• PHP, the open-source computer programming language, had two major vulnerabilities exposed.
• Yonaton Keller woke on Wednesday to panicked messages about the two PHP vulnerabilities.
• He shares three steps you can take to protect your website.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Yonaton Keller, a 46-year-old product manager at Zafran Security, based in Tel Aviv. His words have been edited for length and clarity.

When I woke up at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, I had multiple messages from around 4:45 a.m. alerting me that two vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language had been disclosed.

I immediately understood that this was a very serious situation.

Websites run different versions of PHP, and it's estimated that around 70% of websites worldwide use it. This isn't the first time PHP vulnerabilities have been found, but these ones require essentially no authentication on the attacker's part.

It's a very tricky situation. If it were a year and a half ago, nobody would have really responded to this so urgently. But this might be one of the first major incidents of its kind in this AI era, and the cycle of how attackers operate and how we typically respond is broken.

AI enhances detection and response times, but it also means that any limited-technical person could exploit these vulnerabilities within minutes.

My team was very concerned and had to act fast

I'm based in Israel, so when it was 6:30 a.m., my time, it was the middle of the night in the US. This time gap worked in our team's favor, as we had time to figure out what was going on before our customers woke up.

PHP is an open-source computer programming language used to create websites and web applications. It's such a widely used programming language that we immediately understood that every one of our customers, which includes major corporations and businesses, would likely be affected by this.

With bugs or critical flaws in the infrastructure, like the two that were found in PHP, exploitation is actually quite easy, especially if you use AI agents. That was the first thing we understood: even completely unskilled attackers can use these vulnerabilities to take down sites.

The PHP Foundation said it would disclose the details of the vulnerabilities and release a fix for newer versions of the language around 5 p.m. Israel time. But some details had already been informally disclosed on an online forum. The post was deleted minutes afterward, but screenshots spread around the internet quite quickly in unofficial forums.

So, my team and I dropped everything else and spent all day on Wednesday gathering informal information to see whether we could mitigate the risk of exploitation before an official fix was released.

How to tell if you're at risk

The first step people can take to figure out if they're impacted is to look at their websites and web applications, and try to understand where PHP is involved. You can also assume that most, if not all, of them will use PHP in some way, unless you have very basic HTML-based pages.

The second step would be to look at what vulnerability scanners online are telling you. Tenable, Qualys, and Rapid7 are usually the big three for releasing detection rules and actually detecting the vulnerability. In this case, these vulnerabilities have caused such widespread panic worldwide that they were quick to respond. This is also a way to understand the exact vulnerabilities in your internet-facing assets.

After taking these steps, immediately look online to upgrade your website to the current PHP version. It's quite easy to upgrade that, and it's free. There are some technical steps to do after the fix, so you might need a tech guy to implement them. If you don't update your PHP version, the impact on your business and website can be very, very serious.

Some people are also fully taking their sites offline, and I think that can be the right call if you have evidence that you are being targeted. However, 70% of the internet can't and shouldn't be taken offline just because those sites have some vulnerabilities. It's an emergency step to take if you have evidence of potential exploitation, but it can't be a step taken by everyone.

This was not just about attackers disrupting your website or web application; it was about them taking control of your server, stealing sensitive documents, moving inside your network, and then carrying out malicious operations, such as deploying ransomware or other actions they intended.

The situation has calmed down, but my cybersecurity team is still very concerned

Things have calmed down a bit since Wednesday, but we're still very, very concerned. Patching 70% of worldwide websites doesn't take a minute or two.

Hours after the fix was disclosed by the PHP Foundation, there were already tons of exploitation attempts popping up online. Attackers are getting quicker. I think that in this AI era, when in a matter of minutes, many attackers can attack, you don't have the time you used to.

The whole traditional process of scoping the attack surface, establishing a remediation plan, then calling a guy who's going to be responsible for this remediation plan, et cetera, is broken.

For a long period of time, organizations were investing a lot in what we call post-compromise scenarios. I think the AI era of cybersecurity will involve a lot more security investments in the pre-compromise realm, so defenses can be pre-built and ready for attacks in situations like this.

• The AI boom is accelerating data center development across the US.
• Even states with few data centers are attracting major hyperscale projects.
• Here's how all 50 US states rank by their number of operational data centers.

The data center business is booming in the US, and some states are feeling it more than others.

Data centers, which house the computing machines that power digital services, have been around for decades. However, the amount of computing power required to fuel the AI boom has accelerated their development and brought the industry into the mainstream.

This ranking was compiled by analyzing data from Data Center Map, an industry source that maps data center locations around the world. It shows a snapshot of its US database as of October 2026. Business Insider limited this ranking to fully operational data centers.

Data Center Map compiles its data from multiple sources and mainly tracks cloud and colocation service providers. Each data center it tracks has to have an initial capacity of at least 10 cabinets. While some states have hyperscale AI data centers, others have relatively small operations.

Firstly, data center operators and service providers add their own listings to market themselves. Data Center Map also monitors external databases and manually identifies any missing operators. It also handles requests from users who identify missing or outdated listings.

There is no federal requirement for data centers to register in a central database, so the figures should not be interpreted as a complete census of every data center in the country. Data Center Map also says it has a "more limited coverage on enterprise and government data centers."

Last year, Business Insider created its own US data centers map, which included estimated power usage, as part of an investigation into the industry.

Here are the states with the most operational data centers, ranked from least to most.

50. Vermont

Number of operational data centers: 3

Vermont's three operational data centers are located in Stowe, South Burlington, and Williston. The state has a limited electrical grid, according to the Vermont Natural Resources Council.

49. Alaska

Number of operational data centers: 4

Half of Alaska's operational data centers are located in Anchorage. The University of Alaska Fairbanks said that the high cost of electricity and network connections are some of the challenges for data center buildout in the state.

48. South Dakota

Number of operational data centers: 5

Most of South Dakota's data centers are in Sioux Falls. Lawmakers in South Dakota rejected proposals for industry tax incentives in 2026 while enacting new restrictions on electricity and water use, according to the South Dakota Searchlight.

46. Maine (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 6

Maine has data centers in Portland, Brunswick, and Bangor.

Maine's Gov. Janet Mills signed an order in April to establish a data center advisory council to advise on large-scale data center development.

46. Delaware (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 6

Half of the data centers in Delaware are located in Wilmington.

Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed legislation in August requiring data centers to generate their own energy and cover infrastructure costs, WHYY reported.

44. West Virginia (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 7

West Virginia's data centers are located in South Charleston, Bridgeport, Charleston, Star City, Petersburg, Nitro, and Berkeley Springs.

Having previously lacked the regulatory framework to approve or deny large-scale projects, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced a data center development plan in August.

44. Rhode Island (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 7

All of Rhode Island's data centers are located in Providence.

The Providence Journal reported in April that one of the reasons Rhode Island has not been as attractive to data center developers is high energy costs.

42. Montana (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 8

The majority of Montana's data centers are located in Billings.

Big Sky Digital Infrastructure is developing a 5,100-acre campus 30 miles north of Billings.

42. Hawaii (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 8

Over half of Hawaii's data centers are in Honolulu.

The Honolulu Civil Beat reported that there are currently no hyperscale data centers in Hawaii.

41. Arkansas

Number of operational data centers: 9

The city with the most data centers in Arkansas is Little Rock.

Google announced its first data center in the state, to be located in West Memphis, in 2025, while Avaio is developing a large-scale one near Little Rock.

39. New Hampshire (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 10

Manchester has three data centers, while the rest are spread across seven different cities.

A proposed data center in Nottingham was withdrawn earlier this year following local opposition, the New Hampshire Bulletin reported.

39. Idaho (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 10

Four of Idaho's 10 data centers are located in Boise, followed by three in Coeur d'Alene.

Meta plans to operate a $1.2 billion data center in Kuna, which it broke ground on in 2022.

38. Louisiana

Number of operational data centers: 12

The majority of Louisiana's data centers are located in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Meta is building its largest-ever data center in Richland Parish, which will house the multi-gigawatt AI cluster Hyperion.

37. North Dakota

Number of operational data centers: 13

Four of North Dakota's data centers are located in Fargo, followed by three in Ellendale.

There are some large-scale data center projects in the state, such as Applied Digital's 280-megawatt campus near Harwood.

36. Kansas

Number of operational data centers: 15

Nearly half of Kansas' operational data centers are located in Lenexa, which has seven of the state's 15 facilities.

Kansas is experiencing a surge in plans for large-scale data center development, including one by Dubai-based developer Damac Properties in Edgerton, Kansas, The Wall Street Journal reported.

35. Mississippi

Number of operational data centers: 16

Six of Mississippi's operational data centers are located in Canton.

Amazon announced in April this year that it increased its total planned investment in its Mississippi data centers, including in Canton, to $25 billion.

33. New Mexico (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 20

Over half of New Mexico's data centers are located in Los Lunas.

Meta opened a data center in Los Lunas in 2019, which it has since expanded.

33. Connecticut (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 20

Connecticut's 20 operational data centers are spread across multiple cities, with the highest concentration in Stamford.

The Connecticut Mirror reported that lawmakers said the state's high electricity costs make it unattractive to data center developers.

32. Wyoming

Number of operational data centers: 22

All but two of Wyoming's data centers are located in Cheyenne, with the other two in Casper and Afton.

In 2012, Microsoft built its first data center in Cheyenne and has expanded its footprint there multiple times since.

31. Alabama

Number of operational data centers: 23

Huntsville has the most operational data centers in Alabama.

Meta broke ground on its Huntsville campus in 2018.

30. South Carolina

Number of operational data centers: 26

Moncks Corner has the most operational data centers in South Carolina, accounting for 11 of the state's 26 facilities.

Google has three facilities in South Carolina, where it first made its footprint in 2007.

29. Maryland

Number of operational data centers: 27

Baltimore has the most operational data centers in Maryland, followed by Frederick.

Amazon is developing a new data center campus in Frederick, Maryland.

28. Kentucky

Number of operational data centers: 32

Louisville has the most operational data centers in Kentucky, with 13 of the state's 32 facilities.

Mason County, Kentucky, recently signed a development agreement for a Meta hyperscale data center, as reported by LEX 18.

27. Utah

Number of operational data centers: 35

Salt Lake City has the most operational data centers in Utah, followed by Bluffdale, Eagle Mountain, and West Jordan.

Meta operates a campus in Eagle Mountain, and the National Security Agency operates one located near Bluffdale.

25. Oklahoma (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 36

Most of Oklahoma's data centers are located in Tulsa, followed by Oklahoma City and Pryor.

Google operates a facility in Pryor and is developing additional locations in the state.

25. Nebraska (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 36

Omaha has the most operational data centers in Nebraska, with 11, followed by Papillion and Springfield, each with 8.

Google has campuses in Lincoln, Omaha, and Papillion.

24. Wisconsin

Number of operational data centers: 41

Wisconsin's 41 data centers are spread across several cities, with Milwaukee and Madison hosting the most.

Microsoft finished building an AI data center in Mount Pleasant in June.

23. Massachusetts

Number of operational data centers: 46

Marlborough has the most operational data centers in Massachusetts, with six, followed by Boston with five, and Cambridge and Waltham with four each.

CBS News reported that the biggest, the Markley data center, is in Lowell.

21. Missouri (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 47

Missouri's 47 operational data centers are spread across eight cities, with Kansas City accounting for most of them.

Axios reported in September that most of Missouri's planned data center expansion is concentrated in the Kansas City metropolitan area, citing research by Cleanview.

21. Minnesota (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 47

Minnesota's 47 data centers are spread across 21 cities, with Minneapolis accounting for 15, followed by Eden Prairie, St. Paul, Shakopee, and Minnetonka.

Google announced earlier this year that it plans to build a data center in Pine Island.

20. Nevada

Number of operational data centers: 51

More than half of Nevada's data centers are located in Las Vegas.

Switch has plans to expand its Citadel Campus at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, which the company says will have gigawatts of power capacity upon completion.

19. Indiana

Number of operational data centers: 51

Indiana's 51 operational data centers are spread across 11 cities, with Indianapolis leading and New Carlisle following.

18. Tennessee

Number of operational data centers: 53

Nashville has the largest concentration of Tennessee's 53 operational data centers.

Elon Musk's xAI describes its Colossus facility in Memphis as the world's largest AI supercomputer.

16. Michigan (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 58

Michigan's 58 data centers are spread across 27 cities, with Southfield accounting for the most.

Part of the Stargate Project, Related Digital kicked off construction of a $16 billion data center called "The Barn" in Saline Township in June.

16. Colorado (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 58

There are 14 data centers in operation in Denver, followed by 11 in Englewood, 7 in Centennial, and 7 in Colorado Springs.

QTS is expanding its 65-acre data center campus in Aurora, Colorado, Colorado Public Radio reported in July.

15. Iowa

Number of operational data centers: 69

Altoona and West Des Moines are among Iowa's leading data center locations, alongside Council Bluffs and Des Moines.

Google has had a campus in Council Bluffs since 2007, recently invested in its expansion, and has also kicked off a new one in Cedar Rapids.

14. North Carolina

Number of operational data centers: 76

Charlotte has 24 data centers, the most in North Carolina, followed by Raleigh, Maiden, and Lenoir.

Apple operates a data center in Maiden, according to The Charlotte Observer. Google and Meta also operate data centers in the state.

12. Pennsylvania (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 78

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have the largest concentrations of operational data centers in Pennsylvania.

In 2025, Amazon announced plans to invest at least $20 billion in the state to expand its data center operations.

12. New Jersey (tie)

Number of operational data centers: 78

Secaucus and Piscataway are two of New Jersey's main data center hubs, alongside Jersey City.

Equinix operates a 129,436-square-foot data center in Secaucus, known as NY5.

11. Florida

Number of operational data centers: 113

Florida's 113 operational data centers are spread across 27 locations, with Miami accounting for the most at 33, followed by Tampa with 20, Jacksonville with 13, and Orlando with nine.

Data center provider HostDime has been based in the state since 2003 and is building a 100,000-square-foot facility in Eatonville.

10. Arizona

Number of operational data centers: 114

Phoenix contains 34 of Arizona's data centers, followed by Goodyear with 24, and Chandler with 17.

ABC 15 reported that companies such as Meta, Apple, and Microsoft all have campuses in Arizona.

9. Georgia

Number of operational data centers: 123

Atlanta has the largest concentration of operational data centers in Georgia, with 43 facilities, followed by Lithia Springs with 25 and Social Circle with 10.

Google built its first data center in Georgia in 2007, and QTS is has one in Fayetteville.

8. Washington

Number of operational data centers: 132

Quincy has the largest concentration of operational data centers in Washington, with 33 facilities, followed by Seattle with 31, Tukwila with 16, and East Wenatchee with 11.

Washington's Department of Ecology says Quincy and Wenatchee are popular spots because they have cheaper, reliable energy.

7. Oregon

Number of operational data centers: 141

Hillsboro has the most operational data centers in Oregon, followed by Boardman, and then Umatilla and Prineville.

Oregon is home to Meta and Google's first-ever data centers: Meta built its in Prineville, and Google's The Dalles.

6. Illinois

Number of operational data centers: 143

Chicago has the largest concentration of operational data centers in Illinois, with 49 facilities, followed by Elk Grove Village, which has 24. Lombard, Aurora, and DeKalb each have seven.

Companies such as Digital Realty Trust, Microsoft, Meta, and CyrusOne operate in Illinois.

5. New York

Number of operational data centers: 149

New York City is home to a large share of the state's operational data centers, with additional concentrations in Buffalo and Albany.

In July, New York was the first state to enact an executive order that imposed a statewide yearlong moratorium on hyperscale AI data centers.

4. Ohio

Number of operational data centers: 189

Columbus has the largest concentration of operational data centers in Ohio, with Johnstown, Hilliard, and Cleveland also home to significant numbers of facilities.

Intel announced plans in 2022 for a major semiconductor manufacturing facility in New Albany, a suburb in central Ohio known as the "Silicon Heartland," which is already home to data centers operated by Amazon, Google, and Meta, as Business Insider previously reported.

3. California

Number of operational data centers: 285

Santa Clara has the largest concentration of operational data centers in California, with 75 facilities, followed by Los Angeles with 51 and San Jose with 26.

Major operators in Santa Clara include Digital Realty, Equinix, CoreSite, and Vantage Data Centers.

2. Texas

Number of operational data centers: 358

Of Texas's 358 operational data centers, 58 are located in Dallas, 42 in Houston, and 39 in San Antonio.

Earlier this year, Business Insider, citing research from Jones Lang LaSalle, reported that Texas is on track to become the largest data center market in the world by 2030.

Texas is home to some of the world's largest planned data center projects, such as Fermi America's Project Matador.

1. Virginia

Number of operational data centers: 452

Northern Virginia is not only the largest data center market in the US but also in the world. Major operators in the state include Equinix, Digital Realty, Microsoft, Vantage Data Centers, and Amazon.

Ashburn has the largest concentration of operational data centers in Virginia, with 102 facilities, followed by Sterling with 84 and Manassas with 60.

• Skytrax conducted a passenger satisfaction survey to determine the best airlines to fly first class.
• Air France was named the best airline to fly first class for its 38-square-foot La Première suite.
• Airlines across the industry are adding more premium offerings to attract higher-paying customers.

As airlines across the industry bolster their premium offerings to attract higher-paying passengers, first-class amenities are only getting more luxurious.

In some first-class cabins, travelers can enjoy private suites with double beds and food by Michelin-starred chefs. Other airlines offer spacious pods with multiple seating options and headrests with built-in speakers.

Between September 2025 and August 2026, travelers from over 100 nationalities filled out an airline passenger satisfaction survey conducted by Skytrax, an aviation rating company, to determine the best airlines to fly first class.

Here are the winning first-class carriers in Skytrax's 2026 World Airline Awards.

10. Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways made the top 10 of Skytrax's ranking with amenities such as an à la carte menu, Diptyque amenity kits, and loungewear from The White Company.

9. Qantas Airways

First-class travelers on Qantas can enjoy perks like armchair seating with in-seat massages and a self-service bar and lounge.

8. ANA (All Nippon Airways)

First class on ANA includes sliding doors, lie-flat seats, and lavish meals featuring items such as sashimi, wagyu beef, and miso soup.

7. Japan Airlines

First-class suites on Japan Airlines' Airbus A350-1000s come with double beds, headrests with built-in speakers, wardrobes, and 43-inch TVs.

6. Swiss International Air Lines

Swiss International Air Lines' first-class cabins include armchairs that transform into lie-flat beds, pajamas designed by Zimmerli of Switzerland, and Cuvée Louise Champagne from Maison Pommery.

5. Cathay Pacific Airways

Cathay Pacific's first-class suites feature luxuries like 600-thread-count sheets, BOSE noise-canceling headphones, and an extensive wine selection.

4. Emirates

In addition to flying in private suites, first-class passengers on Emirates' Airbus A380 fleet also have access to a shower and lounge.

3. Lufthansa

In a 2023 press release unveiling Lufthansa's new first-class suites, Lufthansa Airlines CEO Jens Ritter said that the design "conveys the feeling of privacy and individuality similar to a hotel room." Skytrax named Lufthansa the third-best airline to fly first-class.

2. Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines' first-class suites are spacious enough for a bed plus a reclining chair, and two suites can be combined into a double for two people. It's the runner-up in Skytrax's ranking of the best first-class airlines.

1. Air France

Skytrax named Air France, whose first-class cabins offer a nearly 38-square-foot La Première suite and food created by Michelin-starred chefs, the best airline for first-class travel.

• Buzzy insurtech Corgi has a knack for launching new businesses, and investment banking may be next.
• The firm posted a job for a managing director of investment banking.
• Unlike typical investment banking jobs, the pay is commission only.

Corgi launched as an insurance startup, but it's been rapidly expanding into new businesses like thematic ETFs and 24/7 cafe/coworking spaces.

A job filing posted this month suggests it's now eyeing M&A investment banking.

The company, valued at $5 billion, is hiring for a "Managing Director, Investment Banking" role, according to the posting. It says the company is "seeking experienced Managing Directors with established client relationships, deep sector expertise, and a proven track record of originating and closing transactions."

The company says it's seeking someone with more than five years of experience. Unlike traditional investment banking jobs, which typically pair a hefty base salary with performance-based compensation, this job is "commission only, with no base salary."

"Payouts are tied to collected transaction fees, with terms based on origination and execution responsibilities and agreed upon before joining," the listing says.

Investment banking managing directors across the industry made a median of $1.1 million a year in 2025, according to Prospect Rock Partners, and in previous years, bonuses made up more than two-thirds of total compensation.

A commission-only contract could be seen as a hard sell for your average banker, but Corgi's prolific fundraising — $266 million this year and $431 million in total since its 2014 launch — and its vision of "building an AI financial infrastructure company" may be attractive to an ambitious young banker.

The company did not respond to a request for comment about its plans or the job posting.

Corgi was founded by Emily Yuan and Nico Laqua in 2024, offering a range of insurance products for startups. Its recently opened cafés are positioned as a marketing tool for startup founders.

While an investment banking platform may seem to be an odd choice for an insurer, it is a clue that this is part of the firm's vision to serve startups by helping them sell their businesses.

The posting said candidates should have relationships with "founders, sponsors, and referral partners" — in other words, those who can connect startup founders with private equity investors that could buy their companies.

• My husband and I enjoy hiking, but our kids, 7 and 10, often complain along the way.
• On a visit to Finland, we went hiking with a guide, and my kids were engaged the whole time.
• It encouraged me to change a few things about the way I approach and plan family hikes.

It was an hour into our hike through Southern Konnevesi National Park in Finland, and neither of my 7- and 10-year-old daughters was complaining. It was glorious.

Normally, within the first hour, I would have already heard the question "How much longer?" One of them would also declare, "It's boring. We're just walking."

So what was different about this hike? Why weren't they complaining? It's because I took a different approach to this hike than I have with past ones — and it worked. Here's what I did.

A stranger motivated them more than I ever could

For this hike, we had a local guide with us, and my kids hung on her every word. They were asking questions non-stop and following her down the trail without a single complaint.

I almost laughed when I saw them literally stepping in her footprints and mimicking every move she made. This is not what my husband and I were accustomed to.

When she leaned on a rock to hear "the whispers of the forest," my kids did the same. When she found edible berries, my kids rushed there to try them first.

I do my best to make hikes interesting for my kids, but I am also a first-time visitor to most of the places we explore. No matter how much I research beforehand, I usually can't predict what they will find interesting along the trail. By contrast, this local guide knew exactly how to keep them excited, which kept them moving along.

Having a job kept them interested

I also noticed that the guide occasionally gave them "crucial" jobs along the trail. Who could find the next patch of berries, who could spot mushrooms growing on a log, or who could hear a bird singing?

When we are alone, I try to do these things too, but I cannot always answer the questions that ultimately follow: "Are these berries edible?" "What kind of mushroom is that?" or "Which bird is singing?"

I know my kids are naturally curious, but I wondered why my kids seem uninterested when it's just us. I began to realize they stopped asking me questions because they knew I didn't always have answers. Since our guide did this time, they asked her. They were eager to learn.

I tailored the goal to their needs

I also noticed they had not asked the dreaded question, "How much longer?" Not even once on our 2.5-mile hike.

I kept thinking about my usual responses. I say things like, "Look at the beautiful forest. Just enjoy the view and breathe in the fresh air," or, "Come on, we're almost there. It'll be worth it when we arrive."

Kids care about what's happening in the next five minutes in a way that's different from how my husband and I approach things. I was expecting them to hike like adults, getting from one point to the next. If they can discover something new at every step, they will relish the journey and won't feel time passing slowly. That's something I'm planning to incorporate into our future family hikes.

On a different trip, we tried forest bathing with a local guide in Austria, which lasted over three hours. When it ended, my kids frowned and said, "That was so short. Can we keep going?"

We allow time for free play along the way

After these experiences, I became much more careful about which trails I choose when hiking with my kids.

I know now that the best trails for my kids are the ones that offer exciting experiences along the way: a lake where kids can swim with tadpoles, a stream to cross, or rocks to scramble over.

I've also learned not to rush the stops. My daughters love spending time throwing rocks into a lake, sending leaf rafts down a stream, balancing on fallen logs, building hearts from flowers, or watching frogs or insects.

The biggest change for me has been to stop measuring a hike's success by how far we get and start measuring it by how much fun we had.

In Finland, I realized my kids already enjoy hiking. They just enjoy different things during a hike than I do as an adult. I should never forget that sometimes the part they remember most has nothing to do with the trail itself.

VTM

O DTech 2026 reuniu empresas tecnológicas, profissionais e estudantes para debater os desafios da inteligência artificial (IA), do software e da robótica. O programa incluiu nove palestras, uma feira empresarial, quatro apresentações de projetos jovens e momentos de networking, no Teatro de Vila Real, seguindo-se workshops práticos na Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD).

André Conde, da organização, explica que o objetivo é aproximar o meio académico da realidade empresarial e criar oportunidades de contacto. “É um momento de partilha” que permite perceber como diferentes empresas enfrentam desafios semelhantes, mas encontram soluções distintas, afirma.

A inteligência artificial foi um dos temas centrais, numa altura em que as ferramentas tecnológicas estão a transformar rapidamente os métodos de trabalho. “Hoje em dia, não tem nada a ver com a de há um ano”, refere André Conde, explicando que a sua empresa mudou significativamente a forma de trabalhar. Por isso, considera essencial que os estudantes conheçam as oportunidades e as dificuldades do mercado antes de entrarem na vida profissional.

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Russia’s central bank has reduced its gold holdings to their lowest level in nearly seven years as the Kremlin faces a widening budget deficit, declining energy revenues and mounting expenditure on its war against Ukraine.

Russia has carried out its largest sustained reduction in gold reserves since the financial crisis of 1998, disposing of approximately 62 tonnes of the precious metal since December 2025 as the government draws on accumulated reserves to finance a growing federal budget deficit.

According to figures released by the Bank of Russia on Tuesday, 20 October, the country’s monetary gold reserves declined by another 200,000 troy ounces, equivalent to approximately 6.2 tonnes, during September.

The latest reduction brings Russia’s official gold holdings to 72.8 million troy ounces, or approximately 2,264 tonnes, their lowest level since the end of 2019.

The central bank has now reduced its gold holdings for ten consecutive months, reversing the accumulation strategy pursued by Moscow in the years preceding its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Largest gold sell-off since the 1998 crisis

The scale of the current reduction is exceptional by Russian historical standards.

According to International Monetary Fund data cited in reporting on the latest figures, the only more rapid depletion of Russian gold reserves in the country’s modern history occurred during the 1998 financial crisis.

At that time, Russia’s central bank disposed of approximately 118 tonnes of gold over three months as the government defaulted on domestic debt and the rouble collapsed.

Some of those holdings were subsequently replenished, leaving the country’s gold reserves approximately 50 tonnes lower at the end of 1998.

The reduction recorded during 2026 has already exceeded that annual net decline, although Russia’s present financial position differs substantially from the circumstances surrounding the 1998 default.

The monetary value of Russia’s remaining gold reserves stood at approximately $301.6 billion at the end of September, compared with $333.5 billion a month earlier. The change reflects movements in gold prices as well as the reduction in physical holdings.

Budget deficit reaches 7.3 trillion roubles

The sales come as the Russian government struggles to contain expenditure associated with its continuing military campaign against Ukraine.

Moscow now expects its federal budget deficit to reach 7.3 trillion roubles, approximately $87 billion, in 2026. That represents 3.2 per cent of gross domestic product, twice the deficit originally anticipated.

Military and security expenditure is expected to account for approximately 38 per cent of total federal spending this year.

The government has increasingly relied on its National Wealth Fund, established to accumulate surplus energy revenues, to cover budget shortfalls.

The central bank’s gold transactions are linked to operations involving the fund. Under this mechanism, the Bank of Russia conducts corresponding market sales following Finance Ministry transactions using the fund’s assets.

Figures published by Russia’s Finance Ministry earlier this month showed that the National Wealth Fund’s liquid assets had fallen to approximately 3.8 trillion roubles, equivalent to $45 billion, as of 1 October. This was down from approximately 4 trillion roubles a month earlier.

The fund’s total assets remained substantially larger, at almost 13 trillion roubles, but much of that amount is invested in shares, bonds and other holdings that cannot immediately be converted into funds for government expenditure.

War expenditure puts pressure on Kremlin finances

Russia’s fiscal problems have been compounded by weaker oil and gas revenues, a slowdown in economic activity and the increasing cost of sustaining military operations.

Although energy exports continue to generate substantial income, government revenue has failed to keep pace with spending commitments.

Moscow has consequently increased domestic borrowing, introduced additional taxes and sought alternative sources of budget financing.

The latest gold figures provide further evidence of the financial demands imposed by the war, now approaching its fifth anniversary.

They do not indicate that Russia is approaching an immediate financial collapse. The country still holds considerable gold and foreign exchange reserves, with the central bank reporting total international reserves of approximately $731.8 billion at the end of September, although access to part of its overseas assets remains restricted by Western sanctions.

Nevertheless, the continued liquidation of gold holdings reduces the reserve assets available to the Russian authorities at a time when military spending remains elevated and the government faces pressure to meet its domestic financial commitments.

For President Vladimir Putin, the growing budget deficit introduces an additional economic consideration into decisions over the duration of the war.

The September figures show that Moscow is increasingly drawing on assets accumulated before the invasion to support current expenditure, while its capacity to rebuild those reserves remains dependent on future revenues and the government’s ability to restrain spending.

NatWest is forcing tens of thousands of staff members back into the office in the latest crackdown on remote working that mushroomed during the pandemic and has remained stubbornly high.

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