Experts suggest the strike - which killed 11 alleged cartel members - may be illegal under international law. Read...

ExpressVPN is shaking things up in a big way by releasing three new membership tiers to its VPN service. Rather than there being only one plan to choose from, there are now three levels to choose from depending on the user’s needs: Basic, Advanced, and Pro. Starting from today, September 2, ExpressVPN subscribers can now choose between any of the tiers. The new plans are all offered in month-to-month, one-year, or two-year terms and all come with the VPN’s usual 30-day money-back guarantee. The VPN provider has consistently ranked as one of the best VPNs, however the high price of its sole membership tier has long been the main drawback. Now that all seems to have been fixed and users can opt for a tier plan that better suits their budget. In a press release regarding the switch to a new pricing model, ExpressVPN stated, “Each tier reflects the way people use ExpressVPN today. Some still want the same reliable VPN experience they’ve always had. Others are asking for more…This new model meets those needs while keeping core protections universal. Privacy remains at the heart of every plan. For existing users, nothing changes unless they choose to move to a new plan. Their subscriptions continue uninterrupted.” Along with the three new tiers, ExpressVPN has upgraded all memberships to a minimum of 10 simultaneous device connections, with more connections offered in higher tiers. ExpressVPN’s three tiers at a glance Following the likes of other big name VPNs with multiple membership tiers, ExpressVPN offers more security features with each tier up and the longer the subscription length for each tier, the greater the discount. Let’s take a look at how the three new membership tiers break down: ExpressVPN Basic This is ExpressVPN’s bread and butter VPN experience, including (almost) all of the features you’ve come to expect from the service. It includes core features such as Lightway protocols, access to all 3,000 plus servers, including one in every state, and post-quantum encryption.  ExpressVPN Basic is now offered for $3.49 per month for a two-year plan with an additional four extra months of service included for free. ExpressVPN Advanced ExpressVPN Advanced includes everything from Basic, plus a built-in password manager, 3 days of unlimited international mobile data via eSIM, ID monitoring, and an identity restoration service. It also comes with an upgraded 12 simultaneous device connections and a coupon for 50 percent off ExpressVPN’s Aircove router. ExpressVPN Advances is now offered for $4.49 per month for a two-year plan with an additional four extra months of service included for free. ExpressVPN Pro ExpressVPN Pro is the top membership tier and as such, comes with some pretty cool new features. It includes everything from the previous tiers plus monthly credit reports, a personal data removal service, and five days of unlimited eSIM data. Users will also get access to a dedicated IP address of their own, up to 14 simultaneous device connections, and a 75 percent off coupon for the Aircove router. The big draw here is that the Pro plan adds in a dedicated IP for subscribers. A dedicated IP is a personalized, unique IP address that offers more consistent and stable access to online services apart from the standard shared VPN IP. Usually you have to pay for this as an extra service and the savings of it being bundled in could be significant.  ExpressVPN Pro is now offered for $7.49 per month for a two-year plan with an additional four extra months of service included for free. Read...

Mark Nawaqanitawase is on the verge becoming of a dual international after a stellar season in the NRL. His former Wallabies captain wants to see him back in gold at the Rugby World Cup. Read...

How much speed do you need for your gaming monitor? If the answer is “never enough,” then Acer would like a word. Its new 27-inch OLED is hitting 720Hz, more than enough to bring the most intense gaming PCs to their knees with newer titles. The company is also showing off a cheaper IPS-LCD that can hit 275Hz. The Predator X27 U is the speed demon here, hitting 720Hz…with a notable catch. That incredible speed comes from cutting down the resolution to 1280×720, half of the monitor’s native 1440p resolution — a tradeoff that esports pros might just be willing to make. If you’re maxing out the pixels, the maximum speed is still a very incredibly fast 540Hz. Other pluses include USB Type-C support for video (90 watts) in addition to HDMI and DisplayPort inputs, .01ms response time, 555 peak nits of brightness (335 typical), and 99 percent DCI-P3 color coverage. Naturally it’ll support AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, but there’s no mention of G-Sync — I’m thinking this is a “compatible, not certified” situation. Acer The new OLED will arrive in the first quarter of 2026, projected at $1300 USD. It’s coming to China at the same time for 10,000 RMB, but Europe, the Middle East, and greater Asia will have to wait until the second quarter for a 1200 EUR price tag. With all the uncertainty in international trade at the moment, consider all of the prices as somewhat flexible this far out. Acer If that’s too rich for your blood, you might be interested in the more down-market Nitro XV273U W1. For $300 USD or 279 Euro you get a 27-inch, 1440p IPS-LCD screen that can hit 275Hz, very respectable for a smaller, less-expensive gaming monitor with high-quality color coverage (95 percent DCI-P3). I feel like that could be a great fit for a mid-range desktop setup — and I do mean desktop, because there’s no USB-C or even USB-A on the spec sheet. It’ll be coming out in early 2026. Read...

Mortar Group has named Paul Sigaloff as its first global chief customer officer to drive international growth and enhance its customer-focused marketing platform. Read...

The Home Office is proactively contacting foreign students to warn them of the consequences of overstaying a visa for the first time. Read...

Ruff landings are no problem for the biosecurity patrols servicing a revived international airport. Read...

England hand a debut to 22-year-old fast bowler Sonny Baker for their opening one-day international against South Africa at Headingley on Tuesday. Read...

It’s been a few years since USB-C first hit the scene. And while we still love how reversible it is and how powerful it’s become, we’re also more aware of the potential pitfalls around this high-powered cable. There have been plenty of stories of poor-quality cables frying components, shorting chargers, or even catching fire, so we’ve gone to great lengths to test many options, including some of the best USB-C cables you can get and some of the most hazardous to avoid. Here are some key gotchas you need to be aware of before buying a USB-C cable these days. Learn how to spot the bad ones and what you can do to end up with one that’s fast, durable, and priced well. Further reading: Laptop makers, I’m begging you for this one simple feature Don’t buy from no-name brands This tip is true for most electronics, but it’s especially important for USB-C cables. You might think a USB-C cable is just a bit of wiring in a sheath, but actually there are several safety features — at least, there should be — that ensure safe power delivery. Of course, just because safety regulations exists doesn’t mean that all manufacturers follow them, especially manufacturers who don’t have a reputation to uphold. That tends to be the case for manufacturers on the other side of the world who sell to the international market through sites like Temu, AliExpress, and Amazon. Although sticking to recognizable brands isn’t an entirely foolproof method of securing a high-quality USB-C cable, it does eliminate a lot of the risk as far as safety transgressions are concerned. There’s also more likelihood of recompense if something does go wrong. USB-C cable brands we recommend include: Anker Apple Belkin Cable Matters Dockcase JSAUX Microsoft SooPii Ugreen Avoid USB-C-to-USB-A cables Gordon Mah Ung / IDG If transfer speed is important to you and if your devices and chargers support it, always prefer to use a USB-C-to-USB-C cable rather than a USB-C-to-USB-A cable or converting it from one to the other with an adapter. USB-A is limited in data transfer speed to 10Gbps and limited in charging speed to just 15W. Although there are some USB-C-to-USB-A cables that claim to handle up to 100W, these are typically based on proprietary charging technologies and only reach those rates when paired with appropriately compatible devices and chargers. In comparison, modern USB-C-to-USB-C cables can handle up to 40Gbps of data transfer and up to 240W for fast charging. (That said, 100W and less is still the most common.) You don’t need to buy a cable with the highest specifications, but higher-spec cables are usually higher quality, and that can help ensure that you’re getting a good USB-C cable. So unless you’re powering legacy devices that only support USB-A, you’re better off moving to end-to-end USB-C for both data transfers and charging if performance is a priority. Buy Thunderbolt or USB4 if you can Mark Hachman / Foundry Thunderbolt (3, 4, or 5) and USB4 cables offer the highest charging and data transfer speeds possible for USB-C as of this writing. But most people don’t exactly need those tip-top specs, right? Even so, there’s another good reason to buy one of these cable types: they must adhere to stricter specifications to earn their Thunderbolt or USB4 labels, especially Thunderbolt. A USB-C 3.2 cable isn’t just slower and less capable than a USB4 cable, it’s actually built to a weaker standard and probably isn’t as high-quality. Thunderbolt 3, 4, and the newest Thunderbolt 5 standard have far higher minimum requirements and taller ceilings on potential quality. All of this means that you’re way less likely to purchase a dangerous or underperforming USB-C cable if you stick to Thunderbolt or USB4. Just make sure you get whatever’s supported by your devices. (I mean, if none of your devices support Thunderbolt 4, you might as well save a bit of cash and opt for Thunderbolt 3 instead.) Check the cable’s weight Marcus Urbenz / Unsplash Weighing cables before you buy them might seem like some old-timey superstition, but it’s as legitimate as anything else on this list. Higher-quality USB-C cables are built with a thicker wire gauge, and that thicker copper wiring delivers a cleaner signal. Although some of a thicker cable’s heft and weight comes from its sheath, some of it comes from the wire itself — and more of that means a better cable. We have the receipts to back this up, too. We previously tested whether all USB-C cables are the same and compared a $9 USB-C cable to a $19 alternative. Both measured six feet in length, but the cheaper one was much thinner and lighter. (The $9 one weighed 38 grams while the $19 one weighed 86 grams. A significant difference.) Now, I know it’s not always easy or possible to weigh a cable before you buy it on the internet, but you can usually find weight in the cable’s technical specs. A little variation is okay, but if one cable is substantially lighter than others, consider axing it as a potential buy. Avoid third-party magnetic adapters Michael Crider / IDG You may have seen magnetic tip adapters that attach a USB-C cable and turns one end into a magnetic quick release, much like what we saw in Apple’s defunct MagSafe cables. But you should steer clear of these because they pose a significant risk of hardware damage. Many third-party magnetic USB-C cable adapters don’t offer protection against environmental damage to exposed pins. Others aren’t protected against debris shorting out the pins. There’s even the possibility of electrical arc damage when unplugging the connector. That last point is particularly dangerous, and it happens because the USB-C standard was designed with the idea that a USB-C cable would be plugged into a USB-C port, providing ample time to cut power when the cable is removed. However, magnetic connections are much faster to detach, so there’s a chance that power delivery is still going on even after detaching, leading to electrical arcs and potential damage. Stop using old USB-C cables James Barber / Foundry After all this advice, you might be thinking that it’s not worth the trouble and you might as well just use whatever old USB-C cables are lying around your home. But be wary of doing that! USB-C standards have continued to improve dramatically over the years, and many of those older USB-C cables from years ago weren’t just slow — they were dangerous. We performed an extensive test on older USB-C cables and found that most actually had the potential to provide too much power, which can damage ports and even fry devices. Do you really want to risk shorting your expensive laptop because you didn’t want to toss that old USB-C cable that’s been sitting in your drawer? Spending a few bucks on a new USB-C cable can protect you from all sorts of headaches and make life more convenient with faster data transfer and charging speeds. Further reading: The best USB-C cables worth buying Read...

The decision comes as France leads international efforts to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN meeting next month. Read...