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Rohingya Camps: Children in Frontline of Food Rationing Crisis

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Rohingya Camps: Children in Frontline of Food Rationing Crisis

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A male brings his household’s food provision from a WFP circulation indicate his shelter in Camp 11, Balukhali, Bangladesh, on September 24, 2026. Credit: Mohammed Zonaid/IPS

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Sep 28 2026(IPS) -For Mohammed Dullah, current cuts in UN food provisions for Rohingya and other refugees in Bangladesh are not simply spreading out cravings however likewise requiring them to minimize standard requirements such as education and health care for his kids.

“I had the ability to handle with my kids in some way when I utilized to get $12 by going to work often,” stated Dullah, 59. “But considering that the decrease to 7 dollars [per family member] a month, I can’t manage great deals of essentials any longer, like clothing, tuition costs, meat, or fish a couple of times a month.”

As an outcome, his 15-year-old kid has actually needed to quit school to operate in a market where he can make about 6,000 taka ($49) a month to assist sustain their household of 9.

Considering that April, food support has actually been designated under a modified Targeting and Prioritisation Exercise (TPE)presented by the World Food Programme (WFP). Families amongst the almost 1.2 million refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char get various levels of month-to-month food provisions based upon classifications of examined vulnerability.

WFP states the brand-new system sets food help at $12, $10 or $7 per individual monthly, depending upon the home’s level of food insecurity. With cash offered through UNHCR registration cards, households purchase food from designated WFP e-voucher outlets.

Refugees restrict what they consume and trade any surplus food for cash to invest in health care, education, transportation outside the camps and other needs. For households without any access to official work, which is restricted in the camps, even a fairly little decrease can lead to making challenging options.

Humanitarian firms are cautioning that worldwide financing cuts are increasing cravings levels. Kids comprise over half of the refugee population in Cox’s Bazar.

“Conditions worldwide’s biggest refugee settlement are aggravating at a worrying rate after 9 years, with 35% of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh anticipated to deal with ‘crisis’ or ’em ergency’ appetite levels this year, putting more kids at danger of poor nutrition,” Save the Children mentioned on August 25.

“Global humanitarian financing cuts, intensified by the resulting decreases in food provisions over the previous year, have actually intensified existing obstacles that include overcrowded living conditions and restricted access to tidy water, healthy food and incomes.”

A System Under Pressure

The Rohingya have actually been displaced from Myanmar over years, with significant waves of refugees getting here in Bangladesh in 1991– 92 and once again after the military-led violence of 2017. More just recently, individuals have actually gotten away restored violence in Rakhine State in between the Myanmar armed force and the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed organisation.

Almost a years after the 2017 mass exodus, lots of Rohingya households stay completely depending on humanitarian support. Bangladesh limits refugees’ access to official work, while humanitarian organisations offer food, standard casual education, fundamental health care, water, sanitation and other important services.

International financing has actually come under increasing pressure. The UN and its partners have actually appealed for $710.5 million under the upgraded 2026 Joint Response Plan (JRP) to support Rohingya refugees and host neighborhoods, its most affordable level in a years. Far this year it is 50 percent moneyed.

WFP’s brand-new evaluation discovered that all Rohingya refugees were food insecure, however that intensity varied in between families. Families are freshly categorized into 3 classifications: very food-insecure families get US$ 12 per individual monthly, extremely food-insecure homes get $10, and food-insecure families, that make up nearly 70% of the overall, get $7.

The system is meant to assign support according to require instead of just enforce a blanket decrease due to the fact that of financing lacks.

WFP states that even the most affordable level of help suffices to fulfill minimum food requirements. Households and INGOs in interviews with this press reporter explain a more complex truth.

Dullah states he is not able to work since of a long-lasting health problem, however his home was categorised at the $7-per-person level. According to Dullah, the household gets fundamental food products, consisting of rice and cooking oil, however they have little leftover to get other foods or satisfy other costs.

Similar to other Rohingya refugees, Dullah has no legal access to paid work, however the levels of food they get require them to work.

“You can not anticipate individuals to end up being self-reliant while avoiding them from making money. If WFP and other companies desire us to rely more on ourselves, they likewise require to support legal chances for Rohingya refugees to work and make an earnings,” he stated.

“Even in the past, we battled with not having enough food when we got $12,” stated Dullah, who frets about his kids’s growth advancement. His 18-month-old granddaughter requires infant formula due to the fact that her mom, doing not have in food, had a hard time to satisfy the kid’s requirements by natural feeding.

WFP basically categorised homes according to their structure.

The Extremely Food Insecure bracket consists of those headed by a kid or by an individual with impairments, female-headed homes without an able-bodied adult guy aged 18– 59, elderly-headed homes without an able-bodied adult guy, families with 2 or more individuals with specials needs, and one-member homes.

The primary classification of food insecurity covers male-headed homes with able-bodied males and no members with impairments, female-headed families with an able-bodied male and no members with specials needs, and families without women aged 18 to 49 or without members with specials needs.

Offering Food to Pay for Other Needs

Sawyedul Amin, 34, gets support valued at $10 per individual for his family living in Lambashia Camp in Kutupalong. They got away Myanmar in 2017, losing their dad on a mountain along the method.

He has 2 kids, an ill mom and an other half who has actually gone through 2 operations, one associated to giving birth and another for a tumour.

“If we wish to consume fish or meat, we can not manage it,” he stated. “We likewise have little kids, which suggests we have extra expenditures for them. I likewise have an ill mom, that makes our medical expenditures even higher.”

Sawyedul stated he in some cases offers part of his household’s food allotment to get money for those expenditures.

Offering or trading food for medications or services is absolutely nothing brand-new in the camps, and the effect has actually been well recorded in earlier cuts.

In 2023 financing lacks required WFP to decrease regular monthly food provisions from $12 to $10 and after that even more to $8 in June that year. Keeping an eye on discovered degrading food usage and getting worse nutrition indications.

Sawyedul stated other organisations formerly often offered his household with extra help, however a few of that assistance has actually decreased. “We now have just the WFP to aim to for support,” he stated.

Defects in the Rationing System

Radia Bala, a 60-year-old widow amongst a refugee neighborhood of about 1,000 Hindus, needed to make it through without any help at all for 5 months this year. Her household, in addition to lots of others, ultimately began to get help in July.

Radia, from Nakpura town in Myanmar, got here in Bangladesh with her household in 2024 after combating in between AA insurgents and the Myanmar military spread through her location.

She remembers ground and air attacks, homes burnt down, and family members and neighbours eliminated around her. The insurgents likewise targeted them for required recruitment. Their escape included a three-day journey, partially through mountains.

After reaching Bangladesh, Radia states her household got a clever card and at first got food support, cooking gas and soap. Then it stopped in December 2025. “I wasn’t offered a precise factor by the authorities why it was stopped,” she stated.

Radia now leases area in your home of a regional Bangladeshi household from the Barua ethnic group. She is amongst almost 150,000 recently shown up refugees who have actually not been supplied with shelter, having actually crossed from Myanmar’s Rakhine State in between December 2024 and March 2026.

Radia and her child, who has a six-month-old child, work as cleaners to make it through. “During those months [with no food aid]we consumed just rice with leafy veggies,” she stated. When help was offered, she stated, the household might in some cases consume chicken, eggs and bananas.

Her experience highlights major defects in the system of designating food provisions, particularly that gain access to depends upon registration and connection to the systems through which it is provided.

Radia states that when individuals from her neighborhood got here in 2024, they were informed that food help would be readily available if they remained inside the camps. She states the household discovered it hard to stay there since of lacks of shelters, water, toilets and bathrooms.

“We remained in the camp for about a month in a relative’s shelter, however life there was really tough,” she stated.

Her household consequently moved in between family members’ homes and other short-term places. “We have actually been living from location to location, remaining on the streets and in other individuals’s homes.”

After raising problems and following media protection of their predicament, she began getting $12 per individual. Radia states she requires to offer half of that to pay for space lease.

Her demand is basic. “Our very first requirement is food support, and our 2nd requirement is shelter,” she stated.

WFP states it supplies month-to-month food support to all the refugee population, consisting of individuals who got here after 2024, according to their examined requirement.

Dangers for Children are Worsening

Golam Mostofa, head of Save the Children’s Cox’s Bazar Area Office, stated kids are significantly exposed to threats as households battle with restricted resources and chances.

“The scenario is worsening day by day,” he stated.

Kid defense tracking had actually raised increasing issues over kid labour and kid marital relationship, in addition to other dangers dealing with kids and teenagers, he included.

Mostofa warned versus presuming that every reported case of kid labour, kid marital relationship, poor nutrition or dropping out of NGO finding out centres was triggered by the newest food-assistance modifications.

Conserve the Children’s existing evaluation cautions that intensifying access to healthy food, health care and other basics is increasing pressure on kids.

The NGO forecasts that by the end of this year, some 10 percent of refugees in camps in Cox’s Bazar will fall under Phase 4 of the global category of “humanitarian emergency situation”, which is specified as causing regular deaths and significantly high rates of poor nutrition. This is specified as one action before starvation and humanitarian disaster.

Mostofa attracted donors to continue supporting food, education, health care, water and sanitation while likewise broadening chances for abilities advancement and safe incomes.

The WFP Bangladesh interaction group did not react to ask for remark.

Refugees Face Dangerous Choices

While Save the Children has actually been operating in Cox’s Bazar considering that 2012 with programs for education, health care, water and sanitation and kid security, an entire generation of Rohingya kids has actually matured in camps which started as emergency situation settlements however have actually become long-lasting homes.

For households with minimal access to official work, humanitarian help stays main to every day life. Continued civil war in Myanmar, driven by an established military program backed by China, offers little possibility of a long lasting service that would enable the mainly stateless Rohingya to go back to their homes.

Devoting their lives to human traffickers and getting away Bangladesh by sea searching for a much better life is incredibly treacherous. An approximated 5,000 refugees are thought to have actually died over the previous years while trying to reach other nations in Southeast Asia.

Dullah still speaks about going back to Myanmar, keeping in mind the land he farmed and the cows and buffaloes he owned before his household were required to leave in 2017. “I wish to have the ability to return and restore my life,” he stated.

As world leaders fulfilled in New York for the UN General Assembly, Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman required a clear roadmap for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, along with continued humanitarian assistance, defense of civilians and worldwide responsibility.

Till that ends up being possible, refugee households like Dullah’s stay based on a help system based upon estimations of dollars per individual, while the options they deal with are determined in meals, medications, school days and the future of their kids.

Keep in mind: This story was produced with assistance from Moving Minds Alliance (MMA) through the Reporters for Early Childhood in Humanitarian Crisis (REACH Network) Advocacy Stories Fund

IPS UN Bureau Report

3 leadership phases define construction firms. Which one are you in?

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3 leadership phases define construction firms. Which one are you in?

Entrepreneurship

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.

Matt Verderamo is a consultant at Baltimore-based Well Built Consulting. Opinions are the author’s own. ​​​​​​

In our work with 100-plus contractors, we’ve identified three primary leadership team archetypes:

  • Tier 1: Stabilization
  • Tier 2: Optimization
  • Tier 3: Maximization

Each tier indicates a company’s readiness for growth measured by their leadership team’s ability to advance initiatives and work on the business.

It’s worth identifying where your leadership team lands on this spectrum today because it will emphasize the next best steps on the business’s growth journey.

Stabilization

When a contractor is in stabilization, they’re doing little more than treading water. 

The leadership team cannot effectively work on the business without significant support and handholding. Typically, they struggle to communicate across departments without an outside facilitator in the room — sometimes because there are foundational trust issues. Other times, they simply have not developed the type of executive thinking and communication needed for big-picture conversations.

The problems they do solve are usually focused on immediate, burning fires. They may have no job descriptions or little business development strategy. They need to attack lots of small problems quickly and remain nimble in doing so.

These contractors need the most development, but they also represent the best opportunity for quick improvement.

For example, three years ago, we began working with a $17 million subcontractor in the Southeastern U.S. Everyone in the company reported to the president; they had no department heads, they had no job descriptions, they had never considered building an org chart.

entrepreneurship a headshot of Matt Verderamo

Matt Verderamo

Permission granted by Well Built Construction

In 12 months, the business pulled off a complete makeover. Leadership implemented a scalable org structure and found people to fill every major department lead position. They also developed the sales skills and pursuit selection practices they needed to refine their estimating strategy.

In just three years, the contractor grew from $17 million to $44 million, all while maintaining 10%+ net profitability. Meanwhile, the leadership team began functioning at a much higher level. All they needed was guidance on the structure, and a bit of help with what “good” actually looks like.

The business quickly outgrew the stabilization tier and was able to focus on bigger and harder problems. 

Optimization

Companies with leaders on the optimization tier have learned to advance their own initiatives, but still struggle to “see” the future beyond what’s immediately in front of them.

When I say “see the future,” I am talking about the team’s ability to extend their planning horizon as far as one to five years out and ask themselves: What do we want the business to look like in the long-term? And, perhaps more importantly: How will we get there?

Looking into the future — and working backwards to make that future a reality — are learned skills that are in high demand but often in short supply in the construction industry. 

Most leaders have never been asked to think into the future and rather have been directed to look at the problems immediately in front of them.

As a result, the problems they are good at solving are usually the three-to-six-month problems that go along with making a department stronger and more effective. They may be building out key performance indicators and developing a standard quarterly review cadence; sometimes they build out their leadership development programming.

While leadership teams at the optimization level need a lot less handholding to advance initiatives, they often need significant support in building out a vision. Usually, this is done by the owner or an outside consultant to help them think bigger. This is a learned skill.

One way to advance your long-term strategic thinking ability is to simply answer the question: What would need to be true for me to be proud of this business three years from now?

This can unlock some amazing answers from your leadership team. Suddenly, they can clearly see where they want to go. Once they do, they just need to work backwards and build a plan to make that future a reality.

Don’t be discouraged if developing your team’s “long-term” visioning abilities takes months or years — this is normal. But it is essential if you want your business to grow and dominate long into the future. You cannot afford to wait in developing this skill in the top people in your organization.

Maximization

The maximization tier is the dream — only 2% of the contractors in the country exist here.

Essentially, it means your executive team has proven its ability to advance initiatives, clearly sees into the future and regularly turns that future into reality. Usually, these executive teams are highly effective at finding unique ways to capture profit and revenue.

For example, one $350 million-plus subcontractor client fits the maximization mold well. Rather than focusing on low-level issues like building standard operating procedures, they have moved on to much harder problems, like how to open their third geographic location doing more than $100 million in revenue. They are worried about working capital, gross profit variance and creating a corporate structure that can scale as they grow.

They often need high-level advisory input and a knowledge of best practices, but otherwise, they get stuff done and solve gigantic problems that help hundreds of people.

These are the companies that almost always seem to be winning over and over again. They have the best reputations and their clients love to have them on their projects. That is a recipe for success.

No tier is guaranteed

Fascinatingly, we have found that leadership teams don’t live in the same tier forever. They can grow from one tier to the next, or even regress depending on the state of their business.

For example, a general contractor building multifamily during COVID-19 was on the maximization tier when interest rates were low and market potential was high. The executive team was humming. But as interest rates increased and the development market slowed, they slipped back into optimization and had to focus on shorter-term problems — like where to get work and build their backlog. It was a matter of survival.

If you’re reading this and thinking: “Where does my team fall?” I’d advise you to spend the next month evaluating your leadership team’s ability to:

  1. Advance initiatives on their own.
  2. See into the future clearly, one to five years at a time.
  3. Work on the biggest, most complex problems.

Then, determine what tier you fall into and start developing the skills to level up.

Best budget computer speakers: Great PC audio from $25 to $150

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Best budget computer speakers: Great PC audio from $25 to $150

Technology news

Technology news

Audio upgrades that won’t break your budget.

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Hide Pros & Cons

Why you should trust PCWorld for budget computer speaker reviews and buying advice: PCWorld’s PC speaker reviewers have tried most of the budget speaker models on the market, so they know the ones that stand out from those that don’t quite hit the mark. Our testing criteria is also as thorough as it gets. To test each speaker, we set it up in a typical environment — on a desk in a home office — and play a variety of audio tracks while pushing a speaker system’s sound capabilities to the limit. We consider everything from the practicality of the design, to the audio fidelity. We also compare and contrast models to make recommendations based on our findings.

Creative Pebble – Best overall budget speakers

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Pros

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Cons

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Who should buy the Creative Pebble?

If you’re strapped for cash and still want decent audio, then the Creative Pebble is a no-brainer. You just need to have a USB-A port and a 3.5mm audio jack handy in your PC. You’ll also need to be cool with the fact that your speakers will be tethered — i.e., you’ll need to unplug them if you want to move your rig.

Creative Pebble: Further considerations

We wouldn’t have thought a set of $25 speakers could impress us much, let alone turn out to be our favorite. But Creative Pebble’s simple USB-powered 2.0 system defies all odds, producing richer, more immersive audio than you commonly find in speakers at twice the price — and twice the size. Though we wish these offered Bluetooth connectivity for mobile devices, the Pebble is still a top-notch choice.

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Creative Pebble review

AmazonBasics USB-Powered Computer Speakers with Dynamic Sound – Best dirt-cheap option

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Pros

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If your budget consists of just loose change and your goal is simply to release the sound from your PC without it sounding terrible, then these speakers will do nicely.

AmazonBasics USB-Powered Computer Speakers with Dynamic Sound: Further considerations

These AmazonBasics USB-powered computer speakers get you well-rounded audio for a rock-bottom price. They’re easy to use with simple plug-and-play USB connectivity. They also feature attractive glowing blue LED accent lights below each speaker’s bottom radiator.

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USB-Powered Computer Speakers with Dynamic Sound review

Bluedee Computer Soundbar – Best portable speaker

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Pros

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Cons

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  • No dedicated software app
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Price When Reviewed:

59.49

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Who should buy the Bluedee computer soundbar?

This is a good choice for anyone who wants the versatility of a PC soundbar that can also be used as a portable Bluetooth speaker. This soundbar is ideal as a space saving option on a desktop setup, since it’s quite compact. It weighs only 2.2 pounds, so it’s easily moved from location to location.

Bluedee computer soundbar: Further considerations

The Bluedee computer soundbar supports both Bluetooth connectivity as well as wired connectivity in the form of USB-C and 3.5mm aux cable connection, so it can be used with other devices in your home, namely your mobile phone, TV, and / or gaming console. It also features voice commands, so you can easily tell which mode you’re in. The controls on the side are large and easily accessible. The audio quality is very clear.

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Bluedee Computer Soundbar review

Monoprice DT-3BT – Best premium Bluetooth speakers

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Pros

  • Clean audio
  • TRS, RCA, and Bluetooth connectivity
  • Capable of very loud volume
  • Easy access to aux input and headset output jacks

Cons

  • Audio will sound a little hollow to some ears
  • Audio distortion at higher volumes

Price When Reviewed:

99.99

Who should buy the Monoprice DT-3BT

If you like to hear layered elements in your music, then you’ll really like the Monoprice DT-3BT’s emphasis on higher and lower tones. These speakers also project sound very well, so choose them if you like to fill up your living room with the sound of your tunes or media.

Monoprice DT-3BT: Further considerations

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Monoprice DT-3BT review

Creative Pebble X – Best speakers for multiple devices

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Pros

  • Clear, crisp sound
  • Attractive RGB accents
  • Wired and wireless connectivity

Cons

  • Comes without a subwoofer
  • limited app support for Android and iOS
  • Control buttons are tiny

Price When Reviewed:

89.99

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$123.49

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$123.49

Who should buy the Creative Pebble X?

Anyone who wants the versatility of being able to use their speakers with more than just their PC — a smartphone, tablet, or other device — should consider the Creative Pebble X. These speakers are also ideal if you use a 3.5mm microphone and like the idea of using the Creative Pebble X’s software to do things like muting or unmuting your calls or filtering out unwanted noise.

Creative Pebble X: Further considerations

Imagine our top overall pick, and then soup it up with more features — namely, much more connectivity and sweet RGB lighting. That’s the Creative Pebble X. If you have multiple devices (plus a headset and microphone), these speakers let you centralize everything. You can connect devices via USB, a 3.5mm aux cable, and Bluetooth, and there are jacks for a 3.5mm headset and a dedicated 3.5mm microphone, too. It’s a great upgrade option if you want the Pebble’s great sound but want just one set of speakers for your gear.

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Creative Pebble X review

Cyber Acoustics CA-2890 Speaker Bar – Best space-saving speaker

technology news Cyber Acoustics CA-2890 Speaker Bar - Best space-saving speaker

Pros

  • Clip mount keeps it off your desk
  • Clear, distortion-free audio
  • Can get very loud

Cons

  • No bass
  • Weak stereo audio

Price When Reviewed:

$24.99

Who should buy the Cyber Acoustics CA-2890 Speaker Bar?

These are for buyers who are super tight for desk space or who just likes a clean, uncluttered place to plant their PC. If that’s you, then you’ll love the speaker’s clip-on functionality that will win you back some much-needed real estate.

Cyber Acoustics CA-2890 Speaker Bar: Further considerations

This basic speaker bar may be outclassed by other extremely affordable rivals in some ways, but the Cyber Acoustics CA-2890 Speaker Bar has a feature that keeps it in the running — you can clip it to a monitor. That gets this speaker off your desk, a plus for anyone that loves minimalism. Add in clear audio reproduction, and lack of distortion at high volume, and those seeking a good compact option can forgive it for its lack of bass and proper stereo output.

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Cyber Acoustics CA-2890 Speaker Bar review

Creative Pebble X Plus – Best for less than $150

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Pros

  • Compact design
  • Good sound quality for the money
  • RGB effects, if interested
  • Support for many audio sources

Cons

  • Fixed, short cables
  • Limited control from mobile
  • No software for Mac

Price When Reviewed:

$129.99

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5% off original price$123.49

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Who should buy the Creative Pebble X Plus?

Anyone who wants a complete audio solution for their bedroom, dorm room, or home office. These speakers may be compact, but they sound great, feature both wired and wireless connectivity options, and are also powerful enough to fill up a room. Plus, the RGB lighting will liven up your personal space.

Creative Pebble X Plus: Further considerations

With USB, Bluetooth, and 3.5mm auxiliary input, the Creative Pebble X Plus offers more than just plug-and-play speaker functionality. Indeed, you can connect it up wirelessly to your phone or wire it up to create a complete audio solution for your bedroom, dorm room, or home office. Two speakers and a woofer draw a peak 60 watts of power to comfortably fill a room with sound. They produce a clear soundstage with a good level of detail in the mids and treble range. A plastic film under the woofer was a small quirk that softened the bass in our playtesting, but removing it fixed that issue.

The device makes a stylish presence on a desktop or near a PC. The two speakers, which are shaped like spheres, measure a compact 5.48 inches, while the cube-shaped woofer is only slightly larger at 6.24 inches. The speakers also sport RGB lighting, which you can personalize in Creative’s companion app.

Read our full

Creative Pebble X Plus review

Other speakers that we liked

While the above speakers are the best value and fall into the category of budget, we also liked the Creative Pebble Nova and the Logitech Z150. The Creative Pebble Nova is a premium speaker offering premium sound for $279. It features excellent connectivity supporting 3.5mm aux-in and Bluetooth. This speaker also has a unique bowling ball style design.

The Logitech Z150, at $35, is a simple plug-and-play speaker supporting a 3.5mm aux-in cable. It’s quite small and lightweight and has a strong volume and output for such a small device.

Can you get a better deal?

We at PCWorld are constantly on the hunt for better deals. Amazon and other retailers are frequently running deals throughout the year, so you should have a chance at snaring a discount if you time your purchase for the sales.

While the prices in this list are updated daily, they do not account for special offers or deals. It’s best to check our PCWorld deals articles to see what offers are available each week. Additionally, it’s worth keeping an eye out for deals at sales events such as Amazon Prime Day in the summer and Black Friday at the end of November to see what special offers are available.

How we test PC speakers

We test speakers on a range of different criteria, including their design and build, their sound quality, their ease of setup and additional features. For a more detailed guide on our evaluation process check out PCWorld’s comprehensive guide on how we test PC speakers.

Sound tests are kept as simple as possible. We evaluate the tonal range of the speakers and how detailed the audio signature is. Since bass is such a big point of contention in speakers, we take extra notes on whether speakers have a commanding bass presence or are lacking in that department. We also take note of the clarity of sound and look for the absence of distortion in the sound signature.

Who curated this article?

Dominic Bayley is PCWorld’s PC speaker reviewer and Australian Editor.  His tech interests span a heap of topics — everything from gaming laptops to headsets and mice.

How to choose the best PC speaker

One of the first things you should do is decide on a budget for your PC speaker system. Most of our picks in this chart fall into the cheaper budget range category of $100 or under. These are speakers which offer good value for money so they’re a good place to start if you don’t want to spend a lot.

Size

You’ll have to decide on the size of the speaker system you want. For this, consider the room size you’re wanting to fill with sound. If you have a large room and want to fill it with audio you may want to invest in a speaker system with more than two speakers, preferably with a subwoofer, so a 2.1 speaker system. If you’re trying to fill a small room, you can get away with a smaller speaker system, so with just two satellites or a 2.0 speaker system.

Connectivity

Next think about the connectivity you’ll be needing. This will dictate how you’ll use your speakers and with which devices. Will you need wireless Bluetooth as well as wired connectivity? Or just wired connectivity? If you want to use your speakers with your smartphone as well as your PC, I’d recommend you get speakers with Bluetooth functionality also. Then, not all wired connectivity is the same. You may want to consider whether you need USB-C connectivity or just 3.5mm aux-in?

Ease of setup

Different speaker models can have different degrees of setup, some being tricky and others being relatively easy. The Bluedee soundbar, for example, is a relatively easy option to set up requiring just one cable. It may be tricky to know which models are hard to set up and which ones aren’t just by looking at them. The best way to find out how easy or hard a speaker is to set up is to read our PCWorld reviews.

Sound

It’s true that not all speakers sound alike. Some sound warm and champion the mid-tones and others are more skewed to the bass or treble tones. You should decide what you need the speakers for when considering the kind of sound you should get. Will you be listening to music? in which case you’ll need a deeper bass presence, or will you just be playing games and need a speaker that is well represented in the mid-tones? Again, the best way to tell how a speaker sounds is to read our PCWorld reviews where we evaluate them for you.

FAQ

1.

What are the best budget speakers for PC?

Creative Pebble’s simple USB-powered 2.0 system defies all odds. At just $25, it produces richer, more immersive audio than you commonly find in speakers at twice the price — and twice the size.

2.

What type of speaker should I get? Ex: Should I aim for a 5.1 setup? And are 2.1 speakers better than 2.0 speakers?

In this price range, a 5.1 multi-channel speaker setup (five speakers, one subwoofer) won’t sound as good as better models. The same amount of money can buy a much better-quality two-speaker system. These basic 2.0 stereo setups, which are comprised of just a left and right speaker with a single driver (the actual loudspeaker) in each, abound in this price range. Occasionally you can also find a decent 2.1 system — a pair of speakers to handle the higher frequencies and separate subwoofer for the bass — for not much more. These take up extra space but often produce more balanced sound.

3.

How do I pick a speaker that sounds good?

Don’t lean too heavily on manufacturers’ specs when making a decision. Even if you can parse frequency response numbers, they are often exaggerated. Let your ears be your guide instead. Listen for a good balance between the high (treble), mid, and low (bass) frequencies. Often, speakers will exaggerate one — usually the treble or the bass — at the expense of the others. Good speakers will produce full, detailed audio that sounds as the creator intended it.

Be aware, though, that finding strong bass response in this price range can be challenging. Without a subwoofer, 2.0 systems have trouble reproducing low frequencies. The manufacturers often use technological tweaks to amplify the bass notes, but these can sound boomy, and distort the overall mix. If a deep, controlled bottom end is a priority, a 2.1 system might be a better investment.

4.

Should I get speakers that use AC power? Or is a set that uses USB power okay?

Both these options are prevalent in the sub-$100 price range. USB-powered speakers reduce cord clutter, as they don’t need a separate power cable. However, they can’t supply as much juice as the AC variety, so they tend to produce lower volume and less bass.

5.

How important is a speaker’s design?

You wouldn’t think it could matter much, but even among budget PC speakers, design can play a big part in how your speaker sounds and how easy it is to use. For example, PC speakers that fire downwards instead of upwards may produce muffled sound, since the sound will have to bounce off an extra surface before reaching your ears.

Design can also play a big part determining things like how portable your speaker is. For example, wired speakers aren’t as easy to use on the go as those with Bluetooth connectivity, and small portable speakers are preferable over big cumbersome ones if you need to move them from location to location.

6.

How do I set up my PC speakers?

You can expect there to be two or sometimes three components to your PC speakers. Ideally, you’ll want as an immersive sound as you can possibility get, which in a two-piece setup means placing a speaker either side of your PC. If your speakers also come with a woofer, this is best placed on the ground, since the heavier vibrations it produces will likely cause some rattling on your desk.

Slightly angling your speakers towards your ears makes the speakers easier to hear. If you want more of a cinematic kind of sound experience you might like to also move each of your speakers further out from your laptop. This will broaden the sound stage you get from your speaker setup.

Wife school can’t fix MAGA husbands

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Wife school can’t fix MAGA husbands

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Dating A new wave of Christian influencers claim women can save their marriages with more self-loathing

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(Getty Images / Rubberball Productions)

How hard is it to enjoy your husband’s company? According to content made for Christian conservative women, the heaviest cross they may bear is learning to feel affection for their spouses — or at least fake it well enough to buy some peace at home. That’s what I learned perusing the growing field of influencers offering would-be tradwives advice on how to make MAGA marriages work. 

“Normalize liking your husband,” reads a T-shirt sold by Savanna Stone, a 21-year-old self-proclaimed marriage expert who has been selling content preaching marital submission with the backing of shady far-right funders. At first blush, that may seem like a trifling concept. But, as Stone makes clear in her video content, her definition of liking or even loving a husband is both laborious and ascetic to an extreme. 

“Submission isn’t earned, it is given through the covenant of marriage,” Stone argued in one video. If a husband makes bad decisions, she said, it’s his wife’s fault because she isn’t submitting enough to give him the “confidence” to “take on the masculine role.” At her speech at the 2026 Turning Point USA Women’s Leadership Conference, Stone encouraged women to marry young, as she did at 18. If they don’t, the risk is that they will “build their own life,” which she defined as “the death of marriage” because “two separate lives do not easily merge.”

Stone attracts a lot of attention for her tender age and lavishly produced content. But she’s just one of a burgeoning group of Christian influencers, most of them fairly young, who hold themselves out as experts on marriage. Some dress in fashionable and sexy clothes, like Stone, while others favor prairie-style dresses. Some are podcasters or video hosts; others offer online courses with names like “Wife School” or “Wife Academy.” But the message remains the same: They’re all speaking to the deep disappointment and frustration that many Christian women apparently feel in their husbands. The solution, though, only ever seems to be that wives must suck it up and submit even more to their men. 

Recently, Alex Clark, the host of TPUSA’s “Culture Apothecary” podcast, married another Christian influencer after what appears to have been a whirlwind engagement of only a few months. (As recently as May, she was lamenting her lack of viable marital prospects.) In the run-up to her nuptials, Clark presented her own “wife school” series that made marriage sound so miserable that a reasonable viewer’s only conclusion was to avoid being a wife altogether. 

Her first guest, Tilly Dillehay, got right down to business by scolding women who are “picky” because they want something from a husband beyond just a man who is “active in his faith” and makes enough money to “support a family.” Dillehay held herself out as an example of a woman who failed; she said she had dated men who were “flippant,” which appears to be her code word for fun. Instead, while she was “not immediately attracted” to her husband and he was not attracted to her, Dillehay married him anyway because he is a “steady man,” “serious” and not prone like she is to “joke around.” 

If that sounds like a formula for a miserable sex life, well, Dillehay didn’t seem to be concerned. “God has commanded you to participate” in sex with your husband, she said. An added incentive is that it’s “a way that you protect each other from infidelity.” 

“Half of the time,” she said, “it’s only in getting started that you even start to be in the mood.” What happens the other half of the time, she didn’t say. 

“Remember that there are a lot of women out there whose husbands are at the bar tonight and they’re not coming home,” Dillehay said. “There are a lot of women whose husbands are not going to work today.” It should be “enough,” she added, to have a husband who works and goes to church. 

Dillehay’s view is especially chilling in light of a recent Netflix documentary “The Death of the Pastor’s Wife,” which chronicled the suicide of Mica Miller, who spent years of trying to please the ever-escalating sexual demands of her minister husband. This expectation doesn’t appear to be the exception. As Dillehay showed in her interview with Clark, the view of sex as a wife’s duty is deeply ingrained in conservative Christian culture.

Stone has drawn attention by saying consent isn’t part of marriage. “Because when you say, ‘I do,’ you are committing to a lifetime of sex,” she explained in an interview earlier this year. “‘You didn’t fold your laundry. I’m not going to have sex with you. You didn’t unload the dishwasher. I’m not going to have sex with you.’” In citing these scenarios, Stone mocked women who withdraw from husbands sexually, calling it “manipulation,” or even a “sin,” to feel this way. 

Still, there’s clearly a lot of resentment among some Christian conservative women about husbands who don’t do chores. Trying to stifle anger over this may be the single most common topic in Christian marital advice content.

Feminists might argue it’s hard to get in the mood with someone who doesn’t respect you. That opinion, though, carries no weight in MAGA circles. Still, there’s clearly a lot of resentment among some Christian conservative women about husbands who don’t do chores. Trying to stifle anger over this may be the single most common topic in Christian marital advice content.

In her “wife school” series, Clark interviewed her new sister-in-law, Katie Voetberg, a prairie dress-clad podcast host and mother of six, about how to avoid being a “nagging wife” and a “constant dripping faucet.” Voetberg’s heartwarming advice? Abandon all hope of having a responsible husband. If your husband forgets to pay the electric bill, she said, don’t remind him or hold him accountable. Instead, “light a candle” and hope that he learns from the “embarrassment” of his failure. Presumably, wives in these relationships don’t control the money, or they could pay it themselves. In cases where women do have a little more power, Voetberg recommended simply doing every chore a husband can’t be bothered with.

“He hates going to the dentist” or the doctor, she explained, so “I just put it on my to-do list” to make his appointment. Even when a husband won’t do “the stereotypical husband duties,” like mowing the lawn or taking out the trash, she continued, the wife should handle it and say, “it’s never going to hit [the husband’s] radar.”

Want more sharp takes on politics? Sign up for our free newsletter, Standing Room Only, written by Amanda Marcotte, now also a weekly show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Other influencers agree. Millicent Sedra, a rising Christian-right influencer who serves as pastor at Echo Church in Sydney, Australia, recently preached that wives should “[s]top complaining about having to help your husband when our God-given role is to do exactly that.” Another of her sermons centered on Proverbs 21:9, which reads, “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a nagging wife.” 

Laura Zachary, the creator of “Wife Academy,” which is billed as “a program that allows women to rebuild their marriages from the inside out, explained in a video why all household chores should fall to wives: “Women were created for a man. So a woman without a man to take care of, she becomes very empty, very soulless, very bitter.” But Zachary’s logic is flawed: If scrubbing toilets and washing dishes while their husbands kicked back on the couch was, in fact, women’s natural inclination, then she wouldn’t be able to charge women thousands of dollars for courses that reportedly teach them how to love a life of submission.

Often, these lessons in denial are framed for Christian women as a rebuttal to feminists. As a marketing ploy, that’s smart, but it’s not entirely honest. Feminists aren’t listening to this content, and even if they were to stumble across it, they would simply move on. It is not sparking “debate.” 

The real audience for these messages are Christian women, a fact that is itself telling. That these classes exist in the first place shows that, despite being told it’s their “natural” role, Christian women do not actually enjoy submitting to their husbands. If women were eager to have sex in their conservative Christian marriages, they wouldn’t need to be told it’s their duty to have it, like it or not. Clearly, many Christian women resent domestic inequality, or else they wouldn’t have to be told to suck it up.

Why is there “wife school” but no apparent equivalent “husband school”? Men in this situation are perfectly fine; they are benefitting from a system set up to serve them at a woman’s expense. As long as that’s true, it’s inevitable that women will feel frustrated and resentful. “Wife school” can’t actually make women happier, since it reinforces the very male dominance that is causing their pain. But it sure can make men’s lives easier, if the teachers are successful at getting women to stop complaining and learn instead to serve their husband-masters in silence. 

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Sara Duterte owns 22 firearms, Mans Carpio 29 — PNP

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Sara Duterte owns 22 firearms, Mans Carpio 29 — PNP

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MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte owns 22 firearms, including three Class A light weapons, while her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, owns 29 firearms, including one Class A light weapon, a Philippine National Police (PNP) official testified before the Senate impeachment court on Monday.

Police Maj. Jerickson Sangalang,  PNP-Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) Office Records Division chief, gave the figures on the 30th day of Duterte’s impeachment trial as the House prosecution presented evidence related to allegations of unexplained wealth and inaccurate Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).

“Vice President Sara has 22 firearms: 14 pistols, two revolvers, five rifles, three of which are Class A light weapons, and one shotgun,” Sangalang testified.

“Attorney Mans Carpio has 29 firearms: 16 pistols, two revolvers, one shotgun, 10 rifles, one of which is a Class A light weapon, and one expired firearm,” he added.

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Sangalang explained that Class A light weapons include firearms with calibers of up to 7.62 mm and fully automatic functions capable of burst fire.

He confirmed to House prosecutor Bel Zamora that three of Duterte’s registered rifles are fully automatic.

The witness said law enforcement agencies are generally authorized to acquire Class A light weapons. Individuals who lawfully acquired such firearms before the relevant law took effect may continue to possess them but may not transfer them to other firearm owners.

Sangalang said a market survey placed the estimated value of Duterte’s firearms at P2.184 million, while Carpio’s firearms were estimated at about P5 million.

He clarified that the figures were market estimates and did not represent the firearms’ actual acquisition costs.

The presentation drew questions from several senator-judges about the relevance of the firearms evidence to the impeachment allegations involving unexplained wealth and SALN disclosures.

Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo questioned the need to present the firearms evidence, while Senator-judge Juan Miguel Zubiri said he was looking for more substantial evidence to support the prosecution’s case.

Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo likewise questioned the relevance of Sangalang’s testimony and called the presentation a potential waste of the court’s time.

“I wonder why Major Jerickson Sangalang still has to be presented as a witness. As far as I know, firearms can be declared as personal property. Probably all of us, all the senator-judges here, have firearms in one way or another,” Tulfo said.

“For me, sorry, this is a waste of time. We could be doing more, such as going into plenary and passing bills, rather than presenting him. Sorry, nothing personal about you. For me, this witness is irrelevant,” he added.

The defense likewise questioned the relevance of Sangalang’s testimony.

Senate Presiding Officer Francis Escudero said Sangalang’s testimony was “not as convincing” with respect to the allegation of ill-gotten wealth but allowed the prosecution to continue with the presentation.

“Let’s try to shorten the proceedings and abbreviate the proceedings,” Escudero said.

Escudero asked the defense whether it would stipulate to Sangalang’s position and to the fact that he would testify about the couple’s licensed firearms based on FEO records.

The defense agreed, effectively settling the first two points of the prosecution’s offer of evidence.

Escudero then allowed Zamora to proceed only on the remaining issues concerning the couple’s firearm licenses and the estimated value of the firearms, while directing her to keep the presentation brief.

The prosecution has been presenting evidence under Article II of the impeachment case, which alleges that Duterte accumulated unexplained wealth, failed to fully disclose assets and financial interests in her SALNs, and continued business interests while serving as vice president.

Eagles vs. Bears: Live score updates, highlights, injury news

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Eagles vs. Bears: Live score updates, highlights, injury news

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Can the Philadelphia Eagles reach 3-0?

In order to remain undefeated, the Birds will have to beat a Chicago Bears team that bullied them in Philly last year. This time, the matchup will take place in the confines of Soldier Field.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Eagles’ defense fares after Bears head coach Ben Johnson got the better of Vic Fangio in 2025.

Jalen Hurts and company should have opportunities to score against this Chicago defense. It’d be nice for the Eagles to have some more early down success so that they’re not relying on their quarterback to bail them out on three-and-long over and over.

Follow along here for live score updates, highlights, injury news, analysis, and more before this article ultimately turns into our game recap. The best place to actually discuss the action as it happens is still in our game thread, which you can find here.

FIRST QUARTER

  • The Eagles won the coin toss and elected to defer, per usual. The Eagles had Braden Mann as a 12th man on the field for kickoff once again, this time holding the ball on a tee after that was a point of discussion coming out of Week 2.
  • The Bears started at their own 32-yard line. Marcus Epps immediately missed a tackle on the first play from scrimmage. The Bears quickly picked up a first down with a tight end screen. Two straight passes before the Bears’ first running play. Then another Case Keenum completion for a first down into plus territory. The Bears went with a toss to old friend D’Andre Swift to set up 2nd-and-1. Another Keenum completion for another first down … before expedited review revealed the ball hit the ground between Cole Kmet’s legs. Facing 3rd-and-1, the Bears’ run was stopped short of the marker. But then Keenum found a wide open Sam Roush on fourth down for an easy first down. Ben Johnson in his bag early. Facing 3rd-and-2, Keenum flipped shorst to Luther Burden, who was initially stopped before he was pushed by his teammates into the end zone. Not the kind of start you wanted to see from an Eagles defense that got bullied by the Bears last year. Got outmuscled to give up a score. EAGLES 0, BEARS 7.
  • The Eagles took over at their own 25-yard line. Jalen Hurts’ first pass was a first down to completion to an open crossing Makai Lemon. Another Lemon target that wasn’t doomed from the start! Nice to see. The Eagles picked up another first down with a Saquon Barkley run to the left edge. Facing 3rd-and-6, Hurts got called for intentional grounding after facing quick pressure. Facing 3rd-and-16, a Hurts dumpoff to … Johnny Mundt … picked up just five yards. Punt from the plus 46-yard line … that went out of bounds at the 16-yard line. Only a net of 30 yards. Bad stuff from Mann but Nick Sirianni might’ve wanted to be more aggressive there in no man’s land.
  • The Bears took over at their own 16-yard line. They quickly moved just shy of midfield before Riq Woolen was flagged for defensive holding. Facing 3rd-and-6 around midfield, the Bears thought they had a free play with Moro Ojomo jumping early … but the refs clearly thought Ojomo didn’t jump offside. Keenum’s downfield pass was incomplete to bring up a punt. The Bears’ punt was downed nicely at the 2-yard line. Jonathan Jones could’ve tried to pick up the ball for a free return since the Bears touched it … but he just watched Chicago down it. Cool. Or not! The Bears actually touched the ball while a player’s foot was on the goal line for a touchback. Lucky break there.
  • The Eagles took over at their own 20-yard line. Unnecessary Tyler Steen holding penalty wiped out a big Saquon Barkley run to the left for a first down and more. Hurts checked down to Tank Bigsby, who fumbled for a Bears recovery. Awesome.
  • The Bears took over at the plus 15-yard line. They reached third down to bring up the end of the first quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

  • Facing 3rd-and-6, Andrew Mukuba almost came up with a pick on a Keenum throw. But the Eagles’ third down stop was negated by another Woolen penalty that looked weak, just like his first. Next play, Keenum hit Colston Loveland for a score. Upon review, Loveland was just shy of the goal line.

THIRD QUARTER

FOURTH QUARTER

EAGLES LINEUP NOTES

  • Johnny Mundt, not Zach Ertz, was first up at tight end in 11 personnel (one tight end on the field).
  • Michael Carter II rotated in at safety after Marcus Epps struggled on the Bears’ first drive. But then Epps came back in.

EAGLES INJURY NEWS

  • Updates to come (but hopefully not) …

Names to replace Shane Beamer at South Carolina with job hanging by a thread

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Names to replace Shane Beamer at South Carolina with job hanging by a thread

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In his past 13 games against power-conference opponents, Shane Beamer has a record of 2-11. If you want a good idea of where South Carolina is at in year five of the Beamer era, that’s a pretty good start.

While no one can complain about his ability to recruit, the results on the field have failed to match it. Beamer has two future first-round picks at his disposal in QB LaNorris Sellers and EDGE Dylan Stewart, but After a 49-18 loss to Alabama over the weekend, the Gamecocks are now 2-2 this season — oh, and Stewart appears to be in open revolt against his coaching staff.

With Beamer on the way out, here is a list of coaches who can replace him and attempt to get South Carolina back on track in the SEC.

Charles Huff, Memphis HC

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 12 Memphis at Boise State | Icon Sportswire/GettyImages

Here his name is again. 

Huff comes up in just about every coaching search, and it’s with good reason. Whether with Marshall, Southern Miss or now Memphis, he has shown an ability to win. And with the Tigers, he has also shown his ability to recruit when money is available — something he will have in Columbia, given that SEC TV check and such a talent-rich area.

Learning from the best in Nick Saban, Huff has the desire and ability of a coach like Kirby Smart. But he has not had the same national profile or opportunity to show it just yet.

Memphis has been a stepping stone for many coaches to both the SEC and ACC. While Mike Norvell and Ryan Silverfield didn’t level up so well, Huff is a different breed of coach than they are. He loves to work, and he loves to recruit — two things which are extremely important. Not to mention, he will have better administration alignment with South Carolina than Norvell and Silverfield have at Florida State and Arkansas, respectively. 

Huff has shown many times that he does not ever mind taking a new job, even if it happens in the middle of a season. If Beamer is let go at some point this fall, calling Huff, only 600 miles away in Memphis, can have you a new coach in 10 hours. Seven if there’s no traffic. 

Jason Eck, New Mexico HC

2025 Isleta New Mexico Bowl – North Texas v San Diego State | Sam Wasson/GettyImages

This hire would entirely be tied to whether Wisconsin wants him or not.

Eck, a former Badger player and Idaho head coach, came to New Mexico on a five-year contract which was extended to 2030 late last season. He’s immediately paid off this loyalty with a 3-1 record, the one loss being a 14-6 defeat to Oklahoma in Norman.

Eck has been a rising star for two seasons now. Had Luke Fickell been let go following the 2025 season, he would already be coaching in Madison. But, with the Badgers’ upset of Penn State on Saturday, the tide may have shifted there. This would leave Eck free to jump to a different school; finding his way to the SEC rather than remaining in the Mountain West or heading to the Big 12 or ACC would be a major benefit to taking the South Carolina job over some others which may be open.

Tony Elliott, Virginia HC

Delaware v Virginia | Ryan M. Kelly/GettyImages

If you want someone who has extensive experience in the South, and specifically in the state of South Carolina, you can do no better than Elliott — who spent 11 years on the Clemson coaching staff, including seven calling plays for Dabo Swinney as offensive coordinator. That run included being the play-caller for both Tigers national championship runs.

After a challenging start both on and off the field at Virginia, Elliott has the Cavaliers coming off their first 11-win campaign in school history. He also has UVA with a 3-1 record early in the 2026 season, and there looks to be no major dropoff following the historic season in Charlottesville.

With the time Elliott has spent in the South at Clemson and South Carolina State, his familiarity with the state is unmatched — and this can lead to local recruits wanting to play for him. Especially if Swinney is out at Clemson following this season.

Buster Faulkner, Florida OC

Campbell v Florida | James Gilbert/GettyImages

Buster Faulkner almost had Georgia Tech in the ACC title game rather than Duke in 2025 before a loss in their final conference game left them on the outside looking in.

When Jon Sumrall got the head position at Florida, he knew what all defensive coaches need to start realizing: They cannot run the offense the same way they do their defense. For this reason, he brought in Faulkner as OC as the duo attempts to get the Gators back to the top of the SEC.

Through four games, Florida has done just that. With quarterback Aaron Philo and running back Jadan Baugh, Faulkner has this offense humming, including a 52-28 win over then-No. 4 Ole Miss. This win pushed Florida into the top 10 of the AP poll for the first time since 2021 and gave Sumrall his first big victory in Gainesville.

Without Faulkner, Georgia Tech lost to Colorado at home in Week 1. This past weekend, the Yellow Jackets lost to Stanford, 34-27, dropping them to 1-3 on the year.

Faulkner is that good, and he can bring this type of dynamic offense to South Carolina. Although this is not an SEC-contending roster at present, Faulkner can get the most out of who he has, and eight or nine wins most years is on the table — something which has not been true since Steve Spurrier left back in 2015.

Manny Diaz, Duke HC

William & Mary v Duke | Jacob Kupferman/GettyImages

After Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate decided on the final day of the transfer portal to bolt for Miami, Diaz and Duke had to scramble to find replacements. This left Manny Diaz to cobble together a team in 2026 which many thought would return to the basement of the ACC.

Instead, Duke has built another sturdy squad around star running back Nate Sheppard, who has taken over the reins of the offense. The Blue Devils are still undefeated at 4-0, including victories over both Tulane and Illinois — teams which defeated Duke in 2025. It also shows the ability Diaz has to change his coaching when it is required due to circumstances, something many coaches find it hard to do or flatly refuse to do.

Diaz will bring a new philosophy to Columbia as a defensive coach. But maybe the change he will bring is exactly what South Carolina needs with their next coaching hire.

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Experimental Drug Reverses Paralysis and Vision Loss in MS-Like Disease

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Experimental Drug Reverses Paralysis and Vision Loss in MS-Like Disease

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science Multiple Sclerosis Microglia Cells Damage Neuron Axons
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks myelin, the protective covering around nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. This damage disrupts nerve signaling and can cause symptoms such as vision problems, fatigue, weakness, numbness, and difficulty with balance or movement. Credit: Shutterstock

An experimental drug reversed paralysis and vision loss in mice with a multiple sclerosis-like disease while also preserving nerve tissue.

For the nearly one million Americans living with multiple sclerosis, current treatments offer ways to slow the disease and reduce flare-ups, but they cannot restore neurological function once it is lost. The condition typically strikes between ages 20 and 40 when immune cells mistakenly attack myelin, the protective sheaths that insulate nerves.

This harmful inflammation disrupts communication between the brain and the body, leading to vision loss, extreme fatigue, and progressive weakness. The autoimmune disorder varies greatly from patient to patient, but it ultimately reduces average life expectancy by seven years. Now, an experimental drug called Kamuvudine K-9 has reversed paralysis and vision loss in mice with a model of the disease.

Some people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience long periods of remission, while severe cases can bring life-threatening complications. Doctors categorize the disease according to patients’ symptoms and relapses, reflecting the different courses it can take. Despite the benefits of available treatments, MS has no cure and remains the most common disabling neurological disease among young adults.

HIV drugs linked to lower MS risk

K-9 grew out of a discovery involving approved HIV medicines called nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or NRTIs. UVA Health scientist Jayakrishna Ambati, MD, found that these drugs can block inflammasome activation, a process that drives inflammation. That finding prompted him to develop K-9, a derivative that appears safer and more effective than the drugs it came from.

science Jayakrishna Ambati
Jayakrishna Ambati, MD, founding director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Advanced Vision Science and the DuPont Guerry III Professor in the UVA School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology. Credit: UVA Health

Health records provided evidence that NRTIs might also affect MS. In a new paper, Ambati’s team reports an analysis of health insurance data from more than 3 million people. NRTI use was associated with a 41% lower risk of developing MS and, among people who already had the disease, a 36% lower annual relapse rate. Those associations concern the HIV medicines from which K-9 was derived, rather than K-9 itself.

Movement and vision return in mice

The mouse experiments allowed the researchers to examine K-9’s effects on both neurological function and the nerve tissue damaged by MS. Alongside the recovery of movement and vision, the drug preserved nerve fibers and their myelin insulation. It also halted the rise in neurofilament light chain (NfL), a blood marker of nerve damage. Animals given an approved MS drug in the same experiments recovered much less function than those receiving K-9.

“Most MS therapies are aimed at preventing the next attack. What’s remarkable is that K-9 not only prevented further neurological deterioration, but animals recovered function they had already lost,” said Ambati, founding director of UVA’s Center for Advanced Vision Science and the DuPont Guerry III Professor in the UVA School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology. “When that recovery is considered together with the preservation of nerve tissue, the NfL response and the human epidemiologic findings, we believe there is a compelling rationale to test this approach in patients.”

Can K-9 restore function in people?

K-9 remains experimental for MS, and controlled clinical trials will be required to determine whether it can produce similar recovery in people. The drug has already entered trials for eye diseases, including diabetic macular edema and thyroid eye disease, and that clinical experience could help accelerate its evaluation for MS.

Because inflammasome activation and damage to axons, the nerve fibers that carry signals, are implicated in other neurodegenerative diseases, the researchers hope their findings will also inform work beyond MS. K-9 is slated to be tested for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

“Inflammasome inhibition is now recognized as the cutting edge of therapies for multiple inflammatory diseases,” Ambati said. “K-9 and the related K-8, which has already shown remarkable efficacy in macular degeneration, could also be beneficial in other diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.”

Reference: “The nucleoside analog kamuvudine-9 shows protective and therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis” by Praveen Yerramothu, Kameshwari Ambati, Joseph Magagnoli, Meenakshi Ambati, Thendral Velmurugan, Dijing Yu, Jing Zhang, Jingjing Zhang, Tammy Cummings, Joseph Nguyen, Claire C. Thomas, Vidya L. Ambati, Kaitlyn Cheng, Maksud Juraev, Roshni Dholkawala, Felipe Pereira, Peirong Huang, Ayami Nagasaka, Yosuke Nagasaka, Madhuri Rudraraju, Ashley Ban, Ivana Apicella, Xiaoyu Cai, Ranjith Konduri, Rhea Zahir, Elizabeth Frost, John Lukens, Ruwen Yin, Frederick Brøndsted, Cliff I. Stains, Makoto Ono, Brian P. Delisle, Jamie Horn, Markos Leggas, Jeffrey L. Dupree, S. Scott Sutton, Bradley D. Gelfand, Shao-bin Wang and Jayakrishna Ambati, 23 September 2026, Science Translational Medicine.
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aei2870

The research was supported by the UVA Strategic Investment Fund, grant 167; the National Institutes of Health, grants R01EY028027, R01EY029799, R01EY031039, R01AG078892, R01AG082108, R01EY028027, R01EY031039, R01AG078892, R01AG082108, R01EY032512, R01DA054992 and R35GM148221; the DuPont Guerry III Professorship; and a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Eli W. Tullis.

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Fat Bear Week semi-finals: Bucky Dent vs. Backpack and 132 vs. 910

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Fat Bear Week semi-finals: Bucky Dent vs. Backpack and 132 vs. 910

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Only four chunky specimens remain in Fat Bear Week 2026. Two ladies with fascinating backstories, Bear #132 and Bear #910, battle in the first semi-final, while clever big boys Bucky Dent and Backpack face off in the second semifinal.

Voting opens at 12pm EDT and ends at 9pm EDT (9am-6pm PDT, 8am-5pm AKDT). Read more about the bears battling today below and cast your vote at explore.org. The Fat Bear Week champion will be crowned on September 29.

science fat bear week 2026 bracket
Fat Bear Week bracket, updating September 28. Image: Sara Wolman, explore.org.

In a battle of the best nicknames at the Brooks River, Bear #89 (Backpack) squares off against Bear #164 (Bucky Dent).

Bear #89 (Backpack) is the 20.5-year-old son of 2019 Fat Bear Week champion and Katmai legend Bear #435 (Holly). He earned his charming nickname because of his habit of climbing on his mother’s back as a cub when the pair navigated the Brooks River waters.

science a bear and her cubs
Backpack as an injured yearling with his mother, Holly. Image: Explore.org

Backpack has had to fight to survive. In 2007 as a yearling, he emerged in the spring with a significant leg injury that prevented him from walking properly. Rangers feared he might not survive the season. But with help from him mom, he recovered and has emerged as a consistent resident at Brooks Falls. He exudes a quiet strength despite his imposing stature, and has not shown aggression towards his competitors. He also prefers to hang out slightly downstream on his favorite rock.

science Meet Bear 89 Backpack thumbnail

Meet Bear 89 Backpack

Backpack faces tough competition from Bear #164 (Bucky Dent), a 9.5-year-old adult male that is so good at catching fish, he invented a new way to locate them as a subadult bear.

Bucky first appeared in the area in 2019 and rangers do not know the identity of his parents. In 2021 as a relatively smaller subadult bear with lots of competition, he struggled to secure a good fishing spot at the Brooks Falls and River. So to find salmon to eat, he invented a new fishing method. He positioned himself in the deepest plunge pool under the cascade of Brooks Falls. Here, he could catch fish that welled up from the pool below, jumping up through the air, or falling from the falls above. No other bear has used this technique.

science Meet Bear 164 Bucky thumbnail

Meet Bear 164 Bucky

Now that Bucky Dent ranks among the largest bears, he can fish wherever he wants. Bucky will also not hesitate to use his size to intimidate other bears away from preferred fishing spots, allowing him to move up the bear hierarchy.

Both Backpack and Bucky still have not reached full size, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them battling for the Fat Bear Week title for years to come.

science backpack before and after
science bucky dent before and after

Bear #132 and her cubs vs. Bear #910

Before you ask, yes, not all bears at Katmai get official nicknames. Katmai officials explain: “A designated Bear Monitor observes the bears, notes their physical characteristics, and tracks their behavioral habits. If an adult or subadult bear is seen utilizing the Brooks River on three separate occasions in a single monitoring season, the bear will be assigned a 3-digit ID number.”

So the regulars all get numbers, and nicknames can be used, but the National Parks Service doesn’t encourage the practice to avoid humanizing the bears. That all being said, Bear #132 and Bear #910 do have unofficial nicknames given by fans: Bear #132 is sometimes called Spaghetti by fans because she had three “meatballs” (cubs) this year and Bear #910 gets called Dancing Queen for her signature head toss.

science 17 Jul 2026: 132's Intrepid Cub Finds Their Family! (explore.org) thumbnail

17 Jul 2026: 132’s Intrepid Cub Finds Their Family! (explore.org)

Mama Bear #132 boasts one of Fat Bear Week 2026’s most compelling stories. She faced challenges this summer when one of her spring cubs separated from the family. Bear #132 emerged from slumber this year with three spring cubs, her fourth known litter. Around mid-July, one of her cubs somehow ended up on its own and was later spotted wandering the Brooks River area unaccompanied. The cub tried approaching other families, only to be chased away or ignored.

Cubs without a mother’s protection face numerous threats—attacks from other bears, starvation, and more life-threatening risks. Bear #132’s cub managed to survive and reunited with its family after several days alone.

You can recognize 132 by the inverted V pattern above her muzzle on her forehead. This is her first year competing in Fat Bear Week.

Not to be outdone with captivating stories, Bear #910 has her own. In 2022, 910 blended her family with her sister Bear #909’s family. In the process, she adopted her sister’s 2.5-year-old female yearling cub (a 1- to 2-year-old cub still with its mother), while she herself had a spring cub (a first-year cub that was born over the winter and emerges in the spring). Adoptions like these are exceptionally rare in the wild, and it is believed to be only the second such adoption at Katmai. 

“910 separated from that litter in late spring 2025,” explore.org says of 910. “Since then, she’s lived alone and has used the opportunity to fish where and when she wants. She can fish successfully throughout much of the river including the lip of Brooks Falls. She can be recognized there by her peculiar and frequent head lifts, a quirk of movement that she does not do anywhere else.”

Bear #910 has somewhat short ears and a prominent brow ridge. She made her Fat Bear Week debut in 2025.

science bear 132 before and after
science bear 910 before and after

Voting opens at 12pm EDT and ends at 9pm EDT (9am-6pm PDT, 8am-5pm AKDT) at explore.org.

Correction: An earlier version of this story had the incorrect age of Backpack. We regret the error.

 

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Robot dog runs a marathon faster than the average human, all on a single charge

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Robot dog runs a marathon faster than the average human, all on a single charge

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science a four legged robot running in a race. it has a green and white race bib with the number 42004 on it

Unlike a real dog, RAIBO2 won’t overheat.


Image: KAIST/Nature

Engineers in South Korea created a first-of-its-kind robot dog capable of completing a marathon faster than many humans, and it did it all on a single charge. The quadruped, called RAIBO2, ran the 26.2-mile course in the Sangju Dried Persimmon Marathon in Korea in 2024, but details about the event and the robot were recently published in the journal Nature. Custom-built with energy efficiency in mind, RAIBO2 finished the course (with the help of some remote human controllers) in 4 hours, 19 minutes, and 52 seconds. 

To put that speed in perspective, the global average time for humans to complete a marathon is around 4 hours and 32 minutes, though elite athletes finish much faster. The current world record held by Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe is 1 hour and 59 minutes. But that’s for humans. 

A real dog would overheat long before reaching the finish line. What’s maybe most remarkable, though, is that RAIBO2 finished the race with more than a third of its battery still in the tank. And it did it all  while averaging 5.9 miles per hour, roughly the pace of a brisk jog for most casual runners.

science Sangju marathon: RAIBO2'S run thumbnail

Sangju marathon: RAIBO2’S run

Teaching RAIBO2 to run, one gentle step at a time

Driverless cars and other wheeled robots can complete a marathon relatively easily. That gets much tougher,  when the wheels are swapped for legs. Legged robots don’t just expend energy moving forward; they also have to constantly support their own body weight and make up for energy lost with every step. According to the team that built RAIBO2, previous existing quadrupeds had a maximum range of around 12 miles. That’s  a problem for robot dogs meant for search-and-rescue missions or other jobs that may require traveling long distances, such as resupplying soldiers on a battlefield.

To solve that problem, the team stepped back and designed a robot with energy efficiency as its guiding principle. They started by making its limbs much lighter. Next, they custom-designed a more efficient, lower-resistance motor board. Besides improving efficiency, the new board also freed up space for a bigger, longer-lasting battery with 2,016 watt-hours of capacity.  

The team also changed how RAIBO2 moves. Much like coaching a real dog, they used reinforcement learning in a computer simulation, rewarding the robot every time it set its feet down softly without slipping or overheating. The result is a consistent, steady gait that’s also relatively gentle. 

RAIBO2 could have simply proven itself in a lab. However, its creators decided to take things a step further and test it out in the real world, alongside human runners on a challenging course. The winding route features  938 feet of total elevation change and can get slippery in certain places. Even with those hurdles, RAIBO2 finished without crashing or bursting into flames, something other running robots have struggled with in recent years. 

RAIBO2 completed the marathon with a cost of transport of .25. This metric, commonly used in robotics, measures how much energy it takes to move a given weight over a given distance. The lower the number, the greater the robot’s energy efficiency. RAIBO2’s  .25 figure is significant because it is lower than the cost of transport for an average human runner, which the researchers put at .37. They also say RAIBO2 is the first robot to outperform humans on that measurement. 

The quadruped notably couldn’t do all that efficient marathon running on its own. A camera mounted on its head beamed the route ahead to a human operator, who steered RAIBO2 to make sure it didn’t veer off course. Building a robot that can complete the race fully autonomously would require much more computing power, which would in turn drain the battery and cut into its overall range. 

Caveats aside, the robot still marks a technical advance and may push engineers to rethink what’s possible for robot range. For that, it deserves some sort of treat, or at least a pat on its metal back. 

 

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Why Stream Counts Don’t Tell the Full Story of Music Marketing Performance

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Why Stream Counts Don’t Tell the Full Story of Music Marketing Performance

Albums

Albums albums music marketing performance stream counts now listen pr

Albums There is one number almost every artist checks the morning after a campaign launches. It sits at the top of the Spotify for Artists dashboard, updates in near real-time and has become the industry’s default shorthand for whether a release is working. The problem? It’s the wrong number and the music industry has become obsessed with it.

This article comes from Now Listen PR, a partner of DMN.

At Now Listen PR, we build bespoke digital promotion campaigns for independent artists and major-label acts. Across the industry, we see the same pattern repeatedly: one release generates impressive streaming numbers but little lasting commercial value, while another achieves a fraction of those streams yet builds an audience that converts into followers, ticket buyers and long-term listeners.

The difference isn’t the stream count. It’s the quality of the audience behind it.That principle sits at the heart of every campaign we build: focusing not simply on the number at the top of the dashboard, but on creating genuine audience growth that carries value beyond a single release.

A stream is a thirty-second event. It confirms that audio was played, not that anyone engaged with it. Stream counts measure reach at its most passive, they are a starting point for analysis, not a conclusion.

Spotify itself has started to reflect this. When the platform introduced its Campaign Lift metric for Discovery Mode, it organised results into three categories: audience growth, long-term engagement (saves, playlist adds and intent rate) and streams. Streams came last. The industry is catching up to what experienced campaign teams have known for years: the number at the top of the dashboard is the least informative one on the page.

Key takeaways

  • Stream counts measure passive reach, not fan development or commercial value
  • Save rate, follower growth and algorithmic triggers are stronger indicators of campaign quality
  • Playlist placement only matters if the downstream listener behaviour supports it
  • A three-area framework covering Reach, Engagement and Conversion gives a complete picture of what a campaign actually achieved
  • The right question to ask your campaign team is not “how many streams?” but “did this build real fans?”

The Vanity Metric Problem in Music Marketing

The streaming era created a convenient illusion: that popularity could be measured by a single number. Labels, distributors and playlist services leaned into it. Pitch decks cite stream totals. Press releases lead with them. Artists benchmark themselves against their peers.

But anyone who has worked in music marketing for more than a few years will recognise the same pattern: one artist finishes a campaign with 200,000 streams yet cannot fill a 100-capacity venue. Another generates 40,000 streams and sells out every show in their city.

The difference isn’t the number. It’s the quality of the audience behind it.

Streams can be inflated by several factors that have nothing to do with genuine listener interest:

  • Playlist placement without listener fit. A track placed on a large, genre-adjacent playlist may generate thousands of streams from listeners who would never seek the artist out independently. The numbers look credible; the audience development does not exist.
  • Skip-heavy listening. Spotify counts a stream after thirty seconds. A listener who skips at thirty-one seconds registers identically to one who plays the track on repeat. The raw total does not distinguish between them.
  • Untargeted paid social traffic. Broad ad targeting can drive streams from listeners with no affinity for the genre or the sound. Cost-per-stream can appear efficient while the underlying audience is entirely wrong.

“The question is not how many people heard the track. The question is how many of them came back.”

None of this means streaming activity is irrelevant. It means stream totals, read in isolation, are an unreliable proxy for campaign performance. The metrics that matter sit one layer deeper.

A Better Framework: Reach, Engagement, Conversion

A more useful approach to campaign reporting organises metrics into three areas. Each area asks a different question about what the campaign actually achieved.

albums music marketing performance stream counts now listen pr

Area 1: Reach – did this find the right listeners?

Reach metrics tell you whether the campaign delivered the track to an audience with genuine potential. The metrics worth tracking here include:

  • Unique listeners vs. total streams. A high stream-to-listener ratio suggests repeat listening. A low ratio can indicate streams are concentrated among a small group or driven by a single playlist source.
  • Listener source breakdown. Spotify for Artists shows where streams originate: editorial playlists, algorithmic playlists, artist profiles and external sources. A campaign that drives listeners directly to an artist profile is worth more than one that funnels them through a playlist they will never return to.
  • Geographic distribution. If the campaign targeted a specific territory, the listener data should reflect it. Streams concentrated in markets with no commercial relevance to the artist point to a targeting problem.

Area 2: Engagement – did those listeners care?

This is where most campaign reports fall short. Engagement metrics are the clearest signal of genuine fan development.

  • Save rate (saves per stream): intent to return. A listener who saves a track is actively choosing to hear it again.
  • Follower growth during campaign: the long-term relationship signal. Followers receive Release Radar updates automatically.
  • Listener-to-follower conversion rate: how many new listeners became committed followers of the artist.
  • Algorithmic playlist triggers: whether Discover Weekly, Release Radar or Radio activated, which requires genuine engagement signals to occur.

Save rate remains consistently underused as a benchmark. Campaign teams should treat it as a primary performance signal, not an afterthought.

In one recent EDM-leaning independent artist campaign we ran, a tightly targeted push generated 18,400 streams with a 10.2% save rate. Within six weeks, the track had been added to multiple algorithmic playlists, including Discover Weekly, while monthly listeners continued to climb after paid activity ended.

By contrast, a broader pop campaign for a similar-tier artist prioritised volume and generated 62,000 streams with a 2.8% save rate. Algorithmic lift was negligible, and streaming declined sharply once digital ad spend stopped.

The arithmetic is straightforward. A campaign generating 50,000 streams at a 2% save rate produces 1,000 saves. At 20,000 streams and an 8% save rate, that figure rises to 1,600. The second campaign may look smaller on the surface, but it has generated 60% more direct signals of listener intent.

Spotify’s own data points in the same direction: playlist adds and saves are associated with increased subsequent listening, reinforcing why engagement quality deserves greater weight when assessing campaign performance.

Area 3: Conversion – did any of this translate into real-world value?

Conversion is where music marketing connects to commercial outcomes and it is the area most consistently absent from campaign reports. Metrics to track include:

  • Social following growth across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube during the campaign period
  • SmartLink or pre-save click-through rates, showing how many listeners moved from passive streaming to active engagement with the artist’s wider presence
  • Ticket sales or merchandise revenue in the weeks following a campaign, particularly in markets where promotion was concentrated

Not every campaign will produce measurable data across all of these areas, but tracking even two or three alongside stream totals changes the reporting conversation entirely.

What Good Playlist Placement Actually Looks Like

Playlist promotion is one of the most misunderstood elements of a streaming campaign and it is worth addressing specifically because it is where stream inflation most commonly occurs.

Not all playlist placements carry the same value. A Spotify editorial placement such as New Music Friday is significant because it reflects a direct curatorial decision by the platform and can deliver substantial exposure. Algorithmic placements such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar tell a different story. They are driven by recommendation systems responding to listener behaviour and relevance signals, making them a useful indicator that a track is generating engagement beyond the initial campaign push.

Independently curated playlists sit in a more complex position. A placement on a well-followed, genre-specific playlist with a genuinely engaged audience can be a valuable source of discovery. By contrast, placement on a broad, catch-all playlist with weak engagement may increase stream counts without building fans or meaningful long-term listenership.

The signals that distinguish quality placement

When evaluating playlist results, the metrics that matter are not the follower counts of the playlists themselves but the downstream listener behaviour they produce:

  • Do listeners who arrive from a given playlist go on to follow the artist?
  • Do they save the track?
  • Do they return to the artist profile and stream other songs?

A placement that drives 5,000 streams with a 6% save rate and measurable profile visits is worth significantly more than one that drives 15,000 streams with a 1% save rate and no profile activity. The first placement found real listeners. The second found passive exposure.

This listener behaviour data is available within Spotify for Artists and should be a standard part of any post-campaign review, not an optional extra.

The Question Every Artist Should Ask Their Campaign Team

Campaign reporting in music has a structural problem. The metrics that are easiest to measure are not the ones that matter most. Stream totals update daily and are visible to everyone. Save rates require a platform login. Follower conversion rates require someone to calculate them. Ticket sales data sits in an entirely separate system.

This creates a structural incentive to default to the accessible number, even when the limitations of that number are well understood by everyone involved.

The shift required is not a technical one. It is a change in the question being asked. Instead of “how many streams did we get?”, the more useful question is: “did this campaign build a real audience?”

That question demands a different kind of post-campaign review, one that examines saves, follower growth, algorithmic triggers and cross-platform performance alongside stream totals. It connects campaign activity to commercial outcomes in a way that stream counts alone never can.

Stream-count-only reporting Reach–Engagement–Conversion reporting
Metric focus Total streams Unique listeners, save rate, follower growth, listener-to-follower conversion, social growth, ticket/merch revenue
What it tells you How many times the track was played for 30+ seconds Whether the right people heard it, whether they cared, and whether any of it turned into real fans or revenue
Risk of over-reliance High – can be inflated by poor playlist fit, skips, or broad targeting while producing almost no lasting commercial value Low – forces teams to measure quality of audience and actual business outcomes

The reporting standard worth adopting breaks down as follows:

  • Reach: total streams, unique listeners, listener source breakdown and geographic distribution
  • Engagement: save rate, follower growth, algorithmic playlist triggers and listener-to-follower conversion
  • Conversion: social growth, SmartLink data and any measurable real-world outcomes

Most of the data is already there, across Spotify for Artists, Apple Music for Artists and the native dashboards of the paid social platforms used throughout a campaign. What matters is having the discipline to analyse all of it, rather than defaulting to the biggest number on the page.

Better questions lead to better campaigns and better campaigns build careers.

About the Author

James Plimmer is Managing Director of Now Listen PR, a UK-based music marketing agency specialising in bespoke digital promotion campaigns for independent artists and major-label releases.

10 Nail-Biting Espionage Operations of the Cold War

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10 Nail-Biting Espionage Operations of the Cold War

Tv

Espionage existed long before the Cold War, but the decades-long standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union transformed it into a contest of cryptanalysis, surveillance, deception, and increasingly sophisticated technology. The operations from this period have inspired countless books and movies… or at least the operations we know about.

Many remained classified for decades, and some may never be fully understood. Others succeeded even though enemy agents knew about them from the beginning. In almost every case, the real story proved more intriguing than the fiction it inspired.

Related: Ten Ancient Tales of Spies and Espionage

Tv 10 The Venona Project

Venona Project: How The US Cracked Top Secret Soviet Codes

The Venona Project was a U.S. Army Signal Intelligence Service operation launched during World War II and later continued by the National Security Agency. Its original purpose was to examine encrypted Soviet diplomatic communications, but the messages soon revealed extensive Soviet espionage activity. The program officially ran from February 1943 until 1980.

American cryptologists required nearly two years to make their first major breakthrough. Soviet intelligence services had accidentally reused pages from supposedly unbreakable one-time pads, giving analysts the opening they needed. Even then, the work was painstaking. Names were often replaced with cover names, messages were incomplete, and analysts sometimes spent years identifying a single person.

Venona eventually provided evidence about Soviet intelligence networks operating inside the United States and other Western countries. Its decrypts helped corroborate investigations involving Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and revealed Soviet attempts to obtain information about the Manhattan Project. Approximately 3,000 translated messages were ultimately released to the public beginning in 1995.[1]

Tv 9 Operation Gold

The Cold War’s Most Infamous Spy Tunnel

Operation Gold, better known as the Berlin Spy Tunnel, was one of the most ambitious early espionage operations undertaken by the CIA and the British Secret Intelligence Service. Beginning in 1953, the two agencies planned to dig beneath divided Berlin and tap underground cables carrying Soviet military communications.

The completed tunnel stretched almost 1,500 feet (457 meters) from Berlin’s American sector into the Soviet-controlled eastern sector. From May 1955 until April 1956, Western intelligence teams used it to record around 50,000 reels containing approximately 450,000 telephone conversations. Translators continued processing the enormous collection for years.

Unknown to the CIA, the Soviets had known about the operation since its planning stages. British intelligence officer George Blake was secretly working for the KGB and had warned Moscow about the tunnel. Rather than expose Blake, the Soviets allowed the operation to continue before arranging its apparent accidental discovery in April 1956. Their propaganda effort backfired, as much of the international press responded by admiring the tunnel’s audacity and technical ingenuity.[2]

Tv 8 The Farewell Operation

The Farewell Dossier | How the CIA Made the Soviets Destroy Their Own Pipeline

In 1981, French intelligence received an extraordinary offer from Vladimir Vetrov, a KGB officer assigned to evaluate intelligence stolen from Western scientific and technological programs. Disillusioned with the Soviet system, Vetrov agreed to provide France with classified material under the code name “Farewell.”

Over the following months, Vetrov photographed and supplied around 4,000 KGB documents. Together, they exposed a vast Soviet program dedicated to acquiring Western technology through spies, recruited sources, and front organizations. The material identified hundreds of intelligence officers and agents involved in the effort and revealed which technologies the Soviet Union was most determined to obtain.

French president François Mitterrand informed U.S. president Ronald Reagan about the source, and the intelligence was shared with the CIA. Western governments responded by expelling or neutralizing Soviet operatives and tightening controls around sensitive technology. Vetrov was eventually arrested by Soviet authorities after an unrelated violent incident. His espionage remained undiscovered at first, but he was later convicted of treason and executed in 1985.[3]

Tv 7 Operation Tamarisk

Operation Tamarisk: How Western Spies Exposed Soviet Secrets from Trash

Some Cold War agents relied on hidden cameras, miniature transmitters, and elaborate disguises. The operatives involved in Operation Tamarisk relied on gloves, plastic bags, and a willingness to search through Soviet garbage.

Western military liaison missions were officially stationed in East Germany to maintain contact with Soviet forces, but they also gathered intelligence whenever opportunities arose. British, American, and French personnel followed Soviet military exercises, photographed equipment, and searched abandoned encampments for anything soldiers had discarded.

Paper was often scarce among Soviet troops, so classified documents, training notes, and military manuals sometimes ended up being used as toilet paper. Because the paper did not dissolve, Western agents could retrieve it from makeshift latrines and piece the fragments together. Other searches uncovered discarded documents containing information about weapons, military exercises, unit morale, and new Soviet equipment. The unpleasant practice became known as “tamarisking” and turned what looked like worthless refuse into a surprisingly productive source of intelligence.[4]

Tv 6 Operation Solo

Operation SOLO: How the FBI’s Top Spy Became the Kremlin’s Most Honored Communist

Operation Solo began with an unlikely pair of agents: Morris and Jack Childs, two brothers who had spent much of their lives inside the American communist movement. Morris had once held an influential position in the Communist Party USA, but poor health and an internal power struggle pushed him out of the organization. The FBI later persuaded both brothers to become informants.

With the bureau’s assistance, Morris restored his health and rebuilt his standing in the party. By 1958, he had become a trusted courier between American communist leaders and officials in Moscow and Beijing. His access allowed him to meet senior communist figures, carry messages, and transport Soviet financial support—all while secretly reporting to the FBI.

For nearly two decades, the brothers supplied information about Soviet intentions, communist finances, international party disputes, and the growing division between the Soviet Union and China. Every trip carried the risk that Morris would be searched, followed, or exposed by someone who remembered his earlier fall from favor. Operation Solo officially ended in 1977 without the Soviet Union discovering that one of its trusted American contacts had been reporting to the FBI.[5]

Tv 5 The Hunt for Aldrich Ames

The Most Damaging Mole in the CIA

Aldrich Ames spent his career searching for Soviet spies inside the United States. Unfortunately for the CIA, he eventually became one himself. Ames joined the agency in 1962 and specialized in Soviet intelligence operations, giving him access to some of America’s most sensitive secrets.

In April 1985, Ames secretly approached officials at the Soviet embassy in Washington, D.C., and offered them classified information. He was soon paid $50,000 and began identifying Soviet officials who had been recruited by the CIA and FBI. His betrayal compromised more than 100 American intelligence operations and contributed to the deaths of 10 American assets.

The CIA knew it had a mole but struggled to find him. Ames’s extravagant spending eventually attracted attention because his lifestyle far exceeded his government salary. The FBI opened an investigation in 1993, placing him under intensive physical and electronic surveillance. Agents watched him leave signals for his Russian handlers and followed him to a meeting in Bogotá. Ames and his wife were arrested in February 1994, ending a betrayal that had lasted nearly a decade.[6]

Tv 4 The U-2 Spy Plane Incident

Gary Powers Shoot Down and the U2 Spy Incident – The Cold War DOCUMENTARY

On May 1, 1960, CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers took off in a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft for a secret flight across the Soviet Union. His mission was to photograph military facilities before landing in Norway. The operation came only days before an important summit in Paris, where American and Soviet leaders were supposed to discuss nuclear weapons and worsening Cold War tensions.

The U-2 could fly above 70,000 feet (21,336 meters). Although Soviet radar could detect it, American officials believed it flew beyond the effective reach of Soviet interceptors and surface-to-air missiles. That assumption ended when a Soviet missile struck Powers’s aircraft near Sverdlovsk. He survived his parachute descent and was captured along with the plane’s camera equipment.

The United States initially announced that a civilian weather aircraft had disappeared after its pilot experienced problems with his oxygen equipment. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev waited until the cover story had been released before revealing that Powers was alive and in Soviet custody. President Dwight D. Eisenhower acknowledged the espionage mission, but he refused to apologize for it. The Paris summit collapsed, and Powers was later exchanged for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in 1962.[7]

Tv 3 Operation RYAN

Operation RYAN — The KGB Plan That Nearly Ended The World | Documentary

In 1981, Soviet intelligence services began Operation RYAN, an enormous effort to detect preparations for a surprise American nuclear attack. Its name came from a Russian acronym meaning “nuclear missile attack.” KGB and military intelligence officers stationed around the world were ordered to watch the United States and its allies for signs that a first strike was approaching.

Some of the supposed warning signs were surprisingly ordinary. Agents monitored government buildings for unusual nighttime activity, watched the movements of senior political and military leaders, and looked for changes in blood supplies, civil defense preparations, and communications. The problem was that these indicators could make routine Western activity appear threatening.

The danger became particularly severe during Able Archer 83, a NATO exercise simulating the escalation from conventional fighting to nuclear war. Soviet leaders feared the exercise might be disguising preparations for a real attack, while Operation RYAN encouraged intelligence officers to search for evidence supporting that fear. Soviet forces took unusual precautions, increasing the risk that a training exercise or misunderstood signal could produce a genuine confrontation between the nuclear powers.[8]

Tv 2 Operation Ivy Bells

The Secret Mission to Tap Soviet Undersea Cables – Operation Ivy Bells

During the early 1970s, the United States learned that a Soviet underwater communications cable connected major naval facilities in the Sea of Okhotsk. Because the Soviet government considered the sea secure, many of the conversations carried by the cable were not heavily encrypted. The problem was reaching it without being discovered.

The nuclear-powered submarine USS Halibut secretly entered Soviet-controlled waters and searched the seafloor for the cable. Divers then left the submarine hundreds of feet below the surface and installed a listening device around it. The equipment did not cut or penetrate the cable, making its presence difficult to detect. It recorded communications that American intelligence agencies later collected and analyzed.

For years, submarines returned to retrieve recordings and maintain the equipment. The operation provided information about Soviet naval activities and weapons while requiring American crews to work deep inside waters patrolled by enemy ships. The operation ended after former National Security Agency employee Ronald Pelton sold information about it to the Soviet Union. Soviet forces eventually located and removed the device, ending one of the Cold War’s most daring eavesdropping operations.[9]

Tv 1 Project Azorian

How the CIA Stole a Russian Submarine

In 1968, the Soviet ballistic-missile submarine K-129 disappeared in the Pacific Ocean with its entire crew. Soviet forces searched extensively but could not locate the wreck. The United States eventually found it approximately 1,800 miles (2,897 kilometers) northwest of Hawaii, resting around 16,500 feet (5,029 meters) beneath the surface.

Recovering the submarine could give the United States access to Soviet missiles, codebooks, communications equipment, and other intelligence. However, no ship existed that could secretly lift such a massive object from more than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) underwater. The CIA therefore built one. The Hughes Glomar Explorer was publicly presented as a commercial vessel designed by billionaire Howard Hughes to mine manganese nodules from the seafloor. Its real purpose was to lower an enormous mechanical claw around the wreck and pull it into a concealed compartment.

In 1974, the ship began the recovery while Soviet vessels watched from nearby. The cover story held, but part of the submarine broke away during the lift and plunged back to the ocean floor. The CIA still recovered a portion of the wreck, including the bodies of six Soviet sailors, who were given a formal burial at sea. Although the mission achieved only part of its objective, the fact that the CIA had designed and operated an enormous ship to steal a submarine from beneath Soviet surveillance made Project Azorian one of the most audacious espionage operations of the Cold War.[10]


fact checked by Darci Heikkinen


Himanshu Sharma

Himanshu has written for sites like Cracked, Screen Rant, The Gamer and Forbes. He could be found shouting obscenities at strangers on Twitter, or trying his hand at amateur art on Instagram.

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JCB, MNC Bank, and Kawasaki Motor Indonesia Launch Three New Credit Card Products in Indonesia

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JCB, MNC Bank, and Kawasaki Motor Indonesia Launch Three New Credit Card Products in Indonesia

Culture

JCB, MNC Bank, and Kawasaki Motor Indonesia Launch Three New Credit Card Products in Indonesia

TOKYO & JAKARTA, Sept 28, 2026 – (JCN Newswire) – JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., (“JCB”) Japan’s only international payment brand, and PT Bank MNC Internasional Tbk (“MNC Bank”) and PT Kawasaki Motor Indonesia (“Kawasaki Motor Indonesia”) announced the launch of three new credit card products in Indonesia.

The three credit cards are designed to meet customers’ diverse modern lifestyle needs — from everyday transaction convenience to exclusive privileges for Kawasaki enthusiasts. By combining MNC Bank’s banking service network, JCB’s global payment network, and the Kawasaki Motor Indonesia ecosystem, these products are designed to offer an experience that goes beyond an ordinary credit card.

Product Features & Benefits

MNC JCB Ultimate

  • Annual fee waived for the first 3 (three) years
  • Cashback of up to Rp200,000 per transaction*
  • MNC Pay installment facility with low interest rates
  • Cash advance facility
  • 0% installment program for online (e-commerce) transactions at participating merchants
  • Contactless card with a maximum transaction amount of Rp1,000,000
  • Access to various exclusive privileges and discounts across the JCB global network 
    * Subject to applicable terms and conditions.

MNC JCB Precious

  • Annual fee waived for the first 3 (three) years
  • MNC Pay installment facility with low interest rates
  • Cash advance facility
  • 0% installment program for online (e-commerce) transactions at participating merchants
  • Contactless card with a maximum transaction amount of Rp1,000,000
  • Access to various exclusive privileges and discounts across the JCB global network

MNC Kawasaki JCB Precious Card

  • Annual fee waived for the first 3 (three) years
  • Complimentary towing service valued at Rp500,000 per year for Kawasaki motorcycles
  • 10% discount on spare parts purchases (excluding service charges) at participating Kawasaki Motor Indonesia dealers
  • MNC Pay installment facility with low interest rates
  • Cash advance facility
  • 0% installment program for online (e-commerce) transactions at participating merchants
  • Contactless card with a maximum transaction amount of Rp1,000,000
  • Access to various exclusive privileges and discounts across the JCB global network

Yo Sato, President Director of PT JCB International Indonesia said, “JCB is committed to continuously expanding its strategic partner ecosystem in Indonesia to provide seamless transaction experiences for JCB Cardmembers worldwide. Our partnership with MNC Bank and Kawasaki Motor Indonesia is a tangible step toward delivering a distinctly Japanese transaction experience — one that emphasizes hospitality, precision, and exclusive value.”

Lukito Adisubrata, Director of PT Bank MNC Internasional Tbk said, “MNC Bank continues to innovate by delivering banking products that are relevant to customers’ needs. Our collaboration with JCB, the international payment brand from Japan, and Kawasaki Motor Indonesia strengthens MNC Bank’s commitment to providing greater value to customers through a strong and trusted partner ecosystem.”

Hitoshi Inoue, Director, PT Kawasaki Motor Indonesia said, “The MNC Kawasaki JCB Precious Card is a meaningful expression of appreciation to the Kawasaki community in Indonesia. Through this card, Kawasaki motorcycle owners can enjoy not only payment convenience but also tangible benefits such as complimentary towing service and discounts on genuine spare parts, making every journey with Kawasaki even more rewarding.”

All three credit card products are available for application through MNC Bank branches and its official digital platforms. MNC Bank, JCB, and Kawasaki Motor Indonesia remain committed to delivering innovative products that meet the dynamic lifestyle needs of consumers in Indonesia.

ENDS

About MNC Bank

PT Bank MNC Internasional Tbk (IDX: BABP), or MNC Bank, is a subsidiary of MNC Kapital providing complete and integrated banking services.

MNC Bank offers digital and conventional banking products and services, including savings products, loan facilities, debit and credit cards, treasury, trade finance, and RDN, focusing on consumer, wholesale, and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) segments. MNC Bank also provides digital banking services through the MotionBank application and continues to innovate to achieve its vision of becoming the bank of the future based on the latest technology.

Contact:
Edward Kennetze
Corporate Secretary
Tel: +62-21-2980-5555
Email: [email protected]

About Kawasaki Motor Indonesia

PT Kawasaki Motor Indonesia (KMI) is the official manufacturer and sole brand-holding agent for Kawasaki motorcycles in Indonesia. The company was established in 1994, KMI business focuses on two-wheeled vehicles under the Kawasaki brand, with first production starting in March 1995, followed by unit sales, spare parts distribution, and after-sales service facilities. The company’s operations combine motorcycle assembly with local component manufacturing, and its production capacity reaches around 150,000 units per year. For more information please visit : www.kawasaki-motor.co.id

Contact
Michael C. Tanadhi
Department Head, Sales Promotion
Tel: +62 21 388 88004
Email: [email protected]

About JCB

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 72 million merchants around the world. JCB Cards are now issued mainly in Asian countries and territories, with more than 181 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase its merchant coverage and cardmember base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/

Contact
Anna Takeda
Corporate Communications
Tel: +81-3-5778-8353
Email: [email protected]

Source: JCB
Sectors: Cards & Payments, Daily Finance, Daily News, Banking & Insurance, Local Biz, FinTech

Copyright ©2026 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Japan Corporate News Network.

The Americas are making progress in health but must accelerate action on emerging challenges, says PAHO Director

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The Americas are making progress in health but must accelerate action on emerging challenges, says PAHO Director

Health

At the opening of the 63rd Directing Council, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa highlighted the Region’s public health gains, called for stronger regional cooperation, and underscored priorities including primary health care, vaccination, digital health and emergency preparedness.

Washington, D.C., September 28, 2026 (PAHO) – Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa today highlighted the progress countries across the Americas have made in areas including primary health care, immunization, digital health and disease elimination, and called for accelerated action to address persistent and emerging challenges across the Region.

Speaking at the opening of the 63rd Directing Council, which brings together Ministers of Health and other senior health authorities from across the Americas in Washington, D.C., Dr. Barbosa said the Americas continue to serve as a model for other regions of the world in public health, building on more than 120 years of joint efforts to prevent disease, strengthen health systems and protect populations.

health Dr. Jarbas Barbosa at the opening session of the 63rd Directing Council

The opening session of the Directing Council also featured Lisa Cummins, Minister of Health and Wellness of Barbados and outgoing President of the Directing Council; Jayanta Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States; Ilan Goldfajn, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); and Ambassador Steve Ferrol, Permanent Representative of Dominica and President of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS).

“In public health, success is often measured by what does not happen. There may be no dramatic headlines, but a life may be saved, a family spared, and a community protected because a disease was prevented or an outbreak contained,” he said.

Dr. Barbosa highlighted the continued efforts of countries to strengthen primary health care, improve vaccination, expand digital health, prevent and control outbreaks, reduce deaths from chronic diseases, and advance disease elimination.

However, he noted that the resurgence of measles is a reminder that the work is far from finished. He called for continued efforts to strengthen surveillance, vaccination and outbreak response, while accelerating progress in maternal, newborn, child and mental health and strengthening preparedness for public health emergencies.

He also called for continued focus on advancing universal health and addressing critical challenges, including the persistent shortage of health workers across the Region.

“This Directing Council provides a valuable opportunity to shape our collective response to these challenges and strengthen actions to improve health across the Region,” he said. “Lasting public health progress is not delivered to countries. It is built with countries. And it starts here.”

Health Financial sustainability of PAHO

Dr. Barbosa also drew attention to the Organization’s financial sustainability and the importance of timely and full payment of assessed contributions by Member States.

He recalled that Member States approved a 19% budget reduction last year and noted that, despite prioritization efforts, cost-containment measures and the strong mobilization of additional voluntary contributions, PAHO continues to face a funding gap for its core programs.

“This is not simply a budgetary challenge. It affects our ability to provide technical cooperation, respond to emerging health threats, and sustain essential operations across the Region,” he said.

The PAHO Director thanked the 31 Member States that have already made full or partial payments in 2026 and called on all countries to complete their contributions as soon as possible. He also thanked partners and donors for their support in advancing the Region’s health priorities.

Dr. Barbosa also highlighted the value of partnerships with development banks, foundations and other strategic partners in advancing regional priorities such as digital transformation and strengthening primary health care.

Health Key issues before the 63rd Directing Council

During the week, Member States will consider new strategies and action plans to strengthen public health in the Region, including measures related to health security and emergency management, antimicrobial resistance, and the prevention and control of arboviral diseases.

They will also consider a proposal to strengthen and harmonize PAHO’s Regional Revolving Funds, one of the Region’s key cooperation mechanisms for facilitating access to vaccines, medicines and other health technologies.

In addition, Member States will review the results of the 2020–2025 Strategic Plan and other matters related to the Organization’s priorities and governance.

At the conclusion of his remarks, Dr. Barbosa recalled that PAHO was founded on the conviction that the countries of the Americas are stronger when they work together, and called for continued innovation and cooperation to address the Region’s health challenges.

“And if there is one thing the history of public health in the Americas has taught us, it is that when we work together, we can make what seems impossible today a reality,” he concluded.

Health Quotes from other speakers at the opening session

Lisa Cummins, Minister of Health and Wellness of Barbados and outgoing President of the Directing Council: “PAHO is shared infrastructure for the Americas. We must fund it. We must invest in it. And we must protect it as such. We know what happens when that infrastructure is strong: a country facing an outbreak can draw on regional surveillance and expertise; a small health system can access medicines, technical support and training that it could not readily build up alone; and research conducted in one part of our Region can help save lives in another. The measure of regional solidarity and hemispheric capacity is when we build it together and keep it ready for the people who will need it.”

health Lisa Cummins, Minister of Health and Wellness of Barbados and outgoing President of the Directing Council

Lisa Cummins, Minister of Health and Wellness of Barbados and outgoing President of the Directing Council.

Jayanta Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): “The United States is reestablishing leadership in the Western Hemisphere. In health, that means working with countries across the Americas to build a stronger, healthier, and more resilient region, one better equipped to prevent disease, confront health threats close to their source, strengthen critical supply chains, and protect the health and security of our people. The United States is committed to extending investments and commercial partnerships across the Western Hemisphere, including sectors such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and food systems.”

health Jayanta Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Jayanta Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ambassador Steve Ferrol, Permanent Representative of Dominica and President of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS): “Ensuring that people can access essential health services is therefore not only a public health responsibility; it is an essential part of building resilient, secure, and prosperous societies. This is why health belongs at the center of our collective agenda in the Americas. Health policy and foreign policy are no longer separate conversations. The OAS stands ready to work with PAHO and with every Member State to advance this agenda.”

health Ambassador Steve Ferrol, Permanent Representative of Dominica and President of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS)

Ambassador Steve Ferrol, Permanent Representative of Dominica and President of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS)

Ilan Goldfajn, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): “The Americas face significant health challenges, including population aging, a growing burden of chronic and infectious diseases, persistent inequities in access to care, and limited public financing. No institution can address these challenges alone. That’s why our partnership with PAHO matters. PAHO brings technical leadership and a strong presence on the ground, while the IDB brings its capacity to mobilize financing and support reforms. Today, I want to highlight three areas where this cooperation can make a difference: primary health care, digital transformation, and access to medicines.”

health Ilan Goldfajn, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

Ilan Goldfajn, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

Health About the Directing Council

The Directing Council is one of the governing bodies of the Pan American Health Organization. It brings together health authorities from Member States to set policies, approve strategies and strengthen regional health cooperation.

Public sessions can be followed online through the PAHO governance portal.

From the 2-3-5 Pyramid to the WM: How Football Found Its Shape

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From the 2-3-5 Pyramid to the WM: How Football Found Its Shape

Premier League

Football formations have changed dramatically over the history of the game. The modern 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 and 3-4-3 may look familiar today, but football was once dominated by a formation that placed five forwards across the attacking line.

The 2-3-5 Pyramid was the defining tactical system of football’s early decades. It shaped the way teams attacked, defended and passed the ball before a major change to the offside law in 1925 forced managers to rethink how their teams were organised.

That tactical revolution produced the WM formation, most famously associated with Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman and England international Charlie Buchan. The WM helped establish the idea that football could be deliberately structured into different phases of attack and defence.

The Birth of the 2-3-5 Pyramid

In football’s earliest decades, there was little agreement about how eleven players should be organised. Teams experimented with heavily attacking systems, including formations with six, seven or even eight forwards.

As the game became more organised during the late 19th century, the 2-3-5 formation emerged as the dominant tactical system. Its shape was often described as a Pyramid because the players appeared to form increasingly wider lines as they moved towards the attack.

Two full-backs formed the defensive line, three half-backs operated in midfield and five forwards led the attack.

What Was the 2-3-5 Formation?

The traditional Pyramid consisted of:

Unlike many modern formations, the Pyramid was built around a clear attacking emphasis. Five players were positioned in the forward line, with the two inside-forwards operating between the wide players and the centre-forward.

Why Did Teams Play With Five Forwards?

Early football was fundamentally different from the modern game. Passing was developing, tactical systems were less sophisticated and the rules governing offside strongly influenced how attackers could position themselves.

The five-man forward line gave teams plenty of attacking options. Wingers could stretch the opposition while the inside-forwards linked play with the centre-forward.

The three half-backs were also crucial. Rather than being purely defensive midfielders in the modern sense, they were expected to support both sides of the game and help connect the back line with the forwards.

The development of combination play gradually changed how the Pyramid was used.

Instead of relying almost entirely on individual dribbling, teams increasingly used short passing and movement to progress the ball. Players began to understand that maintaining their positions could create passing options and space for teammates.

The formation therefore became more than a diagram on paper. It provided a framework for how players could combine with one another.

Premier League Football’s Great Tactical Problem: Offside

The Pyramid’s dominance was eventually challenged by one of football’s most important rules: offside.

Before 1925, an attacking player generally needed three opposing players between himself and the goal line to remain onside. The rule made it possible for defenders to push forward together and catch attackers offside.

Defensive teams became increasingly capable of using the offside trap to restrict attacking space. The Football Association subsequently introduced a major change for the 1925-26 season, reducing the requirement from three defending players to two.

The change had an immediate tactical impact. Attackers suddenly had more space behind the defensive line, forcing teams to reconsider how they protected the area in front of goal.

The 1925 Offside Law Changes Everything

The new law came into effect at the beginning of the 1925-26 season. At Highbury on 29 August 1925, Herbert Chapman took charge of Arsenal for the first time as Tottenham Hotspur visited in the opening game of the campaign.

It was an extraordinary moment in football history. Chapman was beginning his Arsenal reign, Charlie Buchan was making his debut for the club, and the new offside law was being used in competitive football for the first time.

Tottenham won the match 1-0, but the tactical consequences of the new law would prove far more significant than the result.

Herbert Chapman and the Search for a New Formation

Herbert Chapman was already one of the most innovative managers in English football. After winning major honours with Huddersfield Town, he moved to Arsenal in 1925 with the club looking for a transformation.

Chapman recognised that the new offside law created a tactical problem. If attackers could exploit the additional space, simply continuing to play the traditional 2-3-5 could leave teams vulnerable.

Charlie Buchan, the experienced England international who had joined Arsenal alongside Chapman, played an important role in developing the solution. The idea was to move the centre-half deeper and create a third defensive player who could organise the defence and operate the offside trap.

Chapman had also experimented with defensive adaptations during his time at Huddersfield, so the evolution of the system was not the work of one person alone. It was the product of managers and players adapting to a changing set of rules and tactical problems.

The Birth of the WM Formation

The solution was a dramatic reshaping of the Pyramid.

Instead of two full-backs and an advanced centre-half, the new system placed the centre-half deeper between the two full-backs. One of the inside-forwards also dropped deeper to provide a link between midfield and attack.

The resulting shape became known as the WM formation.

When represented on a tactics board, the defensive and midfield lines created the shape of a W, while the attacking players formed an M.

It could be described broadly as a 3-2-2-3 shape, although the exact positioning of players varied depending on how a particular team interpreted the system.

How the WM Worked

The great strength of the WM was that it provided greater defensive protection without completely abandoning the attacking principles of the Pyramid.

The deeper centre-half became a key defensive organiser. The two full-backs could defend more narrowly, while the half-backs had clearly defined responsibilities in front of them.

Further forward, one of the inside-forwards could drop into a linking role, helping connect midfield with the front three.

The system therefore created a much clearer division between defensive and attacking responsibilities.

Arsenal and the Tactical Revolution

Arsenal became the most famous British exponent of the WM under Chapman.

The club’s tactical development took time. The new system was refined through matches, player experimentation and changes in personnel. Herbert Roberts eventually became an important figure in the deep centre-half role, while players such as Alex James helped make the attacking structure work.

Arsenal eventually turned Chapman’s tactical ideas into trophies. The club won the FA Cup in 1930 and then the First Division title in 1930-31, establishing itself as one of the dominant forces in English football.

The move from 2-3-5 to WM was not simply a change of numbers. It represented a fundamental change in how football teams thought about space.

The Pyramid was heavily attack-oriented. The WM introduced a greater emphasis on defensive structure, positional discipline and the relationship between different areas of the pitch.

Over the following decades, the WM would itself evolve. Different countries and managers adapted the system, gradually producing formations such as 4-2-4 and 4-3-3.

Those systems would eventually lead to the tactical developments explored later in this series, from Catenaccio and Total Football to Tiki-Taka, pressing and positional play.

Why the 2-3-5 Pyramid Still Matters

The 2-3-5 may look strange to a modern football supporter, but many of the game’s basic positional concepts can be traced back to it.

The idea of using width, central combinations, midfield support and coordinated movement between different lines remains central to football today.

Most importantly, the story of the Pyramid shows that football formations are rarely permanent. Changes in the laws of the game, the qualities of players and the ideas of managers continually force teams to adapt.

What was the 2-3-5 formation?

The 2-3-5, also known as the Pyramid formation, used two full-backs, three half-backs and five forwards. It was the dominant formation in football during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Why was the 2-3-5 called the Pyramid?

The formation was called the Pyramid because of the way the players were arranged on the pitch, with two defenders, three half-backs and five forwards creating a pyramid-like shape.

What changed the 2-3-5 formation?

The 1925 change to the offside law was a major catalyst. The number of defending players required between an attacker and the goal was reduced from three to two, creating more attacking space and encouraging tactical changes.

Who developed the WM formation?

The WM formation is most closely associated with Herbert Chapman and Arsenal, although its development involved several players and tactical ideas rather than being the invention of one individual. Charlie Buchan played an important role in discussing the tactical response to the 1925 offside change.

What formation replaced the 2-3-5?

The 2-3-5 gradually evolved into systems including the WM and, later, formations such as 4-2-4 and 4-3-3. Football did not switch from one universal formation to another overnight; different systems coexisted and evolved in different countries and teams.

The journey from the 2-3-5 Pyramid to the WM was one of football’s first great tactical revolutions. But it was only the beginning.

In the next chapter of The Evolution of Football, we move into the tactical battles of the mid-20th century, exploring Catenaccio, Total Football and the revolutionary ideas that changed the relationship between attack and defence.

Explore The Evolution of Football series

The Northwest Territories invites 105 candidates to pursue nomination for permanent residence

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The Northwest Territories invites 105 candidates to pursue nomination for permanent residence

Pop culture

On September 25, the Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) invited 105 foreign workers to apply for territorial nomination.

Once nominated by the territory, a successful nominee can apply to the federal government for Canadian permanent residence (PR).

Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation

Nominees may be eligible for a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) after they submit their PR application.

Since June 9, 2026, nominees applying for PR from within Canada through a base PNP can apply for a BOWP months sooner, under a temporary federal measure that removes the need to first receive an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR).

Pop culture Draw details

The NTNP issued invitations to candidates with profile scores ranging from 317–492 under three pathways of its Employer-Driven Stream:

Pathway Invitations issued
Entry Level/Semi-Skilled 58
NWT Express Entry 26
Skilled Workers 21

Of these invitations, the NWT notes that 96 went to workers in Yellowknife, and eight to workers outside Yellowknife.

The NTNP considered 197 profiles for this draw, which was the last scheduled draw of 2026.

Over the course of 2026, the NTNP has invited a total of 353 candidates to apply for territorial nomination under the Employer-Driven Stream, distributed as follows:

Date of draw Invitations issued Invitations issued by pathway Profiles considered
September 25 105 Entry Level/Semi-Skilled: 58

NWT Express Entry: 26

Skilled Workers: 21

197
August 26 104 Entry Level/Semi-Skilled: 36

NWT Express Entry: 47

Skilled Workers: 21

260
June 25 79 Entry Level/Semi-Skilled: 19

NWT Express Entry: 40

Skilled Workers: 20

300
March 25 65 Entry Level/Semi-Skilled: 13

NWT Express Entry: 32

Skilled Workers: 20

295

Pop culture How to be considered under the NTNP’s Employer-Driven Stream

The NWT states on its Expression of Interest web page that its next draw under the Employer-Driven Stream will take place in early 2027, with the date to be confirmed in late 2026.

In late February 2026, the NTNP replaced the first-come, first-served intake model for its Employer-Driven Stream with an EOI system due to high demand.

Prospective candidates must now submit an EOI profile and are awarded points (max 845) across three areas:

  • Skills and experience (up to 375 points), including age, language ability, work experience, and education;
  • Connections to the NWT (up to 340 points), including current job or employment status, a trades job offer, or previous work experience in the territory; and
  • Likelihood of settling in the NWT (up to 130 points), based on factors such as family ties and previous post-secondary study in the territory.

A full breakdown of the points grid can be found here.

Because the stream is employer-driven, both the candidate and employer must take part in the process, which functions as follows:

  • The candidate obtains an eligible job offer from an in-territory employer.
  • The candidate and employer confirm that they meet the stream requirements.
  • The employer creates an account for the candidate through the NTNP portal under the Employer-Driven Stream.
  • The candidate completes and submits an EOI using the account credentials provided by the employer.

EOI profiles remain active in the pool for 12 months, after which they expire.

The Government of the Northwest Territories evaluates and scores all active profiles and periodically conducts draws in which it issues invitations to apply to candidates in the pool.

If selected in a draw, the candidate can advance to the nomination stage, with the employer submitting the application on their behalf.

The NTNP processes complete applications that it receives, and issues territorial nominations to successful applicants.

Applicants to the NTNP include both those who have been invited through the EOI system under the Employer-Driven Stream and applicants who apply directly through the Francophone Stream and Business Stream.

In August, the federal government increased the NTNP’s quota, authorizing it to nominate up to 300 successful applicants in 2026.

Prior to the increase, the NTNP’s annual quota was 197.

Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation

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Projected Thunder starting lineup and rotation as training camp opens

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Projected Thunder starting lineup and rotation as training camp opens

NBA

The Oklahoma CIty Thunder finished with the best record in the NBA last season and looked prime for another title run, but Victor Wembanyama and the ascendant Spurs knocked them off-course in the Western Conference Finals. That does not mean OKC is any less capable of going the distance in 2026-27, though, especially if health favors them.

Jalen Williams was oft-absent and limited last season. When healthy, he’s a top-20 player whose versatility unlocks OKC on both ends. This was an offseason of change for the Thunder, moving several rotation pieces in salary-dumping maneuvers, but no GM is better at backfilling depth than Sam Presti. He just keeps finding ready-made contributors in the NBA Draft. With all that said, let’s dive into the revamped Thunder depth chart.

Thunder projected starting lineup and depth chart

PG

SG

SF

PF

C

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Cason Wallace

Jalen Williams

Chet Holmgren

Isaiah Hartenstein

Ajay Mitchell

Jared McCain

Alex Caruso

Kenrich Williams

Jaylin Williams

Bennett Stirtz

Otega Oweh

Brooks Barnhizer

Aday Mara

Nikola Topić

Josh Dix

Thomas Sorber

Oklahoma City parted ways with Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort this offseason, all of whom played significant roles last year. Still, it’s hard to poke holes in this roster. First-round picks Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz arrive as highly accomplished rookies, while last season’s Jared McCain trade will continue to pay dividends.

This is probably the most established and cohesive starting five in the NBA. We know this lineup can execute at an extremely high level. Cason Wallace is nominally “replacing” Dort on the wing, but the fourth-year guard started 58 games last season; he has started in 114 of 227 appearances across three years in OKC. This is hardly unfamiliar territory for him.

OKC will dominate primarily on the defensive end, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the two-time reigning MVP — carries the offense. He’s the most skilled advantage-creator in the NBA, consistently able to penetrate, create rim pressure and generate scoring opportunities off of it. Jalen Williams might have another leap in him, too.

Any “concerns” about the OKC roster are nitpicky by nature, but the second unit does not have a ton of size beyond the center position. That creates challenges in a potential Spurs matchup, which could very well end up being the Western Conference Finals for a second straight year.

Thunder projected 10-man rotation

OKC’s depth is its superpower. All 14 players on a standard contract are players head coach Mark Daigneault can feel reasonably good about using in a pinch. OKC’s third- and fourth-string centers are top-15 picks. Nikola Topić, who’s probably at the bottom rung, is a former lottery pick held back by various health issues beyond his control. There’s an abundance of talent here.

Role

Name

Projected minutes

Starter

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

30-35 min

Starter

Cason Wallace

20-25 min

Starter

Jalen Williams

30-35 min

Starter

Chet Holmgren

25-30 min

Starter

Isaiah Hartenstein

25-30 min

6th man

Ajay Mitchell

25-30 min

7th man

Jared McCain

20 min

8th man

Alex Caruso

20 min

9th man

Jaylin Williams

20 min

10th man

Kenrich Williams

20 min

Ajay Mitchell is the X-factor for OKC. He was the best sixth man in the NBA last season and a few postseason struggles should not derail his ascent. With two of OKC’s top bench scorers out the door in Joe and Wiggins, Mitchell becomes even more important. He’s someone the Thunder will want to get on the floor early and often, with a potential closing role tied to his elite slash-and-pass skill set. He’s a stout defender, too, so he can survive important minutes in three-guard lineups, which the Thunder will deploy more frequently than most teams.

In the frontcourt, expect Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren to stagger at the five spot, with Jaylin Williams cleaning up the spare minutes (and playing in the occasional two-big lineup). OKC will no doubt want to get a look at their rookies, Mara and Sorber. Mara is an elite rim protector with nifty feel as a low-post passing hub. He profiles as the clear successor to Hartenstein down the road, although minutes are probably scarce as a rookie.

McCain and Alex Caruso will plug and play in a wide variety of lineups. Both can thrive off the ball offensively, while Caruso’s defensive versatility allows him to guard up a position or two as needed. McCain’s shooting unlocks a special sauce for this Thunder offense; it wouldn’t be the least bit shocking if he forces his way into a bigger role. Cason Wallace is the nominal starter for now, but Mitchell and McCain could both challenge for that spot as the season progresses.

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PAHO marks 50 years of strengthening health emergency preparedness and response in the Americas

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PAHO marks 50 years of strengthening health emergency preparedness and response in the Americas

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Washington, D.C., 28 September 2026 (PAHO) – When two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela in June 2026, health authorities and emergency responders faced an enormous test. Within hours, regional emergency coordination mechanisms were activated to support the national and international response. Almost immediately after, health facilities were being assessed, medical supplies were mobilized, and highly trained and self-sufficient Emergency Medical Teams from across the Region were ready to deploy.

Fifty years ago, only a handful of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean had dedicated personnel or plans to respond to health emergencies and disasters. In 1976, at the request of Ministries of Health, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) established its emergency preparedness and disaster response program.

“That decision was born from hard lessons. Major disasters across our Region—including the devastating earthquakes in Peru in 1970 and Guatemala in 1976—demonstrated the need for dedicated capacity to help countries prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies”, explained PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, during a ceremony commemorating the Program’s 50th anniversary at the 63rd PAHO Directing Council in Washington, D.C.

Today, countries across the Region have national health emergency programs, surveillance systems, emergency operations centers, trained health response teams, and mechanisms for requesting and coordinating international assistance when national capacities are exceeded.

“Preparedness is difficult to value until the moment it is needed. What we saw again this year is that the plans developed, people trained, and systems strengthened before an emergency made, once again, a profound difference when every minute counts,” said Ciro Ugarte, Director of PAHO’s Health Emergencies Department.

Medical A transformation built one crisis at a time

The 1985 earthquake in Mexico and the eruption of Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz accelerated regional efforts to reduce disaster risks and improve humanitarian health assistance. Repeated disasters also demonstrated the need for hospitals and other health facilities to remain operational when emergencies strike, eventually giving rise to initiatives such as Safe Hospitals and, later, to SMART Hospitals (safe and green).

Hurricanes and other disasters also exposed challenges in managing large quantities of humanitarian supplies. Experiences in the 1990s helped advance SUMA, a pioneering PAHO system that improved the management and traceability of emergency supplies through reliable information and later influenced humanitarian logistics beyond the Region.

New threats brought new lessons. The massive, often uncoordinated international medical response following Haiti’s 2010 earthquake helped drive common standards for Emergency Medical Teams, making medical assistance more predictable, timely, and accountable.

Biological threats drove another transformation. Influenza A(H1N1) in 2009, Zika and the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the importance of surveillance, scientific collaboration and regional cooperation, while accelerating capacities for early detection, including PAHO’s regional genomic surveillance network (PAHOGen) and enhanced epidemic intelligence.

Over time, PAHO’s work expanded beyond responding to emergencies to encompass prevention and risk reduction, preparedness, surveillance and early recovery. As national capacities have grown, so has the Region’s ability to mobilize expertise, trained teams and other resources across borders when countries need additional support.

Behind these advances are generations of health workers, emergency responders, epidemiologists, logisticians, national authorities, partners and communities who have built and sustained health emergency capacities across the Region.

“Fifty years of experience have taught us that every emergency also brings an opportunity to learn and improve for the next one,” Ugarte said. “Our responsibility is to turn those lessons into stronger national capacities to deal with current priorities and be ready when the next emergencies arrive.”

As PAHO marks 50 years of its Health Emergencies Program, the earthquakes and disease outbreaks of 2026 offer a stark reminder that the joint efforts between countries and PAHO in risk reduction, preparedness, and response to health emergencies save lives and protect the health of the people in the Americas.

PAHO Director’s Annual Report highlights health gains across the Americas despite growing challenges

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PAHO Director’s Annual Report highlights health gains across the Americas despite growing challenges

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Report highlights disease elimination milestones, progress in immunization and maternal health, and expanded access to medicines, while warning of the loss of the Region’s measles-free status and other health threats

Washington, D.C., September 28, 2026 (PAHO) – The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, presented his Annual Report today at the opening of the 63rd Directing Council, highlighting important health gains across the Americas despite a complex public health environment and increasing financial constraints.

Covering the period from July 2025 through June 2026, the report highlights progress in disease elimination, health security, immunization, maternal health, primary health care, access to essential medicines and health technologies, and the use of innovation to expand access to health services.

“These achievements show what is possible when we work together and why we must continue to build on that progress,” said Dr Barbosa.

Medical Countries advance toward disease elimination

Over the past year, countries and territories achieved important disease elimination milestones. Brazil and the Bahamas were validated as having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Turks and Caicos Islands received certification for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and became the first territory in the Americas to validate the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B.

Chile became the first country in the Region to be verified as having eliminated leprosy, while five provinces in Argentina were confirmed free of vector-borne transmission of Chagas disease.

“These milestones demonstrate what can be accomplished through sustained national commitment, with PAHO’s support,” Dr. Barbosa said.

The report also underscores the fragility of hard-won public health gains. During the reporting period, the Region lost its measles-free status after sustained transmission was reestablished in Canada. 

Yellow fever outbreaks in several countries, together with declining measles vaccination coverage, also highlighted the risk of setbacks against vaccine-preventable diseases.

Medical Strengthening health security and immunization

Health security remained a central pillar of PAHO’s work. The Organization mobilized 174 tons of essential supplies to help countries prepare for and respond to disasters, complex humanitarian emergencies and disease outbreaks, and deployed experts and coordinated emergency medical teams during health emergencies. 

PAHO’s surveillance systems also analyzed more than 2.2 million signals related to potential public health events, supporting early detection and rapid response across the Region.

Immunization also continued to recover from declines experienced before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of unvaccinated children under 1 year old fell from 1.3 million to 1.1 million.

However, declining measles vaccination coverage demonstrated the need to further strengthen routine immunization programs and increase vaccine uptake through effective communication and public education.

Medical Progress in maternal health

Reducing preventable maternal deaths remained a priority across the Region. Of the 12 countries receiving targeted PAHO support, 10 recorded declines in maternal mortality ratios during the reporting period. 

Stronger surveillance systems, supportive policies, improvements in primary health care, and a strengthened health workforce contributed to these gains.

Medical Strengthening prevention and care for noncommunicable diseases

PAHO expanded its work to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases, with primary health care continuing to serve as the foundation for prevention, early diagnosis and integrated care.

By the end of the reporting period, PAHO’s HEARTS initiative was being implemented in more than 14,000 primary health care centers, reaching an estimated 50 million adults. The number of patients receiving treatment for hypertension increased by more than 20% in one year, from 5.7 million in 2025 to 6.9 million in 2026.

The growing burden of mental health conditions also prompted new action, including the launch of PAHO’s Regional Suicide Prevention Initiative, which seeks to strengthen national policies and programs through multisectoral action tailored to countries’ needs and contexts.

Medical Regional solidarity expands access to medicines and vaccines

PAHO’s Regional Revolving Funds continued to demonstrate the value of regional solidarity in improving equitable access to essential medicines and health technologies, supporting the procurement of more than 214 million vaccine doses, over 10 million diagnostic tests and more than 1 million treatments. 

The Funds also expanded their portfolio to include new high-price medicines, including treatments for breast and prostate cancer, multiple sclerosis and rare diseases. Through pooled procurement, countries were able to achieve significant price reductions.

Medical Innovation expands access to health services

Innovation also contributed to progress across multiple areas of health. With PAHO’s technical cooperation, countries expanded the use of digital tools and adopted new approaches to address persistent public health challenges.

More than 780 telehealth kits were distributed to 20 countries, bringing diagnosis, monitoring and clinical follow-up closer to populations that have historically faced barriers to access.

Medical Strengthening regional vaccine production

During the reporting period, PAHO signed a landmark agreement with a global influenza vaccine manufacturer to secure a share of pandemic influenza vaccine production for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The agreement will support access to vaccines amid surging global demand in the event of a future pandemic.

In parallel, PAHO reached a technology transfer agreement to strengthen regional production of seasonal influenza vaccines using cell-based platforms, helping modernize regional vaccine manufacturing and reduce dependence on external suppliers.

“The achievements of the past year reflect the strength of our partnership with Member States and the power of regional solidarity,” Dr. Barbosa said. “Despite growing financial constraints, PAHO has once again demonstrated the resilience, adaptability, and leadership that have defined this Organization for more than 120 years.”

Medical Building on progress

The report also highlights the challenges that remain, including aging populations, the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases, emerging and reemerging health threats, climate-related emergencies and persistent inequities.

“Our work is far from finished,” Dr. Barbosa said. “Addressing these challenges will require sustained investment, stronger collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to solidarity.”

Member States, with PAHO’s support, will continue working to build stronger health systems, protect public health gains, and ensure that the progress reflected in the report translates into lasting improvements in the lives of people across the Americas.

LINKS

63rd Directing Council

Coverage of the 63rd Directing Council of PAHO

https://www.paho.org/en/coverage-63rd-directing-council

Zelenskyy Warns of New Russian Mobilization and 10,000 North Korean Troop Deployment

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Zelenskyy Warns of New Russian Mobilization and 10,000 North Korean Troop Deployment

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The death toll from Russia’s jet-powered drone attacks mounted in Ukraine while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the Kremlin is preparing for a new troop mobilization at home and a fresh deployment of 10,000 North Korean soldiers.

At least two people were killed when a drone hit the National Academy of Sciences building in central Kyiv amid some of the most relentless aerial strikes on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022.

Zelenskyy said at least nine people had been killed and more than 80 injured in Russian drone strikes throughout the country on September 28.

After Zelenskyy spoke, journalists in the Ukrainian capital reported explosions in the city during a missile alert early on September 29. Details were not immediately available.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was struggling to counter the high-flying Russian jet-powered drones, with the interception rate of just below 60 percent. He said 90 of the 120 drones fired on Ukraine were jet-powered, as opposed to propeller-driven.

“New interceptors are being actively tested,” he said in his address.

“Some combat groups are using them, but, of course, some details still need to be refined to achieve enough effectiveness and scale. We are speeding up the developers.”

Zelenskyy also cited a report from Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, HUR, that he said showed that Russia had launched a new ‌wave of mobilization for its military.

“They are increasing the number of people they recruit through various methods,” he said. “It is important that the governments of countries from which Russia recruits people for its army take action against this.”

Trending topics Preparations Under Way, Zelenskyy Says

Zelenskyy said some 8,000 North Korean troops, brought in by the Kremlin in 2024 to counter a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, remained in the country and that preparations were under way for the deployment of a further 10,000 soldiers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected reports of a new mobilization as “utter nonsense,” although he did on September 28 sign a decree increasing the size of the army by 15,500 troops — the fourth such order this year.

“The authorized personnel strength of the Russian armed forces is to be set at 2,441,630 units, including 1,550,500 military personnel,” the decree said, giving no reason for the addition.

Russia has suffered massive losses to soldiers, weapons, and military hardware since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a venture the Kremlin reportedly believed would take only a few weeks to end in victory.

Putin last ordered a mobilization of reservists in 2022, and another such move would likely prove highly unpopular with the Russian population.

Trending topics Difficult Reforms

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskiy warned that the public finances situation “remains difficult,” saying the slow pace of reforms has caused Western partners to hold up financial commitment.

“Part of the planned international funding has not yet arrived. In particular, due to the fact that Ukraine has not had time to fulfill some of the obligations it has undertaken to international partners,” without providing details.

Koretskiy has urged Ukrainian lawmakers to pass difficult reforms, including taxation of postal packages from abroad and a comprehensive overhaul of the taxation system.

Zelenskyy said he had held meetings on September 28 with Koretskiy and other officials to discuss “our key priorities in working with partners over the coming weeks in response to this situation. “

“The government, for its part, is doing everything necessary to fulfill its commitments and receive planned international funding. We are working together with the parliament. And here, responsible work from deputies of all factions and groups is important,” he added, although he did not cite specifics.

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, AFP, and Reuters

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