Posts by Swedan Margen
Following Munich, the U.S.–European Relationship Faces a Key Moment | National Review
In the face of EU chest-puffing, it shouldn’t be surprising that the U.S. is willing to take a fighting stance in Europe. Source link
Read MoreLauren Groff on Masters of Short Fiction
Lauren Groff is perhaps most known for her best-selling third novel, “Fates and Furies,” which President Barack Obama named his favorite book of 2015, but she has also developed a devoted audience for her short stories. In those compressed works, she manages to tackle great themes—grief, parenthood, violence toward women and the meaning of safety,…
Read MoreOil gains nearly 3% after abrupt end to Russia-Ukraine talks
Published Wed, Feb 18, 2026 · 09:09 PM [LONDON] Oil prices gained nearly 3 per cent on Wednesday (Feb 18) after peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Geneva ended after only two hours, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy describing them as “difficult”. Brent crude oil futures were up US$1.85, or 2.7 per cent, to…
Read MoreThe Spy Is Always in the Worst Possible Place | National Review
Twenty-five years after Robert Hanssen’s capture, espionage has found a new home. Source link
Read MoreWhy Some People Thrive on Four Hours of Sleep
Sleep is orchestrated by two systems. The first is the so-called biological clock, which runs the body on a roughly twenty-four-hour cycle of sleeping and wakefulness. We all have slightly different circadian rhythms, which explains why some people (larks) get up early and others (night owls) stay up late. The second system is the homeostatic…
Read MoreOpenAI blocked from using Cameo name for its AI video features
OpenAI has been temporarily blocked from using the word “Cameo” in a product that allows people to generate videos based on prompts amid a trademark dispute. Last year, the celebrity video platform Cameo sued OpenAI, alleging that the San Francisco company infringed its trademark. People use Cameo to purchase personalized videos of celebrities as gifts…
Read MoreWhen Sexual Exploitation Is Fundamental to Police Corruption
None of this will be shocking to anyone who’s lived in an American city crippled by disinvestment and self-dealing—or even to anyone who’s watched a David Simon show on HBO. Even so, having it all laid out is bracing, and Tulsky’s book makes for a worthy entry in the canon of American injustice. Beyond individual…
Read MoreEurope’s STOXX 600 hits record high on earnings boost; ECB in focus
Pan-European index is at 626.36 by 0945 GMT, with all major regional benchmarks in the black Published Wed, Feb 18, 2026 · 06:11 PM THE STOXX 600 rose 0.8 per cent to hit a record high on Wednesday (Feb 18) as defence and banking shares gained while investors assessed corporate updates and reports of leadership…
Read MoreJapan’s US$550 billion investment in US seen widening gains on hedged JGBs
Yields on hedged Japanese government bonds may increase on rising costs for US dollar funding Published Wed, Feb 18, 2026 · 05:04 PM [TOKYO] Japanese government bonds (JGBs) may become an inadvertent beneficiary of a wave of investment into the United States being hammered out between Tokyo and Washington. Japan last year agreed to invest…
Read MoreUS homebuilder sentiment dips to five-month low on affordability
Mortgage rates are near the lowest in more than a year, but still double the level that prevailed throughout much of 2021 Published Wed, Feb 18, 2026 · 04:39 PM US HOMEBUILDERS’ confidence slipped again this month, bogged down by persistent worries over affordability and high construction costs. An index of market conditions from the…
Read MoreBillionaire Henry Cheng’s units agree settlement with Hong Kong regulator
The SFC says that the settlement is in the public interest and underscored the need to comply with takeover rules Published Wed, Feb 18, 2026 · 01:30 PM [HONG KONG] Business units owned by one of Hong Kong’s richest families have agreed to pay as much as HK$1.5 billion (S$242 million) to shareholders of clothing…
Read MoreNew Zealand holds key rate, sees policy staying accommodative
The RBNZ’s new forecasts indicate some chance of a quarter-point hike later this year Published Wed, Feb 18, 2026 · 11:22 AM [WELLINGTON] New Zealand’s central bank held interest rates at the lowest level in 3½ years and expects them to remain there for a period while the economy regathers momentum. The Reserve Bank of…
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