Location tracking through app permissions and advertising IDs can expose visits to doctors, pharmacies and places of worship to data brokers and advertisers.

Waiting times for driving tests have dropped below 20 weeks for the first time since November 2024, according to official figures. But learner drivers in September still had to wait an average of 19.7 weeks, or around five months, for a practical test. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has been trying to cut waiting times and clear a backlog which began during the Covid pandemic in 2020. Commenting on the agency's progress, one driving instructor told the BBC: I don't think this is anything to boast about. The DVSA initially had hoped to reduce the average waiting time to seven weeks by the end of last year.

Russell Brand was a'sexual predator', says prosecution as rape trial begins To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Russell Brand was described as ruthless and a sexual predator by the prosecution at the start of his trial for rape and sexual assault on Wednesday. The 51-year-old actor and comedian faces three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. The allegations, made by six female complainants, span a 10-year period between 1999 and 2009. Riel Karmy-Jones KC, for the prosecution, told Southwark Crown Court in London the women did not know each other, have never met each other and came forward independently of each other.

US inflation rose by more than expected in the year to September, according to official figures, in the final data release before the midterm elections next month. The pace of price rises increased to 3.7%, up from 3.4% in the 12 months to August. Inflation was above forecasts, driven by higher gasoline prices which have spiked following disruption to Middle East energy supplies due to the US-Israel conflict with Iran. The elections are being fought over cost of living pressures across the US. Inflation is the rate at which the price of products or services increase over time.

Australia's first-ever Michelin stars go to 11 restaurants in one state Australia has been awarded its first Michelin stars, with 11 restaurants in the state of South Australia receiving the distinction. Magill Estate Restaurant in Adelaide was the only venue to receive two stars, while 10 others were awarded one star each. South Australia's government paid for incognito inspectors to visit the state, according to national broadcaster ABC, which is why no spots have been recognised in other parts of the country. The announcement comes more than a century after the Michelin Guide was first published in France and following years of unsuccessful attempts to bring it to Australia. Michelin has approached the national tourism board about bringing the guide to the country more than once, with no luck.

's Cowriter Has a New Comic on the Way Brian K. Vaughan claims he's seen and it's "a fucking beautiful movie." Brian K. Vaughan would like to apologize. He knows everyone is dying for details about, which he cowrote with director Denis Villeneuve, but his lips are pretty sealed until December 18 when the film finally hits theaters . "Sorry to be coy," he says as we're about to leave the New York coffee shop where we've been chatting. "I hope the day will come where I'm able to say much, much more. It was truly so awesome. I can't believe it happened."

As AI development rapidly expands, people are replicating paid-for desktop and mobile apps with free apps, potentially changing the future of legacy software. Last week, a Reddit user named Brandon Thomas shared a project called "ArtCraft" - essentially a free rebuild of the Adobe Creative Suite, which includes programmes such as Photoshop and Adobe PDF. The recreated services have been named PhotoCraft and PdfCraft. Earlier this week, ArtCraft also released copies of the Microsoft Office suite. As with the Adobe package, ArtCraft has announced WordCraft, DeckCraft, and GridCraft, taking on Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

A Saudi employee of OpenAI, Abdulrahman Alfozan, faces up to five years in prison over allegations he planted a hidden recording device to capture sensitive company conversations. Here is what we know. Do any of these Israeli candidates support a Palestinian state? Trump plans for'massive' resource exploration in Greenland

Trending Now Say More Look Up In My Bag Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable @Home Mashable Selects Top creators, ranked Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Creator Playbook AI at School Safety Net All Series Pick up the copper model for less than $200. Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer with Mashable. She's written for various entertainment websites since 2017, covering everything from tech to games to film. You'll currently find her work on IGN and Fangoria alongside Mashable, but she also has bylines at Rock Paper Shotgun, Collider, Screen Rant, and more. When she's not writing, she enjoys catching up with the latest films and shows -- horror, in particular -- and has a deep love of FromSoft games, which she continues to happily replay.

The kingdom of Hyrule has been prettified, the soundtrack is newly orchestrated and our hero feels strikingly different under the thumbs we play a hands-on demo of Nintendo's Switch 2 remake of a 1998 game-changer W hen beloved art is revisited and revised, a familiar cry is often heard: "You're ruining my childhood!" But with Nintendo's Switch 2 remake of Ocarina of Time, there are also livelihoods at risk: specifically, the man running the shooting gallery in Castle Town. But in 2026 we have more responsive frame rates and a motion-controlled slingshot that allows precision adjustments. Even in Hyrule, the death of the high street seems inevitable. Bad news for him but great news for Link, a child of the forest who, as in 1998, steps into a vast fantasy kingdom to vanquish a great evil, but now does so with a number of improvements.