Emissions will have to increase further, by more than 10pc annually until 2030, to meet the national climate target of a 51pc reduction on 2018 levels.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published the provisional greenhouse gas emission figures for Ireland for 2025 and what stands out, is that since 2024, emissions have fallen by 2.2pc, with reductions across Ireland’s main sectors. 

There are still significant changes to be made however, as the data also found that if Ireland is to reach the future target of reducing the 2018 figures by 51pc, emissions will have to fall by more than 10pc each year until 2030. 

Commenting on the findings of the report, Dr Eimear Cotter, the EPA director general, said, “This is the fourth year in a row that Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions have reduced which is welcome in the context of a growing economy and population. However, with just four years to 2030, Ireland needs to accelerate delivery and achieve much deeper annual reductions to meet our climate targets.”

She added, “The evidence shows that clear prioritisation and sustained investment can deliver emissions reductions. Since 2005, emissions covered by the Emissions Trading System, including large point sources such as power generation, have fallen by over 52pc. By contrast, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, transport and buildings have collectively fallen by only 12pc. 

She said this highlights the challenges Ireland faces in reducing greenhouse gas emissions across multiple sources, explaining that the priority now is on accelerating delivery in select sectors by removing barriers and focusing on low-carbon choices that are practical, affordable and attractive.

The reduction in emissions was as a result of a number of factors, including energy generation coming from renewables, an increase in the share of imported electricity, an increase in electricity consumption for road transport, a reduction in cattle numbers and the decreased use of fossil fuels. 

While Ireland remains under allowed figures as dictated by the carbon budget, the assessment also found that several sectors such as energy industries and buildings are closing the narrow gap, while others, such as transport and industry have exceeded it. 

Dr Conor Quinlan, the EPA programme manager, said, “Sectoral ceilings are intended to make climate progress measurable and accountable. The fact that some sectors, such as energy industries and buildings, are provisionally on track is encouraging, but the overshoots in transport and industry show that the overall carbon budget remains at risk unless delivery strengthens across all sectors.”

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The New Zealand government has ruled out restricting or banning VPNs as part of its planned under-16 social media ban. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford both moved to kill the idea after a rapid privacy backlash, TechRadar reports.

“I can reject that outright. There’s no plan to ban VPNs at all,” Luxon told reporters.

Stanford’s office followed up to say the government is “not looking at restricting or banning VPNs”.

The row began with a report in The Post that Stanford had floated VPN restrictions as part of the ban. Because a VPN can mask a user’s location and slip past network blocks, some officials reportedly saw it as a threat to enforcing age checks.

Accounts of how serious the idea ever was now diverge. Stanford says a ban was never considered, according to Stuff, though coalition partner NZ First reportedly warned an early proposal could have opened the door to VPN limits and digital IDs.

A red line, quickly drawn

Whatever the intent, the reaction was swift and cross-partisan. Coalition partner ACT reportedly treated any anti-encryption measure as a strict red line, and the Free Speech Union called the concept “censorship infrastructure” rather than child protection.

The pushback landed because VPNs are not merely a teenager’s workaround. They are everyday security tools for businesses, journalists, and ordinary people guarding data from hackers, ISPs, and surveillance.

New Zealand’s under-16 ban is still being finalised, part of a wave of similar laws worldwide. The country was weighing its options as neighbours and allies pressed ahead with their own age-gating regimes.

VPNs keep landing in the crosshairs

The episode is a smaller echo of a fight playing out globally. The UK’s own under-16 ban has drawn warnings that parallel plans to curb children’s VPN use would force intrusive age checks on adults too.

The pattern repeats across borders, from proposals that could see EU lawmakers bar under-16s from major platforms to Greece’s planned under-15 ban. In each case, VPNs surface as both the obvious loophole and a line regulators are wary of crossing.

Enforcement is the recurring stumbling block, as even Australia’s pioneering ban has struggled to work as intended. Age verification has redrawn the internet, and governments are still hunting for borders that hold.

For now, New Zealanders keep their VPNs, and privacy advocates have their win. The harder question, how to police a teen ban without weakening everyone else’s security, remains stubbornly unanswered.

It also vows to take legal action against businesses advertising LED tampering services.

Remember Vimeo? You probably don’t use it to browse videos the way you might with some other services. But if you landed on this page, there’s a good chance you use it to host your professional portfolio. Or assets for your business. Or your short films. Vimeo has tools other video hosting services simply don’t have, like AI editing tools, on-demand content selling, customizable embeds, and collaborative editing features. And best of all: There are no ads. WIRED has rotating Vimeo promo codes to help you save.

Get 10% Off Annual Plans With This Vimeo Promo Code

No matter what you need for your business or career, when it comes to video, Vimeo’s got multiple plans to suit. And luckily, right now, you can save with a Vimeo promo code—even on the annual plans, which already include 40% in savings. Just use the Vimeo coupon code to save 10% on your membership plan.

The Easiest Way to Save 40% on Your Vimeo Plan

Vimeo has a few different membership plans that you can save on. No matter which you go with, the easiest way to save a lot is with an annual membership, which has automatic 40% savings compared to paying monthly. And yes, you can even stack promo codes with the annual billing options.

More on Vimeo Pricing and Membership Plans

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Finally, there’s the Advanced plan, which costs $75 per month (billed annually) or $125 per month (billed monthly). You’ll get 10 “seats”, 7 terabytes of storage, AI-generated chapters and text summaries, live chat and poll options, plus streaming and live broadcast capabilities.

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One last chance to apply

Due to overwhelming interest, we’ve extended applications for Startup Battlefield Australia to July 20.

If you’ve been thinking about applying, do it now. There won’t be another extension.

One application could change everything

Since the first Startup Battlefield Australia in 2017, there have been 26 alumni companies that have collectively raised over $147 million, with three successful acquisitions. They’ve been backed by some of the world’s most respected investors — including Y Combinator, Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Khosla Ventures, Microsoft, AirTree Ventures, Startmate, Techstars, and SOSV.

It all started with one decision: They applied.

Why apply now?

If you’re building something ambitious, this is a fast track to the people who can move your startup forward.

Selected founders will pitch live to:

• Top-tier investors.
• Global media.
• Australia’s leading founders and operators.
• Potential partners, customers, and hires.

This is more than a pitch competition. It’s a chance to earn visibility, credibility, and connections that can take years to build.

What’s at stake?

On August 19, 2026, eight startups will pitch live at Stripe Tour Sydney.

The top three will receive up to $15,000 in Stripe fee credits.

The grand prize is even bigger:

Automatic entry into Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October.

No second application. No extra round. Just a direct path to one of the world’s biggest startup stages.

Who should apply?

We’re looking for early-stage startups across Australia and New Zealand that are:

• Pre-seed to Series B.
• Building a real product or showing strong traction.
• Ready to scale.
• Ready to tell their story.

You don’t need to be a household name.

We’re looking for the next one.

The deadline has moved — the opportunity hasn’t

This extension gives you more time, but not much.

Applications now close July 20.

If you’ve been waiting, this is the moment.

Submit your application before July 20.

Free to apply. No equity taken. One opportunity that could change everything.

People want to spend less time looking at screens, and health tech companies are taking notice with screenless wearables, including Whoop, Polar, Luna and, most recently, Google with its Fitbit Air, all of which use wrist-based sensors to monitor your health. 

We haven’t yet seen a health-tracking device that integrates a second sensor location until the Helio Strap Pro from wearables brand Amazfit.

The $200 Helio Strap Pro was released on Monday and builds on Amazfit’s Helio Strap wrist-based fitness tracker, which launched last June. 

Designed for hybrid athletes and those taking part in a Hyrox competition, the Helio Strap Pro includes both a clip-on waist motion sensor to track stability and movement and an upper-arm heart rate sensor. Hyrox is a global fitness race in which participants run 1 kilometer, then complete one of eight workout stations, repeating the cycle until all stations have been visited.

How the Helio Strap Pro system works

The company states in its press release that the upper-arm sensor can capture more reliable heart rate data than a wrist-based sensor because it’s closer to the heart and less likely to be affected by wrist movement or contact with fitness equipment. 

The system was created to work with Amazfit’s Balance 3 ($370) or Balance Ultra ($600) smartwatches, launched last month as part of the company’s Hybrid Training System, which combines performance data tracking and guidance via the Zepp app. Amazfit is owned by Zepp Health, a health tech and wearable company. Both smartwatches provide wrist-based data and Hyrox Race and Hyrox Simulation modes. 

Along with recovery, nutrition, daily habits and performance trends, those training for a Hyrox competition can view their performance for each of the eight Hyrox stations, including sled pull and push, farmer’s carry, burpee broad jump and rowing. The waist sensor can only be used for these eight movements, while the arm sensor also works with over 50 sports modes available in the Zepp app.

Altogether, the entire Helio Strap Pro system monitors your cardio effort, muscle load, movement quality and stability. 

A potentially pricey downside

While the Helio Strap Pro’s tracking will continue without a Balance smartwatch, giving you a screen-free experience, the smartwatch is required to take full advantage of the Helio Strap Pro system’s waist, wrist and arm sensors. However, the smartwatches are sold separately. This brings the total cost of the system to $570 with the Balance 3 or $800 with the Balance Ultra. As a result, the Helio Strap Pro may be most appealing to those who already own these smartwatches. 

In the future, Amazfit plans to add support for its other smartwatches, the company said in a statement.

From a cost perspective, what may make the Helio Strap Pro enticing is that, unlike other wearables, no monthly subscription is required to use it. By comparison, the Whoop screenless wearable requires a membership costing between $199 and $359 per year.  

The sensor specs

The Helio Core Motion HR sensor for your upper arm offers up to 11 days of battery life, while the Helio Core Motion Waist sensor offers up to 40 days. The charging time for both is up to 2 hours.

The entire system is compatible with iOS 17 and later and Android 8.0 and later.

Along with the upper-arm and waist sensors, your purchase comes with a waist clip, armband, wristband and magnetic charging head. The wristband is included in case you’d like to wear the heart rate sensor in daily life outside of training and would prefer it not on your upper arm.

The Helio Strap Pro is HSA- and FSA-eligible.  

Samsung is heading back to London for its next Galaxy Unpacked event, and this time the spotlight is squarely on foldables. The company has sent out formal invites for a July 22 show built around the tagline “A New Shape Unfolds,” a clear signal that new additions to the Galaxy Z lineup are the main event. If you want to watch the announcement as it happens, here’s everything you need to know.

When and where to watch

Galaxy Unpacked takes place on July 22 in London. Samsung will stream the event live on Samsung.com, on Samsung Newsroom, and on its official YouTube channel, so you have several options depending on where you already spend your time online.

The show kicks off at 2 PM BST. That works out to 9 AM EDT for viewers on the East Coast, 6 AM PDT for those on the West Coast, and 3 PM CEST for those tuning in from continental Europe. Samsung is also encouraging early sign-ups through its registration page at samsung.com/unpacked, which will unlock “exclusive benefits, upcoming teasers, trailers and updates” ahead of the event.

What Samsung is teasing

The invite itself is light on specifics, as these usually are. Samsung has subtly pointed toward foldable hardware paired with “more personal and adaptive” Galaxy AI experiences, without naming a single device. Given the timing and recent leaks, the event is expected to center on the next generation of Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series. A new wider, pocket-friendly foldable is also rumored to join the ranks this year, though Samsung has not confirmed any model names yet.

If you’ve watched an Unpacked event before, you know the format. Expect a mix of on-stage reveals, product walkthroughs, and a heavy emphasis on how Galaxy AI ties into whatever new hardware Samsung introduces. We will be covering the announcements as they land, so check back for full details once the keynote wraps up.