England is seeing a “worrying increase” in young women in their 20s developing type 2 diabetes.
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Halimah Delaine Prado, Google General Counsel, reveals the rise of AI-powered phishing scams originating from China’s ‘outsider enterprise.’ She explains how these criminals use artificial intelligence to create highly convincing fake websites, impersonating trusted brands like T-Mobile to defraud hundreds of thousands of Americans, causing millions in losses. Prado highlights Google’s strategy to combat these evolving threats.
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You open your inbox and see a message about updated security policies. Nothing about it screams scam. The email looks polished, the wording sounds official and the button promises a quick way to review the changes. That is exactly what makes it dangerous.
LastPass is warning users about a newly identified phishing campaign that uses lookalike domains and a fake DocuSign page to lure people into downloading suspicious software.
The good news is that LastPass says its systems were not affected. The bad news is that scammers are counting on you to trust the logo, overlook the web address and click before taking a closer look. Here is what to watch for before one routine-looking email puts your entire password vault at risk.
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FBI HELPS TAKE DOWN AI PHISHING RING
Scammers are impersonating LastPass with fake policy emails that lead users to a fraudulent DocuSign page and suspicious software download. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
LastPass phishing scam starts with a routine policy email
The phishing email comes from [email protected]. Its known subject line reads, “Action Required: Review Updated LastPass Security Policies.” Inside, the message claims LastPass has made service policy changes. It mentions enhanced SaaS monitoring. It also claims administrators can reset master passwords and that the admin console has improved.
Those details make the email sound like a real company notice. However, the sending domain belongs to the attackers. LastPass says lastpassnewsletter[.]com has no affiliation with the company. The email includes a Review & Access Terms button. That button creates the next layer of the trap.
Clicking the button sends you to lastpasscompliance[.]com. The landing page copies the look of DocuSign and claims a document is ready for review. That choice makes sense from a scammer’s perspective. Many people receive electronic signature requests at work or while handling personal paperwork. A familiar layout can lower your guard before you inspect the web address.
We have seen the same trust trick in other fake DocuSign email scams. The brand name gives the request a sense of legitimacy, even when the sender and domain do not match. LastPass says Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and Cloudflare classified the phishing site as malicious. The page also prompted visitors to download software that claimed to work on Windows and macOS.
LastPass was still investigating the download when it published its warning. Therefore, you should treat the file as dangerous and avoid opening it. The site also displayed a live support chat box, although it was unclear whether the chat worked. The malicious page had gone offline by the time the campaign was reported. However, attackers can quickly replace blocked domains with new ones.
LastPass users are not the only targets. Bitwarden customers have received similar messages from [email protected]. Those emails directed recipients to bitwardencompliance[.]com. The matching format suggests attackers may be reusing the same campaign structure across password manager brands.
That matters because password manager customers present an attractive target. One stolen master password could put many saved accounts at risk. Multi-factor authentication may still block access, depending on your security settings.
A password manager remains valuable protection. In fact, autofill can help expose a fake website because the manager should recognize the legitimate domain. You can compare current options in our guide to the best password managers for 2026 at cyberguy.com
This campaign follows other LastPass-themed phishing attempts from earlier this year. In January, fake messages warned that users had only 24 hours to back up their vaults before maintenance. Then, a March campaign used fabricated email threads about unauthorized account access.
Both approaches relied on urgency to push people into acting before they verified the message. The new compliance notice uses a calmer approach. It looks like paperwork rather than a crisis. That may make it especially effective because policy updates feel normal and boring.
REDHOOK ANDROID MALWARE CAN QUIETLY HIJACK YOUR PHONE
The fraudulent page impersonates DocuSign and prompts visitors to download suspicious software for Windows or macOS. (LastPass)
A few careful steps can keep one convincing email from turning into a much larger problem.
Delete the message or report it as phishing. Do not reply. Avoid opening its links or downloading the file it offers.
Use the official LastPass app or type lastpass.com into your browser. Check for account notices after you sign in through the trusted route.
Lookalike domains often add a trusted brand name to words such as “newsletter” or “compliance.” Check the website address before the first slash. A legitimate LastPass address should end in lastpass.com, such as support.lastpass.com, rather than merely containing the word “LastPass.”
A password manager may refuse to fill your credentials on a fake domain. Treat that as a warning. Do not copy and paste the password to get around it. Instead, close the page and access your account through the official app or website.
Use a trusted device and go directly to LastPass. Change the master password immediately. Then review your vault for unexpected activity, as LastPass recommends. Next, change passwords for sensitive accounts stored in the vault if you see signs of access. Start with email, financial accounts, cloud storage and social media. Use a different password for every account.
AMAZON RECALL TEXT SCAM COMES WITH RED FLAGS
The scam relies on polished security notices, familiar branding and misleading web addresses to lower users’ defenses. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Do not open software offered by a security notice you reached through email. If you already opened the file, disconnect the affected device from the internet. Then use strong antivirus software to inspect it. Our current best antivirus protection guide at cyberguy.com can help you compare tools that block malicious websites and dangerous downloads. It also covers protection against malware. You can also follow these steps after you clicked a suspicious email and entered information.
Enable multi-factor authentication for your password manager and other important accounts. An authenticator app or security key can add a barrier if someone steals your password. However, never approve a login request you did not initiate. A second security step only helps when you treat unexpected prompts as a warning.
Scammers often use information from data broker sites to make phishing emails feel more personal. That could include your phone number, home address, relatives or past employers. A data removal service can help find and remove some of that information from people-search websites. It will not secure a compromised password manager, but it may give scammers fewer details to use in future attacks. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com
Forward questionable LastPass-branded emails to [email protected]. LastPass says no one from the company will ever ask for your master password.
What makes this scam dangerous is how normal the email looks. Most people expect password manager alerts to sound urgent. This one arrives dressed up as a boring policy update, which may make you less likely to question it. The biggest red flag is the web address. A company name inside a domain does not mean the company owns it. Before entering a master password or downloading anything, close the email and open the password manager directly. Your master password protects everything stored in your vault. Treat any request for it like someone asking for the keys to your house.
Have you ever received a security email that looked so real you almost clicked? What made you stop and take a closer look? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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BUNIA, Congo — At least 999 people have died from the Ebola outbreak in Congo, according to official data published overnight into Wednesday, a grim toll in what’s already been declared the fastest Ebola outbreak in history.
The latest update from Congo’s Ministry of Health shows that as of Monday, 2,473 cases have been recorded in the latest outbreak, and 999 people have died. At least 737 patients are currently in isolation and hospitals, it said.
The outbreak declared on May 15 is unlike most previous Ebola outbreaks because the Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments.
It has also killed more people at a quicker rate than any outbreak on record, including the 2013-2016 outbreak that is considered the worst on record with over 11,000 deaths out of at least 28,000 cases. That outbreak took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths.
Ebola is rare, but highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is severe and often fatal.
Officials have also warned that 80% of new cases have emerged through unknown chains of transmission, a sign the outbreak is spreading faster than health officials can track it even as they step up their response in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, as well as in four other provinces where cases have been recorded.
Community resistance to Ebola teams, particularly those carrying out safe and dignified burials, has also hampered response. Robert Ndjalonga, head of civil protection in Ituri province, said some communities have refused to allow burial teams to operate as they seek traditional burials, increasing the risk of further transmission.
“The biggest challenge remains resistance from, or outright refusal by, some communities to accept response teams,” Ndjalonga said. “On several occasions, burial teams have had to be escorted by security forces to ensure that safe and dignified burials could be carried out without incident.”
Shortages of burial supplies have delayed responses to reported deaths, while some affected health zones still lack operational burial teams, Ndjalonga said.
Attacks on health facilities and response teams have also forced front line workers and aid groups out of some areas. Some health workers have gone on strike, complaining that they haven’t been paid since the outbreak started.
A member of a team carrying out safe Ebola burials was recently injured after assailants pelted their vehicle with stones as it returned from a burial in Bunia last week, according to provincial civil protection authorities.
The attack highlighted the challenges facing the response in eastern Congo. In Ituri’s Irumu territory, the local military administrator recently described Ebola as a greater threat than the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces insurgency and urged residents to support, rather than attack, health workers.
Speaking at the Africa health summit in Ghana on Tuesday, Dr. Jean Kaseya, the Director-General of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, called for intensified efforts to slow the outbreak.
“If we do not stop this outbreak today, it could become one of the worst Ebola outbreaks the world has ever documented,” Kaseya said.
Less than 9% of expected contacts from confirmed cases are currently being monitored, far below the level needed to contain the outbreak, according to Africa CDC. More than 60% of deaths are occurring in the community before patients reach care.
Pierre Akilimali, the Ebola response incident manager at the National Public Health Institute of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the high number of community deaths suggests many infections are not being detected or isolated in time, allowing the virus to continue spreading.
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The “Return to October” exhibition offers an immersive reconstruction of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, combining video with declassified Israel Defense Forces intelligence and planning materials recovered in the Gaza Strip that reveal how the Palestinian terrorist group planned and carried out its cross-border assault.
The 600-square-meter exhibition, assembled by the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC), a nonprofit dedicated to commemorating fallen members of Israel’s intelligence community.
The exhibition features vehicles used in the attack, a film on the abduction of Israeli hostages, a mock Hamas tunnel, and excerpts from the Israel Defense Forces’ 47-minute compilation of raw footage from the assault.
INSIDE ISRAEL’S MISSION TO TRAIN CIVILIANS TO STOP THE NEXT OCT 7-LIKE TERROR ATTACK
A Hamas kidnapping kit from the Oct. 7 attack containing handcuffs, electric shock devices and syringes intended to inject hostages who resisted was displayed at the ‘Return to October’ exhibition in Israel. (Amelie Botbol for Fox News Digital)
“The main conclusion of this exhibition is that Hamas prepared this terror invasion over a long period in a highly organized and professional manner. It gathered extensive intelligence over many years, and visitors can see examples of that intelligence-gathering effort throughout the exhibition,” Yossi Kuperwasser, head of the Institute for the Research of the Methodology of Intelligence at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center, told Fox News Digital.
Kuperwasser said the exhibition’s most significant feature is its collection of documents seized by the IDF in Gaza that Hamas sought to keep hidden. Among them are materials indicating that Hezbollah chose not to fully join the Oct. 7 attack out of concern that Israel would respond with a major offensive. The documents also shed light on the relationship between Hamas and Iran, including the extent of Tehran’s involvement.
“The most important lesson is that Israel’s enemies are constantly planning large-scale terrorist attacks. They seek to wipe us off the map, and if you become complacent and assume they are not preparing such attacks, you are mistaken,” he said.
ISRAEL’S MILITARY ELIMINATES HAMAS TERRORIST WHO HELPED ABDUCT AMERICAN-ISRAELI HOSTAGE, 3 OTHERS
Anti-Israel and antisemitic Hamas incitement material was displayed at the ‘Return to October’ exhibition in Israel. (Amelie Botbol for Fox News Digital)
The exhibition’s first room features a map marking 114 points where terrorists breached the border into Israel on Oct. 7. Red circles identify the communities that were attacked, while a dotted red line traces where the attackers were ultimately stopped. According to the exhibition, about 4,300 Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist operatives entered Israel at the start of the assault, followed by another 1,500 to 1,700 Gazans described as “uninvolved civilians.”
Displayed in the room are Egyptian, North Korean, Russian, Chinese and Iranian-made weapons, alongside arms supplied to Hamas by Hezbollah.
The tour guide Eyal, whose last name could not be disclosed, displayed a kidnapping kit containing handcuffs, electric shock devices and syringes intended to sedate hostages, alongside what he described as a “spiritual kit” containing a miniature Quran and a fatwa, or religious ruling, calling for the killing of Israelis.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PROBES UNRWA OVER ALLEGED EMPLOYMENT OF 1,500 TERRORISTS
Personal belongings recovered from Israeli homes burned by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack are displayed at the ‘Return to October’ exhibition in Israel. (Amelie Botbol for Fox News Digital)
Another display features military gear belonging to former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, as well as a handwritten document recovered by the IDF from the European Hospital in Gaza.
“Here, he instructs Hamas terrorists to attack the Zionists, burn villages, kill and kidnap people, humiliate soldiers, and document everything using GoPro cameras for social media,” Eyal said.
The document also states that Sinwar hoped Iran, the Houthis, Hezbollah, Arabs in Judea and Samaria, and Arab citizens of Israel would join the assault.
Also on display are aerial photographs that Hamas used to map Kibbutz Be’eri, identifying individual homes, the armory and the security chief’s residence; an operational plan dated Oct. 6 that was shared only with Hamas commanders to prevent leaks; and a booklet translating Arabic phrases into Hebrew.
The exhibition also highlights Hamas education and incitement. Shelves display books recovered from Gaza, including copies of Mein Kampf found in schools, while photographs show children posing with weapons after attending Hamas summer camps.
“It begins in childhood,” Eyal told Fox News Digital.
Displays featuring what organizers say are UNRWA facilities and personnel involved in terrorist activities were shown at the ‘Return to October’ exhibition in Israel. (Amelie Botbol for Fox News Digital)
Another room focuses on Hamas’s exploitation of journalists and UNRWA for terrorist purposes, featuring displays that organizers say show 60% of reporters killed in Gaza were Hamas members or affiliated with the organization, a photograph of a UNRWA school allegedly used as a combat headquarters, and a map of Israel labeling towns and cities with Arabic names.
A garage-like room displays a white Toyota pickup truck and motorcycles used in the terror assault.
“We found that 153 pickup trucks and 350 motorcycles entered Israel that day. Many of these Toyotas were imported into Gaza through Ashdod Port in Israel,” Eyal said.
Military equipment displayed at the exhibition that organizers say belonged to former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was shown at the ‘Return to October’ exhibition in Israel. (Amelie Botbol for Fox News Digital.)
Another room shows excerpts from the IDF’s 47-minute compilation of raw footage from the attacks. Many journalists chose not to watch because of the graphic content, while some who remained in the room left in tears.
Toward the end, a corridor displays the names and photographs, in alphabetical order, of the 1,224 people killed during the attacks, including soldiers, police officers, civilians, Jews, Arabs, Christians, and Druze.
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“When we fail in our mission, this is the situation we arrive at,” Eyal said.
The final room features footage of Israeli hostages reuniting with their families and concludes with an optimistic painting depicting a flourishing southern Israel.
Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has signed a new four-year contract which will keep him at the club until 2030.
The 26-year-old’s previous deal was due to expire next summer but he has opted to extend his stay under new head coach Enzo Maresca.
Foden was given his first-team debut as a 17-year-old by former boss Pep Guardiola and has gone on to make 369 appearances for City, winning six Premier League titles, one Champions League and two FA Cups.
He was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad in May after an inconsistent season where he made only 23 Premier League starts.
Foden says “he can’t wait” to work with Maresca again, with the Italian an assistant to Guardiola during City’s Treble-winning 2022-23 season.
“Committing my future to City means everything to me. Playing for this club is all I’ve ever wanted to do and it’s always an honour to wear the shirt,” said Foden
“It’s not lost on me that I’ve been lucky enough to be part of a historic period with so many titles won, but we’re always looking to the future and trying to win more.
“I can’t wait to work with Enzo again. He was brilliant during the Treble season – someone all the players respected and loved working with.”
Foden, City’s most decorated player alongside John Stones and Bernardo Silva, has played his entire City career under Guardiola, who ended his decorated 10-year stint at the club in May.
Foden set a high bar with his performances the year after City’s Treble-winning season, registering a career-high 27 goals and 12 assists.
The subsequent two seasons have been less productive, with Foden’s function in the City side changing.
Last season, the pacier options of Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo fed striker Erling Haaland from out wide, with Rayan Cherki often preferred as the playmaker in an attacking midfield role.
That meant Foden occasionally operated deeper, limiting his ability to score and supply the killer pass.
Last season Foden scored seven goals and assisted five times in 33 Premier League games, while the previous campaign he scored seven and assisted twice in 28 top-flight matches.
After being left out of Tuchel’s World Cup squad this summer, the Professional Footballers’ Association said Foden had been a “victim” of football’s packed fixture schedule, adding he “has not been the version we saw two years ago”.
The parents of baby Macs fear he has days to live and say he urgently needs specialist equipment.
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One year after actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned in Costa Rica at the age of 54 while on vacation with his family, his widow, Tenisha Warner, has filed a lawsuit against his mother, Pamela Warner, in her capacity as successor trustee of the Warner family trust.
The suit seeks to recover at least $1.2 million from that family trust and alleges, in part, that Malcolm-Jamal Warner — known for playing Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” — did not “purchase and maintain a term life insurance policy on his life in the amount of $1 million” or on Tenisha Warner’s life, as allegedly stipulated in their premarital agreement.
Tenisha Warner sat down for an exclusive interview with “CBS Mornings” before the lawsuit was made public on Monday, the one-year anniversary of Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s death. In it, she spoke mainly about her grief and how she is handling being a single mom now.
“Right now, everybody, like all of his family members and, who have lost him, they are grieving,” Tenisha Warner said. “You know, it’s been the biggest loss for all of us.”
“The emotional capacity that I have can be very limited sometimes, you know? And so, I have to, for myself, decide, what do I have to give right now in this moment? And whatever I have to give, the first person to get that is my daughter,” she said. “And then the second is myself.”
In a statement provided by her spokesperson after the lawsuit was filed, Tenisha Warner said: “For the last year, I have attempted to privately settle my beloved husband’s complicated estate and honor his last wishes. Malcolm had every intention to provide for our 9-year-old daughter and me. He was close to finalizing a new estate plan to replace the stale plan created in 1996 when he was 26 years old, 20 years before we met and well before we gave birth to our beautiful daughter. Sadly, He was unable to do so before we lost him.”
“CBS Mornings” has reached out to Pamela Warner’s attorneys for comment, but has not heard back.
In a statement posted Monday night on Instagram, Pamela Warner wrote, “As I look back, I have no regrets. Perhaps a little more time. Perhaps one more chance to cook his favorite meals, have one last conversation, one last good deep belly laugh, the kind that produces those tears of pure joy, one last kiss, one last hug.”
“During my year-long journey, I have discovered how cruel, evil, and greedy a human can be,” she added. “I have also discovered the depth of love, care, concern, and support that humans are capable of.”
See more of Tenisha Warner’s interview Thursday on “CBS Mornings.”
Thousands of supporters of India’s youth-led “cockroach” movement have been camping in the capital, New Delhi, for more than a month to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over a series of examination paper leaks.
The Gen Z-led protests, during which more than 100 people were severely wounded in baton and tear gas attacks by police on Monday, represent the biggest public challenge to Hindu majoritarian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule so far in his third term.
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India’s main opposition parties have joined the daily street demonstrations and courted arrests, amplifying the protesters’ demand for Pradhan’s sacking.
But at a time when unpopular governments and controversial ministers routinely resign or are sacked in other democracies — Britain’s Andy Burnham became his country’s seventh prime minister in 10 years — Pradhan has stayed in his office.
And to followers of Indian politics, that’s no surprise. To the contrary, it fits a pattern seen in 12 years of Modi’s rule, in which he has repeatedly defied widespread calls for the resignation of multiple ministers, despite major controversies surrounding them.
A year after Modi came to power in the summer of 2014, a 50-year-old Muslim ironsmith was dragged from his home and lynched over suspicions that he had stolen a cow and stored its meat in his refrigerator. Many Hindus consider the cow holy, and its slaughter is banned in most Indian states.
Mohammad Akhlaq’s killing on the night of September 16, 2015, in Bishada, a village in the industrial district of Dadri in Uttar Pradesh state, was the first in a series of cow-related lynchings by Hindu mobs and had triggered nationwide protests.
But the then-Minister of Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma, who represented the Gautam Budh Nagar constituency under which Dadri falls, called the killing “an accident”, forcing Muslim groups and opposition parties to call for his resignation. But he refused to step down, and stayed part of Modi’s council of ministers.
A year later, Sharma even visited Bishada to meet the family of Ravi Sisodia, one of the 18 accused in the Akhlaq lynching case, who had died of renal and respiratory failure. In images that shocked the nation and renewed calls for his sacking, Sharma was seen bowing before Sisodia’s coffin draped in the national flag.
Sharma, who owns a series of hospitals, was finally dropped as a minister only after Modi won a second term in 2019. He remains a BJP parliamentarian for a third term.
Months after Akhlaq’s lynching, a 26-year-old doctoral student, belonging to one of India’s most marginalised groups, was found dead inside a hostel room at the University of Hyderabad on January 17, 2016.
Earlier that month, Rohith Chakravarthi Vemula and four other students were thrown out of their hostel accommodation and their monthly stipend withheld for allegedly assaulting the head of a student group affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the far-right ideological mentor of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
All five students were Dalits, the ethnic community formerly referred to as “untouchables”, who fall at the bottom of India’s caste hierarchy and have faced persecution and discrimination by the privileged castes for centuries.
Lacking the means to afford private housing, the five students pitched a tent inside the university and started a hunger strike, protesting against the administrative move. They alleged that the university’s decision to ban them from hostels was heavily influenced by a series of letters written by the then-federal ministers, Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya.
As tensions within the university intensified, Vemula hanged himself inside a friend’s room, leaving behind a suicide note that galvanised student protests across the country and calls for Irani and Dattatreya to quit. Irani, a former TV actress, drew the most ire for allegedly lying in parliament about the circumstances leading to Vemula’s death and for defending the university administration.
But both ministers remained in Modi’s cabinet.
Irani was moved to the Textiles Ministry in July 2016 and awarded the crucial Information and Broadcasting Ministry the next year. Dattatreya resigned as Labour Minister in September 2017, only to be appointed governor of the northern states of Himachal Pradesh in 2019 and Haryana in 2021.
Also in 2021, Ashish Mishra, the son of junior Home Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, was accused of running his car over a group of farmers protesting against a set of farm laws passed by the Modi government in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri. Four farmers and a journalist were killed, while three BJP members and one of Mishra’s drivers were beaten to death in retaliatory violence.
The incident triggered massive calls for Teni to resign, but he remained in his office for three years until he lost the 2024 election.
The only resignation of a Modi minister in response to a public demand for accountability was seen in the immediate aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
As India grappled with a deadlier second wave in 2021 and criticisms of the government’s response mounted, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, himself a medical doctor, quit his position. He retired from active politics after the BJP did not field him as a candidate in the 2024 general election.
Modi’s critics also contrast his own party’s trend with the preceding government, led by the Indian National Congress, where several ministers, including those holding key portfolios such as home or foreign affairs, resigned or were sacked in response to calls for accountability.
As we age, low back pain becomes more common. Between the ages of 20 and 59, persistent low back pain (lasting more than three months) affects nearly one in five.
While you may be tempted to reach for heat packs, medication or a massage, new evidence suggests that the common advice to go for a swim is much more effective.
Until recently, there was no research to back up this advice. Our new trial shows for the first time that swimming can improve low back pain.
We recruited 76 adults aged 26 to 74 who experienced persistent and bothersome low back pain for more than three months. They needed to be able to swim 25 meters independently, but didn’t swim regularly.
The participants were randomly allocated to receive either a swimming and education program (the intervention group) or education only (the control group).
The intervention involved an eight-week individualised swimming program, supported by four telehealth sessions with a physiotherapist, and free access to a local indoor or outdoor swimming pool.
The amount of swimming was tailored to each participant’s ability and fitness level, with the goal of completing three 30–45 minute swimming sessions per week by the end of the program. Participants were encouraged to continue swimming after the program completed.
The education, provided by a physiotherapist, aimed to help them better understand their pain, reduce the fear associated with movement and exercise, and increase confidence to manage their back pain.
While many people with back pain believe they should avoid activity to protect their back, a large body of evidence shows remaining active is better.
Participants in the education-only (control) group had one to two sessions with a physiotherapist to cover the same key messages about back pain, but otherwise continued their usual treatment and activity.
Participants in the swimming group reported improved function, less pain and more confidence to manage future back pain.
Their disability reduced by more than 50% at the end of the eight-week program. This could mean that a person improved their ability to do daily activities such as standing from a chair, walking or sleeping.
The swimming group’s improvements were 30% greater than those who received education only (control) group.
Mark Hancock is a Professor of Physiotherapy, Macquarie University.
Deborah Wareham is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Spinal Pain Research Centre, Macquarie University.
This article was first published by The Conversation and is republished under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.
Participants told us swimming appealed to them because it was low-impact, it reduced weight-bearing and strain, and it enabled them to exercise more confidently and with less pain. They also reported additional health benefits, including better mood.
Swimming can be used as a way for people with back pain to start exercising and break the cycle of pain and limited activity.
At the end of the eight-week program, some people kept swimming, others swapped to another form of exercise and some stopped exercising.
Although most participants reported enjoyed swimming, some found accessing a pool and the time required a barrier to keep going in the longer term.
Twelve months after starting the program, there were still benefits for the swimming group for disability, function and confidence. But the difference between groups became smaller over time.
Our study’s sample size was relatively small, so these findings need to be confirmed in future, larger studies.
Further trials are also needed to test whether the results still hold for people with more severe or disabling back pain.
Finally, the volunteers in our study knew we were investigating swimming and had positive expectations of swimming before starting. This is a limitation that could affect the findings.
A range of different exercises – including Pilates, functional exercises (a type of strength training that helps you perform daily activities) and structured walking – have been shown to be beneficial for treating disability and preventing low back pain recurrences.
While we didn’t compare swimming to another type of exercise, the benefits we identified were as large or larger than previously reported for other exercises.
People with chronic low back pain can now consider swimming as an evidence-based exercise option and be more confident in choosing it as part of their long-term management.
But if you find it a hassle to get to a pool, or don’t like swimming, it may help get your back pain under control before moving to a type of exercise you prefer or can more easily access.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan explains why lawmakers are scrutinizing high NFL streaming costs and examining antitrust law. Jordan notes fans face complicated and costly processes to watch their teams across multiple platforms, with expenses potentially reaching $1,000. The committee is ensuring NFL policies comply with the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act and are fair for consumers.
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Saquon Barkley knows that he is “quote unquote, one of the faces” of the National Football League. It is not an easy title to hold, but being a No. 2 overall pick turned 2,000-yard rusher, Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl winner will do that to you.
Barkley’s very first game as a Philadelphia Eagle was played in Brazil, and this year, the team will travel to London in Week 5 to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But as the NFL continues to grow its audience and lap the field, Barkley is “all about eyes.”
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Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles takes the field prior to the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (Getty Images)
“It’s so important that we are traveling across the country to play the game. The more eyes you can get on it, the better it’s going to be,” Barkley told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
“The more people are going to want to grow up and play football, want to be involved. It’s really kind of crazy that football is probably the biggest sport, and we really haven’t even scratched the surface yet, to be completely honest. There’s so many more territories that we just take over, and I think the NFL is doing a really good job of that.
“I’m a fan of getting as many eyeballs as we can in the game, help growing the game. Anytime I can get an opportunity to play in front of someone that’s never got to watch the game, I want to try to make it memorable and have an impact on them… So right now, I’m all about eyes, eyes, eyes on the game, and let’s grow this game as big as we can, and let’s have an impact on as many people as we can.”
That’s why Barkley has joined forces with DIRECTV ahead of his ninth NFL season. As part of the campaign, Barkley recorded a spot that turned his iconic hurdle into a humorous metaphor for the obstacles football fans now jump through just to find a game. It shows why Barkley wants diehard fans to keep watching games, dare we say, the old-fashioned way.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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“It’s going to be crazy in 10 to 15 years, the way you’re going to be able to watch football games,” Barkley said of today’s streaming-service takeover.
“It’s kind of like what I grew up on, and now to be able to have the opportunity to work with them, and to be able to not only bring it in the NFL level, but also in the collegiate level where the game continues to grow and how much eyes are continuing to get on this football game, I think it’s the only way. I think it’s the right way to do it, and for me to be able to have the opportunity to work with DIRECTV, someone I’ve been a fan of for a very long time and be able to shoot a spot with them, it was awesome.”
Barkley has accomplished just about everything a football player could dream of. He can retire right now and continue the golf grind (he claims Philly’s top five courses trump New Jersey’s top five, although Barkley and this writer obliged that Pine Valley is a Philadelphia course). But as to why he’s still grinding, his answer is simple.
“I love it,” he said.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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“It’s something I’m very passionate about. My son SJ, he’s already passionate about football. I was around the same age, two or three, where I said this is something that I want to do, and I’m living my dream. I’m living the dream that I always wanted to live. So, I’m having fun with it, and as long as God keeps me healthy, and they keep giving me contracts and opportunities, as long as they want to keep me in this league, I’ll try to play as long as I can….
“Whether it’s a year, whether it’s five years, there’s going to be a time where I’m like, ‘Damn, I wish I could go back into that locker room and just spend one more day with the boys, spend one more day in that weight room, spend one more day running out that tunnel.’ It’s going to be a mess. So, I try to enjoy it right now.”
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