EUROPE - “Civil death” was a punishment under ancient French law — abolished in 1854 — that extinguished the legal personality of the convicted individual: loss of property, family rights, and civil existence, while leaving the person physically alive. Civil death — cruel, total, annihilating — was believed to belong to a bygone era. The European Union has just reinvented it — and made it worse.

VENEZUELA - This account from a Venezuelan security guard loyal to Nicolás Maduro is absolutely chilling — and it explains a lot about why the tone across Latin America suddenly changed.

VENEZUELA - While critics debate the legality of US President Donald Trump's overnight extraction of Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela, they're missing the forest for the trees. The operation represents far more than the removal of a narco-terrorist dictator – it marks a devastating strategic defeat for Russia, Iran, and China, all of which invested heavily in the Maduro regime as their critical foothold for undermining American influence in the Western Hemisphere. For over a decade, these three authoritarian powers leveraged Venezuela as their gateway to Latin America, transforming what should have been a prosperous democracy into a launching pad for anti-American operations. Moscow's collapse, Beijing's shock, and Tehran's fury at Maduro's capture reveal just how catastrophic this loss truly is. Critics will continue debating the legality and wisdom of the Maduro extraction. But the strategic reality is clear: In a single night, the United States dismantled a decade-long effort by Russia, Iran, and China to undermine American influence in Latin America.

UK - Labour's 'obsessive' drive towards Net Zero could cost Britons a staggering £4.5 trillion over the next 25 years, official estimates suggest. Critics said the extraordinary mounting costs for measures such as wind farms, solar panels, green heating systems and upgrades to roads and railways are significantly higher than previous forecasts and could 'bankrupt' the economy. The figures, quietly published last month by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) – a Government quango responsible for Britain's energy systems – includes an estimated £585 billion to be forked out by ordinary households to pay for the move away from energy–guzzling boilers towards eco–friendly heat pumps.

UK - Data shows Gen Z believe in a higher power more than any other generation - and Christian influencers have told Sky News what they think the change is down to. "I remember when I was in school I would tell people I believed in God and they would be like 'you're a loser'. Now I couldn't be prouder, it's becoming more normal." "There's so much bad in the world, there's so much negativity that you see online," she says. "The stuff we fill our brain with - it doesn't have any substance and I do think that people are yearning for purpose and fulfilment". A recent YouGov study found that Gen Z believe in a higher power more than any other generation, with data showing there has been a rise in the religiosity and church attendance among young people. (Generation Z refers to people born between 1996 and 2010.)

USA - The North America halal food market, encompassing the United States and Canada, was valued at USD 100.11 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 226 billion by 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.47% from 2025 to 2033. The halal process requires healthy, live animals. A Muslim slaughterer recites “Bismillah Allahu Akbar” while cutting the throat, windpipe, and blood vessels with a sharp knife for complete blood drainage. Most certifiers prohibit pre-stunning to maintain animal consciousness. Meat then undergoes processing, packaging, and distribution under halal protocols, preventing cross-contamination with non-halal products.

IRAN - Islam, in Western progressive discourse, has been racialized. It is treated not as a belief system or a political ideology, but as a stand-in for race or ethnicity. Criticizing Islam is framed as an attack on “brown people,” Arabs, or “the Middle East,” as if Islam were a skin color rather than a doctrine.

USA - The American obsession with de-dollarisation cannot be understood without grasping how deeply the dollar underwrites the US economy. Dollar dominance allows the United States to import more than it exports, consume more than it produces, and borrow without fear of currency collapse. It allows Wall Street to siphon global savings, the Pentagon to operate hundreds of overseas bases, and Washington to impose unilateral sanctions with extraterritorial reach.

MEXICO - President Donald Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday night that the United States is “going to start now hitting land” in its fight against drug cartels — framing the move as a response to what he claimed is cartel control of Mexico and a US death toll in the “250,000–300,000” range every year. Trump’s “hitting land” remark signals a possible escalation from the administration’s maritime-focused counter-narcotics campaign into operations that could potentially touch Mexican territory or cartel-linked infrastructure — an outcome that would raise major questions about sovereignty, congressional authority, and blowback along the US-Mexico border. Experts have warned potential military action against cartels inside Mexico could be viewed as an act of aggression and trigger dangerous unintended consequences, including displacement and migration pressure.

IRAN - The unprecedented protests pose an existential threat to the Ayatollah's fragile regime. Donald Trump has signalled he is ready to back Iranian protesters – as the US weighs up military action against Tehran. The President said Iran is “looking at FREEDOM” and vowed America was “ready to help”, as chaos spreads across the country. Behind the scenes, US officials have been locked in talks over potential strikes on Iran’s military, according to reports. The Wall Street Journal said multiple Iranian military targets are being considered as options for attack. Former Pentagon insiders told The Telegraph that Trump could also unleash covert CIA operations to destabilise the regime – or give Israel the green light to strike first.

PUERTO RICO - One day after the United States attacked Venezuela and captured its ruler, Nicolás Maduro, beachgoers on the northwestern coast of Puerto Rico heard the rumbling noises of flying military aircraft overtake the peaceful sounds of waves lapping onto the shore. For those in this city known for its surfing and beach life, the sights and roars of fighter jets and Reaper drones were a reminder that, just a few miles away, the air facilities of a once-shuttered US military base have gained renewed importance in President Donald Trump’s plan to assert “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere.” The forgotten military facilities are now being revived amid Trump’s new military push in the Western Hemisphere and his warning following Maduro’s capture of the possibility of new US military attacks in Venezuela.

VENEZUELA - Venezuelan militias are hunting for US Citizens, and any Americans should leave the country immediately, the US State Department has warned. The Government body said: "Venezuela: The security situation in Venezuela remains fluid. As international flights have resumed, US citizens in Venezuela should leave the country immediately. Before departure, US citizens should take precautions and be aware of their surroundings. There are reports of groups of armed militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence of US citizenship or support for the United States. Remain vigilant and exercise caution when travelling by road. Monitor airlines’ communications and websites for updated information. Venezuela has the highest Travel Advisory level – Level 4: Do Not Travel – due to severe risks to Americans, including wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure."

USA - While impotent leaders like Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, and any number of other European nonentities navel-gaze, Trump has become a titan, a global sheepdog, rounding up the rotten apples. After decades of oppression under authoritarian ayatollahs, Iran now stands on the brink of collapse. ​U​ntil recently, open uprising against its religious dictatorship was unthinkable, but now its persecuted people believe freedom is in sight and within reach. And just like the cowardly brute Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown from his iron-fisted rule of Syria in 2024 and forced to flee, panicked Ayatollah Ali Khamenei looks set to join him in exile... in Moscow. One by one states that have ruled by subjugation are falling: Assad was driven out of Syria; Hamas was forced to yield and hand back the Israeli hostages it had snatched; Venezuelan tyrant Nicolas Maduro was abducted from his bed, and Iran was blitzed by US bunker bombs and its nuclear capabilities neutered. Like it or not, Trump is forcing the world to fall into line.

VENEZUELA - Oil, gold and rare earth elements: the backdrop to US political tension with Venezuela. The country’s enormous energy and mineral resources are consolidating as a key factor in the geopolitical dispute and in Venezuela’s institutional collapse. In addition to possessing the world’s largest oil reserves, Venezuela boasts enormous gas deposits — the sixth largest globally — vast gold reserves, the most significant in Latin America; iron, ranking 12th worldwide; bauxite, 15th; and diamonds. Before the collapse of the Chavista regime, the country had made significant progress in the exploitation and export of several of these commodities, particularly oil, gas, iron ore, and processed aluminum and steel products, cornerstones of contemporary Venezuela.

UK - The United Kingdom is decadent in many ways, with a leftist-Globalist Labour government fraying the social fabric with unchecked mass migration, killing the economy with ‘green’ suicidal policies, and using rampant censorship to keep citizens in line. But now, we’ve come to the point in which something new and positive is unfolding, and it’s verified by numbers: Bible sales in Britain ‘have hit their highest level on record’. The figures more than doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels, reportedly driven by a surge in interest from Gen Z. This is part of what many see as a ‘significant cultural shift regarding matters of faith and religion’ in the Kingdom.