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14 Aug 2025

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Coalition parties slam former Labour ministers' no-show at Covid-19 hearing
The ACT leader said a lot of people would see the former ministers refusing to appear publicly as "running from accountability".

CoreWeave stock plummets as AI cloud company reports 'deteriorating' operating income outlook

NASA has sparked a race to develop the data pipeline to Mars

Children's Commissioner calls for urgent closure of Gloriavale Christian School
Dr Claire Achmad says she's 'hugely concerned' and has zero confidence that students are safe.

Canada spending $25M on EV infrastructure

Police arrest terror suspect at Ra'anana construction site after hour-long manhunt

EU signs €500 million loan to safeguard Ukraine's energy security ahead of winter

BBC apologises after Jenrick accused of xenophobia
A contributor to Radio 4's Thought for the Day slot made the remark about the shadow justice secretary.

Secondary teachers won't cancel strikes until government improves offer
But the minister responsible has made no indication the government is likely to budge, urging teachers to ditch their 'political stunt' and return to the bargaining table.

Father of New Zealander detained by ICE believes she'll be released this week
Sarah Shaw and her six-year-old son were detained at the US-Canadian border three weeks ago, after she tried to leave and re-enter the US without both parts of her visa approved.

A boom in businesses going bust
New Zealand is on track for a record number of liquidations this year - again - but it's not all doom and gloom for Kiwi businesses.

Nurses to strike for better nurse-to-patient ratios
It said the strike would cause the postponement of more than 2200 planned procedures, 3600 first specialist appointments and 8000 follow-up appointments.

Kiwisaver provider Simplicity to build 600 long-term rental houses in Queenstown
The project is valued at up to $500 million.

BuHybrid L6 review: This corded pool cleaner has a battery, too
At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros App offers copious customization options Very effective at cleaning–while tethered, that is Reasonably lightweight and easy to tote Cons Weak battery means pool didn’t get close to clean while untethered Gets stuck easily, especially on stairs App has some bugs and responsiveness issues Filter basket is difficult to close properly Our Verdict This robotic pool cleaner can run on battery power or with a connected cable, but it’s only effective at cleaning the pool when plugged into an AC outlet. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: BuHybrid L6 Retailer Price $999 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Here’s a curious concept from the new-to-us robotic pool cleaner manufacturer Bublue: The BuHybrid L6 is a robotic pool cleaner that can run via a plug-in electrical connection or via an internal battery, a hybrid design that makes more sense than it might seem at first, at least on paper. On the surface, the design has a lot in common with the Polaris VRX iQ+ and other power-corded robots. A small power box connects to standard wall power via a short cord. A separate, waterproof 49-foot-long cable then connects from the box to the 22-pound robot, attaching to its top via a large four-prong adapter with a screw-on sealing system that waterproofs the connection. Specifications The robot itself has a somewhat traditional design, though its black and gray color scheme and monster-sized wheels are a bit unusual. Once connected to Wi-Fi, you have access to a total of seven operating modes. Configured with the cable connected, the unit is ready for wired operation. Operation can be initiated by pressing the buttons on the robot itself, which, in addition to a power button, include four modes: floor, walls, waterline, and auto mode (which cleans all those surfaces). Yes, the Bublue BuHybrid can run on battery power, but we got much better results when the robotic pool cleaner was tethered to an outdoor AC outlet.Christopher Null/Foundry The buttons are dimly backlit and hard to make out under any amount of ambient light; but ultimately, you power up the robot, select your mode, and drop it into the pool to get the unit running. A wide light band across the front of the robot changes color to indicate various information about its operating status. You’ll get a lot more configurability by connecting the unit to the Bublue mobile app, which is configured by first onboarding the robot to Wi-Fi (2.4GHz only). This involves pressing a Wi-Fi button on the power box while the robot is plugged in, after which the robot is automatically connected and bridged to your home network. The tether for BuHybrid L6 plugs into this socket on top of the robot.Christopher Null/Foundry Once connected to Wi-Fi, you have access to a total of seven operating modes (including a wall+floor mode and unexplained “eco” and “power” modes. Operating duration can be set for 2, 3, or 4 hours, and “path width” can be adjusted between “normal” and “fine.” (I presume this has to do with how close together the robot’s successive trips across the pool floor are, but this isn’t explained anywhere.) Using the BuBlue mobile app once BuHybrid 6 is connected to your home Wi-Fi network provides access to seven operating modes–but only when it’s plugged in.Christopher Null/Foundry If you want to end a cleaning session early, there’s also a function to send the robot back to the waterline for easy retrieval. (Otherwise, you’ll need to use the included hook.) A scheduling system is also available if you want to leave the robot in the pool and have it run periodically. In addition to the Wi-Fi button, the only other button on the power box (aside from the power button) is a Bluetooth button. You’ll need to use this for one thing only: to activate the robot’s remote-control feature, because for some reason this feature doesn’t work over Wi-Fi. The BuHybride comes with a large filter basket that’s easy to clean, but I found it difficult to keep its hinged lid closed. Christopher Null/Foundry The remote features a simple control wheel, and while the unit isn’t super responsive to commands, with enough patience I was able to guide it around the pool floor and pick up any stray bits of debris, although going up walls was very difficult to do with accuracy. Again, each of these features is available only when the unit is plugged in to the power box. Alternately, you can pull the plug and go cordless. A 5200 mAh battery lets the BuHybrid operate for two hours while disconnected from its tether, providing a maximum specified coverage of 1,615 square feet. Since the app does not work while the unit is disconnected, note that you’ll need to use the hardware controls to choose your operating mode and you won’t be able to make changes on the fly. Performance I tested the unit various times both corded and uncorded, on natural debris and synthetic leaves. On battery power, the BuHybrid didn’t impress, as it repeatedly left behind a large amount of test leaves, capturing only about 70 percent of the total debris. It also had a tendency to get stuck on the stairs, and despite Bublue’s claims of “multi-surface mastery” I needed to manually push it back into the water on several occasions. The BuHybrid L6 exhibited a tendency to strand itself on my pool’s steps.Christopher Null/Foundry On multiple occasions during these runs, the hatch covering the filter basket popped open, requiring me to retrieve it with a pole and close it before restarting the run. I’ve also caught the robot spinning around in circles on the surface of the pool for no clear reason, perhaps temporarily unable to re-descend. I had considerably better luck when running the robot with its cable connected, in large part because using the maximum 4-hour running time setting allows it to cover twice as much ground per run. In this mode, the robot was able to collect 99 percent of debris—including debris on the stairs—although it did get stuck there again once. Apart from that, it left behind just one leaf in a corner of the pool. Retrieval is also much simpler when corded, requiring just a single tap in the app to bring it back to the surface. Note also that the battery will charge whenever the cable is connected, including while the unit is actively running. Bublue doesnt provide any when it comes to management of the BuHybrid L6’s 49-foot cord.Christopher Null/Foundry The BuHybrid’s cable doesn’t solve every problem, though. When tethered, I found the unit had a propensity for popping wheelies, as it looked like the unit struggled with the weight of the cable. If enough cable wasn’t placed in the pool to start with, the BuHybrid would often get stuck near the wall, unable to generate enough power to pull the cable into the water. Out of the water, the cable presents another challenge. While robots like the VRX iQ+ come with a rolling dock that includes the power box and a place to neatly store the cable when not in use, the BuHybrid doesn’t. The power box just lays on the ground, and it’s up to you to figure out how to manage the cable. Throughout my testing, the pool deck looked about like this: [see photo messy pool deck]. It’s an eyesore at best, a hazard at worst. The BuHybrid L6’s backlit buttons are very difficult to see in any sort of light.Christopher Null/Foundry Cleanup is reasonably easy. The filter basket features a large and simple hinged lid that hoses clean without too much trouble. I did, however, regularly struggle to get the lid back closed properly, as the latch didn’t catch as well as it should. The robot’s wireless implementation and the Bublue app also need some continued development. For example, Bluetooth must be reinitiated each time you want to use the remote-control feature by first physically pressing the appropriate button on the power box, mitigating its utility. Why Bluetooth can’t just stay active is a mystery. And while it’s handy to have a running log of cleaning operations, every entry in the app’s history displayed a recorded cleaning time of 0 minutes. The powerbox for the Bublue BuHybrid L6 robotic pool cleaner.Christopher Null/Foundry I encountered other error messages and bugs while using the app including maddening times when the robot would not respond at all to any commands while running a cleaning cycle (such as aborting the session). Disconnects from the app were common, too, though those could often be resolved by power cycling the power box and force-quitting the app. Should you buy the Bublue BuHybrid L6? The BuHybrid L6 has a list price of $1,599, although it was available on Amazon for $999 at the time of this writing. That’s still very pricey given some of the performance issues present; namely, the robot’s poor showing in battery mode and its tendency to get stuck and ignore commands. Pool owners who are considering the L6 will probably need to plan for it to remain cabled at all times, but that will mean devising a DIY cable management solution as well. For me, even though it has exceptional cleaning power while in corded mode, it still has too many negatives to merit its price tag. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best robotic pool cleaners.

Gymnast Aimee Didierjean: Breaking silence on periods and RED-S - Go with the Flow, part three
Her delayed period was a sign of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S).

Trump's unconventional chip gambit might leave Nvidia and AMD with more questions than answers

More people making losses when selling their homes
In the second quarter of this year, one in 10 home sellers made a loss, the highest proportion since 2014.

Renewables to overtake thermal power capacity in Italy in 2029

UNHCR: At least 20 dead in boat accident off Italy's Lampedusa

Father of NZ woman detained by US immigration believes she'll be released this week
Sarah Shaw and her six-year-old son were detained by US immigration at the Canadian border three weeks ago.

Google Gemini is getting creepier by using your uploads to train AI
Google Gemini continues to push the limits of what it knows about you. On Wednesday, Google’s big initiative was a way to stop Gemini from learning more about you, while notifying users that content you share with it may be used as a foundation for chats with other users. “In the coming weeks, your ‘Gemini Apps Activity‘ setting will be renamed ‘Keep Activity,'” Google said in a blog post. “When this setting is on, a sample of your future uploads will be used to help improve Google services for everyone.” Today, Google is allowing Gemini to remember what it knows about you, and this behavior is on by default. “When this setting is on, Gemini remembers key details and preferences you’ve shared, leading to more natural and relevant conversations, as if you’re collaborating with a partner who’s already up to speed,” Google said. The idea is all about context: The more Google knows about you, the better Gemini can be in making recommendations. Google — and frankly, most internet services — have used this argument for years, as a way of pulling more data from you and the services you use, and building an online profile that can be used to serve ads. In an example, Google said Gemini could be used to brainstorm ideas for a YouTube channel based on Japanese culture, suggesting new ideas based on what it knows about your preferences and what you’ve previously asked Google about. For now, this “personal context” will only be available in the “2.5 Pro” model, with it being added to the default “2.5 Flash” model in the coming weeks, Google said. Incognito Mode for Gemini = ‘Temporary Chats’ So what happens if you don’t want Gemini to store your weird fondness for Labubus? You can turn off this feature by going to Settings in the Gemini app and selecting “Personal context,” then ”Your past chats with Gemini,” and turning the feature off. Google If you want Google to be able to “know” you, however — but have an embarassing or otherwise personal conversation you’d rather Gemini forget about — Google has also launched what’s known as “Temporary Chat.” It’s pretty easy to equate a “Temporary Chat” with the current Incognito Mode in Google Chrome. The chat won’t appear in your list of recent chats or Google Apps activity, and won’t be used to “personalize your Gemini experience or train Google’s AI models.” Google does retain a “temporary chat,” but only for 72 hours so that you can exhaust all of your questions. Your uploads may be mined to help Google Google’s declaration that it will use your uploads to improve Google services for other users is more concerning. Specifically, files and photos uploaded to Gemini will be used to help improve Google services, and it’s not clear what this means. Again, the setting is on by default, meaning that you’ll have to turn the setting off by going to the “Settings & help” gear icon, then Activity, and then either turning off the feature or turning it off and deleting it. Google doesn’t have any problem taking photos and files you upload to enhance Google services, but won’t use any audio (speech) that you provide to do so. That setting is off by default. But Google is also rolling out an update that will save Gemini Live recordings, plus video and/or screenshots, in your history. Google now calls this “Gemini Apps Activity,” but it’s renaming it to “Keep Activity” instead. (This has nothing to do with Google Keep, presumably.) Google may see this transparency as a way to assist consumers who want to manage this privacy, but the renaming and default behavior isn’t exactly straightforward. Perhaps the biggest takeaway is the simplest: The easiest way not to risk Google inadvertently sharing or learning things about you — your insurance plan, your retirement options, your will — is not to share it with Gemini in the first place. Google may have founded its business on the slogan “Don’t be evil,” but Gemini is getting a little sinister, regardless.