TechRadar News

• The ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X finally have their release date set for October 16, 2025
• Previous leaks suggested the devices would release on October 16, with pre-orders opening on August 20
• Pre-orders aren't live yet and pricing is unconfirmed, but should arrive in the coming weeks

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 Deck

Xbox 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.

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• BCNYS suffered a cyberattack in February, and discovered it in August
• Sensitive personal, payment, and healthcare information, was stolen
• There's no evidence of in-the-wild abuse yet

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 safe

The 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

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If 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.

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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 more

Over 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 effective

Simplifying 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:

• Consolidate tools - Through the use of integrated platforms, businesses can protect multiple areas at once. They offer layered security for various elements of a business in a single unified framework, increasing visibility and reducing the operational load on already stretched IT teams
• Outsource - Outsourcing functions such as monitoring and threat detection, and patching to security specialists frees up internal resources to focus on more strategic initiatives
• Introducing automation - Manual processes can often be overwhelming, time-consuming and prone to error. Automation can slash task times and help with overall efficiency
• Align security purchases with business outcomes - By ensuring spend is directly tied to business objectives, businesses can direct their investments to where matters the most

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 engineering

MCP 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 fast

Adyen’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

• Sony has unveiled two new audio products ahead of Gamescom 2025
• The Inzone H9 II is an overhauled version of an existing gaming headset
• The Inzone E9 is a pair of FPS gaming earbuds

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 2

The Inzone H9 II at Gamescom 2025. (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

The 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.

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• Researchers spot cybercriminals abuse bug to access a cloud Linux server
• The hackers then proceeded to patch the flaw, closing the doors behind them
• There could be different reasons for fixing flaws

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.

DripDropper

Red 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."

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• A new citizen-led initiative can now help you have your say about the controversial EU child sexual abuse (CSAM) scanning bill
• Experts are concerned about the negative impact the bill will have on citizens' communications privacy and security
• The Danish version of the so-called Chat Control could be adopted as early as October 14, 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.

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Looking for a different day?

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…

• QUEST
• SPARK
• WHITE
• ACUTE

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…

• FOUND
• CRAVE
• ALLAY
• WRECK

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1304, Wednesday, 20 August: DOLLY, MERRY, BUGLE, WORST
• Quordle #1303, Tuesday, 19 August: KNAVE, SMART, CARRY, MAMMA
• Quordle #1302, Monday, 18 August: FIBER, TRADE, RAYON, TEASE
• Quordle #1301, Sunday, 17 August: FUNGI, AMITY, DRIER, CHECK
• Quordle #1300, Saturday, 16 August: OWING, QUAKE, SLIDE, ELITE
• Quordle #1299, Friday, 15 August: WHALE, PRISM, DRAKE, TEPEE
• Quordle #1298, Thursday, 14 August: LAPEL, IDIOM, RENEW, LIVER
• Quordle #1297, Wednesday, 13 August: CACTI, HOMER, EMAIL, ALBUM
• Quordle #1296, Tuesday, 12 August: SPOOL, TITLE, JAUNT, OVINE
• Quordle #1295, Monday, 11 August: ADULT, BROOM, PURER, CRUEL
• Quordle #1294, Sunday, 10 August: SCRUM, PIPER, TROLL, SPORE
• Quordle #1293, Saturday, 9 August: NOOSE, INLET, ELEGY, VIRUS
• Quordle #1292, Friday, 8 August: KNEEL, KINKY, RALPH, BOOZY
• Quordle #1291, Thursday, 7 August: PLUNK, PROXY, CURVY, PEARL
• Quordle #1290, Wednesday, 6 August: RISKY, APART, FAUNA, HANDY
• Quordle #1289, Tuesday, 5 August: ROAST, SLICK, AUDIT, BILLY
• Quordle #1288, Monday, 4 August: MACAW, SINCE, COLON, CHIRP
• Quordle #1287, Sunday, 3 August: MOTIF, LEERY, LOFTY, BURST
• Quordle #1286, Saturday, 2 August: WARTY, PUPAL, CLEAR, SLICE
• Quordle #1285, Friday, 1 August: ACTOR, MEALY, WIDTH, ADOBE

Looking for a different day?

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…

• DIPSY
• DREAM
• CHEESE
• SATELLITE DISH
• LA-LA
• GOOGLE
• TELETUBBY
• NO-NO
• YANKEE
• BOO-BOO
• RADIO TOWER
• NEVER NEVER
• FLUB
• INSECT
• FANTASY
• GAFFE

NYT Connections today (game #802) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: A clumsy mishap 
• GREEN: Make believe kingdoms
• BLUE: Linked by a receiving system
• PURPLE: Add a word that’s a bit like a scribble

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 answers

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

• YELLOW: BLUNDER 
• GREEN: LANDS OF THE IMAGINATION
• BLUE: THINGS WITH ANTENNA/E 
• PURPLE: ____ DOODLE

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…

• YELLOW: BLUNDER BOO-BOO, FLUB, GAFFE, NO-NO
• GREEN: LANDS OF THE IMAGINATION DREAM, FANTASY, LA-LA, NEVER NEVER
• BLUE: THINGS WITH ANTENNA/E INSECT, RADIO TOWER, SATELLITE DISH, TELETUBBY
• PURPLE: ____ DOODLE CHEESE, DIPSY, GOOGLE, YANKEE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

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)

• YELLOW: BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGS DOMINO, PIANO KEYS, YIN-YANG SYMBOL, ZEBRA
• GREEN: PAIRS OF RODS CHOPSTICKS, CLAVES, KNITTING NEEDLES, SKI POLES
• BLUE: THINGS THAT ROTATE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS BARBER POLE, CAROUSEL, CEILING FAN, LAZY SUSAN
• PURPLE: RODS THAT CURVE AT ONE END CANDY CANE, CROCHET HOOK, CROOK, CROWBAR

What is NYT Connections?

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.

Looking for a different day?

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 words

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

• POWER
• STORE
• RIVER
• THINK
• ROAD
• HIRE

NYT Strands today (game #536) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• 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…

• HULK
• WOLVERINE
• STORM
• DAREDEVIL
• THING
• ROGUE
• SPANGRAM: SUPERHEROES

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

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)

• EURO
• PESO
• RAND
• POUND
• RUPEE
• DOLLAR
• SPANGRAM: GLOBAL CURRENCY

What is NYT Strands?

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 pharmacy firm reports suffering a ransomware attack
• It is currently restoring some of its services
• Ransomware operators Qilin claimed responsibility

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 blame

However, 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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• Microsoft is experimenting with a new recommendation in the Start menu
• It's effectively an ad for Copilot (and Microsoft 365 Copilot)
• Recommendations include prompts to write a draft, create an image, or just fire up a query

Windows 11 could be getting another thinly veiled ad in the Start menu, and this time it's for Copilot.

Windows Latest reports that PhantomOfEarth highlighted the move on X, but note that Microsoft is just experimenting with this idea currently in test builds of Windows 11, so you won't see this yet.

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft's quest to add Copilot buttons to everything in Windows 11 has reached the Start menu.MS is experimenting with a new Start menu recommendation for Copilot/M365 Copilot that suggests a few different prompts you can use with it, here are 4: pic.twitter.com/tzHHr0XLoLAugust 16, 2025

The nudge to use Copilot appears in the 'recommended' section of the Start menu, which is where Microsoft points out apps and services it thinks you might find useful (read: tries to sell you), as well as recently used apps or files.

As you'll see if you look over the four screenshots provided on X, there are recommendations to use either plain Copilot or Microsoft 365 Copilot. The latter is the business-targeted subscription version, and I presume the former is what will be presented to the average consumer.

These consist of prompts to either just fire up Copilot to answer a query or to use the AI to write a first draft.

However, Windows Latest did some digging and found references to other spins on these recommendations in Windows 11. That includes getting Copilot to create an image, or a suggestion to 'Teach me a few ways that Copilot can help me with my productivity,' which opens Microsoft 365 Copilot.

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)Analysis: starting to get annoyed?

Unsurprising things that have happened this week, number 28: Microsoft is mulling the idea of pushing AI functionality a bit more in Windows 11. Of course, we should bear in mind that this is just experimentation at the moment - the leaker on X doesn't make it clear if this is hidden in Windows 11 preview builds, but I assume this is the case (the finds made by Windows Latest certainly are).

I'd bet at least some cash that this is something that does make the cut for inclusion in Windows 11 eventually. Although we don't really need any more prompting to use Copilot, there's already a big button for the AI on the taskbar, after all.

Now, to be fair to Microsoft, the good news is that if you aren't fond of recommendations within the Start menu like this, the company recently introduced the ability to turn them off in Windows 11 (after that option was spotted in testing a while back).

To do this, you need to go into Settings, and head to Personalization > Start, where you'll see a slider for the following: 'Show recommended files in Start, recent files in File Explorer, and items in Jump Lists'. Just switch this off, but note that you'll lose the other mentioned bits and pieces, including recent files being flagged up in File Explorer (which is the app that displays the folders on your desktop).

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• 71% of US citizens believe AI could cause permanent job loss
• Only one in three think AI is helpful in education
• Unemployment rates are broadly unchanged

A new Reuters/Ipsos study has found nearly half (47%) of Americans believe AI is bad for humanity, and in terms of more than just jobs.

The study added how almost three in four (71%) Americans are concerned AI will cause permanent job loss, with many divided about AI's role in education (only 36% think it will help).

Besides jobs, US citizens are worried about AI's broader implications within the society, including political chaos, military uses and even a risk to humanity.

American citizens aren't so sure about the future of AI

Even more citizens are worried about AI disrupting political systems (77%) via deepfakes and other misinformation campaigns, with around half (48%) opposing to military use of AI to decide strike targets.

Although workers and consumers broadly acknowledge AI's productivity benefits, they're mostly concerns about the misuse of artificial intelligence, with harmful applications like fake medical information, racist content and AI bots all cited in the study.

Users are also becoming increasingly conscious of AI's sustainability impacts, with three in five (61%) worried about high electricity demand from AI data centers.

Despite noting a 12% decrease in data center emissions in its latest Sustainability Report, Google warned of a 27% surge in energy demand as a result of intensive compute demands – and other companies in this space are all facing similar challenges.

Concerns span all areas of AI, but with workers still sharing early concerns that AI could replace jobs, industries are yet to prove this theory.

Tech sector layoffs have cost hundreds of thousands of jobs since the launch of ChatGPT and subsequent AI tools, however with US unemployment rates remaining fairly steady (4.2% in July 2025), what we're seeing more than widespread job losses is a shift in jobs – as some become redundant, new roles open up.

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Foundation season 3 is entering the home straight. Its seventh episode – 'Foundation's End' – is set to be released very soon, so there aren't many entries left before the sci-fi epic departs our screens once more.

Before it does, though, 'Foundation's End' and this season's final three installments should deliver thrills and melodrama aplenty. Read on to find out when season 3 episode 7 will launch on Apple TV+, then, and when its follow-up installments will make their streaming debuts.

What is the release date for Foundation season 3 episode 7?

Brother Day's trip through Mycogen continues in this season's seventh episode (Image credit: Apple TV+)

'Foundation's End' will land on Apple's streaming platform on Friday, August 22.

Just like its six predecessors, the seventh chapter of Foundation's third season could arrive a day earlier (Thursday, August 21) in North and South America. That's due to the time zones that these continents operate in.

Okay, so when will Foundation season 3 episode 7 be released where you live? Check out the below list to see when it should do so. Why 'should'? Because Apple doesn't publicly disclose the launch times for any of its TV Originals' episodes, so these are our best predictions – based on when other Apple TV+ shows' episodes have aired – for this week's entry:

• US – Thursday, August 21 at 9pm PT / Friday, August 8 at 12am ET
• Canada – Thursday, August 21 at 9pm PT / Friday, August 8 at 12am ET
• UK – Friday, August 22 at 5am BST
• India – Friday, August 22 at 9:30am IST
• Singapore – Friday, August 22 at 12pm SGT
• Australia – Friday, August 22 at 2pm AEST
• New Zealand – Friday, August 22 at 4pm NZST

Foundation season 3 full episode release schedule

Alright, Toran, we'll tell you when new episodes will be released on Apple TV+! (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Curious to know when the final three installments of one of the best Apple TV+ shows will air on one of the world's best streaming services? Read on:

• Foundation season 3 episode 1 – out now
• Foundation season 3 episode 2 – out now
• Foundation season 3 episode 3 – out now
• Foundation season 3 episode 4 – out now
• Foundation season 3 episode 5 – out now
• Foundation season 3 episode 6 – out now
• Foundation season 3 episode 7 – Friday, August 22
• Foundation season 3 episode 8 – Friday, August 29
• Foundation season 3 episode 9 – Friday, September 5
• Foundation season 3 episode 10 – Friday, September 12

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(Image credit: Future / Google )

The next Made by Google event, where the search giant shows off its latest hardware, will take place today (August 20) at 10pm PT / 1pm ET and 6pm UK time, and 3am on August 21 in Australia.

At the showcase, we expect announcements of the Google Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel Watch 4 and the Pixel Buds 2a, going by the rumors and tidbits of information we've seen. And that should mean a bumper product refresh for Google, and very likely a whole lot of artificial intelligence features added into the mix, as the search giant builds out its consumer-grade AI tools.

So let's get into it: below I'll go over all the rumors and last-minute news so far, along with what we expect, and once the showcase kicks off, TechRadar will be live reporting on the event.

What you need to know

• Expect to see the Google Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL and Pixel 10 Pro Fold
• We reckon we'll see the reveal of the Google Pixel Watch 4, complete with new AI features
• And expect the Google Pixel Buds 2a, with improved audio and more AI
• Jimmy Fallon will host the Mady By Google event
• 5 ways the Google Pixel 10 Pro can get ahead of the iPhone 17 Pro and Galaxy S26 Ultra
• If Google wants the Pixel 10 to beat the iPhone 17, I think it should bring back its best-ever feature
• The Google Pixel 10 could have the iPhone 17 beat even before Apple’s phone arrives – here’s how
• The Google Pixel 9 Pro was our Phone of the Year in 2024, but I can't see the Pixel 10 Pro repeating the feat in 2025 – here’s why
• Here's how the Google Pixel 10 Pro's new look might test my loyalty to Apple

How to watch the Made by Google event

Simply check out the embedded YouTube video below. If you can't watch the event live, do check back with TechRadar, as we'll bring you all our first impressions and reactions from the Made by Google showcase.

Good morning. Managing Editor of Mobile Computing Roland Moore-Colyer here to take you through the run up to the Made by Google event.

(Image credit: Google / Android Authority)

If all the rumors I've seen so far prove to be true, then we could be looking at a big showcase for Google later on today, with new phones, a new Pixel Watch and new earbuds.

And I'll buy a hat and eat it if Google doesn't spend a good amount of time discussing what it's been doing on the AI side for its Pixel devices.

Expect to see four new Pixel phones today: the Google Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. This will be a refresh of the whole main Google Pixel phone lineup.

Don't expect any drastic design changes, at least going by the rumors, but I do expect to see new Tensor chips, perhaps some improvements on the camera side such as new sensors, and a big injection of AI software upgrades.

(Image credit: Google)

Going by a rather last-minute rumor, it looks like magnetic accessories will be a big part of the Pixel 10 lineup, with an Apple MagSafe-style system facilitating a magnetic charging stand for the phones.

I currently use a Pixel Stand from 2021 to charge my phones that support wireless charging, so an upgrade here would be much appreciated, especially if it enables a wider range of accessories ot be used with the new Pixel phones.

One thing that's will be new, is the Made by Google event will be hosted by TV's Jimmy Fallon, which is unusual for Google as it tends to use its own executives and marketing folks to spearhead the showcases.

Check out the teaser video below...

I'm not sure what secret Jimmy could be referring to... maybe it'll be some new AI tool or assistant, or maybe something to do with mixed reality. So far there have been scant rumors on any big surprises from the Google event.

A big last-minute leak!

(Image credit: Google)

We've just got another last-minute Pixel 10 leak, with it pointing towards an eSIM only approach by Google for its new phones, and new AI features tipped.

And a promo clip has been shared too.

Bonjour, Pixel 10 pic.twitter.com/KYvJPYpbN8August 19, 2025

But there's more too, with serial tipster Evan Blass seemingly leaking the pricing for all the Pixel devices we expect to see.

Pricing. The Buds 2a slot in at $129. Enjoy the launch tomorrow, especially those planning to buy. pic.twitter.com/ZSKwq52LDMAugust 20, 2025

The standard Pixel 10 seems to be missing from that price leak, but we expect it to come in around the same price as the Google Pixel 9.

And overall, those prices look reasonable for a flagship range of phones.

Some people might baulk at the idea of paying iPhone 16 Pro and Galaxy S25 Plus prices for phones with Tensor chips in them. But I feel AI performance, rather than raw silicon horsepower, will be the key to these Pixel phones.

(Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)

In fact, I've already touted how I think the Pixel 10 needs to bring more AI stuff to the table to keep at the top of the AI phones pile.

To quote myself: "with the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 landing with improved AI features, and Apple Intelligence starting to get up to speed and offer a solid suite of features on compatible iPhones, as well as some synchronicity with Macs, Google’s AI phone crown could be up for grabs.

"So I feel that for Google to keep ahead and continue to blaze a trail for practical, and hopefully safe, consumer use, it'll need to bring more to the table with the Pixel 10."

Don't expect major hardware changes

As I've mentioned before, a lot of the rumors and claimed leaks so far have all pointed at the Pixel 10 lineup being a minor evolution on its predecessors, rather than bringing in any dramatic upgrades.

For me, that's kinda fine, as the Pixel 9 phones are so good, I don't think I'd appreciate Google messing with a winning formula quite yet.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

One rumor did hint at the standard Google Pixel 10 going for a triple rear-camera system, adding a telephoto snapper into the mix. I've already written how I'd be a fan of that and how it could tackle the looming phone threat of the iPhone 17.

But I'm not really all that convince Google will do that, especially given the price leaks, which would suggest Google will still keep the telephoto camera for the Pro Pixels.

(Image credit: Future)

The same can be said for the Google Pixel Watch 4 which looks a lot like its predecessors.

Not a bad thing in my opinion as I've always like the design of Google's smartwatch, But I do hope its got snappier performance and a host of AI features to make it feel like an 'AI smartwatch'.

I expect boosts in the sensor and performance capabilities on the Pixel Watch 4 could make it a lot more appealing than its rumored design might tip.

(Image credit: Android Headlines)

On the Pixel Buds 2a side, the rumors so far point towards an evolved design, more power, new features like head tracking, and better sound isolation.

In terms of hardware upgrades, they could offer the biggest leaps out of all the products Google is set to reveal today.

However, the Pixel Buds 2a could bring with them a price hike: where the Pixel Buds A came in at €99, the Buds 2a will supposedly be €149. That's a hefty price increase and if it's reflected in other markets would mean $149 / £149 / AU$195.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

So you might ask, what Pixel device am I most looking forwards to?

Even if you didn't I'm still going to ponder that question. I tend to like the Pixel Pro phones, with the Pixel 9 Pro offering a neat blend of specs and AI smart all in a decently compact package. So the Pixel 10 Pro is sure to appeal to me.

But I'm also curious to see what Google does with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which will be the search giant's third stab at a foldable phone. I hope AI is employed to make that extra screen space a lot more usable and helps make the folding phone a productivity powerhouse.

Now over to my Phones Editor Axel Metz, who I've tapped up for what he's looking forward to from Google today:

"It feels wrong to say that an accessory announcement is my most anticipated reveal at today's Made by Google showcase, but the Pixel 10 series potentially getting its own MagSafe-style technology is a bigger deal than it sounds. We love Google phones for their clean software, but true Qi2 charging support would give Pixels rare hardware edge over Android competitors."

Editor-at-Large, Lance Ulanoff, just pointed out a suite of things he recalls older Pixel phones sporting.

He detailed the rear fingerprint reader, how the Google Assistant was front and center to the Pixel experience, how good the cameras were, and how some people shrugged at the design.

South Park season 27 episode 3 has already been delayed by a week thanks to a planned break in the schedule, but judging by the first-look trailer, it was well worth the wait. It's reintroducing Towelie, the talking towel first seen all the way back in season 5. This time, he's set to take on the National Guard as he visits Washington DC – and I’m already dreading what’s to come.

After its controversial premiere and a second episode showing US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem shooting puppies in a pet store, the Paramount+ show is holding nothing back against the current US government. Unsurprisingly, the start of season 27 has drawn a lot of public criticism from those featured, which now includes a naked version of Donald Trump and a much smaller version of JD Vance. If anything, switching to Towelie's perspective is an incredibly smart move.

While we don't yet know what will happen in South Park season 27 episode 3 other than the initial teaser of Towelie getting off a bus in front of the US Capitol (which you can see below), a talking towel can't be taken as seriously as any human character seen facing off against political parodies. However, longtime fans of the show will understand how much damage Towelie could actually do... and frankly, I'm dreading it.

Towelie heads to Washington D.C. in South Park season 27 episode 3, and that's dangerous

“Sickofancy”: Towelie goes to Washington, D.C.South Park’s 27th season continues this Wednesday, August 20 at 10/9c on Comedy Central and next day on Paramount+. pic.twitter.com/HVzao5ii4DAugust 20, 2025

In his initial character description that can be found on South Park Fandom, Towelie "is usually seen either appearing out of nowhere to give towel advice to the citizens of South Park or getting high". If there has ever been a sensible decision made by anyone living in South Park, I've yet to see it, and my best guess tells me that any advice given to our political parodies is either going to fall on deaf ears or escalate the situation. As you can see from the above clip, the National Guard has been deployed in the heart of Washington DC, with President Trump also deploying troops to the capital in real life as of August 11, 2025.

There's bound to be references to the US Capitol insurrection of January 6, 2021, especially considering the famous DC museum The Smithsonian changed an exhibit's wording on August 8 to recant Trump's involvement in inciting the violence. In short, it's the hottest national topic South Park could have chosen to illustrate, and surely nobody is coming out the other side unscathed.

Perhaps I'm being too pessimistic and Towelie will merely be able to reconnect with his long-lost son Washcloth against the backdrop of tanks and deployed soldiers, showing him the city's cultural offerings before anything further changes. But let's face it, that's not what we're doing here. Given that Towelie is almost always high, you best bet that Washington DC's views on marijuana are also going to be featured, and maybe, just maybe, we'll see some others indulging too.

I won't be surprised if Paramount+ follows in the footsteps of episode 2 and offers up another exclusive post-credits scene, either to show more content that couldn't be broadcast on cable TV (South Park airs on Comedy Central) or to add new scenes they've created since the episode was originally submitted. This is speculation for the time being, but I'd say it's worthwhile keeping an eye out.

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If you're looking for Bonnie Blue, you came to the right place... if you love the blues. Feature length doc Bonnie Blue: James Cotton's Life in the Blues charts the music icon's extraordinary journey from the Mississippi Delta cotton fields to Austin's live music circuit, via Chicagoland.

You can watch Bonnie Blue online from anywhere with NordVPN – the app lets you watch any content safely, securely, anonymously Handy to have.

Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes

Global stream: Buy or rent from Apple / Amazon / Google

Use NordVPN to watch any stream securely & safely

Born in 1935, Cotton didn't just bridge eras – he helped shape them. Having dragged himself up from the dirt, he as different to most artists, equally at ease rubbing shoulders with gangsters and thugs as he was tearing the house down from the stage. Another thing he delighted in was menacing his fellow performers, trying to sap their confidence before they were due to step out.

Hs 70-year career saw Cotton tour with Janis Joplin and Paul Butterfield, and play sessions with the Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Santana, Steve Miller and B.B. King, but he never truly got the recognition that his influence, persona, talent and longevity warranted.

Directed by Bestor Cram, whose work includes Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, Bonnie Blue weaves rarely seen archival footage, stills and anecdotes through an intimate concert held in Cotton's honor, featuring Steve Miller, James Montgomery, Annie Raines, Buddy Guy and many more.

Read on as we explain how to watch Bonnie Blue online from anywhere.

How to watch Bonnie Blue in the US, UK, Australia and Canada

Bonnie Blue: James Cotton's Life in the Blues is available to buy or rent on Premium Video On Demand (PVOD) from Apple, Amazon and Google.

At the time of writing, the documentary doesn't feature in any streaming libraries.

Traveling abroad? You can watch Bonnie Blue online from anywhere with a secure VPN.

How to watch Bonnie Blue with a VPN

If you're keen to watch Bonnie Blue but you're away from home and access to the film or stream is geo-blocked, you can always use a VPN to access it instead (assuming you're not breaching any broadcaster T&Cs, of course). You may be surprised by how simple it is to do.

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• Intel has reportedly entered talks with the White House
• This could see the US Government taking a stake in the company
• Intel is the most prominent semiconductor manufacturer in the US

The White House has confirmed it is negotiating a deal that could hand over a 10% stake in Intel to the US government.

The chipmaker has faced serious uncertainty in recent months, with multiple quarters of revenue decline, but the agreement could involve trading Intel shares for existing government grants.

"The president wants to put America's needs first, both from a national security and economic perspective," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. "We should get an equity stake for our money. We'll get equity in return for that... instead of just giving grants away."

Trade wars

It's a surprise twist to see President Trump turning away from the lassiaze-faire liberal economic policies that have dominated the American economy for decades - all in order to prop up Intel.

Trump previously called for Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to resign - calling him ‘highly conflicted’, most likely due to his stint as CEO of Cadance design systems, an organisation that recently plead guilty to illegally selling export-controlled tech to organisations with connections to the Chinese military.

Intel is perhaps the main US hope at rivaling Chinese and Taiwanese chipmaking giants - who are almost undoubtedly ahead in the semiconductor market battle.

However Intel’s recent layoffs have seen between 15-20% of US factory workers made redundant, indicating that domestic capabilities are not growing as the administration may have hoped.

The potential deal could give Intel the stability it needs to fully invest in domestic manufacturing, and could see the company build a flagship manufacturing hub in Ohio - although the White House dismissed the discussion of potential deals as ‘speculation’.

Fellow chipmaking giants Nvidia and AMD, agreed recently that 15% of chip sales will now go to the US government in exchange for export licences to China - despite growing national security concerns.

Via BBC

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