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Scientists made a breakthrough in the study of whale sounds. Here’s a look at the numbers

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Scientists made a breakthrough in the study of whale sounds. Here’s a look at the numbers


PORTLAND, Maine — Researchers on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, recently discovered the oldest known recordings of whale sounds and believe the discovery could help understand how the animals communicate.

The recording is the song of a humpback whale, a species of large whale known for its complex songs. Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts, said the sounds were recorded in March 1949 off Bermuda.

The recording is important because it documents whale song during a time when the ocean was quieter, scientists said.

Here’s a breakdown by the numbers.

The discovery predates the discovery of whale song by almost 20 years.

The recording predates scientist Roger Payne’s discovery of whale song by nearly 20 years. Woods Hole scientists on a research vessel at the time were testing sonar systems and performing acoustic experiments along with the U.S. Office of Naval Research when they captured the sound.

The sounds were recorded with crude audio equipment, but it was preserved on a plastic disc as opposed to tape. That allowed it to stand the test of time.

More than 90 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises make sounds.

Sound is critical to whales’ survival and important to how they socialize and communicate. Their sounds come in the form of clicks, whistles and calls.

Scientists who study whales say the sounds also allow the whales to find food, navigate, locate each other and understand their surroundings.

Scientists say some parts of the ocean are 10 times louder than they were in the 1960s.

Research from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the mid-2000s found that underwater ocean noise off southern California had increased tenfold compared to the 1960s. The subject of ocean noise and its effect on animal life has been the subject of scientific inquiry in the years since.

The recordings discovered by Woods Hole scientists are from a quieter ocean. Scientists said that can help them better understand how new human-made sounds, like shipping noise, affect the way whales communicate.

The humpback whale is possibly the most accomplished vocalist in the ocean, and those songs come from a giant animal that can weigh more than 55,000 pounds (24,947 kilograms). Over the years, humpback whale songs have been recorded for human listening, with many describing the songs as having a haunting, mournful quality.

“Songs of the Humpback Whale,” an album, has sold more than 100,000 copies.

Payne produced the album in 1970, as the environmental movement was beginning to blossom. It’s the best selling environment album of all time.

The record also helped spark a global movement to end the practice of commercial whale hunting.



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Strait of Hormuz: Which countries’ ships has Iran allowed safe passage to?

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Strait of Hormuz: Which countries’ ships has Iran allowed safe passage to?


During the United States-Israeli war on Iran, Tehran has said the Strait of Hormuz is open to all except the US and its allies. One-fifth of the world’s oil shipments transit through the strait.

On March 2, Ebrahim Jabari, a senior adviser to the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that the strait was “closed” and if any vessels tried to cross it, the IRGC and the navy would “set those ships ablaze”.

The move sent oil prices soaring above $100 per barrel from a pre-war price of about $65.

A barrel of Brent crude, the international benchmark, was up 2.5 percent at $105.70 on Monday. That is more than 40 percent higher than before the war began on February 28.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the US television network CBS on Sunday that Tehran had been “approached by a number of countries” seeking safe passage for their vessels “and this is up to our military to decide.” He added that a group of vessels from “different countries” had been allowed to pass, without providing details.

Here is what we know about which countries’ ships are being allowed to pass through the strait and which nations are reported to be negotiating for safe passage.

Pakistan

A Pakistani-flagged Aframax tanker called Karachi sailed out of the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, Bloomberg News reported.

India

On Saturday, Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad ⁠Fathali, said Tehran had allowed some Indian vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in a rare exception to the blockade that has disrupted global ‌energy supplies.

Fathali did not confirm the number of vessels. However, on the same day, New Delhi said two Indian-flagged tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas bound for ports in western India had passed through the strait.

“They crossed the Strait of Hormuz early morning safely and are en route to India,” Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said at a news briefing in New Delhi.

Turkiye

A Turkish-owned ship that had been waiting near Iran was allowed to pass through the strait after authorities received permission from Tehran, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in comments to Turkish media on Friday.

“Fifteen ships [with Turkish owners] were there. We obtained permission from the Iranian authorities for one of them that had used an Iranian port, and it passed,” Uraloglu said.

China

China is in talks with Iran to allow crude oil and Qatari liquified natural gas carriers safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the Reuters news agency reported on March 5, quoting three unnamed diplomatic sources.

China, which has friendly relations with Iran and relies heavily on Middle Eastern petroleum supplies, is unhappy about Iran’s decision to paralyse shipping through the strait and is pressing Tehran ⁠to allow safe passage for its vessels, according to the sources.

China receives 45 percent of its oil via the Strait of Hormuz.

France and Italy

The two European nations are understood to have requested talks with Iran about allowing their ships to pass through the strait, the UK’s Financial Times has reported, citing unnamed officials.

What is the naval coalition Trump proposed for the strait?

US President Donald Trump called for a naval coalition to join the US Navy in deploying warships to secure the strait.

“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint will send ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a nation that has been totally decapitated,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday.

However, the countries Trump mentioned have made no promises to join such an operation.

On Monday, Germany and Greece ruled out military involvement.

A German government spokesperson said: “As long ⁠as this war continues, there will be no participation, ⁠not even in ⁠any effort ⁠to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by military ‌means.”

Greece ⁠will also not ⁠engage in ⁠any military operations ‌in the Strait of Hormuz, government spokesman ⁠Pavlos ⁠Marinakis said.

Despite pressure from the Trump administration to provide support to the US in its war on Iran, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the media on Monday: “We will not be drawn into the wider war.”

Rodger Shanahan, a Middle East security analyst, told Al Jazeera it is “unlikely” US allies will get involved in securing the Strait of Hormuz as the Trump administration suggested.

Shanahan said because most US allies “opposed this war to begin with”, it makes them “feel relatively less inclined to provide support to it”.

“Besides, there’s a practical issue. If you want naval support for some kind of coalition protection operation, it takes you a long time to get ships to sail to that area. You can’t do this kind of stuff on the fly.”

(Al Jazeera)



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‘Like a DVD in the present tense’: are we ready for film distribution via USB drives?

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‘Like a DVD in the present tense’: are we ready for film distribution via USB drives?


The streaming-skeptical cinephile faces a dilemma in 2026, especially when it comes to watching movies at home. Increasingly, movies are available via rentals that funnel money to mega-corporations including Amazon or Apple; digital “purchases” from those same companies that can actually be revoked at any moment; or, most enticingly but still somewhat inconveniently, well-curated physical media special editions that treat films with the respect they deserve (sometimes even respect they don’t, depending on the title) while taking up a lot of shelf space and hitting your wallet hard. Plus, as vinyl aficionados know, bespoke physical media can also be severely limited in terms of where you can actually play it. Basically, almost everyone in the home-video space is trying to either be Amazon or the Criterion Collection.

Ash Cook, the former Sundance programmer who founded the new distributor Video StoreAge (pronounced like “storage”), is trying to figure out a third way. He described Video StoreAge’s products – indie movies sold on USB drives – as “like a DVD in the present tense. It’s a way to have a physical copy of a movie, but in this case you can play it on your computer. It has digital utility.” Like almost anything else these days, Video StoreAge is available as a subscription, with quarterly collections of five features and five shorts. The first drop includes Vera Drew’s buzzed-about The People’s Joker, a homemade superhero comedy that reappropriates many elements of the Batman mythos into a trans coming-out story. (Honestly, it’s more fun than those Joaquin Phoenix movies and might understand the Joker character better, too.) But they also sell single films, including Drew’s, or any combinations of available films as a sort of digital indie-movie mix tape on those format-flexible USB drives. (The quarter’s shorts package is included with every movie regardless, an automatic special feature.)

Whatever the combination, customers get to own that hard-yet-digital copy in perpetuity, rather than being subject to the whims of a digital library that companies reserve the right to alter as needed – unless you actually copy the right format of file onto your hard drive, which is often easier said than done. On the artists’ side, Video StoreAge obtains print rights only for the titles in question, leaving film-makers with other options for distribution should the opportunity arise, and it splits the profits 50/50 with the artists. Cook considers buying a copy from Video StoreAge a way to “pay someone pretty directly and get Amazon out of our business”.

Cook found his way into distribution through his festival experience, which in turn he found through a youthful love of indie film-makers including Gregg Araki and Jennifer Reeder. “I just knew my favorite movies all had the laurels,” he said, laughing, referring to the laurel graphics that appear in movie ads to show that a movie has played Sundance, Cannes or wherever else. As a Vassar College student, he was able to secure a winter-break gig doing “field work” by volunteering at Sundance, using his experience booking campus concerts to work in festival operations. Learning about the ins and outs of the festival got him into the programming side.

A still from The People’s Joker. Photograph: Publicity image

“As a programmer, you’re in it with film-makers at this very nascent moment in the life cycle of their films,” he said. “A big part of the job is relationship management. You’re talking to film-makers, acquisitions executives, sales agents, everybody.” In Cook’s experience, they all agree on one thing: distribution isn’t working the way it used to, when Sundance used to fuel big-money sales and splashy ad campaigns. “There’s such consensus around that,” Cook said. “And I started feeling like, OK, we can all agree about that forever. But what’s just one thing that we’re going to do?” He came to realize that the festival wasn’t necessarily in the position to help solve that problem. “A lot of people would ask us as representatives of a festival, what are we doing about that? And that’s not the job of an exhibitor of a festival programmer. In fact, it’s desperately important that [commercial distribution is] not their main concern.”

This form of distribution tries to split the difference between digital convenience and the sense of curation that has inspired what Cook describes as a current renaissance of physical media. “Everyone’s feeling the bloat of streaming,” he said. “We’re like kids in a candy shop and now we have cavities. The audience is there saying, this doesn’t feel very good; I want something that feels more intentional, more human again. The most difficult assets are all there: hungry audience, great movies. And the issue is just that they can’t get to each other?!”

A still from Video StoreAge. Photograph: Video StoreAge

To facilitate that meeting of film and audience, Video StoreAge partnered with Slamdance, a long-running Sundance alternative, making two of that festival’s titles, Danny Is My Boyfriend and The Bulldogs, available as limited-edition copies during the festival, ahead of a forthcoming post-festival release. Viewers could own a copy incredibly fast – hardly any movies are available to buy right out of a major film festival – while still needing to make some intentional effort greater than the usual scroll through Netflix.

Cook is betting that this is the right moment for a new form of physical media distribution. “Everyone that’s alive right now, and probably just right now, has some relationship with or recent memory of the role of physical media in our lives,” Cook said. He went on to cite HitClips, a primitive early-aughts tech that embedded a minute-long clip of a hit pop song on a tinny, tiny self-playing device – and, of course, VHS. “We had five or six tapes that we watched over and over again, like The Land Before Time. The way we interacted with those tapes, they were like our friends!”

Whatever the outdated format, Cook said, “we all have some experience of how scarcity and friction heightens our attention, focuses us on a piece of material, that is really pleasurable.” Video StoreAge is attempting to do that with tech that shouldn’t become quite so disposable as HitClips or even the still-lingering DVDs. It might not be enough for you to cancel your Netflix subscription, as Cook has, but it might make watching a movie at home a little more like a trip to the cinema.

  • Video StoreAge is currently online and is holding several launches on 18, 19 and 21 March in Los Angeles



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Companies House reveals IT update five months ago likely cause of major glitch

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Companies House reveals IT update five months ago likely cause of major glitch



Companies House said a glitch on its online filing service allowing people to view and edit data for other businesses and their directors may have gone undetected for five months.

The UK’s official corporate register said it had reopened the WebFiling service on Monday morning, having suspended it on Friday after being alerted to the bug.

There are more than five million companies on the corporate register, including FTSE 100 listed giants such as Tesco, BT and oil giants BP and Shell.

Andy King, chief executive of Companies House, said an internal investigation into the issue suggested the glitch may have been caused when its WebFiling systems was updated in October last year.

He added that WebFiling users, with an authorised code and logged into the service, could have accessed and edited data.

A vulnerability in the UK’s official corporate register allowed people to access other companies’ details by pressing the back key on their web browser several times.

Information that was accessible included dates of birth, residential addresses and company email addresses, Companies House confirmed.

It may also have been possible for unauthorised filings, such as accounts or changes of director, to have been made on another company’s record, Companies House said.

But it stressed passwords were not able to be viewed, while it said data used as part of its identity verification process, such as passport information, was not accessible.

Existing filed documents, such as accounts or confirmation statements, could not have been altered, it said.

Mr King said: “We believe that this issue could not have been used to extract data in large volumes or to access records systematically.

“Any access would have been limited to individual company records, viewed one at a time by a registered WebFiling user.”

He added: “I recognise that this incident will have caused concern and inconvenience to many of the companies and individuals who rely on our services. I am sorry for that.

“Companies House takes its responsibility to protect the data entrusted to us extremely seriously.

“We have taken swift action to secure and restore our service, and are committed to doing everything in our power to support those affected and to making sure that our services continue to merit the trust placed in them.”

Firms were being advised over the weekend to check their details after the bug left them potentially exposed to fraud.

Companies House was alerted to the issue on Friday by Dan Neidle, founder of Tax Policy Associates.

Companies House said it was not aware yet of any reports of data having been accessed or changed without permission, but its investigations are ongoing.

“We’ll provide further updates as our work progresses and we remain committed to being transparent throughout,” Mr King said.

He vowed to take “firm action” if it finds evidence that anyone has used this issue to access or change another company’s details without authorisation.

Companies House said it was checking data on the system for any “anomalies” and would email every company’s registered address with guidance on how to check details and what steps to take if there are any concerns.

Mr Neidle warned on Friday the issue could be very serious if left undetected for a long period of time, leaving firms exposed to possible fraud.

He told the Press Association at the time: “Security researchers say 15 days is the average time it takes for a vulnerability to be exploited, and this was a particularly easy vulnerability with no hacking required.”



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US warns Iraq must act against Iran-backed militia attacks on American assets

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US warns Iraq must act against Iran-backed militia attacks on American assets


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Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is facing mounting criticism for his government’s inability to stop pro-Iranian militias and the Islamic Republic of Iran from attacking American, French, Italian and Kurdish military personnel and facilities in Iraq.

On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said that all U.S. citizens in Iraq should leave “immediately,” as “Iran-aligned terrorist militias have attacked the International Zone in central Baghdad on multiple occasions.”

The announcement came after a missile reportedly struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad early Saturday.

Speaking on background, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “The United States strongly condemns attacks by Iran and Iran-backed terrorist militias against U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities, civilian targets and energy infrastructure in Iraq, particularly in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.”

US EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD TARGETED AS IRAN LAUNCHES ATTACKS DURING OPERATION EPIC FURY

A billboard featuring a photo of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader who was killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, is seen along a street in Baghdad on March 9, 2026. (Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The statement added, “As Secretary Rubio has said, the Iraqi government must take all possible measures to safeguard U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities and ensure militia groups cannot use Iraqi territory to threaten the United States or the region. Doing so is in Iraq’s interest,” the spokesperson noted, “We retain a range of options to protect our interests. We do not preview sanctions or sanction actions.”

A Kurdish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Fox News Digital that the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq “are paid and armed by the Iraqi government.  They are on the Iraqi payroll. This is not the first time they have fired on the U.S., the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG] and the energy sector. These PMF have brazenly attacked U.S. military bases.”

According to the official, “Many of these leaders [from the PMF] are part of al-Sudani’s government and his very coalition.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday, an official for Iraq’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., flatly denied the allegations against al-Sudani. “We would like to unequivocally confirm that the allegations claiming the Prime Minister granted a ‘green light’ to any armed group to target U.S. or Western interests are completely false. The Iraqi government has repeatedly emphasized its firm rejection of any attacks on diplomatic missions or foreign interests.”

The representative added, “The Prime Minister has also issued several statements condemning such acts, describing them as terrorist activities, and has directed the relevant authorities to pursue those responsible and bring them to justice.”

Al-Sudani raised eyebrows last week when he congratulated the Islamic Republic of Iran’s selection of its new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the assassinated second Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei. “We express our confidence in the ability of the new leadership in the Islamic Republic of Iran to manage this sensitive stage, and continue to strengthen the unity of the Iranian people in facing the current challenges,” al-Sudani reportedly said.

When asked about the congratulatory statement to Khamenei, the Iraqi Embassy official said, “This action falls within the scope of standard diplomatic practices carried out by many countries, including several Gulf states. Iraq maintains diplomatic relations with neighboring countries, including Iran, while simultaneously ensuring balanced relations with all its regional and international partners.”

IRAN PROXIES WAGE WAR ON ISRAEL, THREATEN US INTERESTS AS IRAQ SLAMMED FOR NOT DISARMING THEM

Popular Mobilization Forces, PMU.

A member of the Imam Ali Battalions, the armed wing of the Islamic Movement of Iraq — a member faction of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) paramilitaries — holds up a picture depicting Iraqi PMF commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (who was in a US drone strike in early 2020), as other group members gather with its flags during a rally to mark annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations in Baghdad on April 5, 2024. (Murtaj Lateef/AFP via Getty Images)

The intensified attacks on the international anti-jihadi coalition in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region on Friday resulted in the death of a French soldier and injuries to six other people. According to France 24, the commanding officer, Colonel Francois-Xavier de la Chesnais, said the French soldier, Arnaud Frion, was murdered by an Iranian-designed Shahed lethal drone.

The Iraqi Kurdish news outlet Rudaw reported on Saturday that the “Kurdistan Region was targeted with seven explosive-laden drones early Saturday as Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq continue to target the U.S. consulate in Erbil and other military and civilian sites in the Region.” Rudaw said since the start of U.S. Operation Epic Fury the Kurdistan area has been targeted with over 300 drone and missile attacks, resulting in the killing of seven people and 35 injured.  

The Kurdish official complained that al-Sudani’s “government is not serious about taking on militias because the militias are part of the government.” However, the official praised the U.S. “The Americans are going after them aggressively over the last week with attacks on their [PMF] positions.”

Person inspects damage at U.S. embassy in Baghdad

U.S. embassy personnel inspect damage caused by a bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, on Saturday, March 14, 2026. (Hadi Mizban/AP)

According to a Long War Journal report, “Airstrikes, likely conducted by the U.S. as part of the U.S.-Israeli operation against the Islamic Republic, have continued targeting Iran-backed Iraqi militias.” Neither the U.S. nor Israel have commented on reports that they are striking the PMF.

Fox News Digital secured information in early March from the Israeli Defense Forces that drones have been fired at Israel from Iraqi territory since the start of the war. 

The PMF told the Iraqi News Agency that American military forces have conducted 32 airstrikes against PMF headquarters since February 28.

The Kurdish official urged the Trump administration to “demand that Iraq’s government stop paying and arming the PMF and target their banking system that finances the PMF.” The official continued, “We have shared information with the Iraqis and the Americans, who have in turn shared information with the Iraqi government.” On the terrorist activities of the PMF the official said, “The al-Sudani government has been unwilling to confront them.”

TRUMP THREATENS TO END IRAQ SUPPORT OVER AL-MALIKI COMEBACK BID TIED TO IRAN INFLUENCE

Demonstrators in Baghdad’s Sadr district wave Iranian flags and hold portraits of Iran’s supreme leader during a street protest.

Supporters gather in Baghdad’s Sadr district holding Iranian flags and posters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following the announcement that he was killed in U.S.-Israeli attacks, on March 1, 2026 (Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The official bemoaned that the al-Sudani government initiated a “handful of arrests last year, and they were released on bail and were able to flee to Iran.” The Kurdish official said the KRG “provided the information to the Iraqi government about the perpetrators” who fled to the Islamic Republic.

An Iraqi official dismissed the reports on PMF terrorists, stating,” I have not heard of such a thing. I guess that’s not true.”

The Kurdish official cited two PMF groups as the most bellicose toward the U.S.: Asaib Ahl al Haq (League of the Righteous) and Kataib Hezbollah. The Trump administration sanctioned Asaib Ahl al Haq in March 2024. The State Department said Asaib Ahl al Haq “and its leaders are violent proxies of the Islamic Republic of Iran” and the group “is extensively funded and trained by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force.”

The U.S. government sanctioned Kataib Hezbollah in 2023. The Kurdish official also charged the al-Sudani’s government with imposing an embargo on imported goods to Iraqi Kurdistan as a way “to strip away our autonomy and everything we can built over 30 years.” The autonomous Kurdish government is widely considered a robust pro-American ally.

Iran-backed militia Iraq

Iran-backed shi’ite groups fighters celebrate on a street, after the IRGC attack on Israel, in Basra, Iraq, October 1, 2024. (Essam Al-sudani/Reuters)

The Iraqi official denied the embargo, stating, “The federal government does not pursue a policy of ‘embargo’ against the Kurdistan Region. The current measures aim to unify the legal, customs, and trade framework across all Iraqi borders in line with the federal constitution. 

“No country can afford contradictory internal trade and customs regimes, as this risks harming the national economy as a whole. Our objective is a unified, fair economic framework that protects state revenues while respecting the region’s specificities, and we believe this is best achieved through dialogue and cooperation.”

US embassy in Baghdad

Smoke rises from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (Ali Jabar/ AP Photo)

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Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for the deputy prime minister of Iraq, told Fox News Digital that “One could even describe the PMF as the Iraqi branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, effectively functioning as an Iraqi Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The PMF operates through a network of militias that frequently attack U.S. forces, foreign interests, and targets in Kurdistan.”

He argued for “The dismantling of the mother organization — the PMF itself. As long as the PMF exists, militias operating under its umbrella will continue to attack U.S. forces and regional targets.”

Fox News Digital reporter Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.

Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal, and email him at [email protected]



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Companies House security issue: UK firms urged to check details

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Companies House security issue: UK firms urged to check details



The glitch meant logged-in users could view and edit other companies’ details without their consent.



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NFL’s push for growth is inexorable at expense of fans and amid an ‘existential threat’

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NFL’s push for growth is inexorable at expense of fans and amid an ‘existential threat’


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The picture the NFL wants you to have of America’s most popular sport is that this is a steamroller crushing it at every turn, with revenues, ratings, salaries, and, of course, entertainment and drama breaking through one ceiling after another in a seemingly endless streak of success.

And much of that is indeed an accurate portrait.

But there’s another snapshot the average fan is increasingly seeing and that’s of an NFL that is taking more out of your wallet than ever, whether you’re headed to games or watching at home.

It’s the NFL that was born in America but is looking to export games to feed fans abroad – obviously at the expense of packed stadiums at home.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) calls a play at the line of scrimmage against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field on Jan. 17, 2026. (Steven Bisig/Imagn Images)

And, it is the NFL that has partnered with gambling conglomerates as a way of increasing revenue and interest, perhaps at the expense of feeding addiction.

So, yes, the NFL is America’s reality show. It’s fun and captivating, but it’s also unquestionably troubling at times. 

So how did the NFL behemoth get here?

“When I started in the NFL, it was the most popular sport,” said former San Diego Chargers team doctor David Chao, who worked 17 seasons for the team. “By the time I was done, it was more popular than all the other sports combined.

“And what’s the fundamental difference? You go to a sports bar during baseball season. It’s all men watching games. You go to a sports bar on Sunday during football season, it’s half women watching games. They’ve doubled their audience. And they added fantasy. But what is fantasy? It’s personal ownership and stake. It’s personal stake in the games.”

Chao points out that fans years ago asked him whether a player was available for a game because they wanted the Chargers to win. Fans still care about their teams, but the league has added new fans that want to know that information because they want to set their fantasy team to win.

Or they want to have their gambling bets win.

The NFL’s ‘Existential Threat’ 

Gambling has become a revenue source for the NFL that simply didn’t exist a decade or so ago. 

The NFL has shifted from outright opposition to active commercial partnership with the sports betting industry. Caesars Entertainment now serves as the league’s official casino sponsor while DraftKings and FanDuel are official sports betting partners.

These agreements allow the partners to use NFL trademarks, promote betting activities in league media, and engage fans with NFL-branded betting experiences. And while the NFL maintains boundaries designed to protect the integrity of the game, that is a too-thin line to anyone who understands how potential betting information works.

“It’s a disaster, it’s the existential threat to football,” said famed NFL agent Leigh Steinberg, whose career was Hollywood’s template for Tom Cruise’s character in the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire. “All it takes is one inside piece of information being leaked to a gambler that’s trying to do a prop bet or an athlete that actually shaves performance, and it’s a slippery slope to having a true contest, and it starts to resemble wrestling.

“Gambling is maybe good news for revenue, but it’s bad news for the integrity of the game and continued fan interest.”

SEN ERIC SCHMITT PUSHES FOR LEGISLATION TO TACKLE RISING SPORTS TICKET COSTS

NFL Feeding Gambling Addictions

Sportsbook in Las Vegas

The sportsbook in the Circa Resort & Hotel ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 10, 2024. (Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Steinberg is the author of four books, including his latest due out March 24 titled “The Comeback: A Playbook for Turning Life’s Setbacks Into Victories.” Part of that book details Steinberg’s battle with alcohol addiction, and he’s concerned that the NFL’s ties to gambling could have a terrible effect on some of its fans.

Beyond likely losing a lot of money, that is.

“They’re going to create a whole new generation of gambling addicts,” he said. “Because certain people can’t handle this. Second of all, if you don’t feel the games are played on a level playing field with equal officiating, rules, every player trying his hardest … If you introduce into the fan’s brain that there’s a possibility that something else is going on other than what they see on the field, it’s a disaster.”

There is already a faction of NFL fans on social media who refer to the NFL as scripted. Some NFL staff even publicly joke about this narrative. But all it takes is one player, innocently or not, sharing injury information that gets leaked into gambling circles as to affect betting lines, and the NFL would have a scandal on its hands.

NFL Exporting Games Around Globe

Daniel Jones in action

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) carries the ball against the New York Giants in the second half during the 2024 NFL Munich Game at Allianz Arena.  (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

But none of this is so far slowing the NFL from its steady, seemingly inexorable expansion into becoming a global game.

“In today’s world, we have to be global,” Commissioner Roger Goodell told fans in Ireland last season before the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings played in Dublin. “Every time we play an international game, fans say they want more. I really, truly believe our game can and will be global. Our job is to share our game with the rest of the world.”

The NFL will play a record nine international games in 2026 across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums: 

  • London, U.K. (Two games in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, One in Wembley Stadium)
  • Madrid, Spain (Bernabéu Stadium)
  • Melbourne, Australia (Melbourne Cricket Ground)
  • Mexico City, Mexico (Estadio Banorte)
  • Munich, Germany (FC Bayern Munich Stadium)
  • Paris, France (Stade de France Stadium)
  • Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (Maracanã Stadium)

Paris, Melbourne and Rio are new additions to the International slate. And they won’t be the last, if things go according to plan.

“We would like to get to 16 games, so everyone is playing one game a year internationally,” Goodell said.

Players Do Not Want 18th Game

But every game that is exported is a game that leaves the United States. 

Well, the NFL has a long-range plan for that which may appease some fans but will surely displease players and that is adding another game. Even though Goodell cautioned during Super Bowl week that adding an 18th game was “not a given,” he added that NFL owners want to discuss such an expansion with the NFL Players Association. 

That’s because the NFL definitely wants to some day offer an 18-game regular season and two bye weeks that begins on or before Labor Day and ends on the Sunday prior to President’s Day. That plan would include two preseason games to give each team a dry run for a home and away game.

“Our members have no appetite for an 18th regular-season game,” NFL Players Association interim executive director David White said during the union’s annual Super Bowl week news conference in San Francisco.

But the players’ union has balked at additional games in the past. And then it has given in to additional games in collective bargaining in return for more money. So the league believes one more game can again be negotiated.

Cam Skattebo on his back in pain

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) reacts after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia.  (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

More Games Cost YOU More Money

The motivation for the expansion is obvious: More games add to product inventory, which the NFL can convert to more revenue.

And most of that revenue comes through the league’s television and streaming contracts. 

Consider that in 2024 the NFL and Netflix signed a three-year contract that put live games on the streaming giant for the first time. Netflix is paying an estimated $150 million per year for this right, which amounts to four games.

Imagine what the NFL could do if it added 16 more games to its inventory by adding an 18th week to the season. It can sell more games to its broadcast partners, which now include streaming services Amazon, YouTube, Peacock and Netflix.

Those streaming services, with their disappointing 30- to 45-second delays compared to live action, would be able to bid on the NFL’s new fare and then the winning bidders would likely do what capitalists have done from time immemorial: Pass their cost along to consumers. 

“Part of the reason football got so popular is that for a couple of hundred dollars anybody could buy a TV and, with rabbit ears, over the air watch multiple football games,” Steinberg said. “If all of a sudden you consign and split the package to mean consumers have to pay hundreds of dollars to multiple networks and streaming services, it may be a windfall in revenue, but it might be short-sighted.

“Because what keeps you going is that everyone in this country can watch football even without a cable. And if you have to pay for Hulu or Netflix or Amazon, does that diminish the audience that is critical for negotiation for the networks?”

The Coming Wednesday NFL Game

Jordan Love noshes on Turkey

Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers takes a bite out of a turkey leg after the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Nov. 27, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

This coming year, the NFL wants to add a Wednesday broadcast prior to its traditional Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday schedule.

“Every offseason we look for new opportunities to best serve our fans in the schedule-making process,” an NFL spokesman told Fox News and OutKick. “As Commissioner Goodell has said, Thanksgiving and NFL football have become synonymous and given the continued growth of fan interest around our games on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, looking for additional opportunities tied to this special holiday is exciting for us to explore.” 

An NFL source added that the addition of the Wednesday game is not the only new broadcast window the league is exploring for 2026, suggesting other days are in play.

And the Wednesday game would likely involve teams coming off a bye week.

“The NFL’s been doing this creep for a while,” Chao said. “They do the Thursday season kickoff game and then more Thursdays during the season. They snuck in a Friday on everybody. They snuck in games on Christmas. Obviously, when the college football season is over, they play on a Saturday.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they went to Friday-Saturday-Sunday after the high school and college football season. And it’s all about revenue.”

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Player Health And Safety An Issue

But what about player health and safety, which the NFL insists is a priority?

“The Wednesday game? They’re going to sell it based on safety,” Chao said. “They’ll say, ‘You don’t like Thursday games? … We’ll slide in Wednesday and you don’t have to play on four days rest. You’ll have (10-11) days before and (11) days after’ – a mini-bye on the front end and a mini-bye on the back end.

“And they’ll sell that as helping players’ health and safety.” 

The thing is fans will buy it. The 2025 Thanksgiving Day NFL games shattered viewership records as the average viewership across all three games — Packers vs. Lions, Chiefs vs. Cowboys and Bengals vs. Ravens — was 44.7 million viewers, the highest Thanksgiving Day average on record.

That 44.7 million mark surpassed the previous high of 34.5 million viewers and represented the fourth consecutive year the NFL has set a Thanksgiving Day viewership record.

So, yes, the NFL steamroller continues to crush it – significant warts and all.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.





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Indian Embassy in Tehran warns nationals not to attempt land border crossings without embassy coordination | – The Times of India

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Indian Embassy in Tehran warns nationals not to attempt land border crossings without embassy coordination | – The Times of India


The Indian Embassy in Tehran has issued a strict advisory urging Indian nationals in Iran not to attempt crossing any of the country’s land borders without prior and explicit coordination with embassy officials. The warning comes as authorities seek to prevent travellers from facing immigration or logistical complications while leaving the country, as per the newsonair reports.

Embassy of India, Tehran

Embassy of Inida, Tehran

In the advisory, the Embassy of India in Tehran stressed that Indian nationals currently in Iran should not approach or attempt to cross land borders for onward travel without first contacting and coordinating with the mission. According to the embassy, individuals who attempt to leave Iran independently through land routes may encounter serious difficulties during their journey. “All Indian nationals currently in Iran are strictly advised not to approach or attempt to cross any land border of Iran for onward travel without prior and explicit coordination with the Embassy of India,” the advisory said.Read more: UAE travel update: Emirates suspends Dubai flights until further notice; Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi issues advisory The mission cautioned that travellers who move towards border crossings without the embassy’s knowledge and guidance are highly likely to face logistical challenges and immigration-related complications. These could include issues with documentation, entry permissions into neighbouring countries, or unexpected restrictions at border checkpoints. Due to the above risks, the embassy strongly discouraged uncoordinated movement to land borders. They emphasized that moving without coordination could make it difficult to assist citizens in case of problems that may occur while in transit. In its statement, the embassy also made it clear that it would not be in a position to provide assistance once individuals move outside Iranian territory without prior coordination. This means that Indian citizens who leave their country through land routes without informing their embassy will find it difficult to get assistance from Indian authorities in case of any problems after crossing the border. The embassy also noted that it remains in regular contact with members of the Indian community in Iran. According to the statement, coordinated arrangements are being undertaken wherever necessary to assist Indian nationals who may need help with travel or other matters.Read more: Emirates issues update: Reduced flight schedule likely; some cancellations confirmed The Indian authorities have also asked their citizens in Iran to maintain their association with the embassy through official channels of communication and to keep themselves updated with the latest information. This will allow them to get accurate information and guidance regarding the procedures to be followed while travelling, etc. The advisories issued by the embassy are usually done to secure the safety and well-being of the citizens of that country while they are abroad, especially in situations where the conditions of travel are not clear or are complicated. In the case of crossing borders, especially by land, there are usually multiple checkpoints that need to be coordinated with different countries, etc. The advice to Indian nationals to not approach the border crossing points without prior permission from the embassy is probably done to avoid any complicated situations and to ensure that they get the necessary guidance while travelling. The embassy has therefore urged all Indian nationals in Iran to strictly follow official advisories, avoid undertaking independent travel towards land borders, and remain in touch with the mission before making any plans to leave the country. Indian citizens in need or those planning to travel have been advised to contact the embassy in advance in order to ensure proper coordination and address any possible issues prior to their travel.



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Ombudsman service shake-up ‘will help fast and fair response to consumer gripes’

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Ombudsman service shake-up ‘will help fast and fair response to consumer gripes’


The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is set to undergo a shake-up, to help strengthen the redress system so that customers receive fast, fair and consistent compensation in response to complaints about firms.

The FOS and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said proposed changes include a new registration stage to ensure that complaints referred to the ombudsman are ready to be investigated before being allocated to a caseworker.

There will also be new powers to dismiss complaints that are considered best resolved in other ways, are more appropriate for courts or another dispute resolution process, or where there has been no material financial loss, distress or inconvenience, under the proposals.

It is hoped that changes will help the FOS to focus its resources on being a fast and informal alternative to the courts, while ensuring it operates within a clearer and more predictable framework.

James Dipple-Johnstone, interim chief ombudsman at the FOS, said: “The financial sector has changed significantly since the Financial Ombudsman was set up 25 years ago, which is why we are driving forward changes to transform the redress system.

“We are laying the foundations for an agile, responsive and modern service which is fit for the future and has the confidence of consumers and firms alike.”

Sarah Pritchard, deputy chief executive at the FCA, said: “We want a system that delivers fair compensation fast, while providing greater certainty to businesses so they have the confidence to invest, grow and compete.

“We’re acting at pace to change what we can within our current powers, ahead of the Government’s wider reforms.”

The consultation closes on May 11.

Meanwhile, the Government has said it is set to legislate to “restore clarity” to the financial services redress system, saying reforms will return the FOS to its original role as a simple, impartial dispute resolution service.

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The announcement was part of a response to a public consultation held last year that sought views on how to address concerns that, in significant minority of cases, the FOS has acted as a “quasi-regulator”.

Legislation will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows to reform the legislative framework that governs the FOS.

The Government will legislate to introduce a referral mechanism between the FOS and the FCA.

This will require the ombudsman to seek a view from the FCA where the FOS considers there may be ambiguity in what FCA rules require, or where it considers an issue raised may have wider implications across the financial services industry.

It will also make structural changes to the FOS to provide more consistency in decision making by giving the chief ombudsman overall responsibility for FOS determinations.

It will also make it easier for firms and consumers to understand and learn from FOS decisions by introducing a requirement for the FOS and FCA to publish regular thematic reports which provide  information and clarification on how the FOS will consider certain types of complaint.

Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby said: “These reforms to the Financial Ombudsman Service will make redress clearer, more consistent and easier to navigate.

“By setting clearer boundaries, we are restoring confidence in the system and ensuring it works fairly and predictably for consumers and businesses alike.”



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Mortgage shelf life dips amid market uncertainty

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Mortgage shelf life dips amid market uncertainty


The average lifespan of a mortgage product on the market has plummeted to just two weeks, marking the shortest period seen in over two years, according to new data from financial information website Moneyfacts.

By the beginning of March, lenders were typically withdrawing mortgage deals after only 14 days.

This represents the most rapid turnover since August 2023, when the average ‘shelf life’ stood at 13 days.

This accelerated pace in the market comes as average mortgage rates have recently climbed above the 5 per cent threshold.

On Monday morning, the average two-year fixed-rate homeowner mortgage reached 5.20 per cent, a notable increase from 5.10 per cent recorded last Friday.

Similarly, the average five-year fixed deal rose to 5.25 per cent, up from 5.19 per cent at the end of last week, both figures representing significant highs in the current climate.

The average shelf life of a mortgage has not been this low for more than two years, Moneyfacts said (Anthony Devlin/PA Archive) (PA)

Even in the turbulent aftermath of the 2022 mini-budget under then-Prime Minister Liz Truss, which sent shockwaves through financial markets, the average mortgage shelf life was slightly longer, at 15 days.

However, mortgages have not disappeared in recent weeks as fast as they did in the aftermath of the mini-budget.

On Friday last week, Moneyfacts said at least 530 homeowner mortgage deals have vanished from the market since Monday March 9, representing about 7.5 per cent of deals.

But the biggest single day fall for residential mortgages recorded by Moneyfacts was the withdrawal of 935 products on September 27 2022, equating to a little more than 25 per cent of the deals available at the time.

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In recent days, lenders have been scrambling to increase their mortgage rates and withdraw some products amid changing expectations in the financial markets following the conflict in the Middle East. Swap rates, which are used by lenders to price mortgages, have been increasing.

Rachel Springall, a finance expert at Moneyfacts, said: “Since this data was captured, there has been a notable shift in swap rates, amid the unrest seen in the Middle East.

“It is worth noting that the average shelf life of a mortgage has not been this low for over two years.”

Average mortgage rates have recently flown past the 5 per cent mark, and Moneyfacts said the average, two-year, fixed-rate mortgage on the market on Monday morning was the highest since April 2025, while the average five-year deal was at its highest since February 2025

Average mortgage rates have recently flown past the 5 per cent mark, and Moneyfacts said the average, two-year, fixed-rate mortgage on the market on Monday morning was the highest since April 2025, while the average five-year deal was at its highest since February 2025 (Alamy/PA)

The Bank of England is due to announce its next base rate decision on Thursday, with many economists expecting the rate to remain unchanged at 3.75 per cent, rowing back from previous expectations of a cut.

Ms Springall added: “The general optimism heading into 2026 for the market might have suffered a bit of a setback, as it is looking incredibly unlikely that the Monetary Policy Committee will favour a cut to the Bank of England base rate.

“The reason rests on the uncertainty surrounding tensions in the Middle East.”

But she said that borrowers who are sitting on a standard variable rate (SVR), which may happen when an initial mortgage deal ends, could still potentially make savings by taking out a new deal.”

She said: “The outlook might look a bit bleak for borrowers right now, but as we have experienced before, a short-term spike in market volatility can heal and interest rates are still far lower than they were a couple of years ago.”



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