Tech

Termite ransomware breaches linked to ClickFix CastleRAT attacks

Published

4 hours ago

7 March 2026

Termite

Ransomware threat actors tracked as Velvet Tempest are using the ClickFix technique and legitimate Windows utilities to deploy the DonutLoader malware and the CastleRAT backdoor.

Researchers at cyber-deception threat intelligence firm MalBeacon observed the hackers’ actions in an emulated organization environment over a period of 12 days.

Velvet Tempest, also tracked as DEV-0504, is a threat group that has been involved in ransomware attacks as an affiliate for at least five years.

The actor has been associated with deploying some of the most devastating ransomware strains: Ryuk (2018 – 2020), REvil (2019-2022), Conti (2019-2022), BlackMatter, BlackCat/ALPHV (2021-2024), LockBit, and RansomHub.

Velvet Tempest's ransomware deployment timeline — **Velvet Tempest’s ransomware deployment timeline**
*Source: MalBeacon*

The attack was observed by MalBeacon between February 3 and 16 in a replica environment for a non-profit organization in the U.S. with more than 3,000 endpoints and over 2,500 users.

After obtaining access, Velvet Tempest operators performed hands-on keyboard activities, including Active Directory reconnaissance, host discovery, and environment profiling, as well as using a PowerShell script to harvest credentials stored in Chrome.

The script was hosted on an IP address that researchers linked to tool staging for Termite ransomware intrusions.

According to the researchers, Velvet Tempest gained initial access through a malvertising campaign that led to a ClickFix and CAPTCHA mix that instructed victims to paste an obfuscated command into the Windows Run dialog.

**ClickFix lure used by Velvet Tempest**
*Source: MalBeacon*

The pasted command triggered nested cmd.exe chains and used finger.exe to fetch the first malware loaders. One of the payloads was an archive file disguised as a PDF file.

In subsequent stages, Velvet Tempest used PowerShell to download and execute commands that fetched additional payloads, compile .NET components via csc.exe in temporary directories, and deploy Python-based components for persistence in C:\ProgramData.

The operation ultimately staged DonutLoader and retrieved CastleRAT backdoor, a remote access trojan associated with the CastleLoader malware loader known for distributing multiple families of RATs and information stealers, like LummaStealer.

Termite ransomware has previously claimed high-profile victims such as SaaS provider Blue Yonder and Australian IVF giant Genea.

While Velvet Tempest is typically associated with double-extortion attacks, where victim systems are encrypted after stealing company data, MalBeacon’s report notes that the threat actor did not deploy the Termite ransomware in the observed intrusion.

Multiple ransomware actors have adopted the CkickFix technique in attacks. Sekoia reported in April 2025 that the Interlock ransomware gang used the social engineering method to breach corporate networks.

Malware is getting smarter. The Red Report 2026 reveals how new threats use math to detect sandboxes and hide in plain sight.

Download our analysis of 1.1 million malicious samples to uncover the top 10 techniques and see if your security stack is blinded.

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God of War Sons of Sparta review: This series’ metroidvania prequel is serviceable, but shines like a red orb on PlayStation Portal

Published

38 seconds ago

8 March 2026

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If you’re a God of War fan, you’ve likely noticed Sony‘s iconic, deity-destroying action series has been dominating the spotlight as of late. Following an announcement that the franchise’s original trilogy is being remade, we got a first-look at Kratos and Atreus in Prime Video’s upcoming live-action TV series adaptation.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5 (on PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal)
Available on: PS5
Release date: February 12, 2026

But before a collective “Boy!” could be bellowed in celebration of all this news, we also got word that a new series’ spin-off game is rumored to be in the works. Given that you’d need a Leviathan Axe to cut through all these recent reveals and rumors, you could be excused for overlooking God of War Sons of Sparta, a brand-new prequel entry that was shadow-dropped shortly after the Greek trilogy remake reveal.

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Experience Incredible Noise Cancellation And Comfort With The Affordable Soundcore Q20i Headphones

Published

13 minutes ago

8 March 2026

NewsAdmin

Soundcore by Anker Q20i Hybrid ANC Headphones
The Soundcore Q20i headphones, priced at $39.99 (was $70), give impressive performance at a reasonable price. This over-ear model from Anker’s Soundcore brand combines hybrid active noise cancellation, a long battery life, and configurable sound profiles into a product that constantly receives high praise for being one of the best value-for-money options available.

The main draw is hybrid noise cancellation, which uses four microphones, two in each cup and two on the outside, to reduce ambient noise by up to 90%. Low rumbles from engines or air conditioning are immediately muted, while background chatter is reduced to the point that talks with someone nearby feel far away. The transparency mode switch flips this around, allowing you to let outside sounds in when necessary, such as when you’re on a train or at a station and want to hear announcements, or just want to keep attentive when out for a walk. Users have reported that the device functions effectively in real-world circumstances such as flights, buses, and extremely crowded workspaces, yet if you’re in a really loud location, you may still experience some bleed through.

Sale

Soundcore by Anker Q20i Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Wireless Over-Ear Bluetooth, 40H Long…

Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling: 2 internal and 2 external mics work in tandem to detect external noise and effectively reduce up to 90% of it, no…
Immerse Yourself in Detailed Audio: The noise cancelling headphones have oversized 40mm dynamic drivers that produce detailed sound and thumping beats…
40-Hour Long Battery Life and Fast Charging: With 40 hours of battery life with ANC on and 60 hours in normal mode, you can commute in peace with your…

People are blown away by the battery life; with noise cancellation switched on, you get a respectable 40 hours of playback, which increases to a stunning 60 hours if you turn it off. A 5-minute charge provides an additional 4 hours of playback, which is ideal for those occasions when you are trapped in a conference or forgot the charger in the meeting room. Bluetooth 5.0 handles all connections seamlessly, since you can link with two devices at once and it will cheerfully switch between them for you, which is quite useful when you need to transition from a laptop music to a phone call.

Soundcore by Anker Q20i Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation Headphones
The sound is produced by 40mm dynamic drivers, which benefit from BassUp technology while maintaining crisp details. If you connect the headphones to the provided 3.5mm connection, they will also play Hi-Res music, giving you a snappier high end and a more layered sound. Many listeners have described the profile as engaging and exciting, with deep bass that gets going without overwhelming the mids or voices. The Soundcore app takes things to the next level, with 22 pre-set EQ profiles and the option to tweak the settings to make it exactly right for you. If you need to relax or avoid interruptions, the white noise settings are a wonderful addition.

Soundcore by Anker Q20i Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation Headphones
The memory foam ear cushions are pleasant and snug, and the lightweight frame weighs only approximately 9oz, so you won’t experience sore ears even after wearing them for lengthy periods of time. The foldable form makes them ideal for putting in a bag or backpack for travel, and they still feel rather strong, despite the fact that the plastic construction isn’t exactly fancy. The built-in microphone handles calls well, picking up your voice above background noise and allowing you to hold a regular conversation.

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A First for Humanity Confirmed: NASA’s DART Mission Slowed the Asteroid’s Orbit

Published

26 minutes ago

8 March 2026

NewsAdmin

NASA heralded a new study published Friday documenting a first for humanity — “the first time a human-made object has measurably altered the path of a celestial body around the Sun.”

It was 2022’s DART mission where NASA crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid — and the experiment “could have implications for protecting Earth from future asteroid strikes,” writes ScienceNews:

A spacecraft slowed the orbit of a pair of asteroids around the sun by more than 10 micrometers per second… Within a month, researchers showed that the impact shortened Dimorphos’ 12-hour orbit by 32 minutes. Some of the rocks knocked off of Dimorphos fled the vicinity completely, escaping the gravitational influence of the Dimorphos-Didymos pair, says planetary defense researcher Rahil Makadia of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Those rocky runaways took some momentum away from the duo and changed their joint motion around the sun.

To figure out how much that motion was affected, astronomers watched the asteroids pass in front of distant stars, dimming some of the stars’ light like a tiny eclipse. These blinks, called stellar occultations, can be visible from anywhere on Earth and are predictable in advance… Calculating how far off occultation timings were from predictions revealed that the asteroids’ orbit around the sun was about 150 milliseconds slower than before the DART impact…

Didymos and Dimorphos are not a threat to Earth, Makadia says, and weren’t before DART. But knowing how a deliberate impact changes one asteroid’s orbit can help make defense plans against another, “in case we need to do a kinetic impact for real.”
The researchers spent nearly two and a half years to collect 22 measurements of the asteroid’s post-crash position, relying on amateur astronomers “to go out into the middle of nowhere and observe the necessary stellar occultations,” acvcording to their paper. Planetary defense researcher even tells ScienceNews “There was an observer who drove two days each way into the Australian outback to get these measurements.”

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The Best MIDI Controllers for Synths, Guitars, and More (2026)

Published

40 minutes ago

8 March 2026

NewsAdmin

One needn’t enjoy the music of Rush to respect the multitasking that happens while the Canadian prog trio (RIP Neil Peart) was onstage spinning impeccable note-for-note re-creations of their studio work. A key component of bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee’s workflow was the Moog Taurus, which is an archaic monophonic synthesizer that’s controlled by an octave’s worth of organ-like foot pedals that sit on the ground under his rack of synthesizers, which he later transitioned to a MIDI-controlled Ableton-enabled computer.

Newer, heavier bands like Brutus and Russian Circles have carried the torch, the latter utilizing a vintage Taurus up until a band of tweakers ransacked their trailer in 2021. Brian Cook, the bassist of the instrumental metal trio, has since been reunited with his beloved Taurus, but in the meantime he utilized a Keith McMillen Instruments 12 Step paired with a Moog Minotaur Model to re-create the squelching, thundering low-end he’s famous for wielding while he plays a baritone guitar with his hands.

The 12 Step 2 expands on the original with five-pin DIN input and output, as well as expanded expression options with each of the 12 pedals that are laid out just like an octave on a keyboard. Both the pressure and the tilt of each pedal can be mapped to unique CCs, allowing things like filter, attack, and resonance to be adjusted as you bear down on each press. The computer-based editor is simple to understand, and each pedal can send chords with up to five notes each for a richer sound with minimal tap dancing. You’ll need your own module to generate sounds with the MIDI messages sent by each pedal, but the USB output can be routed into a phone, tablet, or laptop for easy control of synth plugins on any sort of device you have. The 12 Step 2 is light, durable, and thin, making it easy to drop on top of your guitar pedals before you stash them in a road case for safe keeping. The same can’t be said about a Moog Taurus or the Roland PK-6, which is 3 inches high and 10 pounds, versus the 12 Step 2, which is 1 inch high and only 1.25 pounds.

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Why the Ratio Four Series Two Is What I Use to Test New Coffees

Published

1 hour ago

8 March 2026

NewsAdmin

Coffee is the original office biohack and the nation’s most popular productivity tool. As we lose sleep to the changeover to daylight saving time, the caffeine-addicted WIRED Reviews team is writing about our favorite coffee brewing routines and devices that’ll keep us alert and maybe even happy in the morning. Today, reviewer Matthew Korfhage expounds on his lasting love for drip coffee—and why the Ratio Four never leaves his counter. In the days after, we’ll add other Java.Base stories about other WIRED writers’ favorite brewing methods.

As with any vice worth having, a morning coffee routine can take on the character of religion. And like a lot of religion, it’s often born as much accident as moral conviction. My denomination is good, old-fashioned drip coffee. That’s what I drink first thing, before I even think about crafting a shot of espresso.

I’m WIRED’s lead coffee writer and I’ve developed a deep fondness for coffee’s many variations, from espresso to Aeropress to cold brew. But “coffee” to me, in my deepest soul, still means a steaming mug of unadulterated drip. Luckily, that’s also the coffee arena that has been transformed the most by technology in recent years. The drip coffee from the Ratio Four coffee maker (now quietly on its second generation) feels to me like coffee’s purest form, the liquid distillation of what my coffee beans smell like fresh off the grinder.

Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

Ratio

Four Small-Batch Brewer (Series 2)

My love of filter coffee began as a teenager traveling and studying in India—perhaps my first glimpse of adult freedom. This is where I drank the first full cup of coffee I remember finishing. In Jaipur, filter coffee was an intense, jet-black gravity brew typically mixed with milk and sugar. I decided that if I was going to drink coffee, I would take it straight and learn to like it on its own terms. A newfound friend, tipping jaggery into his own brew, laughed at my insistence I didn’t want sweetened milk. I then downed a cup so thick and strong and caffeinated it made my hairs stand at perpendicular. If I’d made a mistake, I refused to admit it.

I carried this preference back to Oregon, drinking unadulteratedly black, terrible drip coffee at all-night diners and foul office breakrooms. Black coffee had become a morality clause, though it was hardly a matter of taste.

It wasn’t until years later that I discovered that drip coffee could actually be an indulgence every bit as refined as pinkies-up espresso.

Upping the Drip

In part, this was a problem of technology. Aside from a classic Moccamaster, it’s only very recently that home drip coffee makers have been able to produce a truly excellent cup. For years, I didn’t keep one at my home.

What woke me up to drip’s possibilities was a new wave of cafes in Portland, first third-wave coffee pioneer Stumptown Coffee and then especially Heart Coffee Roasters in Portland. Heart’s Norwegian owner-roaster, Wille Yli-Luoma, expounded to me at length about the aromatic purity of light-roast immersion coffee—the fruity aromatics of a first-crack Ethiopian that could smack of peach or nectarine or blueberry. Scandinavians had long prized this, he told me, and had evolved light-roast coffee into pure craft. America was finally catching up.

Still, I could never quite get that same flavor or clarity on a home brewer. Not until recently. To get the best version, I still had to walk up the street to Heart and get my coffee from the guy who roasted it. Or I had to spend way too long drizzling water over coffee in a conical filter. I rarely wanted to do this while still bleary from sleep, already late for work.

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OpenAI’s Head of Robotics Resigns, Says Pentagon Deal Was ‘Rushed Without the Guardrails Defined’

Published

1 hour ago

8 March 2026

NewsAdmin

In a tweet that’s been viewed 1.3 million times in the last six hours, OpenAI’s head of robotics announced their resignation. They said they “care deeply about the Robotics team and the work we built together,” so this “wasn’t an easy call,” but offered this reason for resigning:

AI has an important role in national security. But surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got.

This was about principle, not people. I have deep respect for Sam and the team, and I’m proud of what we built together.
“To be clear, my issue is that the announcement was rushed without the guardrails defined,” explains a later tweet. “It’s a governance concern first and foremost. These are too important for deals or announcements to be rushed.” And when asked how many OpenAI employees had left after OpenAI signed their new Pentagon deal, the roboticist said… “I can’t share any internal details.”

The roboticist previously worked at Meta before leaving to join OpenAI in late 2024, reports Engadget:

OpenAI confirmed Kalinowski’s resignation and said in a statement to Engadget that the company understands people have “strong views” about these issues and will continue to engage in discussions with relevant parties. The company also explained in the statement that it doesn’t support the issues that Kalinowski brought up. “We believe our agreement with the Pentagon creates a workable path for responsible national security uses of AI while making clear our red lines: no domestic surveillance and no autonomous weapons,” the OpenAI statement read.

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Soundpeats Cove Pro review: a fantastic feature set and comfortable build make these the cheap headphones to beat

Published

2 hours ago

7 March 2026

NewsAdmin

Why you can trust TechRadar

We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Soundpeats Cove Pro: Two-minute review

If you’re here because you’re interested in buying the best cheap headphones, let’s skip to the chase: these are now going to be the go-to pair I recommend for the foreseeable future. They’re not perfect, which is why there’s still over 1,000 words to this Soundpeats Cove Pro review, but for the money they’re outstanding.

Soundpeats is constantly impressing me with its great-value audio offerings, like the indelible in-ear Soundpeats H3, or the reliable open Soundpeats Clip1, and so I’m not overly surprised that I’m giving out another glowing review to something from the company. It’s less versed in over-ears than other kinds of headphone, though, so there was always the chance of something going wrong.

The Cove Pro are fantastic headphones for people who just need any old pair of cans that’ll do the job, so you’ve got a way of listening to music when at home or on the go – they nail all of quality-of-life features you’ll want.

For example, the battery life is fantastic: 95 hours, or nearly four days straight. These aren’t going to give up the ghost during a long-haul flight, that’s for sure.

They’re also some of the most comfortable on-ears I’ve used recently, as the padding in the cups and headband is soft, and they’re not too heavy or pinchy over the crown of your noggin. What I’m saying is, you can leave them on your head for long periods of time without getting aches.

Audiophiles (or people who aren’t sure of the title but are picky about their sound) might not be as impressed. The ANC is quite light-touch; the Cove Pro reduce sound more than ‘cancel’ it, and the audio isn’t as good as some other budget options I’ve tested. It’s a bit too warm and veers towards muddy, with a lower-end that isn’t as well-defined as on some alternatives. I wasn’t blown away, but bass-heads might still be happy.

Soundpeats Cove Pro review: Price and release date

The Soundpeats Cove Pro hanging up, and with the inside of each cup facing outwards. — (Image credit: Future)

Released in January 2025
Sells for $69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$140)
Cheap, but not cheap cheap in today’s market

Soundpeats announced the Cove Pro in January 2026, following the rush of headphones that followed CES at the beginning of the year.

You can buy the Cove Pro for $69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$140), so they’re fairly affordable cans – best suited for people who want decent headphones that’ll last a long time, but don’t need the highest quality or audio or premium features.

OneOdio Focus A1 Pro which sell for $34.99 / £43.99 (about AU$85), and there are a few other super-budget options worth buying like the Sony WH-CH520. But they’re still certainly a budget option compared to the big names on the block.

The Soundpeats Cove Pro's array of buttons. — (Image credit: Future)

95-hour battery life
The ANC is very light-touch
Nice perks like Bluetooth 6.0, listening test and LDAC

Possibly the most eye-catching spec of the Soundpeats Cove Pro is the battery life: up to 95 hours of ANC-off listening. Very few headphones crack the 100-hour barrier, and anything close like this deserves props.

The endurance drops quite a bit if you turn ANC on: down to 58 hours. That’s quite a sacrifice to remove some sound, though in the grand scheme of things ~60 hours is still decent.

The ANC isn’t very powerful here; it’ll strip out the worst of background noises rather than remove them in any meaningful way. There’s also an ambient mode, but I couldn’t hear a difference between this and Normal (ANC off).

The Soundpeats Cove Pro's headband. — (Image credit: Future)

The Soundpeats app is the Cove Pro’s all-but-mandatory smartphone app. It’s worth downloading, even though it forces you to create an account, because it offers a few features unusual in lower-cost headphones.

The app offers an equalizer (presets or 10-band custom mode), find my headphones function, spatial audio, bass booster and even a custom listening test which builds you a bespoke EQ mix. It’s clearly in a very early state – the pictures and text refers to earbuds, and one menu was in Mandarin, but it did a decent job of tweaking my audio and wasn’t too hard to use.

Unlike many budget music-blowers, the SoundPeats supports a few higher-res Bluetooth codecs, including LDAC, SBC and AAC. It connects via Bluetooth 6.0, and in my testing it didn’t stop out at all – there was one brief stutter, and that was it.

Sony WH-1000XM3s. Sure, there isn’t a huge scope for variety in the world of headphone aesthetics, especially the budget market, but the design language is there.

These cans weigh 250g, with an IPX4 rating indicating that they’re splash-roof. The right cup has an ANC button, power button and volume rocker on it, and they’re flush enough that I sometimes thought I’d missed pressing them until I got used to the feel of it. The exception is the power button, which has a little indent so you can easily differentiate it by feel.

The one thing I’d like to see is a 3.5mm port. As it stands, you can’t use an AUX cord to connect these to your music player.

I found the Cove Pro surprisingly comfortable; you can’t always rely on the budget headphones for a good fit, but these felt great. The soft cups settle gently on the ears, and a large pad on the band keeps them nestled on your cranium. I could listen for long periods without any kind of strain or ache.

The headphones also feel surprisingly premium in terms of build quality. The plastic material feels a little more durable than the squeaky cheap stuff some rivals are made out of, and other traits of budget cans like rattly joins and a hollow-feeling body were all absent.

You can fold the Cove Pro in on itself to make it more portable, and they swivel and extend a fair amount to suit different sized heads.

The Soundpeats Cove Pro on a man's head. — (Image credit: Future)

40mm driver
Messy low-end handling
EQ can fix some issues

Like most budget headphones – actually, most cans at any budget – the Cove Pro have 40mm drivers. Soundpeats’ website goes into detail on titanium-coated diaphragms, patterned dome drivers and magnets, all giving the impression of a thoughtful approach to audio – it’s all for naught, though, as they don’t sound any better than your average budget cans

Music is warm, sometimes too much – as I write this I’m listening to Old Ties and Companions by Watchhouse, and the timbre that should be created by the various acoustic instruments feels lacking because of the sound profile. Bass can sometimes blow out other parts of a song, especially with rock music, which can often see the bass guitar override guitars.

It’ll appeal to bass-heads for sure, and people who go to gigs so often that they don’t realize you’re not always supposed to hear and feel the bass above everything else. But I found it a bit too much – and using the Bass Reduction EQ preset sometimes wasn’t even enough.

Get through the bass, and you’ll find fairly detailed audio, though the lack of support for wired listening means these aren’t budget audiophile cans by any means. There’s a pronounced soundstage though, something you can’t always say about options at this price point, giving a little bit of extra sparkle to songs like T-Shirt Weather by Circa Waves and Such Great Heights by the Postal Service, which have bassless introductions so you can enjoy the atmosphere.

The Soundpeats Cove Pro in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

At best, exceeds expectations for price
At worst, matches expectations for price

The Soundpeats Cove Pro aren’t quite the cheapest headphones on the market – or that have wowed TechRadar’s team recently – but they’re not far off. And they offer top value for money.

The build quality here is better than I’ve come to see expect from budget cans, even if the looks won’t win any awards for originality. And the feature set is better than many same-price rivals, with tools that you’d normally find in cans twice as pricey.

In its weaker departments, the Cove Pro still deliver at the level you’d expect for this price; they sound no worse than the average budget headset, and deliver enough ANC to trump rivals which don’t offer the feature.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating Advertisement
Features	The battery life is great, and there are some solid features, but the ANC isn’t anything to write home about.	4/5
Design Advertisement	They’re basic to look at, but lightweight and comfy.	4.5/5
Sound quality	They sound muddy, but there’s detail and a reasonably wide soundstage. Advertisement	3.5/5
Value	Set your expectations for the budget and you won’t be disappointed.	4/5 Advertisement

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Header Cell – Column 0	Soundpeats Cove Pro Advertisement	OneOdio Focus A6	Earfun Wave Life
Drivers	40mm Advertisement	40mm	40mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes Advertisement	Yes	Yes
Battery life (ANC on)	95 hours Advertisement	75 hours	60 hours
Weight	251g Advertisement	240g	264g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 6.0 Advertisement	Bluetooth 6.0	Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing	IPX4 Advertisement	None	None

Tested for a month
Tested at home, on walks, on public transport and the gym

I used the Soundpeats Cove Pro for just over a month to write this review, immediately following a few of their big rivals.

I used the cans paired alongside my Android phone, listening on a variety of services. This included in a range of indoor and outdoor settings including, most challengingly, on a train ride home after a high-end audio show.

For TechRadar, I’ve already tested a wide range of budget headphones, including over-ear alternatives and other picks from Soundpeats.

First reviewed in March 2026

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Japan Approves Stem-Cell Treatments For Parkinson’s, Heart Failure In World Firsts

Published

2 hours ago

7 March 2026

NewsAdmin

Long-time Slashdot reader fjo3 shared this report from Agence France-Presse:

Japan has approved ground-breaking stem-cell treatments for Parkinson’s and severe heart failure, one of the manufacturers and media reports said Friday, with the therapies expected to reach patients within months.

Pharmaceutical company Sumitomo Pharma said it received the green light for the manufacture and sale of Amchepry, its Parkinson’s disease treatment that transplants stem cells into a patient’s brain. Japan’s health ministry also gave the go-ahead to ReHeart, heart muscle sheets developed by medical startup Cuorips that can help form new blood vessels and restore heart function, media reports said. The treatments could be on the market and rolled out to patients as early as this summer, reports said, citing the health ministry, becoming the world’s first commercially available medical products using induced pluripotent stem cells…

In a statement, Sumitomo Pharma said it had obtained “conditional and time-limited approval” for the manufacture and marketing of Amchepry under a system which is reportedly designed to get these products to patients as quickly as possible. The approval is a kind of “provisional license”, the Asahi newspaper said, after the safety and efficacy of the treatment was judged based on data from fewer patients than in ordinary clinical trials for drugs.

A trial led by Kyoto University researchers indicated that the company’s treatment was safe and successful in improving symptoms. The study involved seven Parkinson’s patients aged between 50 and 69, with each receiving a total of either five million or 10 million cells implanted on both sides of the brain… The patients were monitored for two years and no major adverse effects were found, the study said. Four patients showed improvements in symptoms.
The article notes that “Worldwide, about 10 million people have the illness, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation,” while also notes that today’s current therapies “improve symptoms without slowing or halting the disease progression…”

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Fosi Audio C3 AI Gaming Sound Card Debuts at CanJam NYC 2026

Published

2 hours ago

7 March 2026

NewsAdmin

Gaming has quietly become one of the most lucrative frontiers in personal audio, and at CanJam NYC 2026, Fosi Audio is stepping directly into the fight. Best known for its compact DACs, headphone amplifiers, power amplifiers, and affordable desktop gear, the company is debuting two new products aimed squarely at gamers and portable audio enthusiasts: the C3 AI Gaming Sound Card and the MD3 Magnetic DAC/Amp.

The move makes a great deal of sense. Gaming is now a multi-billion-dollar category where sound quality can make the difference between immersion and frustration, yet only a handful of established audio brands have truly taken advantage of the opportunity.

Companies like Audeze, beyerdynamic, and Sennheiser have leaned into the gaming category with some of the most respected audiophile-grade gaming headsets on the market. Meanwhile, Schiit Audio has taken a different approach, focusing on compact DAC/amp solutions such as the Schiit Gunnr and Fulla, which are designed to improve headphone audio across smartphones, tablets, PCs, and modern gaming consoles.

Fosi’s new C3 AI Gaming Sound Card feels like a logical next step for the category. By blending compact desktop audio design with gaming-focused processing and AI-assisted features, the company appears to be pushing beyond the traditional DAC/amp playbook. The big question now is whether Fosi can deliver something genuinely different from the established players—or simply prove that the next evolution of gaming audio doesn’t have to come with a high-end price tag.

fosi-c3 — Fosi Audio C3 AI Gaming Sound Card

The C3 AI Gaming Sound Card marks Fosi Audio’s first AI trained gaming audio processor and is designed specifically with competitive FPS (First Person Shooter) players in mind. Built on the company’s Spider S AI model, the C3 analyzes in game audio in real time to enhance critical cues such as footsteps and directional movement.

Unlike traditional EQ based “footstep boost” modes commonly found in gaming headsets, the C3 focuses on isolating movement and positional information without simply increasing overall volume or exaggerating certain frequencies. The goal is greater positional accuracy and spatial awareness while preserving the natural ambience of the game environment, rather than turning the entire soundscape into an over amplified mess.

The C3 AI Gaming Sound Card is compatible with PCs and major gaming consoles and is designed for simple plug and play operation via USB C with no drivers required. An XMOS XU316 processor works alongside a premium CS43131 DAC and a dedicated headphone amplifier to provide the computational headroom required for real time AI processing while maintaining clean, high resolution audio playback.

Hardware level 7.1 spatial audio support, AI powered microphone noise reduction, and a web based EQ control interface further expand the C3’s flexibility for both competitive and immersive gaming setups.

The C3 AI Gaming Sound Card is expected to launch soon via Kickstarter.

MD3 Magnetic DAC Amp Snaps Onto Your Smartphone

Also making its CanJam NYC 2026 debut is the MD3 Magnetic DAC/Amp from Fosi Audio. The compact DAC/amp incorporates an ESS ES9039Q2M DAC, paired with four dedicated headphone amplifier chips designed to deliver clean headroom and strong dynamic range across a wide range of headphones and in-ear monitors.

The MD3 also includes dual USB C ports that allow simultaneous playback and device charging, along with a MagSafe style magnetic back plate for secure attachment to compatible smartphones. A 1.28 inch LCD display provides direct on device control, supported by a 100 step digital volume control with memory. Internal aluminum shielding helps reduce interference, while the CNC machined aluminum chassis reinforces the unit’s durability and premium construction.

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For more details on the MD3, refer to our previous article, Fosi Audio Heads to CanJam Dubai 2026 With New MD3 Magnetic and DS3 Portable DAC Headphone Amps, as well as the official MD3 product page. EIC Ian White has already previewed the MD3 and will be sharing his listening impressions from CanJam NYC 2026 this weekend, alongside Editor at-Large Chris Boylan.

“CanJam NYC allows us to connect directly with the headphone and audiophile community in one of the world’s most influential HiFi markets,” said Ryan Huang, Founder and CEO of Fosi Audio. “With C3 and MD3, we’re showing how advanced processing, balanced design, and user focused engineering can elevate both competitive gaming and portable high fidelity listening.”

More from Fosi Audio: Full Product Lineup on Display at CanJam NYC 2026

IM4 In Ear Monitors (IEMs) – The IM4 IEMs are precision tuned to deliver accurate and engaging sound for portable listening setups, offering a balanced presentation aimed at listeners who want detail without sacrificing musicality.

i5 Planar Magnetic Headphones – The i5 is an open back planar magnetic headphone designed to deliver a wide soundstage and strong detail retrieval, bringing a more spacious and immersive presentation to desktop listening.

ZH3 Balanced DAC Headphone Amp Preamp – The ZH3 combines DAC, headphone amplifier, and preamp functionality in a balanced design built to drive demanding headphones while serving as the control hub of a compact desktop system.

K7 HiFi Gaming DAC Headphone Amplifier – The K7 is positioned as a versatile DAC/amp for both hi-fi listening and gaming, pairing immersive audio performance with features such as independent microphone control for competitive play.

DS3 Portable DAC Headphone Amplifier – The DS3 is an XMOS powered DAC/amp housed in a compact battery free dongle, designed to deliver improved audio performance for smartphones, tablets, and laptops without the need for an internal battery.

BT20A MAX Amplifier – The BT20A MAX is a compact 2.1 channel Class D integrated amplifier with Bluetooth connectivity, built to deliver substantial output and wireless flexibility for small hi fi or desktop systems.

ZA3 Balanced Amplifier – The ZA3 is a balanced dual mode Class D power amplifier that supports both stereo and mono operation, allowing it to function either as a traditional stereo amplifier or as part of a higher power mono block setup.

The lineup on display at CanJam NYC 2026 reflects Fosi Audio’s continued expansion across both portable and desktop hi fi categories, along with a growing focus on performance driven gaming audio.

fosi-c3-features-labeled — Fosi Audio C3 AI Gaming Sound Card

The Bottom Line

With the Fosi Audio C3 AI Gaming Sound Card, Fosi Audio is stepping into the rapidly expanding gaming audio category with a product aimed squarely at competitive players who want clearer positional cues without the usual gimmicky “footstep boost” tricks. If the AI processing works as promised, the C3 could appeal to gamers looking for a more precise and natural sounding alternative to the typical headset DSP modes.

Meanwhile, the Fosi Audio MD3 Magnetic DAC Amp targets the portable hi-fi crowd, offering a magnetically attached DAC/amp designed to clean up smartphone audio without the bulk of a traditional portable stack. Between the gaming focused C3 and the smartphone friendly MD3, Fosi appears to be expanding into two fast growing segments of personal audio.

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Both products will be making waves at CanJam NYC 2026, and with several other products in tow, the Fosi booth is shaping up to be a busy stop on the show floor. Check back this weekend for our full coverage and listening impressions from the event.

For more information: fosiaudio.com

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Tech

South and mid-west beating national average for women founders, finds AxisBIC

Published

2 hours ago

7 March 2026

NewsAdmin

The report identified an increase in the number of women entrepreneurs raising investments to expand their businesses.

Ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday (8 March), AxisBIC, a non-profit based in Ireland’s south and mid-west region that supports innovative start-ups, has released data highlighting the progress being made among women founders.

AxisBIC’s figures for 2025 show that 35pc of High Potential Start-Up approvals in this region were organisations either founded or co-founded by women, while 57pc of Pre-Seed Start Fund approvals were given to companies being led by women.

The platform’s research shows that over the course of the last five years at AxisBIC’s flagship event, the Entrepreneur Experience, more than 50pc of the participating businesses were founded or co-founded by women – outpacing the national average of 25pc to 30pc. Figures also show that these women-led businesses raised a total investment of €42m.

AxisBIC works with entrepreneurs to develop their business plans, raise investment, manage business propositions and arrange agreements between shareholders and investors. The organisation also provides access to a network that includes partners, local authorities, universities, investors, business bodies and seasoned entrepreneurs across Ireland and internationally.

Some of the women-led start-ups that have worked with AxisBIC include Rosanne Longmore’s femtech Coroflo – which recently made history at CES 2026 – Peigín Crowley’s health and wellness brand Ground Wellbeing, and Rena Maycock’s mobile phone child protection company Chirp.

The CEO of AxisBIC Larry O’Donoghue said: “At AxisBIC, our commitment of supporting and advancing women-led start-ups is underpinned by a strong ‘Give to Gain’ ethos. The organisation draws on an extensive network of experienced entrepreneurs, investors and partners who mentor, coach and advise emerging founders.

“In addition, AxisBIC, together with the four Irish Business Innovation Centres, has recently organised and supported Enterprise Ireland’s newly established accelerator programme, NextWave. NextWave is the new national women’s founder accelerator designed to empower women founders to validate, build and scale with confidence.”

In line with International Women’s Day, AxisBIC will co-host a webinar called ‘Forging Collaboration and Sharing Entrepreneurial Success Stories to Balance the Scales’ with partner incubators in the EU and the Caribbean.

The discussion will take place 10 March and will include women entrepreneurs from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Ireland and Slovenia. Anyone interested can register to attend on the AxisBIC website.

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

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