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11 Jul 2025

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The story titled: ‘Two chicks from Waikato’ launch AI-powered blood test analysis platform has been retracted
The story titled: ‘Two chicks from Waikato’ launch AI-powered blood test analysis platform has been retracted.

Commission of Inquiry into Government's Covid-19 response wraps up first session of hearings
The inquiry aims to look at lessons learned from the government response, in order to prepare for future pandemics.

Best Prime Day SSD deals: Last minute sales on ultra-fast storage
Summer means leisure time, and what better way to spend it than upgrading your PC setup? If you’re eager to jump on SSD and storage deals now, you’re in luck—the final 24 hours of Amazon’s annual Prime Day blowout still includes plenty of juicy deals on SSDs and portable drives. Shopping now can be a smart move, too, given the potential for further uncertainty around prices. The U.S. government has stated its intention to impose additional tariffs on South Korea and Japan, which produce a sizable portion of the flash memory in SSDs. The bargains you catch between now and the end of the Prime Day sale period (July 11) could be the best you’ll find for a while. Want to know the best drives out there? Have a look at our top picks for the best SSDs of 2025 and the best external drives of 2025. Looking for even more deals, including limited-time ones? Best Prime Day 2025 deals on internal SSDs 2.5-inch SATA SSDs Teamgroup T-Force Vulcan Z, 1TB – $48 (26% off) TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Z, 2TB – $88 (14% off) Teamgroup’s Vulcan Z line is a solid choice for expanding storage affordably. That’s especially true if you’re looking to store games, photos, and other files–these benefit from faster read/write times, but don’t usually need premium speeds. M.2 NVMe SSDs Gen 4 Crucial P310, 2TB Gen 4 – $100 (22% off) Samsung 990 Evo Plus, 2TB Gen 4×4. 5×2 – $114 (36% off) Nextorage NEM-PAB2TB/N, 2TB Gen 4 – $120 (52% off on Newegg) WD Black SN770M, 2TB Gen 4 (Steam Deck compatible) – $150 (40% off) Crucial P310, 4TB Gen 4 – $200 (37% off) Gen 5 Corsair MP700 Elite, 1TB Gen 5 – $100 (31% off) Samsung Pro 9100, 1TB Gen 5 – $143 (29% off) Samsung Pro 9100, 2TB Gen 5 – $190 (37% off) Samsung Pro 9100, 4TB Gen 5 – $385 (30% off) SSD prices have largely held steady since last fall—a good thing given spring 2025’s fiscal volatility. So while the best prices now don’t match historical all-time lows, these are good prices on well-regarded drives. In particular, if you need a lot of storage, the 4TB Crucial P310 is at a sizable discount right now. Best Prime Day 2025 deals on external storage Samsung T7, 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 portable SSD – $120 (40% off) Crucial X9 Pro, 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 portable SSD – $120 (33% off) SK Hynix Beetle X31, 1TB, USB 3.2 Gen 2 portable SSD – $63 (28% off) WD Elements Desktop USB 3.0 External Hard Drive, 14TB – $170 (55% off at B&H) Samsung T9, 4TB, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 portable SSD – $265 (52% off) External storage sales are a bit sluggish during this year’s Prime Day, but if you need faster external SSDs, a couple of deals stand out—like the 2TB version of Samsung’s popular, fast T7, which is close to its all-time low price. Other great Prime Day deals These aren’t the only Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found. Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts Best Prime Day PC computer deals: Gaming & mainstream desktops Best Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more Best Prime Day deals on SSDs and storage Best USB flash drive deals for Prime Day 2025 Best monitor deals for Prime Day 2025: OLED, home office, and more Best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs Best Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers Best Prime Day deals on battery chargers and power banks Best Prime Day 2025 deals on Chromebooks Best Prime Day deals on office chairs and standing desks SSD and storage deals FAQ 1. Why aren’t SSDs as cheap as they once were? The balance between demand and supply has shifted—with fewer drives on the market, prices drifted up over 2024. (Black Friday 2023 marked the end of a golden era.) The deals picked for this roundup may not always match those incredible 2023 prices, but they do hit a low for the period since the cost increases. 2. Do brands matter for SSDs and storage? Yes, but only to a point. Major manufacturers are generally reliable—think Samsung, Crucial, Western Digital (aka WD), SK Hynix, Corsair, Kingston, and even newer players like TeamGroup and Solidigm. Outside of that, you may be playing a bit fast and loose with your data’s longevity. However, everyone has that one horror story about a hard-disk drive that failed, and why they’ll never use, say, WD or Crucial again. That’s less commonly a manufacturing error, and more so a matter of luck. No drive is guaranteed to meet its life expectancy, which is why you should perform regular backups. 3. Is an SSD better than a HDD? SSDs are faster and take less room in a PC than a hard-disk drive (HDD), which gives them a strong edge. If you only have one storage drive in your PC, it should ideally be an SSD so you get faster boot times and quicker access to your files. A HDD as your primary drive will feel much slower. But HDDs still have their advantages. First, they’re much cheaper. The going price of a 2TB HDD is about the same as the sale price for a 1TB SSD. You also can get them in higher capacities than SSDs. If you work with huge files, you can pick up an 18TB or 20TB HDD (and as mentioned, since HDD cost less, you’ll spend as much or even less as a 4TB SSD). If you need secondary storage and you don’t need it to be fast, HDDs are a fantastic option. 4. How do I know if an SSD deal is good? Here’s the guideline we use for picking deals: First, it should be for an SSD that performs well (or in select cases, performs well for its MSRP), and is a reasonable price when not on sale. The discount should also be significant for that particular model. Ex: For SSDs that almost never go on sale, a reduction of $5 to $10 is already hefty. For others, that might be closer to $20 to $30. In other words, expect to pick up high-performing drives at an all-time low (or very close to that) during a Prime Day sale. Ignore the options that don’t meet this criteria. 5. Will tariffs affect SSD and storage prices? Possibly. As of this article’s publishing, the Trump administration intends to reinstate high tariffs on goods from many countries (and even impose additional ones), which could impact SSDs. If implemented, costs could increase in the second part of 2025. The smartest strategy is to buy now if you know you need the upgrade soon, especially on any discounted drives that you like.

'This is history right here': Oasis fans queue for Manchester gig
The Gallagher brothers are set to play five sold-out shows at Heaton Park on 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July

Best Prime Day deals on office chairs & standing desks: Last chance savings
The ergonomics of your desk and chair greatly influence how good you feel after a long session at your PC. But you don’t have to spend a ton on an office chair or standing desk—especially not right now, with Amazon Prime Day still in full swing until midnight Pacific time. Discounts have popped for popular chairs and desks, and not just on Amazon. Deals include fan favorites like Staples’ Hyken, which is back down to nearly its all-time low. But you won’t have forever to shop; Amazon and rival retailers will all end their sales on July 11. Best Prime Day 2025 deals on office chairs Staples Cartwright Task Chair, Black – $50 (58% off at Staples) Staples Hyken Mesh Task Chair, Black – $120 (60% off at Staples) Staples Dexley Mesh Task Chair, Black – $160 (50% off at Staples) HON Crio High Back Task Chair, Black – $208 (15% off) HON Ignition 2.0 Armless Office Chair, Black – $332 (15% off) Staples always gives Amazon a run for its money with sales on affordable office chairs, and three of its more popular chairs are close (if not at) all-time low prices. Reddit’s beloved Hyken model leads the pack, with its wider-frame Dexley chair also on a sizable discount. Meanwhile, the more premium HON Ignition 2.0 is at its lowest price yet. Best Prime Day 2025 deals on standing desks Dekhaoxe 31?x15? Adjustable Height Mobile Computer Desk, White – $50 (38% off) Sweetcrispy 40?x24? Electric Standing Desk, Rustic Brown – $85 (15% off) Flexispot 48?x24? sit-stand desk, Black – $100 (41% off) ErGear 48?x24? Adjustable electric standing desk, Black – $100 (17% off) Fezibo 42?x24? Adjustable electric standing desk, Rustic brown – $80 (33% off) Comhoma 48?x24? Adjustable electric standing desk with monitor stand, White – $189 (30% off) Claiks 48?x24? Adjustable electric standing desk, Rusic Brown – $96 (20% off) Huanuo 48?x24? Adjustable electric standing desk, Black – $105 (34% off) Flexispot’s standing desks start at much lower prices than competitors, making them popular among Amazon shoppers to begin with. With additional discounts, they’re a great entry into motorized sit-stand setups. Other great Prime Day deals These aren’t the only Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found. Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts Best Prime Day PC computer deals: Gaming & mainstream desktops Best Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more Best Prime Day deals on SSDs and storage Best USB flash drive deals for Prime Day 2025 Best monitor deals for Prime Day 2025: OLED, home office, and more Best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs Best Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers Best Prime Day deals on battery chargers and power banks Best Prime Day 2025 deals on Chromebooks Best Prime Day deals on office chairs and standing desks Standing desks and office chairs FAQ 1. What features should I look for in a standing desk? We like dual motor standing desks with programmable controls—they’re a little more expensive, but moving the desk up and down is smoother. Their frames usually have a better build overall, too, making for less wobble during height adjustments and while in use. Programmable controls means you can go back and forth between two or even three height positions with a single button press, which makes for much better quality of life. No need to wait and monitor the adjustment as it’s happening. (That might sound like not such a big deal, but if you do it multiple times a day over the course of the year, those seconds feel tedious. Trust me on this one.) 2. What makes for a good office chair? This question can be tricky to answer, since what’s comfortable is a little different for everyone. Generally, you want enough support for your back so it doesn’t take on a hunched position, but not so much you can’t feel relaxed while sitting. You also ideally want to keep pressure off your lower back if you’ll be sitting for long periods—office chairs usually have seats shaped for this, rather than the flatter surfaces of kitchen and casual desk chairs. Armrests, head supports, and mesh fabric can also play a role in comfort, but you may want to try out those features on a sample chair that a friend owns or in a store to see if you need those features. The mesh is particularly good if you sweat or get warm. Wheeled models are also useful for easily moving the chair—and you can upgrade the casters, as Reddit recommends for an even smoother experience. 3. How do I know if I’m getting a good deal on standing desks or office chairs during Prime Day? The deals we select are chosen not just for the product, but because their prices are among the lowest we’ve seen, especially given the pricing history over the last year. If you’re striking out on your own, be sure to look at reviews, as well as Amazon’s AI summaries of user reviews—avoid anything with high return rates, or a known flaw. Also look for brands with not just high user reviews, but independent reviews online. Many standing desks are just rebranded models, and so too for cheaper desk chairs. 4. Will tariffs affect office chair and standing desk prices? Should I buy now? Very possibly yes. A high portion of manufacturing happens overseas, and the U.S. government intends to resume imposing sizable taxes on imports from many countries on August 1. If that happens, costs for goods will likely rise over the second part of 2025—and because most items won’t jump in price immediately, choosing to shop sooner rather than later could be the savvier financial move.