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Overseas on Lunar New Year: China’s Builders Keep Belt-and-Road Projects Running — and Winning Hearts
Chinese construction crews maintained major Belt-and-Road projects through the Lunar New Year, combining round‑the‑clock work with cultural outreach to local partners. The narrative underscores both immediate economic gains from new roads, railways and power grids and Beijing’s broader strategy to cement influence through visible, people‑centred infrastructure delivery.
SoMi
February 18, 2026
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Trump Stakes Diplomacy on Coercion as Geneva Talks With Iran End in Standoff
The Geneva nuclear talks ended without agreement as US military deployments and Iranian naval drills hardened positions on both sides. Fundamental disagreements over Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes, Israeli security demands, and the timing of sanctions relief mean the risk of escalation remains high unless negotiators find a politically credible compromise.
NATO Conducts Major Baltic Amphibious Exercise in Germany as Europe Tests Rapid Reinforcement
NATO launched Steadfast Dagger‑2026, a large amphibious exercise on Germany’s Baltic coast involving about 10,000 troops from 13 countries, aimed at practising rapid reinforcement of the alliance’s eastern flank. The United States did not directly participate, highlighting growing European responsibility for regional deterrence and testing allied logistics and interoperability.
China’s 10,000‑Ton Destroyer Lhasa Builds Ship‑Wide Shield Against Drone Swarms
China’s 10,000‑ton destroyer Lhasa has adopted a ship‑wide anti‑unmanned warfare deployment, integrating sensors, electronic and kinetic defenses to counter drone swarms. The move signals a wider PLA Navy effort to harden surface ships against proliferating low‑cost unmanned threats that complicate maritime operations.
A Thousand-Kilometre Reunion: Border Troops, Family Sacrifice and the Song of the Triangular Mountain
A family reunion at a remote border post in the Greater Khingan Range illustrates the human cost and symbolic power of China’s frontier defence. After a 40-hour journey, a soldier who has served 19 years met his wife and daughters at Triangular Mountain, a site steeped in local military memory and used by state media to underscore the virtue of sacrifice.
Google's Gemini Adds Lyria 3: AI That Turns a Sentence or Photo Into a 30‑Second Song
Google has added Lyria 3, a music generation model, to its Gemini app enabling 30‑second songs from text or images and integrating with YouTube Shorts. The move raises competitive pressures on streaming platforms, offers new tools for creators, and revives questions about copyright, attribution and monetization of AI‑generated music.
Chinese Researchers Publish 'Explainable' AI That Boosts First‑Pass Rare‑Disease Diagnosis — A Tool for Hospitals Without Genetic Testing
Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University published DeepRare in Nature, an AI system that diagnoses rare diseases with a traceable reasoning process. It achieved 57.18% first‑pass accuracy using only clinical symptoms and exceeds 70% when genetic data are included, promising improved triage in hospitals without routine genetic testing.
Seoul Calls Civilian Drone Flights into North ‘Extremely Dangerous’ as Tensions Rise
South Korea says three civilians launched drones into North Korean airspace on four occasions between September 2025 and January 2026, prompting investigations into the operators, a drone manufacturer and intelligence personnel. Seoul plans to tighten laws, strengthen local security networks, and explore restoring the 9·19 military agreement to reduce the risk of escalation.
Iran Says It Will Return to Geneva Talks Within Two Weeks With ‘Detailed Proposal’ — A Tentative Step Toward Breaking the Stalemate
U.S. officials say Iran will return to indirect talks in Geneva within two weeks with a detailed written proposal aimed at closing outstanding gaps. Participants described the latest round as progressive but incomplete; the next submission could determine whether incremental diplomacy can yield a verifiable, phased agreement or merely postpone future confrontation.
China Films Philippine Vessel Dumping ‘Unknown Object’ Near Spratly Islands, Raising Tensions in the South China Sea
Chinese authorities released footage showing a Philippine Coast Guard vessel discarding an unidentified object near the Spratly Islands on Feb. 16, a small incident that nevertheless amplifies tensions in the contested South China Sea. The episode highlights how filmed encounters and the deployment of equipment at sea serve as instruments of strategic signaling between Manila and Beijing.
Khamenei Rejects U.S. Limits on Iran’s Missiles and Warns Aircraft Carriers Are Vulnerable
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected U.S. objections to Iran’s missile programme and warned that American aircraft carriers can be made vulnerable by weapons Tehran possesses or is developing. His remarks reflect Tehran’s emphasis on asymmetric deterrence and raise the political and operational stakes for U.S. naval presence in the Gulf.
Tencent’s “Yuanbao” Reports 50m Daily Users, 114m Monthly — A Fresh Surge in China’s Attention Market
Tencent announced that Yuanbao has exceeded 50 million daily active users and 114 million monthly active users, reporting a strong engagement ratio. While the figures signal notable audience scale, their commercial significance hinges on monetisation, user composition, and regulatory constraints.
Uber Pours $100m+ into Fast-Charging Hubs as It Prepares for an Electric, Autonomous Fleet
Uber will invest over $100 million to build DC fast-charging hubs for autonomous electric vehicles at its operations bases and along key city routes. The move is intended to reduce vehicle downtime and support a future scale-up of electric, autonomous ride-hailing, but it faces logistical, regulatory and grid-infrastructure challenges.