Modern competitive games have a great deal of anti-cheat software working to make sure you can’t hack the games to get a competitive advantage. [Kamal Carter] decided to work around this by building a physical aimbot for popular FPS Valorant.
The concept is straightforward enough. [Kamal] decided to hardmount an optical mouse to a frame, while moving a mousepad around beneath it with an off-the-shelf Cartesian CNC platform, but modified to be driven by DC motors for quick response. This gave him direct control over the cursor position which is largely undistinguishable from a human being moving the mouse. Clicking the mouse is achieved with a relay. As for detecting enemies and aiming at them, [Kamal] used an object detection system called YOLO. He manually trained the classifier to detect typical Valorant enemies and determine their position on the screen. The motors are then driven to guide the aim point towards the enemy, and the fire command is then given.
The system has some limitations—it’s really only capable of completing the shooting range challenges in Valorant. The vision model isn’t trained on the full range of player characters in Valorant, and it would prove difficult to use such a system in a competitive match. Still, it’s a neat way to demonstrate how games can be roboticized and beaten outside of just the software realm. Video after the break.
Warmer weather and a series of sporting events lifted retail sales last month but retailers said the return to growth “barely touched the sides” and warned that mooted higher taxes would lead to shop closures and job losses.
Retail sales rose by 2.5% year on year in July as consumers rushed to buy food during England’s successful Euros football campaign and the British & Irish Lions rugby tour of Australia.
The warm weather encouraged shoppers to spend on clothes, while homeware and indoor furniture sales grew steadily, recovering from the previous year’s decline, according to British Retail Consortium-KPMG data.
The BRC report said Britain’s fifth-warmest July on record played a significant role in the resurgence, bolstering home appliance and food and drink sales. In June it reported an annualised growth rate of just 0.5%.
A separate survey by Barclaycard found consumers were more inclined to spend on discretionary items, crediting the general release of tickets for Lewis Capaldi’s 2025 tour for helping to lift the amount spent on live shows and concerts by 9.3% in July.
A report this week by the market research company Circana suggested adults’ spending on toys had been a fillip for retailers. It found that UK toy sales had risen 8% so far this year, after a fall of almost 4% in 2024.
Barclaycard said consumer card spending grew 1.4% year on year in July, compared with a decline of 0.1% in June. Discretionary spending jumped by 2.4% but essential spending declined 0.7%.
Consumers appeared to still be confident in their own finances, matching previous months, but a gap has opened up with perceptions of the wider economy, the credit card provider said.
Confidence in the strength of the UK economy fell three points month on month to 22%, the lowest level since January (21%), having climbed in May to 28%, Barclaycard said.
Meanwhile, consumers remained confident they could balance their personal finances. This measure held firm at 75%, just one point below the 76% recorded in June. Confidence in household finances stabilised at 72%, down marginally from 73% in June, which was a four-month high.
The average worker in the UK has benefited from more than two years of inflation-busting wage rises, increasing disposable incomes. Most households have built up higher levels of savings during that time, fearing that a decline in the economic outlook will result in higher redundancy levels and lower pay growth.
The BRC said tax rises and pay increases from the higher national minimum wage worth £7bn would continue to weigh heavily on employers, and warned jobs could go if the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, adds further costs to retailers by raising taxes in the autumn as anticipated.
The chief executive of the BRC, Helen Dickinson, said the 2.5% increase in retail sales was higher than the 12-month average growth of 1.9%, but food inflation meant most consumers were buying the same amount, just at higher prices.
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“With sales growth at these levels, it is barely touching the sides of covering the new costs imposed on retailers at the last budget,” she said. “If the upcoming autumn budget sees more taxes levied on retailers’ shoulders, many will be forced to make difficult choices about the future of shops and jobs, and ongoing pressure would push prices higher.
“Ultimately, this means more families struggling, particularly those on lower incomes, reduced consumer spending and a drag on economic growth.”
Barclaycard said consumers were using artificial intelligence to manage their personal finances. It said 35% of UK adults had used AI to help them plan, budget or analyse their spending, rising to 69% among gen Z consumers.
Linda Ellett, a spokesperson for KPMG, said a jump in the spend on discretionary items only made up for some of the hit to household spending power after inflation rose to 3.6% in June.
“With employment costs having risen and inflation both a business and consumer side pressure, it remains a challenging trading environment for many retailers,” she said.
Debbie Booker’s knee implant led to serious and ongoing health problems
A knee-replacement implant, used in thousands of UK operations, was known to have a concerning failure rate eight years before it was finally withdrawn, the BBC has discovered.
Patients have told File on 4 Investigates how they were left immobile or addicted to painkillers after receiving the NexGen knee implant, because it ended up slipping out of place. Hundreds of people have now had to undergo a second corrective operation.
Knee surgeons say the implant’s US manufacturer, Zimmer Biomet, took too long to acknowledge there was a problem with one particular component.
Zimmer Biomet says patient safety is its “top priority” and that its products are approved in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Debbie Booker from Southampton had an operation to replace her left knee in 2016.
Although initially it appeared to have been successful, she started to experience severe pain a year later while on holiday in Majorca.
“I laid a bag of ice on my knee and for four days I had to do that every few hours because I was in agony,” she says.
A knee replacement involves removing damaged surfaces of the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin bone) and replacing them with artificial components.
Debbie says the pain resulted from the knee implant slipping from the tibia and wearing away the bone.
Over the next few months she says she became reliant on prescription painkillers: “I was on fentanyl and morphine. It took me a long time to come off of the morphine because I was addicted.”
She has since had a second knee replacement, but the problems caused by the initial failed implant have caused long-lasting health problems, she says.
“It’s put my whole body out of alignment, I walk with a limp,” says Debbie. As a result, she is now awaiting a hip replacement.
Another patient, “Diana” (not her real name), had a knee implant fitted in 2021 which also slipped and started to wear away her shin bone, leaving her virtually immobile.
“The consultant told me every time I stood up, I was standing on a broken leg. It was absolute agony,” she says.
Diana asked to be anonymous as she used to work in the NHS.
As part of their knee replacements, both Debbie and Diana had received a specific implant section, known as a “stemmed option tibial component”, also known as a “tibial tray”.
In broad terms, this section lacked a layer of plastic contained in earlier, well-regarded versions of the NexGen replacement knee.
Zimmer Biomet started marketing this modified version in 2012. It was cheaper than the earlier model, so it made financial sense for the NHS, according to Prof David Barrett, a knee specialist at Southampton University.
“[The NHS] were justified by saying, ‘we have every reason to think it’ll be fine,’” he says.
In the decade that followed, more than 10,000 patients were fitted with this version of the implant.
However, File on 4 Investigates has discovered that concerns were first flagged in 2014 by the National Joint Registry (NJR) which keeps a record of implant surgery across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
At that point, there was insufficient data to draw any reliable conclusions, the NJR told us. It is not an easy task to isolate a specific component that is not working as it should, it added.
Further concerns about the implant were raised in Ireland two years later, in 2016, by Prof Eric Masterson, a knee surgeon in Limerick.
Prof Masterson’s corrective-surgery rate had soared after he started using NexGen implants in 2012 and he found his professional competence being called into question.
“That was a lonely place,” he tells File on 4 Investigates. “You spend a lifetime building up a career and a reputation, and it’s very easy to have that career shredded.”
When he raised questions with Zimmer Biomet representatives, they assured him there wasn’t a widespread problem, he says – an account echoed by NHS surgeons who told us they had found themselves in similar situations.
Prof Eric Masterson said the failure rate of the implant started to impact his career and reputation
Prof Masterson asked to be put in touch with surgeons in the UK to compare notes. However, confidential internal company documents seen by File on 4 Investigates reveal the company was only willing to contact surgeons on his behalf if they were considered “friends of Zimmer Biomet” and “happy with their NexGen patients”.
Zimmer Biomet failed to act quickly enough after the problem was identified, according to Prof Leila Biant, one of the UK’s leading knee surgeons. She says concerns were raised by herself and other colleagues as far back as 2017.
“The issue is [the company’s] initial reluctance to acknowledge a problem and to not really engage with a process to evaluate these patients until [Zimmer Biomet] got to a situation where they had to,” she tells us.
Zimmer Biomet failed to acknowledge the problem quickly enough, says Prof Leila Biant
In 2022, the NJR estimated that patients were nearly twice as likely to need corrective surgery after receiving the NexGen implant, when compared with the average knee implant.
In the same year, Zimmer Biomet recalled any unused implants from the UK market.
Estimations of failure rates for the tibial tray component in this NexGen implant vary from 6% (twice as much as should be expected) to 19%, according to peer-reviewed academic studies.
In a statement, the company told the BBC: “Zimmer Biomet is committed to the highest standards of patient safety, quality, and transparency. When new data becomes available, we act appropriately, responsibly, and in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.”
All 10,000 patients fitted with the problematic implants should now have been recalled for a review by the hospitals where they had their initial operations. Hundreds have already had to have a second operation, and others are likely to follow as problems come to light.
The cost of rectifying the problem is not cheap. Each revision costs between £10,000 and £30,000 because the implant is very specialised, says Prof Barrett from Southampton University.
“Patients are in hospital for a lot longer and they require more support. So this is a very significant expense,” he says.
As a result, the total bill is estimated to run into millions of pounds.
Zimmer Bionet did not respond when File on 4 Investigates asked if it would be contributing to the cost of these operations. However, we have seen a confidential company email, sent in 2022, telling sales staff to say that “Zimmer Biomet will not cover diagnostic, follow-up or revision costs up front”.
NHS England told us it was “currently reviewing the case involving Zimmer Biomet NexGen knee implants”.
Total revenues of €97.6 million compared to €70.8 million in the first half of 2024
Cash and cash equivalents of €161.3 million at end of June 2025
Further clinical and regulatory progress
2025 financial outlook confirmed
Saint-Herblain (France), August 12, 2025 – Valneva SE (Nasdaq: VALN; Euronext Paris: VLA), a specialty vaccine company, today reported its condensed consolidated financial results for the first half of the year, ended June 30, 2025, and confirmed its 2025 financial guidance. The half year financial report, including the condensed consolidated interim financial report and the half year management report, is available on the Company’s website (Financial Reports – Valneva).
Valneva will provide a live webcast of its first half 2025 results conference call beginning at 3 p.m. CEST/9 a.m. EDT today. This webcast will also be available on the Company’s website. Please refer to this link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/kkyrijxj
It is time for stargazers to dig out the deckchairs to try to enjoy what is considered to be one of the best meteor showers of the year.
The Perseids are expected to peak on the night of 12 August, although they have been active from mid-July and will continue to be visible for a further couple of weeks.
The annual event, which is most visible in the northern hemisphere, arises as comet debris burns up in Earth’s atmosphere.
“Each year, Earth passes through the material shed by an ancient celestial body, Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which is estimated to be well over 5bn years old – older even than Earth,” said Dr Richard Parker, an astrophysicist at the University of Sheffield.
He said the comet visited the inner solar system every 133 years, and would next make its closest approach to Earth in 2126.
“Notably, the comet is the largest object that approaches Earth – but thankfully, it’s not predicted to come dangerously close for thousands of years,” Parker added.
The Perseids arise because debris left by the comet lingers in space.
“Because we orbit the Sun year after year, we keep hitting into it at the same time and from the same orientation,” said Dr Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. “So from our point of view, standing on the Earth, it looks as if [the Perseids] come from that same part of the sky every single year.”
This radiant appears to be in the constellation of Perseus – giving the meteor shower its name.
Perseus is now visible in the north-eastern sky. But for the best chance of seeing the meteors, Bloomer said it was worth turning towards the east-south-east, looking towards Saturn, or more to the north, looking towards the constellation of Ursa Major.
“To maximise your chances, if you turn slightly away from Perseus, you’re likely to catch them out the corner of your eye,” he said, noting that it was easier to see in low light conditions with peripheral vision.
With the peak occurring just days after a full moon, experts have said fainter meteors might be tricky to see this year.
Bloomer said it was best to head out late at night to as dark a location as possible, with as clear a horizon as possible, and wait up to 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust.
He recommended viewing with friends, but said individual meteors might flare up for only a second, or even less.
“It’s one of those things where you can’t really spot it, turn to somebody beside you, tap them on the shoulder and try and get them to look at the same part of the sky. It’s done by then,” he said. “So in a way, it is quite a solitary thing, because you just have to sit and have your eyes open and that’s it.”
Dementia is becoming a growing concern in the US, and it’s not just something that affects “old age.” With an aging population and longer life spans, the number of people living with dementia is climbing fast. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type, but there are other forms too, all impacting memory, thinking, and daily life. Experts say lifestyle factors like poor diet, inactivity, and even constant stress can raise your risk. The scary part? There’s still no cure. That’s why brain health tips, from staying active to learning new skills, are more important now than ever.A few months before, a neurologist trained at Mayo Clinic and University of Minnesota (as per his Instagram profile), shared an interesting information for all on social media. In a short video, the expert listed three habits that can help one reduce the risk of dementia and improve brain health and one among them was turning off GPS.“GPS makes our lives too convenient. Relying too much on GPS can weaken your brain’s spatial memory,” he said. Multiple studies have found that people who habitually use GPS navigation tend to have poorer spatial memory. When navigating without GPS, these individuals struggle more to remember routes, recognize landmarks, and form mental “maps” of their environment. The hippocampus, a brain region critical for memory and navigation, is less active when we follow turn-by-turn GPS instructions compared to navigating independently. Over time, relying on GPS means this area of the brain gets less “exercise”.Some research, including studies on London taxi drivers (who learn city layouts by memory), suggests that exercising navigation skills can actually increase the size and function of the hippocampus. In contrast, people who heavily use GPS may experience a lack of growth or even shrinkage in these regions as they age.“It’s interesting what you said about GPS. I have observed recently that UBER drivers in my city do not know their way around. Some can’t even follow the instructions on their GPS. I remember taxi drivers, in my younger days, really knew their way around the city,” writes one user. “When I was kid I could visualize exactly where I was and where I was going. I always new what direction I was facing (north,south etc) but these days I only know the sky is up cause it’s blue,” writes another.
Key takeaways
GPS reduces spatial memory and mental mapping abilities with heavy, long-term use. This is due to less engagement and exercise of the hippocampus.There is no evidence that GPS alone causes dementia. However, it may contribute to reduced cognitive reserve in the hippocampus, which could make the symptoms of dementia more apparent or severe if the disease develops.Maintaining navigation skills is important for brain health. Try occasionally navigating without GPS, paying attention to landmarks, or practicing new routes to challenge your brain.
The other two changes suggested by the doctor
Excessive intake of energy drinks, and sleeping with lights on are the two lesser known triggers of dementia he said. Energy drinks are loaded with caffeine and sugar, which might give you a quick buzz, but constant overconsumption can mess with your heart, blood vessels, and even brain chemistry. Over the years, that stress on your body could contribute to memory and cognitive decline. Then there’s the light-at-night problem — your brain needs darkness to produce melatonin, the hormone that helps you sleep and repair. If you’re snoozing with the TV glowing or the lights on, your sleep quality tanks, and your brain misses out on the deep rest it needs to stay sharp. Both habits might seem harmless now, but your future self could thank you for cutting back on the energy drinks and hitting the lights at bedtime.
EntraGoat is a purpose-built tool that sets up a vulnerable Microsoft Entra ID environment to mimic real-world identity security issues. It’s designed to help security professionals practice spotting and exploiting common misconfigurations.
The tool creates a range of privilege escalation paths and supports black-box testing methods. It uses PowerShell scripts and Microsoft Graph APIs to set up the environment, keeping it separate from production systems so users can experiment safely.
Each scenario comes with everything needed to run and reset the environment. A setup script deploys the vulnerable configuration, while a cleanup script removes all changes afterward. There’s also a step-by-step walkthrough that shows how the attack works, along with hidden flags for users to find as part of a capture-the-flag challenge.
Prerequisites:
Microsoft Entra ID tenant (Use a test/trial tenant)
Global Administrator privileges
Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK
Node.js, npm
EntraGoat is available for free on GitHub.
Must read:
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Taylor Swift fans are abuzz with speculation that the singer may be about to collaborate with Sabrina Carpenter on her newly announced 12th album The Life of a Showgirl.
After Swifties began anticipating a major announcement on August 12, at 12.12 am ET, Swift announced her 12th album in the teaser of a New Heights podcast episode alongside her partner Travis Kelce.
While fans await more details which might be revealed in the full episode that drops today at 7pm ET, Carpenter, who previously opened for Swift on several Eras Tour dates, has been at the centre of fan theories since an official Taylor Nation update.
The post featured photos of Swift in orange outfits during the tour, ending with an image of her performing alongside Carpenter during a “surprise songs” segment. The caption read, “Thinking about when she said ‘See you next era…’” Fans quickly connected the dots.
Adding to the speculation, Swift’s countdown launch on her official website coincided with a subtle change on Carpenter’s own site.
On 11 August, fans noticed her homepage displaying “August 12th, 2025” above a prior update about her upcoming album. While some pointed out that the date changes automatically, others questioned why it appeared early in certain time zones.
At the same time, Carpenter’s store page still showed August 11, creating further intrigue among fans convinced the detail was intentional.
With the recent announcement of Swift’s 12th album, anticipation continues to build. Theories range from a surprise single to a live performance reveal and fans await official confirmation and additional details.
PARIS: A heat wave gripped parts of Europe on Monday, sending temperatures up to 43 degrees Celsius in southern France and increasing risks of wildfires in wine country, while Bulgaria suffered blazes along its southern borders and Hungary saw record-breaking weekend temperatures.
Scientists say Europe is becoming the world’s fastest-warming continent.
According to the UK-based Carbon Brief, 2025 is predicted to be the second- or third-warmest year on record. Europe’s land temperatures have risen about 2.3 C above
pre-industrial levels, nearly twice the global rate, intensifying heatwaves, the EU’s Copernicus climate service reports. EU data show burned area across the continent is already far above the long-term average this summer, with major outbreaks in Spain, Portugal and deadly blazes in Greece since late June.
The UK’s Met Office expects a heatwave, the fourth this summer, to peak around 33C in London on Tuesday. The UK Health Security Agency issued a yellow health alert for older adults and those with medical conditions.
In France’s Aude department, a patchwork of vineyards and Mediterranean scrubland, hundreds of firefighters remained in the rolling wine country guarding the edges of a massive, deadly blaze that scorched 16,000 hectares last week. Officials say the fire is under control but warn it will not be fully extinguished for weeks, with hot spots still smoldering and at risk of reigniting.
On Monday, the French national weather authority, Météo-France, placed 12 departments on red alert, the country’s highest heat warning, anticipating exceptional heat stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean plains. Forty-one other departments were under lower-level orange alerts, as was the neighboring microstate of Andorra, between France and Spain.
“Don’t be fooled — this isn’t ‘normal, it’s summer.’ It’s not normal, it’s a nightmare,” agricultural climatologist Serge Zaka, told BFMTV from Montauban in France’s Tarn-et-Garonne department, where the blistering heat pressed relentlessly throughout the day.
Social media images showed shuttered streets in Valence, residents shielding windows with foil to reflect the light, and tourists huddling under umbrellas along the Garonne in Toulouse. Across the south, cafe terraces stood empty as people sought cooler corners indoors.
The red alert in France has been issued only eight times since it was created in 2004 after a deadly summer the year
before. It is reserved for extreme, prolonged heat with major health risks and the potential to disrupt daily life. The designation gives local officials powers to cancel outdoor events, close public venues and alter school or summer camp schedules.
Australia’s prime minister has accused his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu of being “in denial” over the consequences of the war in Gaza.
Anthony Albanese on Monday announced his country would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, following similar moves by the UK, France and Canada.
Albanese said frustration with the Israeli government had played a role in the move, saying Australians “want to see the killing and the cycle of violence stop”.
Israel, under increasing pressure to end the war in Gaza, has said recognising a Palestinian state “rewards terrorism” and Netanyahu called the decision taken by Australia and other allies “shameful”.
Netanyahu and his government have been facing growing condemnation over reports of starvation in Gaza.
Five people have died from malnutrition in the past 24 hours, including one child, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, bringing the total number of malnutrition deaths to 222 – including 101 children.
Israel denies there is starvation in Gaza and has accused UN agencies of not picking up aid at the borders and delivering it. The UN has rejected this, saying it faces obstacles and delays while collecting aid from Israeli-controlled border zones.
Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday, Albanese said he had spoken to PM Netanyahu last Thursday to inform him of Australia’s decision.
“The stopping of aid that we’ve seen and then the loss of life that we’re seeing around those aid distribution points, where people queuing for food and water are losing their lives, is just completely unacceptable. And we have said that,” he said.
“I spoke with PM Netanyahu. He again reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well, which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people.”
Albanese had earlier said the decision to recognise a Palestinian state was made after receiving commitments from the Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, that Hamas would play no role in any future state
The move has drawn a mixed response in Australia, with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry calling it a “betrayal”, and some Palestinian activists saying it doesn’t go far enough.
Right-leaning opposition leader Sussan Ley said the decision was “disrespectful” to the US, a key Australian ally.
Earlier this month, a pro-Palestinian protest drew at least 90,000 supporters who walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge, a day after a court ruling allowed the demonstration to happen.
Netanyahu said in a press conference over the weekend that it was “shameful” for countries including Australia to recognise a Palestinian state.
“They know what they would do if, right next to Melbourne or right next to Sydney, you had this horrific attack. I think you would do at least what we’re doing.”
More than 61,000 people have been killed as a result of Israel’s military campaign since 7 October, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel launched the offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
