Netflix announced its 2026 Australia-New Zealand slate on February 16, 2026, featuring a star-studded lineup led by Alan Ritchson, Charlize Theron, and Florence Pugh, according to Variety. The international productions, which utilized Australian locations and crews, included a film directed by Victorian filmmaker Patrick Hughes.
The announcement came amidst a flurry of international news, including the anniversary of Alexei Navalny's death and developments such as a foiled ISIS plot in Manchester, as reported by a news summary compiled from multiple sources in Variety. The same summary also noted the involvement of Stephen Bannon with Jeffrey Epstein.
Meanwhile, in Europe, leaders were focused on strengthening the region's sovereignty. German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil stated, "We want to cut through knots, we want to find solutions always with the goal of strengthening Europe's sovereignty and making Europe strong," according to Time. He referenced President Donald Trump's attempt to acquire Greenland, which led to threats of tariffs against European countries opposing the move. Klingbeil's comments were made before a meeting, Time reported.
In the tech world, India was hosting a major AI Impact Summit, drawing significant investment interest and key figures from OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft, according to a multi-source report in TechCrunch. The summit focused on boosting AI investment in the country, with India earmarking $1.1 billion for an AI-focused venture capital fund. OpenAI's Sam Altman highlighted India's large ChatGPT user base, while concerns about AI's impact on the IT sector were also being discussed.
Also in the tech sector, U.S. venture capital firms were increasingly interested in international deal flow, specifically targeting Swedish startups, according to TechCrunch. Andreessen Horowitz partner Gabriel Vasquez's frequent trips to Stockholm highlighted this trend. A16z's investment in Dentio, an AI-powered dental administration startup, exemplified this, with Stockholm's strong startup ecosystem, particularly incubators like SSE Business Lab, serving as a key source of promising companies.
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