Shenzhen – September 15, 2026 -- Aulumu has launched the A18 Series, a new lineup of iPhone 18 cases built around aramid fiber construction and reinforced drop protection.

The flagship case combines aramid fiber with TPU cushioning

The A18 Armor Shockproof Aramid Fiber Case uses 1500D aramid fiber fused with TPU in a one-piece build. Aulumu says the design is engineered for up to 2 meters of drop protection while keeping a slim profile, with a 1.36mm raised screen edge and a 1.3mm raised camera frame to shield the phone's most exposed points. Reinforced corners are meant to spread impact force across the case's full-wrap structure.

Berlin -- September 10, 2026 -- Midea used IFA 2026 to showcase a new lineup of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems built around the natural refrigerant R290, part of what the company calls its 'Green Vision, Blue Future' push.

Midea has sold more than 10 million R290 air conditioners since 2018

R290 carries an ultra-low global warming potential, near-zero CO2 emissions, no PFAS chemicals, and roughly 10% higher energy efficiency than standard refrigerants. Midea says the 10 million-plus units sold since 2018 have cut carbon emissions by about 5.2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, a reduction the company compares to the carbon absorption of 6.2 million hectares of Amazon rainforest. A transparent demo unit at the booth let visitors watch the compressor technology operate live.

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- EcoFlow collected nine industry awards at IFA 2026 in Berlin, with its STREAM home battery system, PowerRock 4000 portable power station and RIVER Gen4 power stations all recognized by European and international tech publications.

STREAM home battery system earns six separate honors

The STREAM platform received Best in Show awards from TechRadar, T3 and The Ambient, plus recognition from ComputerBILD's Messe-Highlight 2026, the home&smart Innovation Award 2026, and CHIP.de's IFA Highlights Award specifically for the STREAM AC 5000 model.

Dallas – September 15, 2026 -- JOEY Restaurants opens JOEY Maple on Thursday, September 10, marking the hospitality group's second Dallas location at 2508 Maple Avenue in Uptown Dallas.

The 7,800-square-foot restaurant will serve lunch, happy hour and dinner, open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight, with reservations available through OpenTable.

Top Chef alumnus leads a globally inspired menu

Executive Chef Matthew Stowe, a Top Chef alumnus and recent guest judge, will oversee a menu combining JOEY signatures with global flavors, including Bone-In Prime Ribeye, Tomahawk steak, Crispy Nigiri, Caviar, Truffle Udon Carbonara and JOEY Signature Chocolate Cake.

Houston – September 15, 2026 -- Clyde and Denia Smith are opening beem® Energy Corridor, a private wellness studio at 1560 Eldridge Pkwy #148, set to welcome its first guests in mid-September.

The studio offers private suites with infrared sauna, red light therapy, and chromotherapy, designed for individual sessions rather than shared spaces. Ahead of the opening, the Smiths are offering Founding Member rates along with two complimentary first sessions.

The Smiths built the studio around their own health journeys

Denia is a breast cancer survivor, and Clyde has dealt with sports injuries and chronic pain. Those experiences shaped their focus on proactive recovery and rest.

"Opening beem® isn't just a business launch for us – it's deeply personal," said Clyde. "We wanted to create a place where people can step away from the demands of everyday life, take care of themselves, and leave feeling genuinely restored."

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- Germany's women's basketball team plays European champion Belgium in the World Cup quarterfinal on Thursday, live from 5:15 PM on MagentaTV and MagentaSport.

Germany enters the match on a three-game winning streak

The German team beat Japan, Mali, and South Korea in the group stage, building momentum ahead of the knockout round in Berlin. Head coach Olaf Lange told MagentaSport he is "very positively excited" about the team's growth, crediting the run of wins for boosting squad cohesion.

Belgium beat Germany by 30 points at EuroBasket 2025

Lange called Thursday's game a chance to move past that result, describing Belgium as an experienced, tactically detailed opponent with a different playing style than Germany's group-stage rivals. His plan: play with tempo to avoid getting caught out by the shot clock, and attack beyond Belgium's first line of defense.

Phoenix – September 15, 2026 -- University of Phoenix recognized 32,416 students on its July 2026 President's and Dean's Lists, honoring adult learners who balanced coursework with jobs and family obligations.

President's List required a perfect 4.0 GPA

Of the honorees, 9,496 students earned President's List status by achieving a 4.0 grade point average, while 22,920 students were named to the Dean's Lists for high academic standing in their programs.

A Reddit giveaway drew 787 student submissions

As part of the recognition, University of Phoenix invited eligible students to join its subreddit and describe what mattered most about their educational journey. The giveaway generated 787 eligible entries, and 30 participants received University of Phoenix swag boxes.

Jersey City, N.J. – September 15, 2026 -- BetMGM has launched its 2026-27 football season lineup, adding new betting protections, weekly promotions and faster app performance for sports bettors nationwide.

BetDefense refunds stakes on injured players

The new BetDefense feature returns a customer's stake in cash if a player is sidelined by injury during the first quarter on eligible pro football player prop wagers. The offer is not available in Alberta, Massachusetts, Ontario and Puerto Rico, and additional terms apply.

Ultimate Teams offers a shot at a $50,000 weekly jackpot

A new free-to-play game called Ultimate Teams lets eligible customers log in Monday through Friday to reveal daily cards and compete for a share of a $50,000 Bonus Bets jackpot each week. Winnings expire in 96 hours, and the game is unavailable in Alberta, Ontario, Nevada and Puerto Rico.

BALTIMORE – – September 15, 2026 -- MedStar Health has performed its first endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), a non-surgical procedure that shrinks the stomach without incisions, offering a new weight-loss option for patients who don't want or don't qualify for traditional bariatric surgery.

Christopher You, MD, a board-certified general and bariatric surgeon at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, performed the procedure on Aug. 21. The patient went home the same day.

The 90-minute procedure reshapes the stomach through the mouth

While the patient is under mild sedation, Dr. You inserts a flexible tube with a tiny camera through the mouth and into the stomach. Using special sutures, he reduces the stomach's size into a smaller, tube-like pouch. No part of the stomach is removed, and there are no external cuts or scars.

Omaha – September 15, 2026 -- Slim Jim, the meat snack brand owned by Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), has officially set a Guinness World Records title for the World's Longest Meat Snack Stick, unveiling a 429-foot-5-inch creation at the company's Omaha campus.

The record-setting snack measured 143 yards -- longer than a football field -- and weighed nearly 70 pounds. A Guinness World Records adjudicator was on site to certify the achievement.

The new record smashes the previous mark by more than 100 feet

The giant Slim Jim surpassed the former record holder, a 314-foot meat stick unveiled in 2023, by over 115 feet.

Eleven employees spent months building the oversized snack

Work on the project began in June 2025, when a team of 11 Conagra Brands employees was tasked with scaling up the classic Slim Jim recipe while preserving its signature snap.