Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

Raoni Barcelos released a video from his hospital bed almost 48 hours after his scary defeat to Raul Rosas Jr. to confirm he’s “doing well” and already anticipates a “stronger” return.Barcelos had his five-fight winning streak snapped in the main event of UFC Vegas 121, which went down this past Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, after collapsing unconscious in the fifth round in his bantamweight clash. The 39-year-old veteran shared a short statement Monday morning to say he was “doing great,” and thank fans on a video post hours later.“Hey everyone, how’s it going?” Barcelos said in…

Norwegian defence company Kongsberg has signed a framework agreement with the U.S. Marine Corps for the production and sustainment of Naval Strike Missile (NSM) launcher units, weapon control systems and associated support equipment. Announced on 28 September, the agreement has a potential value of up to $404 million and may support deliveries through 2034. The value is not a firm order total; instead, the Marine Corps will place individual call-offs under the framework, with Kongsberg expected to announce significant order intake as those orders are made. The agreement is directly relevant to the U.S. Marine Corps’ Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction…

Combining finances is one of the first big money decisions a military couple makes, and it usually comes down to one question: Should you open a joint bank account? For most military couples, joint bank accounts make money management easier, especially with deployments, PCS moves and unpredictable schedules. But shared banking isn’t automatically right for every family, and it comes with a few tradeoffs worth understanding first. Here’s what military couples need to know about joint bank accounts, including when they make sense, when separate accounts work better, and how to protect your money either way. Pros and Cons of…

When will the war in Iran end? American officials claim that the answer is soon. “I think the war is going to end immediately after the [November] election,” declared U.S. President Donald Trump in September. “They can’t hold out any longer.” Iranian leaders agree that the war’s conclusion is near. Tehran has “brought the most heavily armed army in the history of the world to its knees,” proclaimed Ahmad Vahidi, the commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in August. Many outside analysts think that the conflict will drag on for longer and end with negotiations rather than…

Russia plans to spend 17.1 trillion roubles, or $202.6 billion, on defense in 2027, around 27% more than the 13.5 trillion roubles, or $159.8 billion, originally budgeted and the highest figure since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, government documents seen by Reuters showed on Monday. Total defense spending will amount to 50 trillion roubles, or $591.7 billion, in the next three years, according to the documents. In 2026, the government planned to spend 12.1 trillion roubles on defense, but the actual amount is classified and will not be disclosed. Some military spending can also be accounted…

Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum, only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war. The perspectives gathered here are varied, candid, and often surprising, together forming a more complete picture of Ukraine as it really is.Frontline and StrategyДзеркало…

Three F-tier heroines have been volunteered by their teacher to take on the Goblin King. Their qualifications are questionable, but that’s where you come in. Expedition Bonk, developed by Yukisora, follows their efforts to become a party capable of finishing the job. Combat asks you to select actions, then perform timed inputs to strengthen attacks and guards. Skills have limited uses, so choosing when to spend a powerful ability matters alongside getting the timing right. Earnings feed into a shared incremental skill tree, unlocking character-specific skills and spells alongside stat increases for the entire party. After losing a fight, you…

As the Pentagon overhauls its acquisition system, it should take lessons from recent and ongoing wars, a new report argues.From Israel, the U.S. should learn that “operational feedback should be treated as a strategic resource.” writes Barak Seener, an associate research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, in a report released Monday. And from Ukraine, the U.S. can learn “the strategic value of competition, decentralization, and commercial innovation.”Additionally, Seener writes, “software-defined warfare requires software-defined acquisition.” In the future, acquisition models should “treat software as a continuously developing capability, rather than a completed product.” These changes and more are necessary, he writes,…

A Texas man has been found guilty of defrauding the federal government of $26 million in a scheme that involved money laundering, kickbacks and a $100,000 gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck.Licensed Professional Counselor Kevin Curry, 64, of Frisco, Texas, was convicted last week for his role in health care fraud involving Tricare, the Defense Department’s health program.According to the Justice Department, Curry, who ran three purported mental health clinics in Texas and Florida, billed Tricare for transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, therapy services for troops and their families that they either never received or were ineligible for.Curry falsely portrayed himself as a…

Transcript Dame Carol Black It seems to me it’s extremely important – I know there are lots of other very, very important things going on – but if you want better health and you want a safer society, you need to pay attention to drugs. Jennifer Newbould In 2021, drug-related deaths in the UK were the highest ever recorded. Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs found that drugs cost an estimated £19bn to society annually and that long-term cuts in funding have led to a decline in skills, expertise and capacity in the treatment and recovery system. Dame Carol…