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  • Intel plus Speedtest Custom: Optimizing Internet Bandwidth for Peak Gaming Performance [Case Study]

    Intel plus Speedtest Custom: Optimizing Internet Bandwidth for Peak Gaming Performance [Case Study]

    For serious gamers, a stable, high-speed internet connection is essential for competitive gameplay, seamless live streaming, and real-time server communication. Intel provides many of the building blocks for gamers, making reliable connectivity a core part of the gaming experience.

    To give gamers deeper insight into the quality of their internet connection and help them avoid lag, connection drops, or poor streaming quality, Intel integrates Speedtest Custom™ from Ookla into its Intel® Killer™ Performance Suite, providing gamers with a reliable way to measure, validate, and troubleshoot their connectivity in real time during gameplay, when every millisecond matters.

    Situation

    Gaming today isn’t just about graphics or processing power; it’s about the overall performance of your connection. While download and upload speeds remain critical for gaming—especially for game updates, patches, and streaming—latency and jitter are also key metrics that directly impact both casual and competitive gaming experiences. High levels of either often result in delayed reactions, missed targets, and frustrated gamers.

    Live streaming adds another layer of complexity, with platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming requiring substantial upload bandwidth to maintain high bitrates and smooth frame rates. Meanwhile, the typical gaming household rarely does just one thing at a time. Users increasingly multitask across bandwidth-intensive activities—gaming while streaming video, using voice chat, or sharing files—creating network congestion that can impact performance.

    Without immediate visibility into what’s happening on their network, gamers are often left guessing when performance issues arise during critical moments.

    Download the full case study

    Check out our full case study to discover how intel integrates Ookla’s Speedtest Custom into Intel Killer to reduce lag, manage bandwidth, and deliver peak gaming performance.

    Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

    About the Author

    Ookla

    Ookla® is a global leader in connectivity intelligence that provides consumers, businesses, and other organizations with data-driven insights to improve networks and connected experiences.

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  • Samsung Digital Appliances Earns Its First TÜV Nord IoT Security Certification – Samsung Newsroom South Africa

    Samsung Digital Appliances Earns Its First TÜV Nord IoT Security Certification – Samsung Newsroom South Africa

    Certification affirms Samsung’s strength in device security and data protection, meeting Europe’s IoT security standard

     

    Samsung Electronics has announced that two series of robot vacuum cleaners, the Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam[1] and the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo,[2]  and Bespoke AI Refrigerators[3] have received IoT security certification from TÜV Nord, a global certification organisation based in Germany.

     

    This marks the first time Samsung’s digital appliances have received TÜV Nord security certification, further underscoring the company’s leadership in both home appliance technology and data security.

     

    “As the global focus on smart home security intensifies, Samsung continues to deliver robust protection through our Knox security platform,” said Jeong Seung Moon, Executive Vice President and Head of the R&D Team for Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics. “This certification validates the strength of our security technologies, and we will continue to enhance differentiated protection to safeguard customer data.”

     

    TÜV Nord is a globally renowned institution, acknowledged as an IECEE-accredited National Certification Body. The certification is based on the ETSI EN 303 645 standard, established by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), which defines security and privacy requirements across the lifecycle of consumer IoT devices — from design and development to distribution and operation. Key criteria include data encryption, authentication and access control, secure software updates, personal data protection and vulnerability management.

     

    The European market is already tightening security requirements with updates to the Radio Equipment Directive (RED) and upcoming implementation of the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). Against this backdrop, TÜV Nord certification demonstrates Samsung’s readiness to meet evolving international standards and its commitment to protecting users in connected environments.

     

    Samsung has strengthened its home appliances with a wide range of Knox security technologies that safeguard user data through multiple layers of protection. These include the verification of unauthorised firmware modifications when the device is turned on. Additionally, all monitoring video footage and user commands from the robot cleaner are encrypted and only decrypted at their intended destination.[4]

     

    The certified 2025 Bespoke AI Refrigerators and the Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam further enhance security capabilities by integrating Knox Matrix and Knox Vault. Knox Matrix enables mutual security checks between devices, ensuring users are promptly alerted in the event of data theft risks. Knox Vault secures sensitive personal information, such as passwords, by processing and storing it on a dedicated hardware subsystem.

     

    The Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam will be unveiled at IFA 2025 in September. The Bespoke Jet Bot Combo and Bespoke AI Refrigerators already being rolled out in select markets globally.

     

    Availability in country and price on request.

     

    [1] VR90F*******, VR80F*******, VR70F*******
    [2] VR7MD97****/**, VR7MD96****/**
    [3] RM90F**B***, RF90F**A***, RF90F**E***, RM90F**C**, RM90F**D**, RM90F**E**, RM90F**X*, RF90F**B***, RF**DB99***, RF**DB95***, RF**DG9H***
    [4] Available on Samsung devices running Android 11 or later, and may not work on some devices.         

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  • Shot put stars clash in Beijing ahead of World Championships showdown | PREVIEWS

    Shot put stars clash in Beijing ahead of World Championships showdown | PREVIEWS

    On Sunday (7) Beijing hosts the final World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting before the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. As such, the fields are a combination of athletes looking for a final tune-up before the big show, and those who are seeking some form of redemption after missing out on selection.

    Sarah Mitton is seeking a bit of both. The two-time world indoor champion will head to Tokyo next week as one of the medal favourites in the shot put. But this weekend she may feel she has a point to prove after missing out on victory at last week’s Diamond League Final.

    The Canadian was initially declared the champion, but her winning throw was later ruled to be a foul. Memories of that competition will no doubt be a motivating factor when she takes to the circle on Sunday in a competition that also includes Olympic silver medallist Maddison-Lee Wesche, Swedish record-holder Fanny Roos and China’s Zhang Linru.

    There’s a strong Chinese presence in the women’s javelin. World U20 record-holder Yan Ziyi, who earlier this year extended her record to 65.89m, will line up against the two women who’ll be representing China in this discipline in Tokyo later this month: Dai Qianqian and Asian champion Su Lingdan.

    One week before he takes to the startline for his first-round heat at the World Championships, USA’s Khaleb McRae will aim to produce a confidence-boosting run in Beijing. McRae, who has improved his PB to 43.91 this year, will take on compatriot Bryce Deadmon.

    In the men’s 100m, Tokyo-bound trio Eloy Benitez of Puerto Rico, Andre de Grasse of Canada and Xie Zhenye of China will take on USA’s Brandon Hicklin. Meanwhile, the women’s 100m features Trinidad & Tobago’s national champion Leah Bertrand, USA’s Maia McCoy and Celera Barnes.

    The men’s 110m hurdles looks set to be a showdown between US duo Freddie Crittenden and Eric Edwards. The women’s sprint hurdles line-up includes USA’s Rayniah Jones, Hungary’s Anna Toth and Germany’s Ricarda Lobe.

    Elsewhere on the track, European silver medallist Louise Maraval takes on Tia-Adana Belle in the women’s 400m hurdles, while two-time Commonwealth champion Wycliffe Kinyamal faces Irish record-holder Mark English in the men’s 800m.

    World silver medallist Ernest John Obiena leads a pole vault field that also includes Huang Bokai and Li Chenyang, the two men who have set Chinese records this year.

    Will Williams, who’ll represent the USA in Tokyo later this month, takes on compatriot Cameron Crump in the men’s long jump.

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  • Olympic Museum – Cultural partnership with BAM announced

    As part of the Milano Cortina 2026 Cultural Olympiad, the Olympic Museum announced a new collaboration with BAM – Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, project of Fondazione Riccardo Catella, a leading cultural institution in Milan. The partnership was presented during a press conference and builds on several initiatives already in progress with the Museo Storico del Trentino in Trento, Una Montagna di Libri in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Milan’s themed weeks, including Fashion Week.

    The collaboration will centre on two key components: the Olympian Artists programme and a performing land art installation featuring the Olympic rings and Paralympic Agitos.

    “This cultural partnership marks an important moment in our engagement in Italy ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games,” said Angelita Teo, Director of the Olympic Museum

    “It will bring Olympism to life through creativity, dialogue and community participation. BAM, with its unique setting, vibrant energy and rich cultural programme, offers the ideal field of play for this encounter between sport, art and the public. The Olympian Artists will share their voices not only as champions, but also as cultural storytellers. The Olympic rings and Paralympic Agitos are a powerful symbol of global unity and human connection through sport. Their land art representation at BAM will leave a lasting impression on the people of Milan.”

    Launched in 2018 by the Olympic Museum on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympian Artists programme supports Olympians and Paralympians who are also artists across diverse disciplines in the visual and performing arts such as painting, music and design. It gives them a global platform to share their experiences as both athletes and artists with diverse audiences through exhibitions, collaborative art projects and community workshops in Olympic Games host cities.

    Following a call for proposals that attracted 38 submissions, three artists were selected in close collaboration with BAM to bring their artistic talents and team spirit to a public park in Milan, in a setting that values community and shared artistic expression:

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  • UK announces additional £1.2m flood response support for Sindh

    UK announces additional £1.2m flood response support for Sindh

    The United Kingdom has announced an additional £1.2 million (Rs45.4 crore) in anticipatory flood response funding for Sindh, bringing its total humanitarian assistance to Pakistan this year to £2.53 million (Rs95.8 crore).
     
    The support aims to protect over 400,000 people nationwide from the devastating impacts of seasonal flooding, says the press statement issued on Thursday from the British High Commission in Islamabad.
     
    With heavy floods predicted to hit Sindh imminently, the new package will be channelled through non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to strengthen local preparedness. The funding will focus on early warning systems, community evacuations, identifying vulnerable households, pre-positioning essential supplies, livestock protection, and preparing evacuation centres.
     
    British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott CMG, OBE, stressed the importance of swift action. “Sindh is in a critical window to prepare and reduce the impact of the upcoming floods. For every dollar spent on prevention, up to seven dollars are saved in response. More importantly, lives are saved, and destruction is avoided,” she said.
     
    This announcement follows the UK’s £1.33 million (Rs50.36 crore) package unveiled on 22 August, which supported early response and relief in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Gilgit-Baltistan. That earlier assistance covered food rations, search and rescue operations, mobile medical camps, rehabilitation of drinking water systems, restoration of irrigation channels, and livelihood support.
     
    Additionally, the UK has provided £500,000 (Rs18.9 crore) through the Start Ready Disaster Risk Financing system, benefitting 20,000 people across Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This mechanism enables communities to anticipate and mitigate humanitarian impacts before disasters strike.
     
    The latest funding highlights the UK’s ongoing commitment to support Pakistan’s government-led response and to safeguard vulnerable communities from the worsening effects of climate-related disasters.


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  • Students with overprotective parents are more vulnerable to anxiety during their transition to university, researchers find | Newsroom

    Students with overprotective parents are more vulnerable to anxiety during their transition to university, researchers find | Newsroom

    First-year undergraduates who grew up with overly cautious or controlling parents tend to experience increased anxiety when faced with stresses associated with the transition to university, researchers from McGill University and the University of California (Los Angeles) have found.

    The researchers asked 240 first-year McGill students to fill out several questionnaires in the first six weeks of the fall semester. The questionnaires used well-established scales to measure the parenting style they were raised with, current anxiety symptoms and different types of stressors they encountered during the transition to university, including housing difficulties, personal loss or even life-threatening situations.

    The team then looked at associations among those variables, focusing on how the relationship between exposure to stressors and current experiences of anxiety correlated with different parental behaviours.

    “We found that students whose parents are very protective experience a stronger link between exposure to stressful events and feelings of anxiety,” explained Lidia Panier, the study’s lead author. Panier, a PhD student in the Department of Psychology, is a member of the Translational Research in Affect and Cognition (TRAC) Lab led by Professor Anna Weinberg, the study’s senior author and principal investigator.

    While cautioning that their study model does not allow them to conclude that overprotective parenting causes anxiety in children, the researchers note that such a conclusion would be consistent with the existing body of research.

    “Previous findings show that overprotective parenting leads to insecure attachment and poorer emotion regulation, both of which are linked to greater vulnerability to anxiety,” Panier said.

    She said she believes overprotective parenting in childhood and adolescence may not be helpful in teaching kids how to adapt to stressful situations in the long term. At the same time, she noted that the overprotective parenting might in some cases be a response to a child’s anxious behaviours: parents might develop watchful attitudes or controlling habits to protect a child who often appears fearful.

    “These interpretations are not mutually exclusive,” explained Panier. “A bi-directional dynamic where child behaviours influence parenting, which then affects child development, is also well-supported in the literature.”

    The researcher said she hopes that future studies can clarify these links, as well as explore ways to better support young adults experiencing anxiety, especially during key transitional periods.

    “It would be interesting to see if these patterns can change over time, such as whether supportive peer relationships in university can help young adults become more resilient, even if they experienced overprotective parenting,” she said.

    About the study

    “Parental overprotection moderates the association between recent stressor exposure and anxiety during the transition to university” by Lidia Panier et al. was published in Development and Psychopathology.

    This research was supported by the Canada Research Chair in Clinical Neuroscience, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research/California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine and the California Department of Health Care Services.

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  • US rhythmic gymnast Rin Keys relives shock of historic world medal in ball final

    US rhythmic gymnast Rin Keys relives shock of historic world medal in ball final

    The moment when US rhythmic gymnast Rin Keys made history, the 16-year-old wasn’t watching.

    First to compete in the ball final at the recent Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Keys had gotten her marks, a 29.050, and gone into the back of the competition halls.

    She still had one more final that day – ribbon – and needed to relax, refuel and refocus.

    “I just rested a little bit, got my mind back together and then warmed up again,” she told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview.

    She wasn’t refreshing the scores. She wasn’t expecting the result.

    “I didn’t really follow up with the scores because it’s not something that I can control,” Keys explained. “The only result I can control is my own.”

    Instead, says Keys, it was her coaches and the US medical staff that broke the news.

    At the end of the final, the young American found herself in second place. Her silver medal represents a first for the United States at the World Championships in rhythmic gymnastics.

    “I was just taking a break, and then the coaches plus the medical staff looked at me and they were like… showing me the results and said, ‘You’re second,’” she recalled. “And I was like, wait, really?”

    “They started coming up to me and congratulating me, and I was so lost. I was like, are you sure?”

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  • Stacey Dooley explores the rise of social media as a go-to for health advice in new BBC documentary

    Stacey Dooley explores the rise of social media as a go-to for health advice in new BBC documentary

    The Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley (w/t), a new six-part documentary series for BBC One and iPlayer, will uncover the truth behind some of the wildest health trends taking over our social media feeds. From award-winning production company Nutopia, the series will reveal how online trends are shaping our health choices.

    Stacey Dooley says: “Social feeds are full of health and wellness tips, but it’s impossible to know which ones to believe. I can’t wait to find out what the experts think and to meet the people behind the biggest online health trends.”

    1 in 3 Brits now turn to social media for health advice, but how can we sort the miracle cures from the snake oil? Stacey will work with leading doctors and scientists to learn about the internet’s most hyped medical claims: from fitness boosters to pain beaters, youth elixirs to fat busters, the team will trace the digital breadcrumbs to figure out how a trend went viral, meet the key influencers driving the buzz, and put the science to the test. With NHS waiting lists growing, and with social media playing an increasing role in all of our lives, The Clickbait Clinic’s final verdict could be life changing… or lifesaving.

    Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual, says: “As social media force-feeds us an endless diet of health misinformation, there’s never been a greater need for a BBC series designed to sort the fact from the fiction – and tell us where some of the world’s weirdest health trends originated in the first place. Led by the amazing Stacey Dooley, this series will show us which health hack to believe and which to unfollow – and it could make a genuine difference to viewers’ wellbeing.”

    Arif Nurmohamed, Executive Producer says: “This new format dives into the wild world of online health — sorting the hype from the hope. And with Stacey at the helm, we’ve got the perfect mix of heart and curiosity.”

    The Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley (w/t) is a 6×30 series commissioned by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual. It is being made by Nutopia, where Arif Nurmohamed, Tom Williams, Jane Root and Simon Willgoss serve as Executive Producers, with Caroline McCool as Executive in charge of Production. The series was developed by Nicola Moody and Samantha Fernandes, Tom Coveney is the BBC Commissioning Editor and Joe Myerscough serves as Series Director.

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  • U.S. jobless claims rise but remain in healthy range

    U.S. jobless claims rise but remain in healthy range

    WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits rose modestly last week, suggesting that employers are still retaining workers even as the economy has showed signs of slowing.

    What You Need To Know

    • The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits rose modestly last week, a sign that employers are still retaining workers even as the economy has showed signs of slowing

    • Applications for unemployment benefits for the week ending Aug. 30 rose by 8,000 to 237,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday

    • That’s more than the 231,000 new applications economists were expecting

    • Weekly applications for jobless benefits are seen as a proxy for layoffs and have mostly settled in a historically healthy range between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. began to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic nearly four years ago

    Applications for unemployment benefits for the week ending Aug. 30 rose by 8,000 to 237,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s more than the 231,000 new applications economists were expecting.

    Weekly applications for jobless benefits are seen as a proxy for layoffs and have mostly settled in a historically healthy range between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. began to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic nearly four years ago.

    While layoffs are low, hiring has also weakened as part of what many economists describe as a “no hire, no fire” economy. Still, the unemployment rate remains a historically low 4.2%.

    On Wednesday, the government reported that U.S. employers were advertising 7.2 million job openings at the end of July, fewer than economists had forecast and the latest sign of weakness in the U.S. labor market.

    Last month’s grim July jobs report, which showed job gains of just 73,000 and included massive downward revisions for June and May, sent financial markets spiraling.

    President Donald Trump fired the head of the agency that compiles the monthly data.

    The government issues its August jobs report on Friday, with economists expecting that U.S. employers added a slim 80,000 private non-farm jobs.

    New jobs numbers are being closely watched on Wall Street and by the Federal Reserve as the most recent government data suggests hiring has slowed sharply since this spring. Job gains have averaged just 35,000 a month in the three months ending in July, barely one-quarter what they were a year ago.

    Growth has weakened so far this year as many companies have pulled back on expansion projects amid the uncertainty surrounding the impacts of President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. Growth slowed to a 1.3% annual rate in the first half of the year, down from 2.5% in 2024.

    The sluggishness in the job market is a key reason that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled last week that the central bank may cut its key interest rate at its next meeting Sept. 16-17. A cut could reduce other borrowing costs in the economy, including mortgages, auto loans, and business loans.

    The Labor Department’s report Thursday showed that the four-week average of claims, which softens some of the week-to-week volatility, rose by 2,500 to 231,000.

    The total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits for the previous week of Aug. 23 fell by 4,000 to 1.94 million.

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  • Rain adds to misery of Afghan quake survivors

    Rain adds to misery of Afghan quake survivors

    NURGAL, Afghanistan: Four nights and days since the earth shook and levelled his home in eastern Afghanistan, Khan Zaman Hanafi thought he had endured the worst, until the rain came.

    The 35-year-old farmer says his village has “been forgotten by the government and aid groups.”

    “It’s raining and we’re being left to live in the open,” he told AFP from a cornfield where he has been sleeping with his family, away from the wreckage of their village, Shelt.

    In these valleys — once known as smuggling routes and corridors for fighters moving to and from Pakistan before the Taliban returned to power — mud houses are built into the mountainsides, stacked one above another.

    On Sunday night, when the magnitude 6.0 quake struck, the homes collapsed in a giant domino effect.

    Kunar province, famous for its forests, was the hardest hit by the quake — one of the deadliest in the country’s history, having already claimed over 2,200 lives.

    ’IT’S CHAOS’

    “In Shelt, there were 350 houses and 300 in Mama Gol, and we heard only 68 tents were distributed,” said Hanafi, adding he has yet to see one.

    “This place is unlivable, but we have no choice,” he said. “We are poor. We want the government and aid groups to help us rebuild our homes.”

    But the Taliban authorities have already admitted they cannot cope alone.

    For their part, the United Nations and NGOs say their resources are already overstretched, as they face a sharp drop in international aid and the return of millions of migrants expelled from neighboring countries.

    For now, authorities are sending bulldozers onto Kunar’s steep slopes to clear the few narrow, winding roads as quickly as possible.

    Khan Saeed Deshmash was spared from the rough roads, his injuries meaning he was flown by helicopter, along with a dozen injured relatives, from his village of Minjegale, to a hospital in Jalalabad, the capital of neighboring Nangarhar province.

    The 47-year-old grain farmer lost six family members in the quake, along with all his cows and sheep.

    “Everyone is traumatized, it’s chaos — we can’t even think straight anymore,” he said.

    EVERY HOUSE DESTROYED 

    Only one thing is certain now, Deshmash said: “It’s no longer possible to live in these villages. There are still aftershocks, every house is destroyed, and we need to be relocated elsewhere.”

    But Abdul Alam Nezami, 35, said he wants to stay in his village of Massoud, where he inherited his father’s cornfields.

    He would be starting from zero to repair everything that was brought down in the quake or damaged by landslides and rockfall, in a country where around 85 percent of people already live on a dollar a day according to the UN.

    Work is underway to clear the blocked roads, but “the irrigation canals and water reservoirs also need to be rebuilt so the harvests are not completely lost,” Nezami said.

    For now, he is focused on his immediate living situation.

    “There is only one tent for two to three families, and some leak when it rains,” he said.

    And the rain has not stopped, with downpours “last night and again this morning.”

    In Mazar Dara too, the tarpaulins salvaged from the rubble to create makeshift shelters “have holes” and “don’t protect us from the rain,” said 48-year-old farmer Zahir Khan Safi.

    “We keep them for the children,” he told AFP, but they still end up in wet clothes. “And have nothing to change into.”

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