News•Feb 17, 2026
Tragedy: American Express May Have Closed United Airlines Travel Bank “Loophole”
American Express appears to have ended a long‑standing loophole that let Platinum cardholders claim the $200 annual airline credit by purchasing United Airlines Travel Bank credits. The change, effective around February 6, 2026, reclassifies these purchases as ticket‑related, making them ineligible for the incidental‑fee credit. While the adjustment may stem from United’s coding update, Amex’s terms already prohibited gift‑card‑type transactions. The result is a loss of a convenient rebate for United‑focused travelers, prompting a reassessment of the card’s value proposition.
By Live and Let’s Fly
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
Publication and Webinar: ELI Report on the EU Parenthood Proposal
The European Law Institute (ELI) released its project report titled “Enhancing Child Protection,” offering constructive amendments to the European Commission’s 2022 Parenthood Proposal (COM/2022/695). The report aims to align the draft regulation more closely with the EU acquis, prioritize the...
By Conflict of Laws .net
News•Feb 17, 2026
‘A Modern Collecting Society Needs the Pace and Resilience of a Modern Digital Service.’
PRS for Music announced a comprehensive digital‑first overhaul, redesigning its website and member tools to be mobile‑first and self‑service. The new platform reduces navigation steps, uses plain language, and treats data as a product, enabling faster royalty insights and payments....
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 17, 2026
Report Labels Unbundling of Eskom as ‘Most Important Economic Reform Since 1994'
A South African Energy Traders Association (SAETA) report declares the unbundling of Eskom Holdings the most consequential economic reform since the end of apartheid in 1994. The study, titled “Policy to power: 10 actions to deliver green, accessible and secure electricity,”...
By Mining Weekly
News•Feb 17, 2026
Allegro Spatial Launches on Bouygues Telecom in France
Bouygues Telecom has added the premium classical music channel Allegro Spatial to its French TV lineup, delivering native 4K UHD video at 50 fps with Dolby Atmos immersive audio. The service, positioned on channel 164, offers concerts, ballets and operas alongside contextual...
By Broadband TV News
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
2016 vs 2026: Lessons From a Decade of Corporate Climate Action
A decade after the Paris Agreement, corporate climate action has shifted from early supply‑chain pilots and nascent net‑zero talk to a reality where Scope 3 emissions dominate and reporting burdens intensify. Initial enthusiasm for broad coalitions has given way to more...
By Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
Revamped Opportunity Zone Financing
Opportunity Zone financing is being overhauled under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, creating OZ 2.0 effective Jan 1, 2027. The new rules make the program permanent, introduce a rolling five‑year deferral, a 10% basis step‑up after five years, and a 10‑year...
By POTs and PANs
Podcast•Feb 17, 2026•20 min
The European Union as Emerging Geopolitical Player in the Arctic
In this episode, Dr. Eric Paglia talks with Dr. Andreas Raspotnik, a senior researcher at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, about the European Union’s rising geopolitical role in the Arctic. They examine how the EU’s response to the recent Greenland crisis...
By Polar Geopolitics
News•Feb 17, 2026
Hong Kong’s New T2 Departures Facility to Open in May
The Airport Authority Hong Kong announced that the departure facilities at Terminal 2 will begin operations on May 27, 2026. The rollout follows a phased commissioning that started with the Coach Hall in September 2025 and aligns with expected summer travel demand. The new...
By Airport World
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
Kennedy-Wilson to Be Acquired by a Consortium Led by CEO McMorrow and Fairfax Financial for $6.16 Billion
Kennedy-Wilson Holdings announced a definitive agreement to be acquired by a consortium led by its CEO William McMorrow and Fairfax Financial for $6.16 billion. The deal offers $10.9 in cash per share, a 10.21% premium to the last closing price. Fairfax...
By Inside Arbitrage – Blog
News•Feb 17, 2026
The First True Mirror Match in Street Fighter History Was Due to a Bug and Could only Be Played Against...
The original 1987 Street Fighter was essentially a single‑player title where players could only choose Ryu or a functionally identical Ken, creating a de‑facto mirror match. Street Fighter II expanded the roster and shifted focus to competitive 1‑on‑1 play, deliberately blocking...
By EventHubs
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
Tanaka Establishes Total Solutions System for Contract Manufacturing of Diagnostics
Tanaka Precious Metal Technologies has built a total‑solution system for contract manufacturing of in‑vitro diagnostic test kits, adding dedicated dispensing and packaging lines for extraction buffer. The new infrastructure lets the company handle every step—from assay development to final product...
By Med-Tech Insights
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
Tuesday Talk*: Who’s Behind Those Meta Ray Bans?
Meta’s Ray‑Ban smart glasses, equipped with a hidden camera, have sparked a viral TikTok sensation after a Manhattan restaurant patron was recorded without consent. The clip amassed over two million views, turning an ordinary dining experience into an unintended internet...
By Simple Justice
News•Feb 17, 2026
Fan Group Makes Unreal Tournament 2004 Available to Play for Free and in 4K, with Epic’s Permission
OldUnreal, a fan preservation group, received Epic Games' blessing to release Unreal Tournament 2004 as a free download. The team launched an auto‑installing Windows installer that pulls the original disc image and applies a new patch, the first in over two...
By Video Games Chronicle
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
Video Blogging Guide: How to Start a Vlog That Grows Your Brand in 2026
Neal Schaffer’s 2026 guide shows that anyone can start a vlog using just a smartphone, focusing on niche selection and consistent publishing. It outlines essential equipment, platform choices, and a step‑by‑step workflow for planning, filming, editing, and optimizing videos. The...
By Neal Schaffer’s Blog
Social•Feb 17, 2026
FDA's New Move Undermines mRNA Flu Vaccine
https://open.substack.com/pub/pauloffit/p/weaponizing-the-fda-against-vaccines?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web A closer look at the FDA's recent kill shot against an mRNA influenza vaccine.
By Paul Offit, MD
News•Feb 17, 2026
Ahead of The Witcher Remake, the Witcher 1's Lead Story Designer Has Just Wrapped up a 26 Episode Dev Commentary
Lead story designer Artur Ganszyniec has finished a 26‑episode developer commentary that walks through CD Projekt’s 2007 Witcher 1 over the past six months. The YouTube series revisits key narrative moments, shares behind‑the‑scenes anecdotes, and notes that Geralt was not originally...
By Rock Paper Shotgun
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
States Encroach on Prediction Markets – WSJ
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has long regulated prediction markets, but a wave of state lawsuits is challenging its authority. Nearly 50 cases across the U.S. allege that event contracts offered by platforms like Kalshi, Polymarket, Coinbase and Crypto.com...
By Securities Docket
News•Feb 17, 2026
Energy Transition Delivers Fresh Growth for BHP, but Decarbonisation Stays on the Back-Burner
BHP’s half‑year report highlighted renewable energy and battery projects, yet mentioned decarbonisation fewer times. Copper revenue now accounts for 51% of underlying EBITDA, driven by soaring copper and iron‑ore prices. The miner projects data‑centre copper demand could reach 3 million tonnes...
By RenewEconomy
News•Feb 17, 2026
India Seeks New Steel Export Markets in Middle East and Asia to Offset EU Carbon Tax Impact: Report
India, the world’s second‑largest crude‑steel producer, is pivoting toward the Middle East and Asian markets to cushion the impact of the European Union’s new carbon border adjustment tax. Roughly two‑thirds of its steel exports currently flow to Europe, where the...
By Mint (India) – Economy
News•Feb 17, 2026
X Partners with Real Madrid for New Original Series on Real Talks
X has struck an exclusive deal with Real Madrid to launch “Real talks,” a 10‑episode, player‑driven X Original series. The episodes will roll out throughout the 2025/26 season, aligning with the club’s key fixtures and allowing fans to submit questions...
By Campaign Middle East
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
SOCOM: The Speedboat the Services Built
The episode examines how USSOCOM’s acquisition model delivers combat capabilities in months rather than decades by embedding operators and acquisition professionals together, recruiting seasoned service acquisition officers, and maintaining a small, flat decision structure. It highlights concrete examples such as...
By Defense Tech and Acquisition
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
Industry Needs $90/Bbl.
The episode explains that the oil industry needs oil prices around $90 per barrel to achieve a 10% return on capital, the threshold where oil stocks typically outperform the S&P 500. It highlights that current reinvestment rates are just above...
By The Crude Chronicles
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
Side-Channel Attacks Against LLMs
Recent research uncovers multiple side‑channel attacks that exploit timing, packet‑size, and speculative decoding characteristics of large language model (LLM) services. By monitoring encrypted network traffic, attackers can infer conversation topics with over 90 % precision, fingerprint specific prompts with up to...
By Schneier on Security
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
SEC Polices Affinity Fraudsters Despite Enforcement Sea Change
The SEC has filed at least ten complaints in the past year accusing defendants of running Ponzi‑style affinity fraud schemes that target religious, cultural or ethnic groups. This volume mirrors the enforcement activity seen during the final year of Chairman...
By Securities Docket
News•Feb 17, 2026
Where To Cook Onsen Eggs In Heartopia
During Heartopia’s Winter Frost Event, players can collect cracked eggs and receive a recipe for the Onsen Egg, a unique dish that requires only a single egg purchased from the vendor Massimo. The egg must be cooked in the hot...
By TheGamer
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
The Honest Broker in Pediatrics: Building the Medical Home
Dr. Ronald L. Lindsay recounts how he built a fully operational pediatric medical home at a regional military hospital in just two and a half years, delivering 24/7 care to vulnerable children from worldwide military families. His interdisciplinary developmental‑behavioral clinic...
By KevinMD
News•Feb 17, 2026
Dual Wielding in I&I: A Pivotal Year Ahead
The article argues that the next breakthrough in immunology and inflammation (I&I) therapeutics will come from multi‑drug and multi‑target strategies rather than single‑target antibodies, which have hit an efficacy ceiling. It traces the evolution from early blockbuster biologics like Humira...
By LifeSciVC
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
EU Companies Face Double Workload on AML Before 2027 Harmonization Arrives
The EU will introduce a unified anti‑money‑laundering regulation (AMLR) and the sixth AML directive on July 10 2027, replacing the patchwork of national transpositions of the fifth directive. Until then, companies must continue to meet divergent local UBO reporting and due‑diligence rules...
By Corporate Compliance Insights
Podcast•Feb 17, 2026•28 min
Newman Explains How Sanford Health Is Virtually Rewriting the Rural Health Playbook
Dave Newman, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Virtual Care at Sanford Health, explains how the system’s expansive virtual care program—spanning 78 specialties across 300,000 square miles—has become essential for rural patients, saving them an average of 176 miles per visit....
By healthsystemCIO
News•Feb 17, 2026
IT Execs Seek to Tame Application Sprawl Without Stifling Innovation Through Shared Governance
In a healthsystemCIO webinar, senior IT leaders from RWJBarnabas Health, Ardent Health Services, and the University of Maryland Medical System discussed how to manage the flood of application requests while fostering innovation. They emphasized establishing a single, standardized intake point,...
By healthsystemCIO
News•Feb 17, 2026
Elbowing In
The episode examines a lawsuit filed by three right‑wing media figures—podcaster Brandi Kruse, talk‑radio host Ari Hoffman, and Discovery Institute fellow Jonathan Choe—seeking permanent press passes and a revamp of Washington’s statehouse credentialing rules. It outlines how the Capitol Correspondents Association ceded credentialing...
By Columbia Journalism Review (CJR)
News•Feb 17, 2026
What “Bridge. Streamline. Flow.” Means for Knowledge and Process Management Today
APQC Connect 2026 will focus on the theme “Bridge. Streamline. Flow.” as leaders from education, health, finance, and technology share how breaking silos, embedding knowledge and process management, and achieving seamless information flow drive organizational performance. Speakers highlighted concrete actions such as linking...
By APQC Blog
News•Feb 17, 2026
From First-Mover To Full-Stack Partner
Safe Harbor Financial, led by new CEO Terry Mendez, is transitioning from a niche cannabis‑banking pioneer to a full‑stack solutions partner for the industry. The fintech has already moved tens of billions of dollars through regulated cannabis channels and now...
By Chief Executive
News•Feb 17, 2026
STAT+: Ocular’s Experimental Eye Drug Beats Low Dose of Regeneron’s Eylea in Late-Stage Trial
Ocular Therapeutix announced that its experimental drug Axpaxli met the primary endpoint in a Phase 3 trial for wet age‑related macular degeneration, maintaining vision in 74% of patients at nine months and 66% at one year after a single injection....
By STAT (Biotech)
News•Feb 17, 2026
Hilton and Winnow Voted ‘World’s Leading Sustainable Partnership’
Hospitality giant Hilton and food‑waste tech firm Winnow have been named World’s Leading Sustainable Partnership 2025 at the World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards in Dubai. Their Green Ramadan 2025 program, using AI‑powered smart meters across Hilton kitchens, achieved a...
By Breaking Travel News
News•Feb 17, 2026
Reader Poll: Two-Thirds Oppose US Navy Shipbuilding Strategy
A GlobalData poll of Naval Technology readers shows 67% of over 250 participants reject President Donald Trump’s current US Navy shipbuilding strategy, citing schedule and direction concerns. The poll highlights a split between those favoring traditional platforms and a growing...
By Naval Technology
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
Parivision and FaZe Clan Headline PGL Bucharest 2026 Invitations
PGL has released the invitation list for its Bucharest 2026 Counter‑Strike tournament, scheduled for April 4‑11. FaZe Clan and Parivision headline a 12‑team main event, while several top‑ten VRS teams declined to prioritize IEM Rio 2026. Their spots were filled...
By Esports Insider
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Ambiguous CPT Codes Threaten Physicians with Criminal Charges
I interviewed a dual-boarded psychiatrist and internist who warns that the ambiguity of CPT codes is being used to criminalize physicians. Dr. Muhamad Aly Rifai joined me to discuss the chilling case of Dr. Ron Elfenbein. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Elfenbein...
By Kevin Pho, MD
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Netflix Flags $16B Paramount Cut Plan as Regulatory Red Flag
About Paramount's plans for deep cuts at a merged WBD-Paramount, Netflix said: "A business plan that is dependent upon $16 billion in cost savings should be an unmistakable red flag for regulators, policymakers, union leaders and creatives" https://t.co/PzRuPSChaP via @variety
By Todd Spangler
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
Twisted Minds Wins OWCS Pre-Season Bootcamp
Saudi‑based Twisted Minds captured the Overwatch Champions Series 2026 Pre‑Season Bootcamp in Seoul, defeating Crazy Raccoon 4‑1 in the final and pocketing $15,000 of the $25,000 pool. The victory follows their Stage 3 EMEA win and the 2025 OWCS World Finals...
By Esports Insider
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Exotrail Secures 31 Spacecraft Propulsion Orders From India
Satellite electric propulsion manufacturer @exotrail books orders for 31 of its spaceware units to Indian operators - 1 to @PixxelSpace, 16 to @XdlinxSpaceLabs and 14 to @DhruvaSpace. Deliveries by 2027. https://t.co/L7zChJd16V
By Peter B. de Selding
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Paramount Signals $31 per Share, Not Final
WBD says after Paramount submitted its Feb 10 amended offer, a “senior representative for PSKY” informed a WBD board member that if WBD OK'd M&A talks, Paramount “would agree to pay $31 per share and that the offer was not...
By Todd Spangler
News•Feb 17, 2026
Experian Launches Insurance Marketplace App on ChatGPT
Experian has launched an Insurance Marketplace app on ChatGPT, enabling users to compare auto insurance rates from 37 carriers via conversational AI. The service offers real‑time quotes, customized recommendations, and leverages Experian’s data expertise. The company says the tool could...
By Carrier Management
Social•Feb 17, 2026
EU Resistance Threatens Effectiveness of New Russia Sanctions
EU countries’ resistance risks blunting latest Russia sanctions package https://t.co/ck1N8lGobr via @AlbertoNardelli @AfPalasciano @donatopmancini https://t.co/6LWNSkOoNN
By Zöe Schneeweiss
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Walmart's EBITDA Multiple Jumps From 6x to 23x
What a re-rating for Walmart stock. From 6x EBITDA in 2011 to 23x today. Sometimes buying good businesses cheaply just works. https://t.co/ORuNNv1HBY
By Julian Klymochko
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Netflix Defends Deal, Calls Paramount's Antics a Distraction
Netflix statement re WBD talks with Paramount: "While we are confident that our transaction provides superior value and certainty, we recognize the ongoing distraction for WBD stockholders and the broader entertainment industry caused by PSKY's antics" https://t.co/PzRuPSChaP
By Todd Spangler
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Netflix Faces Decision as Paramount Ups Its Bid
Just a few days ago: "It feels like the next act already has been written. The 'Davids' get over themselves, Paramount raises its bid and then Netflix has a decision to make. Right now we're just in an intermission." https://t.co/bmehOb9b18
By Dan Primack
Social•Feb 17, 2026
China's Submarines May Adopt Dual Towed-Array ASW
Looks to me like there might be towed array deployment tubes on the end of those upper x-planes (see the LA-class diagram on the right for an example). If that is what they are, would indicate plans to conduct dual-towed-array acoustic...
By Tom Shugart
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Small Distributed Data Centers Ease Grid Load
The question here is how much of this needs to be 1GW data centers that are difficult to add to the grid and driving higher electricity bills? We could build hundreds of thousands of small data centers within existing interconnections for...
By Jigar Shah