by WorldTribune Staff, February 19, 2026 Real World News
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was “making a big mistake” in agreeing to transfer sovereignty to the nation of Mauritius an island chain in the Indian Ocean which includes Diego Garcia, an atoll in the Chagos Archipelago which houses a strategic UK-U.S. joint military base.
by WorldTribune Staff, February 19, 2026 Real World News
When President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agents appeared across the USA in early 2025, prophets of dooms predicted violence. The Left and its media pointed to the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good as proof positive.
With Japanese bonds in freefall every day, pushing yields on 10Y JGBs to a 3 decade high, just shy of 3%...
... the time to pay the piper is fast approaching as unrealized losses on domestic bonds at Japan's major life insurers have soared to 30.86 trillion yen ($194 billion) as of the end of June, up 60% year-on-year, and trillions more since then, revealing the downside of the rising interest rates that have lifted investment income.
The total - which was compiled by Nikkei Asia from the 13 respondents out of 14 major life insurers surveyed - surpassed their unrealized gains on domestic stocks, which were up 48% to 30.03 trillion yen.
The main driver is obviously the one thing that is destroying Japan's entire financial system, rising Japanese government bond yields. Yields on 30-year JGBs, a key investment target for life insurers, climbed to the 3.9% range at the end of June, up about 2.7% points from the end of July 2023, before the combined unrealized gains among these companies flipped to losses.
The upward trend in yields has continued beyond June on expectations of
Authored by Bill Pan via The Epoch Times,
Uber is investing in and partnering with drone-delivery startup Zipline as it bets on growing demand for ultra-fast air delivery of takeout and groceries.
Zipline drones will begin making deliveries through the Uber Eats platform in Dallas and Houston by the end of this year, the companies announced Monday.
The service will initially launch in markets where Zipline already operates, with the companies ultimately aiming to expand to "dozens of U.S. cities."
The companies aim to reach 1 million Uber Eats deliveries per day using Zipline drones by the end of 2029.
With Zipline's drones, Uber expects orders to be delivered within five to 10 minutes.
"Our goal is for millions of people to be able to order lunch, dinner, snacks and more through the Uber Eats app and have them delivered by Zipline in minutes," the companies said in
US futures are a "sea of red" (as Bloomberg describes it) in early trading as thin summer volumes persist, with the wrong kind of inflation coming to the fore and Monday's tech selloff weighing on sentiment despite bullish AI news. The recent stock-bonds disconnect is finally being reappraised with US futures lower across the board. As of 8:00am ET, S&P 500 futures fell 0.4% with Nasdaq 100 contracts down 1.1% with Semis, Mag7, and Memory all under pressure, while Software is bid. Nvidia dropped 1.8% as the cost of protecting its debt against default closed in on a high reached last month. Defensives and Energy are leading as investors continue to de-gross / de-lever. Tech stocks drove declines across global markets equities as long-dated bond yields pushed further into multidecade highs and oil prices extended their climb, draining traders' appetite for risky assets. Yields on 30-year Treasuries rose 2bps to 5.33%, the highest since 2007 as "yields seem to be reacting to a combination of energy prices, the deteriorating US fiscal situation, elevated credit issuance, and BOJ/JPY dynamics which are all driving term premia higher", per JPM. US crude neared $85 a barrel with Brent trading above $91, while the Diesel crack
After Housing Starts exploded higher in June (driven by a massive rebound in multi-family units), July was expected to see a reflexive decline of 5.9% MoM...
...things were considerably worse, with US Housing Starts plunging 12.4% MoM (the third major monthly drop in four months)...
On the other hand, the more forward-looking Building Permits (preliminary for July) rose 5.0% MoM (well above the 0.6% MoM expected), after two months in a row of declines.
On a SAAR basis, Starts at back near post-COVID lows while Permits are holding in a four year range...
Under the hood, both Single-Family and Multi-Family movements were stroinger for Permits abut weaker for Starts (after multi-family starts soared last month)...
This shouldn't be a total surprise after yesterday's decline in builder sentiment (confidence among US homebuilders dropped for a second month to the lowest level of the year, dragged lower by elevated borrowing costs and higher material and land prices).
It seems
Klarna, the Swedish fintech firm best known for its buy now, pay later services, crashed in premarket trading in New York after it lowered its full-year revenue and gross merchandise value forecasts following a second-quarter active-user miss, overshadowing stronger-than-expected earnings.
The buy-now, pay-later firm now expects 2026 revenue of $4.08 billion to $4.16 billion, down from a previous forecast exceeding $4.34 billion. Gross merchandise value is projected to be $149 billion to $151 billion, compared with earlier guidance of above $155 billion.
Third-quarter revenue is expected to range from $940 million to $980 million, well below the $1.11 billion consensus estimate. The company forecast gross merchandise value of $35 billion to $36 billion, versus expectations of $39.26 billion.
Second-quarter revenue was a bright spot, rising 27% to $1.04 billion and beating estimates, while gross merchandise value reached $36.6 billion. Earnings were 1 cent per share, compared with an expected 6 cent loss. But active users totaled 120 million for the quarter, missing the 122 million estimate.
Klarna cited about $600 million of currency headwinds and a more cautious view of Germany, its largest market by
JPMorgan analyst Nora Szentivanyi's warning last week that the next global food crisis could begin as early as next year has been a major wake-up call for some, adding to the growing voices on institutional desks warning that food inflation is poised to re-accelerate.
Remaining extra watchful about agricultural prices, Bloomberg reported earlier that US corn futures moved higher after preliminary results from the Pro Farmer Crop Tour indicated weaker-than-expected yields in parts of critical growing belts across the Midwest.
Corn yield estimates were about 3% below last year in Ohio and 14% lower in South Dakota. Soybean pod counts also declined, while severe storms and flooding in Indiana and Ohio added to concerns about further crop damage."
"The crop tour has somewhat buoyed markets so far, considering the expected lower yields and unfavorable weather," said Eliza Redfern, Senior Manager Industry Insights for Bendigo Bank Agribusiness.
Chicago corn futures are approaching their 2026 highs, while wheat futures are closing in on levels last seen in 2023.
Meanwhile, and perhaps most alarming, the broader agricultural complex is confirming the move in soft commodities. The Bloomberg Agriculture Spot Index rose to
The Spanish Civil Guard has now confirmed there have been 15 rapes in Ceuta since the mass migrant invasion at the end of July, which has continued to shake Europe. In response, women are now reportedly fleeing the city in greater numbers as sexual violence spreads and scenes from the city portray a government unable to contain the growing chaos on the beaches and streets.
The latest rape reportedly occurred on Friday night on Lisboa Street, where three migrant brothers reportedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl. An investigation is ongoing regarding the incident. Remix News reported last week that five underage Moroccan girls had reportedly been raped in Ceuta since July 30, along with one underage boy. Since then, the number has risen to 15, according to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
Women in Ceuta are now reportedly looking for an exit. Two sisters, Yoli and María José, say they have left the city until the crisis ends due to fear for themselves and their daughters.
"What we are going
* * *
While initial details and the precise nature of the threat remain unclear, the UAE has said it detected a missile threat targeting the country. "UAE air defense systems detected a missile threat targeting the county," the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said in a post on X. This has included Dubai residents receiving a UAE missile
Home Depot reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter sales and profit as homeowners spent money on smaller do-it-yourself projects, giving the home-improvement retailer enough confidence to reaffirm its full-year outlook.
The frozen housing market, combined with elevated borrowing costs, has deterred homeowners from financing larger renovations, such as replacing exterior windows and doors or installing a new deck, and has also pressured Home Depot shares over the past year and a half.
However, second-quarter demand showed signs of resilience in smaller projects, including ceiling fan replacements, landscaping, gardening, and electrical upgrades.
"They are engaged in smaller projects, but we haven't yet seen that combination of factors that unlocks larger projects," CFO Richard McPhail said in an interview.
Comparable sales increased 1.7% in the quarter, beating the Bloomberg consensus estimate for a 0.94% gain. Revenue rose 5.7% to $47.86 billion, while adjusted earnings of $4.92 a share topped the $4.73 consensus estimate.
Here's a snapshot of 2Q earnings:
