Tech

Rumored February Nintendo Direct could unveil a wave of Switch 2 ports

Rumors from podcasting insider NateTheHate and YouTube channel GameXplain, corroborated by VGC, say Nintendo may hold a Partner Showcase-style Direct in early February, likely around Feb. 3-5. Because this is reported to be a Partner Showcase rather than a full first-party Direct, expectations are for a large number of Switch

Culture

February 2026 streaming TV: Cross returns, Monarch Season 2, Peacock’s The 'Burbs

MovieWeb has compiled a guide to must-see TV shows streaming in February 2026, published Jan. 31, 2026 by Adam Symchuk. The roundup highlights the return of Cross on Prime Video, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 on Apple TV+, Dreaming Whilst Black season 2 on Paramount+, Peacock’s new comedy

World

‘I’m Free’: Former Chinese Muslim official who helped build surveillance speaks out

Ma Ruilin, a former midlevel Chinese Communist Party official who managed Muslim affairs in Gansu Province, has moved to New York and is publicly recounting his role in building systems used to track and control Muslims in China, according to interviews with The New York Times published Feb. 1, 2026.

Culture

Spartacus tops Collider’s list of 10 nearly perfect epic films

Collider published a ranking on Jan. 31, 2026 by Jeremy Urquhart listing 10 “nearly perfect” epic movies, a roundup of large-scale films the writer says fall just short of true perfection. At No. 1 is Spartacus, described as a rousing epic about revenge and rebellion; the piece notes the film’

World

Tokyo court orders North Korea to pay compensation to former settlers

A Tokyo high court this week ordered North Korea to pay at least 20m yen (£94,000) to each of four former settlers who say they were lured from Japan under a programme promising a "paradise on Earth". The four plaintiffs had escaped to Japan and had campaigned

Sports

Luis Suárez scores as Inter Miami beat Atlético Nacional 2-1 in Medellín

Inter Miami claimed a 2-1 friendly win over Atlético Nacional in Medellín on Feb. 1, 2026, with Luis Suárez on the scoresheet and Germán Berterame making his first appearance; Lionel Messi played 76 minutes and a late own goal sealed the victory. Atlético Nacional opened the scoring in the 25th

Culture

Mariah Carey stuns in sheer floral corset gown while accepting MusiCares Person of the Year

Mariah Carey, 56, wore a sheer floral corset gown on the red carpet of Friday’s Person of the Year gala in Los Angeles, where she accepted the MusiCares Person of the Year honor ahead of Sunday’s Grammys. The transparent, bustier-lined black gown featured black lace, a small train

Sports

Enzo Fernández nets 92nd‑minute winner as Chelsea come from 2-0 down to beat West Ham 3-2

Enzo Fernández scored in the 92nd minute as Chelsea recovered from 2-0 down to beat West Ham 3-2 at Stamford Bridge, completing a dramatic late comeback. West Ham dominated the first half, with Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville putting them 2-0 ahead. The visitors were described as strong and dangerous

Culture

Deadlock adds one-hero “prefer to avoid” toggle in queues, but new heroes are exempt

Deadlock has added a queue option that lets players mark one hero they “prefer to avoid” when joining matches, the developer says. The toggle can be assigned to a single hero for both standard play (which is always ranked) and Street Brawl, the new casual mode the patch notes compare

Culture

New GTA San Andreas PC exploit revives Any% speedruns, could cut 3+ hours

A new, extremely complicated speedrunning strategy for the original PC release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been shared on Reddit by user Vitosi4ek, reviving Any% speedruns for the first time in six years. Six years ago, an Arbitrary Jump in Skip (AJS) exploit on the Windows Store version

World

Why the Donetsk region matters as Abu Dhabi peace talks resume

As Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reconvene in Abu Dhabi on Sunday for peace talks organized by the Trump administration, the fate of the Donetsk region remains a core unresolved issue. Russian officials have suggested Moscow will not stop fighting until Ukraine hands over the 2,082 square miles of Donetsk

Culture

Skyrim lead: Mass Effect 5 should learn from Baldur's Gate 3 and be more Bethesda-style

Bruce Nesmith, Skyrim's lead designer and a former Bethesda veteran, told Press Box PR that Mass Effect 5 would benefit from "taking lessons from Baldur's Gate 3" and becoming more of a "Bethesda-style" game. "I would hope that they would try

Culture

Tim Dowling: dog training takes a strange turn on a midweek walk

Tim Dowling writes that on a loose midweek afternoon he joined his wife for a dog walk in a park, and their dog’s training has taken a weird turn. The couple take turns delivering monologues of complaint to fill the walk; when it is his wife’s turn she

Tech

Soundcore Space A40 earbuds $45 — 44% off with ANC and 50-hour battery

Soundcore by Anker’s Space A40 earbuds are on sale at Amazon for $45, down from their usual $80 — a $35 discount (about 44% off). The earbuds offer Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling that the maker says can block up to 98% of background noise, reducing engine noise, chatter and traffic.

Sports

Alcaraz vs Djokovic 2026 Australian Open final: free live stream on 9Now

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will meet in the 2026 Australian Open men’s final, and the match can be live-streamed for free on Australia’s 9Now, the article says. The piece says the semis went the distance, with Alcaraz overcoming Alexander Zverev in five sets and Djokovic prevailing in

Culture

Melania documentary touts 'record' opening despite poor reviews

Melania Trump has been celebrating the theatrical release of Melania, a Brett Ratner-directed Prime Video documentary about the 20 days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration in January 2025, which opened in cinemas on January 30, 2026. On X she wrote: "MELANIA, the film. #1 Highest Opening

Culture

If you loved Twinless: 7 grief-focused shows to watch, from Six Feet Under to Shrinking

Collider (Jan. 31, 2026) recommends seven TV shows to watch if you enjoyed Twinless, the dark comedy starring Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney that follows Roman as he learns to live after the loss of his twin. Twinless centers on Roman’s journey through grief (and a complicating twist)

Science

NASA honors Cold Atom Laboratory team with agency awards

NASA has presented agency honor awards to members of the Cold Atom Laboratory team for leadership and scientific achievements connected to the Cold Atom Laboratory on the International Space Station. Kamal Oudrhiri received the NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal for outstanding leadership of the Cold Atom Laboratory, described as NASA’

Sports

Como vs Atalanta live: kick‑off time, TV streams and team news for 1 Feb 2026

Como host Atalanta in Serie A on 1 Feb 2026; kick‑off is 09:00 EST / 14:00 GMT and GOAL lists English‑language streaming options for the match. Broadcasters carrying the game include Paramount+ in the USA, DAZN UK, beIN Sports Australia, Fubo Canada, SuperSport in South/Sub‑Saharan

Culture

Emily Diamond and David Meadows marry at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn

Emily Alexandra Diamond and David Thomas Meadows, both avid birders who met on Hinge, were married on Jan. 17, 2026, at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Ms. Diamond, whose favorite bird is the piping plover, took up birding in a high school ornithology class at Phillips Exeter Academy; Mr.

Culture

Cori Broadus says infant daughter Codi died 10 months after premature birth

Cori Broadus announced on Instagram Stories Saturday that her infant daughter, Codi, has died. The baby was born prematurely in February 2025 and died about 10 months later. "Monday, I lost the love of my life. My Codi," Broadus wrote atop a black-and-white Instagram Stories slide that showed

Culture

Skyrim mod fixes NPC 'fade' when opening doors — 1KB No Load Door NPC Fade

A new tiny mod called No Load Door NPC Fade, made by modder wSkeever, fixes the odd way NPCs look when they open doors in Skyrim, PC Gamer reports. The issue happens during load-screen transitions: NPCs pop doors open a crack, reveal a sliver of darkness, then fade out. In

Tech

WWE 2K26: CM Punk on cover, Ringside Pass replaces DLC and Switch 2 mouse support

WWE and 2K released the first details and images for WWE 2K26, due March 13, with CM Punk on the standard cover and a new Ringside Pass system replacing traditional DLC. The announcement also highlights Switch 2-specific features, including touchscreen and mouse support for the Creation Suite. 2K said the

Tech

Dispatch dev says Switch and Switch 2 ports were censored, is 'working with Nintendo'

AdHoc Studios, developer of the superhero workplace dramedy Dispatch, has responded after criticism that the Switch and Switch 2 versions launched with mandatory censorship not present on other platforms, saying the team is "working with Nintendo on a path forward." In a message on its Discord, AdHoc said

Politics

Trump nominates Kevin Warsh to be Fed chair

President Trump has nominated Kevin Warsh to be the next Federal Reserve chair; if the Senate confirms him he would replace Jay Powell, whose term as Fed chairman expires in May, the article says. Warsh is a former Fed governor who played a prominent role during the 2008 global financial