services and bringing its systems back online, Inotiv said it transitioned impacted operations to “offline alternatives” to minimize the impact. There is no deadline for this and Inotiv doesn’t seem to know when it might get back to business as usual.
Inotiv is still investigating the case and did not discuss the identity of the attackers. However, BleepingComputer found a ransomware group called Qilin claimed responsibility, listing Inotiv on its data leak site, saying they stole around 162,000 files which are 176GB in size.
Samples of the stolen files were also posted on the site, but at press time, their authenticity has not yet been confirmed.
Inotiv is a US-based contract research organization (CRO) that provides nonclinical and analytical drug discovery and development services for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. It has around 2,000 specialists and an annual revenue of around $500 million.
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