Other News in Brief
Bank holdings of residential mortgage‑backed securities dropped in Q4, while investor appetite for GSE‑eligible non‑agency loans surged. The CFPB reported a lower share of complaints receiving relief, and fintech Better turned to stablecoins for warehouse funding. M&A activity is reshaping the conventional mortgage market, and bank mortgage‑backed earnings fell despite higher volumes. Correspondent lenders lost share in agency securitizations as CRE securitization volumes rose for 2025.
Despite Appearing on MrBeast, This Amazon-Funded Party Game Is Closing Down After only Six Months on Steam
King of Meat, a multiplayer party platformer backed by Amazon Game Studios and developed by Glowmade, launched in October 2025 with a high‑budget trailer and a MrBeast Gaming promotion. Despite the star‑powered marketing, the game never attracted a sustainable player base,...
Weekly Dashboard – Feb. 20, 2026
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro told CNBC that rumors of a Disney spinoff are unfounded, emphasizing that ESPN is a core component of Walt Disney Company’s long‑term strategy. He highlighted the network’s integrated approach, linking ESPN’s content with ABC broadcasts and...
Mewgenics' 'Waste Time' Ability Is Actually Overpowered
Mewgenics’ seemingly useless "Waste Time" ability actually costs only one mana and does nothing, yet it unlocks powerful synergies for several classes. By ending turns with precise mana levels, it triggers numeric passives, boosts spells like Crescendo and Resonance, and...
OmniPlayer 3 Enters The U.S. Marketplace
M&I Broadcast Services, part of Valsoft, has introduced OmniPlayer 3, its flagship radio‑automation platform, to the U.S. market. The software, already a staple in the Dutch radio sector and used by the BBC, promises to streamline workflows and future‑proof broadcast operations....
Future Leader: Carrie Hyde, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Palliative Care, Gentiva
Carrie Hyde, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Palliative Care at Gentiva, has been named a 2025 Future Leader by Hospice News. In a candid interview she explains her draw to hospice and palliative care, the leadership lesson of listening first,...
An iHeartMedia Tweak Seek Requires A Redo
iHeartMedia filed an FCC minor‑change application to shift WROV‑FM’s city of license from Martinsville, Va., to New Castle, Va. The FCC’s Audio Division rejected iHeart’s claim that the move would serve a larger population, citing a staff engineering analysis that shows...
Clash Royale Merge Tactics Season 7 Update: New Structure, Party Mode, Dagger Duchess, Equipment Modifiers, and More
Clash Royale’s Merge Tactics mode launches Season 7 on 23 February, extending each season to six‑seven weeks and running through 13 April 2026. The update adds Party mode for two‑player queues, introduces the Dagger Duchess ruler with equipment‑based abilities, and brings Equipment modifiers to...
Animal Crossing Watches Capsule Toys Appear in Japan
Takara Tomy announced a new Animal Crossing: New Horizons watch capsule toy set, rolling out in Japanese gashapon machines this week. Each pull costs 400 yen (≈$2.60) and yields one of five digital watches themed after iconic NPCs. The watches feature...
India’s Carbon Capture Moment Has Arrived
India’s 2026‑27 Union Budget earmarked roughly $2.4 billion (₹20,000 crore) for a national carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) programme targeting steel, cement and other heavy‑industry emitters. The funding marks a shift from research‑only projects to a full‑scale industrial strategy, driven by...
Embedding AI: The Next Step
Generative AI is transitioning from experimental projects to core business workflows. Companies are now emphasizing data readiness, robust governance, and quantifiable productivity improvements rather than lofty automation promises. This shift reflects a pragmatic approach to AI adoption, focusing on measurable...
Are the US and Iran Moving Closer to War?
U.S. forces are assembling their largest deployment since the 2003 Iraq invasion as diplomatic overtures continue with Iran. Both sides have scheduled talks for Thursday, while Tehran declares openness to dialogue but also readiness for war. President Donald Trump's mixed...
DAF Exploring Lease Opportunities for Data Centers in Alaska
The Department of the Air Force is assessing interest in leasing land at three Alaska installations—Joint Base Elmendorf‑Richardson, Eielson Air Force Base, and Clear Space Force Station—for large‑scale commercial data centers. The Request for Information, released Feb 17, seeks vendor input...
Expanded US Mining Would Boost Manufacturing's Material Possibilities
The United States is advancing domestic mining projects in Alaska, California, Pennsylvania and Nebraska to produce critical elements such as cobalt, copper, scandium, gallium and germanium. By securing these inputs, manufacturers can revisit alloy families previously deemed too costly or...
Call for Entries: The 30th Edition of Cartoons on the Bay
The Pulcinella Awards, part of the Cartoons on the Bay International Festival of Animation and Transmedia, are now open for 2026 submissions. The competition runs May 27‑30 in Pescara, Italy, with a hard deadline of March 16. Entries are accepted across TV...
Australia-UK Defence Industry Dialogue: Joint Statement
Australia and the United Kingdom revived their Defence Industry Dialogue on 23 February 2026, reaffirming commitment to the AUKUS partnership and deeper industrial cooperation. Ministers highlighted progress on AESA radar technology, joint submarine initiatives—including HMS Anson’s deployment to Perth—and plans to secure energetics...
Traffic Control: Steady Business Sees Slight Slowdown On Global Tours, Strong Local Demand
Pollstar’s 2025 Magna Charta report reveals Europe and the UK generated $2.74 billion from the Top 100 tours, a drop of about 8 percent in both gross and tickets compared with the previous year. Imagine Dragons led the region with 1.48 million tickets and...
How CBA Unlocked 90 Percent of Its Customer and Transaction Data
Commonwealth Bank completed a migration from an on‑premises SAP R/3 mainframe to an SAP S/4 HANA core hosted on AWS in October 2023. The new in‑memory architecture cut infrastructure costs by 30% and boosted processing performance by the same margin,...
AI and Real Estate Data: Who’s Making the Rules?
The real‑estate industry is racing to set data rules before AI triggers another wave of litigation. California has enacted a law requiring agents to disclose AI‑altered listing photos, prompting brokerages to add similar language to agreements. MLS providers are revising...
Corus’s Home Network to Debut New Original Series ‘Life Is Messy’ in April
Corus Entertainment’s Home Network announced a robust spring slate featuring two new original series. “Life Is Messy,” starring design expert Kortney Wilson and builder Kenny Brain, debuts April 9, showcasing budget‑friendly renovations that help families declutter chaotic homes. The network also...
Picogrid and Guardian RF Partner to Deliver Drone Defense for Space Launch Operations at Vandenberg Space Force Base
Picogrid and Guardian RF have secured a joint contract to protect Vandenberg Space Force Base from unauthorized drone activity. The deal integrates Guardian RF’s low‑SWaP Scout passive RF sensors with Picogrid’s Expeditionary Command and Control Nodes, creating a unified, real‑time...
Ohio School District Sues Microsoft, Roblox over Video Game Harm to Students
The Champion Local School District in Ohio filed a 185‑page lawsuit against Microsoft (including its Mojang subsidiary) and Roblox, alleging that their games such as Minecraft and Roblox are engineered to create addiction and mental‑health issues among students. The district...
From Which Countries Did the US Import Solar Panels in 2025?
U.S. solar projects continued heavy reliance on imported silicon panels and cells in 2025, with 33 GW of panels and 21 GW of cells entering the market. Imports shifted toward Southeast Asian suppliers, led by Indonesia, Laos and India, while Ethiopia and...
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Iran's MuddyWater Targets Orgs With Fresh Malware as Tensions Mount
Iran‑linked APT MuddyWater has escalated its campaign, dubbed Operation Olalampo, against organizations in the Middle East and Africa. The group continues to rely on spear‑phishing but also began exploiting public‑facing servers, delivering several previously unseen malware strains such as the...
Diablo Immortal Getting New WoW Midnight Crossover, New and Returning Events, Queue Improvements, and More
Blizzard’s next Diablo Immortal patch introduces a World of Warcraft crossover, letting players complete a quest in Silvermoon City to earn the Harbinger of Darkness cosmetic. A new Avarice the Gold‑cursed goblin event spawns treasure goblins that drop legendary gear,...
Big Questions, Crunch Issues & No Region Left Behind: Talking ILMC 2026 With Greg Parmley
ILMC 38 will convene in London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel from Feb. 24‑27, 2026, bringing together the live‑music ecosystem amid a volatile market. Greg Parmley highlighted the growing divide between thriving mega‑tours and struggling mid‑size venues, prompting dedicated sessions on the middle...
ASE Promoting 3D Echo as a Better Way to Treat Congenital Heart Disease
The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is championing 3‑dimensional echocardiography as the preferred tool for diagnosing and guiding treatment of congenital heart disease. ASE is standardizing image display and terminology to align imagers, interventional cardiologists, and surgeons, and will deliver...
Kazakh Journalists Are Being Fined for Surveying Public Opinion on the Upcoming Referendum
Kazakh authorities have fined journalists and a media outlet for conducting online polls about the March 15 constitutional referendum, citing violations of the country’s referendum‑survey law. The Prosecutor General’s Office requires pre‑approval for any poll, a rule that has blocked...
Trump’s Cuba Policy Is Backing Mexico Into a Corner
President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring a national emergency over Cuba and threatening tariffs on any nation that continues supplying oil, effectively targeting Mexico, Cuba’s primary oil source. In response, Mexico halted its daily oil shipments to Cuba,...
Six New York Army National Guard Soldiers Receive French Medal for Actions in Iraq
Six New York Army National Guard aviators were honored on Feb. 22, 2026 with the French National Defense Gold Medal with Bronze Star for rapid aerial support that rescued 34 French special‑operations troops during an Aug. 28‑29, 2023 firefight near Hawija, Iraq. The crews...
OUTRIGGER Maldives Expands Wellness Programming for 2026
OUTRIGGER Resorts & Hotels is rolling out an expanded wellness program at its Maldives Maafushivaru Resort for 2026, adding aerial yoga, bungee fit, TRX training and ocean‑front sound healing. The new Alchemy Bar introduces hands‑on workshops such as coconut‑oil cooking...
QXO Names New Chief Sales Officer
QXO has appointed Taylor Sommer as its new chief sales officer, bringing nearly three decades of experience in building high‑performance sales organizations. Sommer most recently served as executive vice president and chief sales officer at Republic National Distributing Company, where he...
Full WWE 2K26 Roster Revealed, Features over 400 Superstars
2K announced WWE 2K26 for Nintendo Switch 2 launching March 6, 2026, revealing a roster exceeding 400 Superstars. The game adds four new match types, expanded creation tools, and revamped MyGM, MyRISE, and Universe modes. A new Ringside Pass replaces traditional DLC, offering 100...
San Francisco Seeks Breakaway From PG&E to Create Public Utility
California State Senator Scott Wiener introduced Senate Bill 875 to let San Francisco municipalize its electric distribution, aiming to break away from PG&E. The move follows repeated blackouts, rates that are roughly double those of neighboring areas, and safety failures...
Supreme Court Declines COVID Vaccine Mandate Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear two Air Force cases challenging the Department of Defense’s COVID‑19 vaccine mandate, deeming them moot after the Pentagon began reinstating service members who had refused the shot. Plaintiffs, citing the Religious Freedom Restoration...
Airbus Presents Rotorcraft Concepts For NATO Study
Airbus Helicopters, together with Collins Aerospace, Raytheon and MBDA, has submitted two next‑generation rotorcraft concepts to NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capabilities study. The proposals include a conventional helicopter and a high‑speed compound aircraft that share common systems, training and maintenance...
Beyond Digital Twins: NVIDIA and Dassault Bet on Industry World Models
Dassault Systèmes and NVIDIA have launched Industry World Models, a new architectural layer that unites virtual twins with accelerated computing to provide scientifically validated, physics‑based representations of complex engineered systems. Unlike prior industrial AI efforts focused on speed, the partnership...
Guard Leaders Gather for Domestic Ops Conference, Sync Emergency Response Plans
The National Guard Domestic Operations Conference convened Feb. 10‑12 at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, uniting senior Army and Air Guard leaders to synchronize homeland‑focused disaster response plans. Attendees examined recent hurricanes, wildfires and cyber‑induced infrastructure failures to develop a unified playbook...
Q&A: Datavant on AI Hype and Stock Market Volatility
Datavant CISO Dan Walsh told MobiHealthNews that AI is not in a bubble but is over‑hyped, and its true value will emerge as a productivity tool rather than a market disruptor. He likened current hype to past tech cycles, noting...
Enigma Cipher Device Still Holds Secrets for Cyber Pros
The Enigma cipher machine, originally built in 1918 and later adapted by the Nazis, saw only a few hundred surviving units out of an estimated 35,000‑40,000 produced. Historian‑turned‑cybersecurity expert Marc Sachs will discuss the device’s historic failures at RSAC 2026, highlighting...
BOEM Proposes Regulation Revision to Support Mineral Exploration
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has issued proposed revisions to its Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) hard‑mineral regulations, aiming to accelerate exploration and development of critical minerals. The changes align with Executive Orders 14285, 14154 and 14192, which prioritize...
Determinants and Evolution of the Russian Concept of Information Warfare
The article maps the evolution of Russia's information warfare doctrine from Imperial-era morale operations through Soviet psychological warfare to today's hybrid strategies. It highlights how Moscow blends propaganda, cyber attacks, and covert forces to shape narratives and destabilise opponents without...
Buzz Around Opening of New Honey Outlet at Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport has opened its first long‑term retail outlet for Björn Colorado Honey, a Colorado specialty brand. The store, designed by local firm Neoera, features a Scandinavian‑inspired café with honey‑infused beverages and premium honey tastings. Situated in Concourse C...
The Future of Senior Living Requires Better Care Coordination
PointClickCare’s senior‑care chief medical officer warns that senior‑living occupancy has surged to 90‑95%, rendering the old fee‑for‑service, staff‑driven model untenable. The industry must move from reactive emergency‑department transfers to proactive, in‑place care coordination. Success hinges on comprehensive digital resident records,...
Wisconsin Taxpayers Accuse Legislature of Wasting Funds on Private Attorneys
Three Wisconsin taxpayers have sued the state Legislature, alleging it misused about $26 million of public funds to hire private attorneys to challenge Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul. The lawsuit targets a 2018 lame‑duck package that gave the Legislature authority to...
Umamusume Gets New Beyond Dreams Career Scenario
Cygames announced the "Beyond Dreams" career scenario for Umamusume: Pretty Derby, debuting on the Japanese server on February 24, 2026 as part of the game’s fifth anniversary. The new mode centers on training a horse‑girl for the Breeders’ Cup and...
Inside Blizzard Entertainment’s Lofty Goal to Wow the Gaming World Again
Blizzard Entertainment marked its 35th anniversary with a series of Showcase announcements, rebranding Overwatch 2 back to Overwatch and unveiling a year‑long narrative arc. World of Warcraft received a long‑awaited in‑game housing system, while Diablo II got its first update in 25...
Transcend Cruises Strengthens Team with New Appointments
Transcend Cruises announced two senior hires to accelerate its growth in the European river cruise market. Bentlie Logan joins as Director of MICE and Agency Sales, bringing recent Carnival Cruise Line experience and a focus on expanding North American group...
Copan’s PhenoMatrix Software Gets FDA 510(k) Clearance
Copan Group’s PhenoMatrix software, an AI‑driven image assessment tool for bacterial culture plates, received FDA 510(k) clearance as a Class II in‑vitro diagnostic device. The clearance covers analysis of blood, chocolate, MacConkey and ChroMagar agar plates, enabling semi‑quantitative colony counting and...
Litchfield Minerals Eyes Hot Targets in North Australian Craton
Litchfield Minerals, an ASX‑listed junior explorer, has entered BHP’s Xplor accelerator and secured a US$500,000 grant to accelerate its flagship Oonagalabi copper‑zinc‑silver‑gold project in the North Australian Craton. The Oonagalabi drill program has returned broad intercepts—161 m at 0.5 % Cu and...