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  • ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ and ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Dominate at VFX Society Awards

    ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ and ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Dominate at VFX Society Awards

    “Avatar: Fire and Ash” has won the top Visual Effects Society Award for outstanding VFX in a photoreal feature at the 24th Visual Effects Society Awards.

    The film which dominated with 10 nominations, took home seven awards in total including outstanding character in a photoreal feature for Varang (played by Oona Chaplin, outstanding CG cinematography, and the Emerging Technology Award, given to the Kora Fire Toolset.

    In total, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” needed over 3,000 visual effects shots. And since this was the third film in the franchise, the team upped their game. Aside from improving character animation, visual effects supervisor Eric Saindon at Weta FX says, technology-wise, fire was one of the hardest things to do properly in visual effects. Not only do people know what fire looks like, but it never looks the same. “Every time you look at a fire, it could dance a little differently depending on the environment it’s in or burn a different color.” That meant that any scene with fire required them to ensure they were pushing the right amount of fuel and oxygen to get the fire right. “The scale of the embers gives the idea of size,” he told Variety.

    “KPop Demon Hunters” won three awards, including the top prize of outstanding animation in an animated feature, and outstanding character in an animated feature for Rumi.

    “Zootopia 2” won outstanding environment in an animated feature for Marsh Market. In building that biome, co-director Jared Bush told Variety, “Marsh Market is for semi-aquatic animals. It’s for marine mammals.” He added that it would be a very comfortable place for beavers, who are adept in water and on land.

    “Sinners” won the award for outstanding supporting visual effects in a photoreal feature.

    “The VES is honored to recognize brilliant artistry and technological innovation across a wide range of disciplines,” said VES Board Chair, Kim Davidson. “The craft of visual effects is constantly evolving to push the limits of our imaginations, and tonight’s inspiring winners and nominees represent best-in-class work from around the world. Congratulations to all!”

    In TV, “Andor” took home two awards including outstanding special (practical) effects in a photoreal project. “Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age” also nabbed two awards taking home the prize for outstanding visual effects in a photoreal episode.

    Comedy duo Randy and Jason Sklar (the Sklar Brothers) hosted the 24th Annual VES Awards for the second consecutive year.

    This year’s special honorees included film producer Jerry Bruckheimer receiving the VES Lifetime Achievement Award, and Wētā Workshop co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Sir Richard Taylor receiving the VES Visionary Award.

    In his speech, Bruckheimer said, “You create the magic. You create the things that people go to theaters for. You’re the people that we dream about when we go to the movies, when we go into that dark space in the theater, and the work that you do is truly phenomenal.”

    The VES Awards were held on Feb. 25 at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

    Below is the full list of winners for the 24th Annual VES Awards:

    OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

    “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
    Richard Baneham
    Peter Litvack
    Eric Saindon
    Nicky Muir
    Steve Ingram

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

    “Sinners”
    Michael Ralla
    James Alexander
    Nick Marshall
    Espen Nordahl
    Donnie Dean

    OUTSTANDING ANIMATION IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

    “KPop Demon Hunters”
    Joshua Beveridge
    Jacky Priddle
    Benjamin Hendricks
    Clara Chan

    OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE

    Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age; “The Big Freeze”
    Russell Dodgson
    Tracey Gibbons
    Francois Dumoulin
    Gavin McKenzie

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE

    The Residence; “The Fall of the House of Usher”
    Seth Hill
    Tesa Kubicek
    John Nelson
    Gabriel Vargas

    OUTSTANDING VISUAL ARTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT

    “Ghost of Yōtei”
    Jason Connell
    Matt Vainio
    Joanna Wang
    Jasmin Patry

    OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL

    BMW; “Heart of Joy | Meet Okto the Octopus”
    Tom Raynor
    Helen Tang
    Jack Harris
    Alex Kulikov

    OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT

    The Wizard of Oz at Sphere
    Ben Grossmann
    Tamara Watts Kent
    Dr. Irfan Essa
    Matt Dougan
    Glenn Derry

    OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

    “Avatar: Fire and Ash”; Varang: Leader of the Ash Clan
    Stephen Clee
    Stuart Adcock
    Keven Norris
    Joseph Kim

    OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

    “KPop Demon Hunters”; Rumi
    Sophia (Seung Hee) Lee
    Andrea Centeno
    Marc Souliere
    Joshua Beveridge

    OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN EPISODIC, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

    It: Welcome to Derry; “The Thing in the Dark;” The Pickle Monster
    Philip Harris-Genois
    Pierric Danjou
    Chloe Ostiguy
    Jonathan Bourdua

    OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

    “Avatar: Fire and Ash” Bridgehead Industrial City
    Gianluca Pizzaia
    Steve Bevins
    Dziga Kaiser
    Zsolt Máté

    OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

    “Zootopia 2”; Marsh Market
    Limei Z. Hshieh
    Alexander Nicholas Whang
    Joshua Fry
    Ryan DeYoung

    OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODIC, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

    Andor; “Welcome to the Rebellion;” The Senate District
    John O’Connell
    Falk Boje
    Hasan Ilhan
    Kevin George

    OUTSTANDING CG CINEMATOGRAPHY

    “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
    Steve Deane
    AJ Briones
    Zachary Brake
    Andrew Moffett

    OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT

    “Avatar: Fire and Ash”; The Windtraders’ Gondola
    Michael Smale
    Sam Sharplin
    Joe W. Churchill
    Jacqi Dillon

    OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

    “Avatar: Fire and Ash”; Simulating Pandora
    Nicholas Illingworth
    Sarah C. Farmer
    James Robinson
    Ryan Bowden

    OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

    “KPop Demon Hunters”
    Filippo Maccari
    Nikolaos Finizio
    Daniel La Chapelle
    Srdjan Milosevic

    OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

    “Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age”; The Big Freeze
    Edward Ferrysienanda
    Kevin Christensen
    Guy Schuleman
    Kevin Tarpinian

    OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE

    “F1: The Movie”; Modern Race and POV Footage
    Hugo Gauvreau
    Chris Davies
    Raushan Raj
    Amaury Rospars

    OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE

    The Last of Us; “Through the Valley;” A Storm of Ice, Fire and Flesh
    Tobias Wiesner
    Mark Julien
    Owen Longstaff
    Brendan Naylor

    OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL

    BMW; “Heart of Joy | Meet Okto the Octopus”
    Alex Kulikov
    Jack Harris
    Adam Chabane
    Nicola Borsari

    OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT

    Andor; “Who Are You?”
    Luke Murphy
    Dean Ford
    Jody Eltham
    Darrell Guyon

    EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD

    “Avatar: Fire and Ash”; Kora Fire Toolset
    Alexey Dmitrievich Stomakhin
    John Edholm
    Murali Ramachari
    Aleksandr Isakov

    OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT

    “Azimuth”
    Thomas Teisseire
    Cassandre Cinier
    Martin Bluy
    Mathis Giraudeau

  • Bitcoin (BTC) and Altcoins are on the Rise! Investors are Turning to This Altcoin! But the Danger Is Not Over Yet!

    Bitcoin (BTC) and Altcoins are on the Rise! Investors are Turning to This Altcoin! But the Danger Is Not Over Yet!

    Bitcoin (BTC) rebounded to $69,000 after weeks of selling pressure. This was reflected in altcoins as well, with Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Cardano (ADA) experiencing double-digit gains.

    However, analysts warn that caution is advised regarding the rise. According to them, the rally appears to be a technical bounce triggered by bearish positioning and low liquidity, rather than strong fundamental catalysts.

    Speaking to Coindesk, LMAX Group analyst Joel Kruger said caution should be exercised regarding the sustainability of this recovery.

    Kruger described the movement as a technical recovery in a low-liquidity environment.

    At this point, Kruger noted that it was not yet accurate to characterize this recovery as the beginning of a sustained uptrend, and that it was too early to do so.

    Joshua Lim, FalconX’s co-head of global markets, said that some funds have turned to volatile altcoins and options following the rally.

    At this point, Jim noted that there was strong demand for bullish bets on Ethereum in the options market. Specifically, investors are aiming to profit from the short-term rise by purchasing call options in the $2,000-$2,200 range within the next two to three weeks.

    Lastly, Wintermute OTC trader Jasper De Maere pointed to $75,000, noting that fundamental indicators do not suggest this rise will continue for long.

    The analyst said that “the maximum pain point, $75,000, could act as a magnetic level towards the expiry date, but long positions appear weak.”

    The analyst added that while the outlook for Bitcoin remains uncertain, sustained breaks above key resistance levels around $72,000 and $78,000 would signal a stronger structural uptrend.

    *This is not investment advice.

  • Bitcoin Exchange Bithumb Announces Listing of a New Altcoin on its Spot Trading Platform! Here are the Details

    South Korea-based cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has announced it will list its ETHGas ($GWEI) token on the Korean won (KRW) market. According to the announcement, $GWEI deposits and withdrawals will begin within one hour of the announcement’s publication.

    Transactions are scheduled to begin on February 26, 2026 at 2:00 PM. The reference price is set at 41.48 won, and deposits will require 33 network confirmations.

    $GWEI will only be supported via the Ethereum network. Transfers made through other networks will not be accepted. The exchange will implement temporary transaction restrictions for new listings to ensure investor security.

    Accordingly, buy orders will be restricted for the first 5 minutes after trading begins. During the same period, sell orders that are 10% below or 100% above the reference price will not be accepted. Furthermore, only limit orders will be allowed for the first two hours.

    The ETHGas project aims to reduce volatility in transaction costs and provide a more predictable structure by liquidating the block space on the Ethereum network. The platform allows users to develop hedging strategies against fluctuations in gas fees, while also aiming to enable validators to obtain more optimized block values.

    The $GWEI token is used within the network for functions such as governance and staking. Bithumb urged investors to review the project documentation and risk disclosures before trading.

    *This is not investment advice.

  • Visual Effects Society Awards: ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Leads With 7 Wins

    Visual Effects Society Awards: ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Leads With 7 Wins

    The Visual Effects Society (VES) has announced the winners for the 2026 VES Awards, recognizing excellence in the craft across 25 categories, including film, television, special venue projects, technological innovation, student projects and more.

    Avatar: Fire and Ash led the winners with seven including the top prize of outstanding visual effects in a photoreal feature. KPop Demon Hunters led the animation category wins with three trophies, including the top prize of outstanding animation in an animated feature.

    Sinners won the award for outstanding supporting visual effects in a photoreal feature, while Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age won the award for outstanding visual effects in a photoreal episode.

    Heading into the evening, Avatar: Fire and Ash led nominations with 10 overall. Other nominees in the society’s top award category were F1: The Movie, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Lost Bus and How To Train Your Dragon.

    The 2026 VES Awards were held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Jerry Bruckheimer received the VES Lifetime Achievement Award, and Weta Workshop co-founder and chief creative officer Sir Richard Taylor was honored with the VES Visionary Award. Comedy duo Randy and Jason Sklar (the Sklar Brothers) hosted the event.

    Enuka Okuma (Paradise), Haley Joel Osment (The Burbs, Happy Gilmore 2), Jazz Raycole (The Lincoln Lawyer), Lil Rel Howery (One of Them Days), Omar Benson Miller (Sinners) and singer/songwriter Raphael Saadiq (Sinners) presented awards.

    “The VES is honored to recognize brilliant artistry and technological innovation across a wide range of disciplines,” VES Board Chair Kim Davidson said in a statement. “The craft of visual effects is constantly evolving to push the limits of our imaginations, and tonight’s inspiring winners and nominees represent best-in-class work from around the world. Congratulations to all!”

    See below for the full list of winners.

    1. OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

    Avatar: Fire and Ash
    Richard Baneham
    Peter Litvack
    Eric Saindon
    Nicky Muir
    Steve Ingram

    2. OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

    Sinners
    Michael Ralla
    James Alexander
    Nick Marshall
    Espen Nordahl
    Donnie Dean

    3. OUTSTANDING ANIMATION IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

    KPop Demon Hunters
    Joshua Beveridge
    Jacky Priddle
    Benjamin Hendricks
    Clara Chan

    4. OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE

    Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age; “The Big Freeze”
    Russell Dodgson
    Tracey Gibbons
    François Dumoulin
    Gavin McKenzie

    5. OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE

    The Residence; “The Fall of the House of Usher”
    Seth Hill
    Tesa Kubicek
    John Nelson
    Gabriel Vargas

    6. OUTSTANDING VISUAL ARTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT

    Ghost of Yōtei
    Jason Connell
    Matt Vainio
    Joanna Wang
    Jasmin Patry

    7. OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL

    BMW; “Heart of Joy | Meet Okto the Octopus”
    Tom Raynor
    Helen Tang
    Jack Harris
    Alex Kulikov

    8. OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT

    The Wizard of Oz at Sphere
    Ben Grossmann
    Tamara Watts Kent
    Dr. Irfan Essa
    Matt Dougan
    Glenn Derry

    9. OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

    Avatar: Fire and Ash; Varang: Leader of the Ash Clan
    Stephen Clee
    Stuart Adcock
    Keven Norris
    Joseph Kim

    10. OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

    KPop Demon Hunters; Rumi
    Sophia (Seung Hee) Lee
    Andrea Matamoros
    Marc Souliere
    Joshua Beveridge

    11. OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN EPISODIC, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

    IT: Welcome to Derry; “The Thing in the Dark;” The Pickle Monster
    Philip Harris-Genois
    Pierric Danjou
    Chloé Ostiguy
    Jonathan Bourdua

    12. OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

    Avatar: Fire and Ash; Bridgehead Industrial City
    Gianluca Pizzaia
    Steve Bevins
    Dziga Kaiser
    Zsolt Máté

    13. OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

    Zootopia 2; Marsh Market
    Limei Z. Hshieh
    Alexander Nicholas Whang
    Joshua Fry
    Ryan DeYoung

    14. OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODIC, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

    Andor; “Welcome to the Rebellion;” The Senate District

    John O’Connell

    Falk Boje

    Hasan Ilhan

    Kevin George

    15. OUTSTANDING CG CINEMATOGRAPHY

    Avatar: Fire and Ash
    Steve Deane
    A.J. Briones
    Zachary Brake
    Andrew Moffett

    16. OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT

    Avatar: Fire and Ash; The Windtraders’ Gondola
    Michael Smale
    Sam Sharplin
    Joe W. Churchill
    Jacqi Dillon

    17. OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

    Avatar: Fire and Ash; Simulating Pandora
    Nicholas James Illingworth
    Sarah C. Farmer
    James Robinson
    Ryan Bowden

    18. OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

    KPop Demon Hunters
    Filippo Maccari
    Nikolaos Finizio
    Daniel La Chapelle
    Srdjan Milosevic

    19. OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

    Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age; The Big Freeze
    Edward Ferrysienanda
    Kevin Christensen
    Guy Schuleman
    Kevin Tarpinian

    20. OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE

    F1: The Movie; Modern Race and POV Footage
    Hugo Gauvreau
    Chris Davies
    Raushan Raj
    Amaury Rospars

    21. OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE

    The Last of Us; “Through the Valley;” A Storm of Ice, Fire and Flesh
    Tobias Wiesner
    Mark Julien
    Owen Longstaff
    Brendan Naylor

    22. OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL

    BMW; “Heart of Joy | Meet Okto the Octopus”
    Alex Kulikov
    Jack Harris
    Adam Chabane
    Nicola Borsari

    23. OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT

    Andor; “Who Are You?”
    Luke Murphy
    Dean Ford
    Jody Eltham
    Darrell Guyon

    24. EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD

    Avatar: Fire and Ash; Kora Fire Toolset
    Alexey Dmitrievich Stomakhin
    John Edholm
    Murali Ramachari
    Aleksandr Isakov

    25. OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT

    Azimuth
    Thomas Teisseire
    Cassandre Cinier
    Martin Bluy
    Mathis Giraudeau

  • US to allow Venezuelan oil sales to Cuba as alarm grows in the Caribbean

    US to allow Venezuelan oil sales to Cuba as alarm grows in the Caribbean

    US eases oil embargo on Cuba as Caribbean neighbours warn worsening humanitarian crisis could destabilise region.

    The United States has said it will allow the resale of some Venezuelan oil to Cuba in a move that could ease the island’s acute fuel shortages, as neighbouring countries raised the alarm over a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation caused by Washington’s oil blockade.

    In a statement on Wednesday, the US Department of the Treasury said it would authorise companies seeking licences to resell Venezuelan oil for “commercial and humanitarian use in Cuba”.

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    It said the new “favorable licensing policy” would not cover “persons or entities associated with the Cuban military, intelligence services, or other government institutions”.

    Venezuela had been the main supplier of crude and fuel ⁠to Cuba for the past 25 years through a bilateral pact mostly based on the barter of products and services. But since the US abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last month and took control of the country’s oil exports, Caracas’s supply to Cuba has ceased.

    Mexico, which had emerged as an alternate supplier, also halted shipments to the Caribbean island after the US threatened tariffs on countries that send oil to Cuba. The US blockade has worsened an energy crisis in Cuba that is hitting power generation and fuel for vehicles, houses and aviation.

    The shift in US policy came as Caribbean leaders gathering in Saint Kitts and Nevis expressed alarm at the impacts of the blockade on the island nation of some 10.9 million people. Speaking to Caribbean leaders during a meeting of the regional political group CARICOM on Tuesday, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness affirmed solidarity with Cuba.

    “Humanitarian suffering serves no one,” Holness said at the meeting. “A prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba.”

    The Caribbean summit’s host, Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew, who studied in Cuba to be a doctor, said friends have told him of food scarcity and rubbish strewn in the streets.

    “A destabilised Cuba will destabilise all of us,” Drew said.

    But addressing the meeting in Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that the humanitarian crisis had been caused by the Cuban government’s policies, not Washington’s blockade.

    Rubio, whose parents migrated to the US from Cuba in 1956, warned that the sanctions would be snapped back if the oil winds up going to the government or military.

    “Cuba needs to change. It needs to change dramatically because it is the only chance that it has to improve the quality of life for its people,” Rubio told reporters.

    It is “a system that’s in collapse, and they need to make dramatic reforms”, he said.

    Rubio went on to blame economic mismanagement and the lack of a vibrant private sector for the dire situation in Cuba, which has been under communist rule since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.

    “This is the worst economic climate Cuba has faced. And it is the authorities there, and that government, who are responsible for that,” Rubio said.

    The US pressure on Venezuela and Cuba ⁠has left several fuel cargoes undelivered since December, according to the Reuters news agency, contributing to the island’s inability to keep the lights on and cars circulating. A Cuba-related vessel that loaded Venezuelan gasoline in early February at a port operated by state-run company PDVSA remained this week anchored in Venezuelan waters waiting for authorisation to set sail.

    Mexico and Canada have meanwhile announced they would be sending aid to Cuba, and Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak also said his government was discussing the possibility of providing fuel to the island.

    Separately on Wednesday, Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior announced killing four people and wounding six others on board a Florida-registered speedboat that it said entered Cuban waters.

    Rubio told reporters it was not a US operation and that no US government personnel were involved.

    “Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that,” he said. “ It’s not something that happens every day. It’s something frankly that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time.”

  • North Korea’s Kim Jong Un warns South Korea, says US should end hostility

    North Korea’s Kim Jong Un warns South Korea, says US should end hostility

    Kim emphasised that Pyongyang intends to cement its position on the global stage through its nuclear capabilities.

    Published On 26 Feb 2026

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has shuttered the door on dialogue with South Korea, claiming his forces could “completely destroy” his southern neighbour, while also signalling that the future of dialogue with the United States required Washington to discard “hostile” policies towards Pyongyang.

    If Washington “respects our country’s current status as stipulated in the Constitution … and withdraws its hostile policy … there is no reason why we cannot get along well with the United States”, Kim said on Wednesday, as the country wrapped up a key week of meetings by the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK).

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    According to a report on Thursday by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim also called for developing new weapons systems to bolster his nuclear-armed military.

    Kim stipulated intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be launched from underwater and an expanded arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons, such as artillery and short-range missiles, capable of targeting South Korea, according to KCNA.

    He also said the accelerated development of Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes in recent years had “permanently cemented” the country’s status as a nuclear-armed state.

    “Our status as a nuclear-armed country plays an important role in deterring enemies’ potential threats and maintaining regional stability,” Kim said, calling the country’s nuclear weapons “a guarantee and safety device” of its security and interests.

    According to South Korea’s official Yonhap News Agency, the once every-five-years Worker’s Party congress, which brought together some 5,000 party representatives from across the country, was closed out on Wednesday with a military parade on the streets of the capital Pyongyang.

    State media photos of the military parade showed formations of soldiers marching through the brightly-lit Kim Il Sung Square under a podium, where Kim and his daughter stood with senior officials.

    Some troops in the parade wore camouflage and special warfare gear, and a formation of jets held a fly-by. It was not immediately clear what, if any, military ⁠hardware was on display.

    The presence of Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, at the parade fuelled further speculation over ⁠whether she is being groomed as his successor.

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae attend a military parade to commemorate the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang, North Korea, February 25, 2026, in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THIS IMAGE. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. SOUTH KOREA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SOUTH KOREA.
    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae attend a military parade to mark the conclusion of the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on February 25, 2026 [KCNA via Reuters]
  • Solo bitcoin miner turns $75 of rented hashrate into a $200,000 block reward

    Solo bitcoin miner turns $75 of rented hashrate into a $200,000 block reward

    Talk about winning the lottery. A solo miner walked away with over $200,000 in bitcoin while renting just $75 of hash power.

    A solo miner validated block 938,092 around 8:04 a.m. UTC on Tuesday, earning the full 3.125 $BTC block reward using hashrate rented through on-demand cloud services, according to blockchain data from Mempool.space.

    The miner spent roughly 119,000 satoshis, about $75, to rent 1 petahash per second of computing power and used CKPool, a service that lets individual miners work independently while relying on a pool server to broadcast and submit solutions.

    The math on that return is absurd. It’s a 2,600x payoff on what amounts to a lottery ticket with better odds than most actual lotteries.

    Bitcoin’s network processes transactions by bundling them into blocks, which are added to the blockchain roughly every 10 minutes. Miners compete to solve a cryptographic puzzle for the right to add each block, and the winner collects the reward.

    The competition is measured in hashrate, the amount of computing power a miner throws at the puzzle. More hashrate means more guesses per second and better odds.

    Statistically rare

    A solo miner renting 1 petahash is like bringing a slingshot to a gunfight. The odds of that single petahash solving a block before the industrial operations do are vanishingly small, roughly equivalent to finding one specific grain of sand on a beach.

    But someone has to win each block, and probability doesn’t care about scale. As such, while solo-mined blocks remain statistically rare, they’re not as rare as they used to be.

    Data from solo mining aggregator Bennet shows 21 individual miners have successfully validated blocks over the past year, earning a combined 66 $BTC worth $4.1 million at current prices. That’s a 17% increase in solo blocks found year-over-year, with one landing roughly every 17 days on average.

    The rise of on-demand hashrate rental has lowered the barrier to entry.

    Miners no longer need to own physical hardware to take a shot. Cloud-based services let anyone rent computing power for as little as a few dollars, turning solo mining from an infrastructure-heavy operation into something closer to a scratch-off card with transparent odds.

    Meanwhile, the lucky block landed during an interesting moment for bitcoin mining economics.

    Network difficulty just climbed to 144.4 trillion after the latest adjustment, a 15% increase that reversed an 11% drop caused by severe U.S. winter storms earlier this month. The climb means miners now need on the order of 144.4 trillion hash attempts, on average, to find a valid block, compared with the very first blocks in 2009.

    That storm-driven decline was the sharpest hashrate drop since China’s 2021 mining ban, temporarily making blocks easier to find before the network recalibrated.

    And for one miner with $75 and good timing, the window was enough.

  • Bitcoin touches $70,000 before fading as altcoins lead the strongest bounce in weeks

    Bitcoin came within touching distance of $70,000 on Wednesday before pulling back to around $68,300 in Thursday morning trading, a nearly 5% swing from the session high to the overnight low of $67,700.

    The move marks the strongest attempt to reclaim the $70,000 level since the Feb. 5 crash but stopped short of a clean breakout.

    The more interesting story was underneath. Altcoins outperformed across the board, with ether up 8.5%, solana gaining 6.9%, cardano surging 10.8%, and dogecoin adding 8.3%. Bitcoin’s 4.3% gain was among the smallest in the top 10.

    That kind of divergence typically signals risk appetite returning to the edges of the market, where traders chase higher-beta moves once they believe the worst of the selling is done.

    “The wave of forced selling is starting to clear out,” said Daniel Reis-Faria, CEO of ZeroStack, in an email. “Altcoins are outperforming again, and more of them are ahead of bitcoin. That tells me we’re seeing a rotation.”

    The bounce arrived alongside a muted reaction to Nvidia’s quarterly earnings, which beat estimates but failed to sustain a rally. Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.3% after the report, and Nvidia shares erased most of their post-earnings gains to edge up just 0.2% in extended trading.

    The world’s most valuable company signaled concerns about an overheated AI economy, tempering what had been a multi-day recovery in tech stocks.

    Meanwhile, the macro backdrop remains fragile for a continued movement in crypto markets. Market maker Wintermute noted that cryptocurrencies have been losing ground alongside tech stocks as capital rotates into defensive and tangible assets.

    Crypto finance platform Matrixport flagged stagnation in stablecoin supply as a “significant obstacle” for bitcoin, and onchain data firm Glassnode expects broader liquidity to recover in six months at the earliest.

    The near-term risk is straightforward. Cryptoquant data shows selling has slowed on Binance, which supports the case for a short-term bounce. Elsewhere, crypto exchange Bitrue warned that a break below $60,000 could open up a move toward $50,000-$55,000 or even $47,000 if cascading liquidations accelerate.

    The gap between the short-term bounce and the medium-term trend remains wide — and Wednesday’s rejection at $70,000 did nothing to close it.

  • Recap: Nikola Jokić drops 30 as Nuggets beat Celtics

    Recap: Nikola Jokić drops 30 as Nuggets beat Celtics

    Nikola Jokić led the Nuggets over the Celtics in the second half of our ESPN doubleheader.

    What we know about Wednesday’s games:

    • The Pistons beat the Thunder 124-116 in the first half of our national TV doubleheader, as Cade Cunningham (29 pts, 13 ast) and Jalen Duren (29 pts, 15 reb) outlasted Jaylin Williams (30 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast).
    • The Nuggets defeated the Celtics 103-84, running away in the second half to defend home court in the nightcap.
    • The Spurs won their 10th game in a row, coming back from 15 down to defeat the Raptors 110-107 on the road.

    FEBRUARY 26 // 12:48 ET

    Wednesday’s results

    Alperen Sengun (26 pts, 13 reb, 11 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk) is your top performer of the night.

    FEBRUARY 26 // 12:38 ET

    Nuggets defeat Celtics

    103-84, with Nikola Jokić putting up 30 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.

    The Celtics went cold in the second half, putting up just 36 points in the Denver altitude as their shooting percentage dropped to 34.9% for the game. Jaylen Brown had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead Boston.

    Denver shot 41.9%, including 5-of-9 shooting from Tim Hardaway Jr., who put up 14 points to become Denver’s second-leading scorer. Spencer Jones was the top man for Denver with a +22 mark.

    “They were very physical at the point of attack,” said Coach Joe Mazzulla afterwards. “They defended us well.”

    FEBRUARY 26 // 12:12 ET

    Nuggets take control

    85-70 with 7:45 to go in Denver, as the Nuggets have outscored the Celtics by 16 points in the second half.

    FEBRUARY 25 // 11:13 ET

    Celtics up one at the half

    48-47 on ESPN.

    Derrick White has 18 points to pace the Celtics, while Nikola Jokić (13 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast) is doing his traditional thing.

    The Celtics held Denver to 34% shooting in the first half, but only shot 41% themselves. Two good teams going at it.

    Catch the finish to cap your night.

    FEBRUARY 25 // 10:48 ET

    The Joker at work

    Celtics-Nuggets, live now on ESPN.

    FEBRUARY 25 // 10:40 ET

    Rockets beat Kings

    128-97, as Alperen Sengun (26 pts, 13 reb, 11 ast) dropped a triple-double for Houston.

    Russell Westbrook had 22 points as he led the Kings against former teammate Kevin Durant.

    FEBRUARY 25 // 10:20 ET

    Bucks beat Cavaliers by a fingertip

    Kevin Porter Jr. (20 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl) was the top man for the Bucks, who had seven players score in double figures as they beat the Cavaliers 118-116.

    Jarrett Allen’s game-tying hook was ruled to have come after the buzzer, preserving Milwaukee’s second straight win. The Bucks have won eight of their last 10.

    “Came down to the final fingertips, quite literally,” said Lisa Byington to wrap up the affair.

    FEBRUARY 25 // 10:13 ET

    Spurs come back to defeat Raptors

    110-107, securing their 10th win in a row.

    Devin Vassell (21 pts, 5 3PM) led six Spurs in double figures, while Victor Wembanyama (12 pts, 8 reb, 5 blk, 1 stl) did a bit of everything in holding down the middle.

    Brandon Ingram (20 pts, 11 reb) and Immanuel Quickley (20 pts, 3 3PM) led the way for Toronto.

    The Spurs won the fourth quarter 32-17 on the road to secure the victory.

    FEBRUARY 25 // 10:00 ET

    Close games abound

    Spurs-Raptors, Cavs-Bucks and Thunder-Pistons are all within a few baskets as the clock winds down.

    Check out the games!

    FEBRUARY 25 // 9:22 ET

    KPJ on the rise

    Over his last three games, Kevin Porter Jr. has averaged 26.0 ppg, 8.0 ast and just 1.0 turnovers for the Bucks.

    He’s staked them to a 73-65 lead over the Cavaliers with 8:51 to go in the third quarter, as Milwaukee goes on an 11-2 run.

    FEBRUARY 25 // 9:06 ET

    Thunder down

    Isaiah Joe and Brandon Carlson have been ruled out for the Thunder as they face the Pistons, meaning the defending champions are now down nine players, including three of their top four bigs.

    How will this deep Oklahoma City team adjust? Tune in to ESPN to find out.

    FEBRUARY 25 // 8:31 ET

    Good job, GG

    FEBRUARY 25 // 8:25 ET

    Spurs and Raptors in a good one

    41-40 Raptors with 7:45 to go in the second quarter, as No. 5 in the East takes on No. 2 in the West.

    Dylan Harper has 11 points to lead San Antonio, while Scottie Barnes has 9 to counter for Toronto, as well as this sick chasedown swat.

    FEBRUARY 25 // 7:50 ET

    Pistons rolling early

    Check out the dime from Cade Cunningham, No. 4 on the latest Kia MVP Ladder.

    FEBRUARY 25 // 6:30 ET

    Watch out for the Celtics

    The Celtics’ best plays from the last 10 games.

    Joe Mazzulla’s Boston Celtics are 9-1 in their last 10, as they incorporate new arrival Nikola Vučević into a multifaceted group featuring a variety of breakout players.

    Mazzulla’s Celtics are third in net rating (+8.0), second in offensive rating (120.0), third in second chance points (17.4), second in shooting percentage on drives (52.5%), first in pull-up points per game (31.1) and first in screen assists per game (9.9).

    Neemias Queta, Hugo González, Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Jr. and Luka Garza have all found new roles in the NBA this season, but the Celtics are still flowing, as they form a coherent supporting cast behind Kia MVP candidate Jaylen Brown (29.2 ppg), Payton Pritchard and Derrick White, posting the second-best net rating by a bench in the league (3.6).

    They get the third-greatest percentage of their points from 3-pointers (40.1%) while shooting the second-best percentage in the league in the paint (71.7%) — classic modern offense.

    The Celtics keep the ball hopping, maintain near-immaculate spacing, and know their roles intimately.

    Brown and Pritchard win one-on-one matchups and create advantages; White fills the gaps; Queta and Vučević finish around the rim; González, Walsh and Harper Jr. provide defensive hustle and 3-point shooting.

    FEBRUARY 25 // 5:45 ET

    Welcome to a six-game night in the NBA!

    Jamal Murray and the Nuggets take on the Celtics in the second half of tonight’s ESPN doubleheader.

    Our slate tonight is headlined by an ESPN doubleheader featuring four of the best teams in the Association! We’ve got Thunder-Pistons (7:30 ET) and Celtics-Nuggets (10 ET).

    Here’s tonight’s complete schedule:

     

  • Bitcoin Treasury Company GD Culture May Sell BTC to Buy Back Shares

    Bitcoin Treasury Company GD Culture May Sell BTC to Buy Back Shares

    In brief

    • GD Culture earned board approval to sell some of its 7,500 Bitcoin in order to fund a $100 million share buyback plan.
    • Shares rose 15% amid the news, but are still down 60% from its 52-week high.
    • The firm accumulated the 7,500 BTC as part of an acquisition last fall.

    Publicly traded artificial intelligence and livestreaming firm GD Culture approved the sale of some of its 7,500 Bitcoin, or around $518 million worth, as part of its effort to fund a new share repurchase program, the firm announced on Wednesday. 

    The program, approved earlier this month by the firm’s board of directors, authorizes it to repurchase up to $100 million in GD Culture shares (GDC) intermittently over the next six months. 

    “The board’s authorization permits the company to execute the Bitcoin sales in one or more transactions, from time to time, as management determines to be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders,” the firm said in a statement. 

    “Proceeds from the Bitcoin sales are expected to be used to fund repurchases of the company’s common stocks pursuant to the share repurchase program.” 

    While the firm is authorized to sell all of its Bitcoin holdings, it is under “no obligation” to sell any specific amount and the program can be modified or discontinued at any time, according to its announcement. 

    GD Culture picked up the 7,500 BTC last September when it entered into a share agreement to acquire Pallas Capital and its holdings. Now it can start to sell off its treasury if it wishes to, though its total holdings are worth around five times more than the approved amount for share repurchases. 

    Shares in the firm are up around 21% following the news, recently trading at $4.04 but have still fallen more than 10% in the last month.

    It’s not the first crypto treasury to offload some of its crypto assets in order to fund share repurchase agreements. In October, Ethereum treasury firm ETHZilla sold around $40 million in ETH to help buy back shares as its stock traded below the value of its net assets. 

    Other firms have recently sold Bitcoin to fund other initiatives as well. Riot Platforms dumped $200 million in BTC during November and December amid what analysts believe is a bid to fund its AI initiatives. 

    Earlier this month publicly traded miner Cango did the same, parting ways with $305 million worth of the top crypto asset. 

    A representative for GD Culture did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment. 

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