When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. These are my favorite free Crossword and Sudoku apps for desktop, mobile, and even multiplayer sessions with friends. If you enjoy the daily ritual of solving a crossword over your morning coffee or, like me, squeezing in a Sudoku during your break, you don't need an expensive subscription. These puzzle apps and sites are completely free and I don't miss my old subscription services at all. For solo solving, I haven't found anything better than the Omni Crosswords app. It offers a fresh daily crossword in a clean, ad-free interface that works well on both desktop and mobile.

I'll just do that later, this thing can wait, maybe a short break first... We've all been there: putting off certain tasks then being left with essays up to the wire, loads of messages unread and that bedroom sort-out that just never happens. A fifth of us are guilty of regularly procrastinating but the type of procastinator we are can reveal something deeper about us, say researchers. Are you a dreamer or rebel? What does it all mean, and can you fix it? The cause can be hidden or buried, says Dr Itamar Shatz, a lecturer at Cambridge University who is publishing a book on the subject this week.

Great for indie darlings, but Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo remain kings of TV gaming. Linux-based desktop is clean, accessible, and intuitive. Fundamentally cannot deliver 4K quality gaming. Immediately feels like it needs an upgrade. From the moment it was unveiled, the new Steam Machine has been a captivating proposition for gamers.

PCWorld explores 10 external gaming accessories as affordable alternatives to expensive internal PC upgrades amid rising hardware costs driven by AI demand. Key recommendations include the Logitech G512 X keyboard with adjustable actuation and hot-swappable switches, plus Alienware's budget $350 OLED monitor featuring 240Hz refresh rates. These external upgrades offer cost-effective ways to enhance gaming setups when traditional component upgrades become financially challenging for enthusiasts. Any sports fan can tell you about the concept of a "rebuilding year," when your team doesn't have a realistic shot at the title, so they give the foundations of their franchise some much-needed TLC.

Japan's parliament has enacted a controversial law introducing criminal penalties for desecrating the national flag. The passage of the legislation on Friday is part of an ongoing drive by staunchly conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to promote traditional patriotism and correct what her supporters call a "wrong" legal double standard. Under the newly enacted law, violators who publicly damage, remove or defile the national flag in a manner that causes others "extreme discomfort or disgust" face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 200,000 yen ($1,250). According to Japanese broadcaster Kyodo News, the law covers physical acts of vandalism such as stomping, burning, or throwing mud in public spaces, as well as livestreaming such acts. The law drafting committee, led by former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, carved out highly specific legal exemptions. The ruling party clarified that the new law completely exempts physical paintings, digital media including anime, manga, video games, and generative AI, and even the miniature paper flags famously used to decorate children's restaurant meals.

This year, RoboCup took place in Incheon, South Korea, from 2-6 July. The event saw teams take part in competitions, training sessions, and a symposium. Take a look at what the participants got up to in our round up from social media. RoboCup 2026 officially begins today! A post shared by RoboCup Federation (@robocup.official)

From the best air fryer to frying pans to knife sharpeners anyone can use, these ideas will keep the curious home chef in your life tinkering away. A Lightweight Cast-Iron Skillet Field Company No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet The Best gifts for cooks can be a tough prospect, especially because chances are the cook in your life is cooking for you. You want it to feel special, thoughtful, something luxuriant that they wouldn't buy for themselves and will be excited to have. This is a guide to the best kitchen gifts that mix classic beauty and technological innovation, geared to home chefs who love not just food but the act of cooking. We've gathered up some of our favorite gift ideas for every budget. For more inspiration, be sure to check out our guides to the best air fryers, the best cast iron pans, the best blenders, chef knives, and pizza ovens . One could plausibly argue for a 5-quart Le Creuset. But otherwise, when you picture a classic and beautiful cast-iron Dutch oven, what you picture is likely this: the 4-quart Staub La Cocotte. It argues for itself, sitting majestically baroque in its heft and with its trademark self-basting cones on the underside of its lid, its classic shape, and its elegant sense of proportion. It is welcome in any home.

Panasonic's newest microwave ditches steam and measures point-to-point temperatures. The results are mostly terrific. No guessing needed for microwave times. Heat is not as even near the oven's perimeter. Food must be visible to the sensor to heat appropriately.

A $10K Bounty Aims to Make Sony's PlayStation 5 a Computer Again Bet it could probably run Linux too. Using your PlayStation to play games is just fine. But what if you could use your Sony console to vibe code with your AI agents on Linux instead? That's what the ownership advocacy organization Fulu wants to make possible, and it's willing to pay $10,000 to prove it can be done. Helmed by YouTuber Louis Rossmann and fellow consumer advocate Kevin O'Reilly, Fulu pays bounties to the first person who proves they can fix or bypass product features that Fulu deems to be hostile to device owners.

A celebration of life service and procession has been announced in Swansea following the death of Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. The Total Eclipse of the Heart singer died unexpectedly on 8 July, aged 75, at a Portugal hospital, as a result of the illness that she was being treated for, her family said in a statement released on the star's official website, external . At the time, tributes poured in from a host of friends and stars including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart. It has now been confirmed that her coffin will be brought to her Mumbles home on 15 August at 15:30 BST, with people invited to pay their respects by lining Newton Road at 15:15. Tyler, born Gaynor Hopkins - also known for hits including Holding Out For A Hero and Here She Comes - is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Robert Sullivan.