How Boycotts are Silencing Artists, Russia's Economy Tops Germany, and Why Orcas Are Sinking Boats Off Spain’s Coast

Good morning! It's Friday, September 26, 2025—and this week, we're spotlighting the cultural fractures ripping through Europe, where boycotts are muting artists and athletes, transforming stages and pitches into geopolitical war zones.

We're dissecting the spectacular backfire of EU sanctions, as Russia's economy roars ahead of Germany's, turning Brussels' tough talk into a punchline of self-inflicted wounds.

Plus, we're exposing the chilling evolution of pig-butchering scams, where AI like ChatGPT fuels a global fraud empire built on human trafficking and digital deception. And that's just the start...

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In the electric haze of Moscow's Live Arena, confetti cascaded as Vietnam's Duc Phuc gripped the Intervision trophy, his win blasting through a crowd of performers from China, India, Cuba, and Belarus. Russia had dusted off this dusty Soviet relic – Intervision, the Cold War's cheeky jab at Western glam – as a middle finger to its Eurovision exile over the 2022 Ukraine invasion.

Russia’s revival of Intermission is a symptom of a world splintering under geopolitical weight, weaponizing culture by way of boycotts. Spain's RTVE, a Eurovision heavyweight, voted to bolt from 2026 if Israel shows, joining threats from Ireland, the Netherlands, and more. Soccer legends like Gary Lineker and Eric Cantona fuel #GameOverIsrael, demanding FIFA and UEFA sideline Israeli teams amid ravaged Palestinian fields and lost athletes.

History's ghosts whisper warnings – think anti-apartheid rugby bans on South Africa or the U.S.-led '80 Moscow Olympic freeze over Afghanistan. These stunts rarely topple regimes; they just bench the innocents, turning artists into political pawns and starving cultural exchange. On X, the chatter's fierce: experts like Frédéric Encel slam boycotts as "idiotic" for poisoning neutral zones, while Karim Zidan pushes accountability to curb extremism.

At its core, this mess risks carving the globe into rival echo chambers, diluting Eurovision's rainbow unity and football's borderless thrill. But imagine, what if we let stages and pitches spark dialogue, not division. In this multipolar chaos, culture's our last shot at harmony – voluntary vibes over forced silence. Because when politics drowns the melody, the whole band's outta rhythm, and we all fade to static. Read the full story.

Russia's economy has surged past Germany's in purchasing power parity, clocking in as the fourth-largest globally behind China, the US, and India.

While Brussels elites sip champagne in insulated bubbles, Europe's industries are reeling from skyrocketing energy costs and lost competitiveness, all thanks to ditching cheap Russian gas for pricier US alternatives.

Germany's downturn is the poster child for this mess, with factories shuttering and calls mounting for a reality-check on those "self-harming" sanctions. On X, users are howling with laughter at the EU's epic own-goal, mocking Western hubris as Russia thrives despite the squeeze.

Debates rage over the sanctions' flop, with experts urging a strategic U-turn before Europe slides into long-term decline. This geopolitical gamble highlights the perils of ideology trumping economics—could it spell the end of Europe's golden era? Interaffairs | Politico

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Germany is slashing its reliance on U.S. weapons, channeling just 8% of its €83 billion rearmament push toward American suppliers while funneling the lion's share to European manufacturers.

EU boosters on X are toasting the move as an overdue flex against Yankee dominance. But skeptics are firing back, calling it a flashy gesture that could inflate costs without beefing up real capabilities.

As U.S. isolationist vibes loom, the online fray is framing this as Europe's make-or-break moment: a manufacturing renaissance or a risky rift in NATO's armor. Read the source article.

Ursula von der Leyen is peddling a glossy dystopia, hyping the EU as an AI powerhouse—spotlighting French darling Mistral as proof of Europe's edge—while in reality the bloc stumbles far behind the U.S. and China, leaving Europe with a paltry 4% share of global AI startups and chronic underinvestment.

Last week, former Italian PM Mario Draghi dropped the mic into von der Leyen’s lap, calling for slamming the brakes on the EU AI Act's high-risk mandates, demanding a pause to probe "drawbacks" that could strangle growth and breed uncertainty.

Draghi's realism is striking a chord amid fears the Act's ethical overreach could doom Europe. Over 40 big tech and industry titans, from Siemens to Mistral, lobbied von der Leyen for a two-year "clock-stop" in July to streamline the red tape and ignite competitiveness, but her rose-tinted vision stood firm to the brutal reality. Euronews | Politico

In 2025, urban Europe faces a rental reckoning as cities like Zurich, London, Amsterdam and Dublin grapple with skyrocketing costs. From Singapore’s financial hub to Dubai’s desert boom, global rent surges reflect remote work’s ripple effects. As protests erupt over housing unaffordability, Visual Capitalist’s latest data reveals the world’s priciest cities.

Barcelona's striker Robert Lewandowski isn't holding back on the Ballon d'Or, dismissing it as overly "commercial" while praising FIFA's The Best award as "more fair."

Echoing Cristiano Ronaldo's recent slam of the prestigious prize as "fictional" after his snub from the 2025 shortlist, Lewandowski—who snagged The Best in 2020 but saw the Ballon d'Or canceled amid COVID chaos—revisits old wounds, including his runner-up finish to Lionel Messi in 2021 and the unfulfilled promise of a retroactive win.

Now nominated again alongside Barça teammates like rising star Lamine Yamal, the Pole smirks at the politics of it all, questioning if the golden ball is more hype than honor.

Amid growing cynicism, the 2025 men's Ballon d'Or went to French sensation Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain, while Spain's Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona claimed her third straight women's trophy, making history in the process. World Soccer Talk

French billionaire Bernard Arnault is sounding the alarm on France's proposed 2% wealth tax, calling it an economic killer that chases away investors and talent while barely denting budgets.

Sure, inequality bends democracy, but progressive taxes offer a smarter fix than the proposed wealth tax.

Geopolitically, such measures leave Europe lagging behind America's free-market, causing shared poverty due to capital flight. Read the source story.

The Central Bank of Ireland said the quiet part out loud: Bitcoin and Ethereum will slip through the cracks of the EU’s MiCA regulations, as they lack an identifiable issuer. This exemption keeps the world’s leading cryptocurrencies free from Brussels’ oversight.

As Europe moves to regulate digital assets, this carve-out ensures Bitcoin and Ethereum remain unscathed, navigating a path outside the EU’s tightening rules.

Brussels’ digital euro push is hitting walls, with banks resisting and laws stalling amid economic strain. On X, @BGatesIsaPyscho warns of surveillance overreach, while counterarguments vow for payment efficiency.

Voices on Reddit lean hard into privacy fears, with debates asking if Europe can truly innovate without falling for Big Brother-Overreach. Read the source news.

Warsaw’s Stock Exchange launched Poland’s first Bitcoin ETF via CME futures, sparking enthusiasm over Eastern Europe’s crypto lead, touting regulated, institutional Bitcoin access.

Critics flag futures risks, but enthusiasm over Poland’s financial rise dominates, hinting at a Eastern European crypto surge.

Meanwhile, Boerse Stuttgart offers MiCA-compliant crypto trading in Madrid.

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Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French President, was sentenced to five years in prison by a Paris court for criminal conspiracy related to alleged illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign from Libyan funds under Muammar Gaddafi.

The conviction marks a historic moment, as he's set to become the first ex-French leader to serve prison time, though he plans to appeal and won't be incarcerated immediately. He was cleared on three other charges but fined €100,000 and banned from public office for five years.

Reactions on X include supportive posts from his son Louis, who praised his father's character, alongside mixed public commentary ranging from defenses of Sarkozy as a victim of political targeting to criticisms tying him to broader scandals. Reuters

The EU’s admission that COVID mRNA vaccines were rushed through without full safety data has unleashed a storm on X, branding it a betrayal and demanding probes into EU President von der Leyen’s murky deals. Defenders insist it was a lifesaving call under pressure.

Reddit threads seethe with distrust, citing deleted texts between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. X uses amplify calls for U.S.-style audits. While this saga’s exposing cracks in faith in the European Union, reform cries are gaining steam. Read the source story.

Ursula von der Leyen’s €800 billion defense plan, with €150 billion for joint arms, has X in a frenzy. @BGatesIsaPyscho slams it as a raid on citizens’ savings for Ukraine, echoed by Members of the European Parliament’s warning of corruption and bankruptcy.

Reddit’s pro-EU voices argue von der Leyen’s arms plan is critical for security against Russia, but economic fears dominate, with pushback against the Ukraine heist growing.

This clash over war funds could redefine Brussels’ grip, as people demand accountability as to who foots the war bill, and to what end… State of the Union.

Keir Starmer’s plan for mandatory digital IDs to curb migration has X erupting, warning of EU-style surveillance, while Labour supporters on forums tout border fixes.

Anti-ID sentiment leads discussions on social media, fearing it would lead to Chinese style social credit systems. Read the source news.

Watch New York’s police stop Macron to give way to President Trump

Enjoy this magical tree tunnel in autumn

Have you ever seen a shaved Alpaca? Here’s one

Off Spain’s coast, orcas are turning the Atlantic Ocean into their playground, ramming yachts with a mischievous glee that’s sinking boats and nerves alike.

No region faces such relentless “attacks”—a misnomer for what scientists call playful encounters driven by bored, clever killer whales.

These apex predators, chasing thrills as much as tuna, have targeted over 500 vessels since 2020, leaving sailors shaken and scientists scrambling to decode their game.

Antiparasitic drugs like ivermectin and fenbendazole are stirring hope for colorectal cancer patients. Preclinical studies show ivermectin dose-dependently halts colorectal cancer cell growth by triggering apoptosis and reactive oxygen species in lab models.

Anecdotal case reports from online compilations detail dramatic turnarounds: a 48-year-old man with stage 4 appendiceal adenocarcinoma saw rapid recovery after two months on ivermectin and mebendazole, while a 34-year-old Slovenian with stage 4 colon cancer reported up to 50% tumor shrinkage and plummeting CEA levels after three months on ivermectin and fenbendazole.

AI simulations predict better survival with these in multimodal protocols versus chemo alone. Library of Medicine | Medical Advisor

Harvard geneticist David Reich's ancient DNA research flips the script on heritage pounding xenophobia: pure bloodlines and ancestral homelands? Total fiction.

Human history pulses with epic migrations, steamy interbreedings, and brutal displacements—like the Yamnaya nomads who overhauled Europe's gene pool 5,000 years ago, wiping out local lineages in places like Iberia.

We're more genetically uniform today than our diverse ancestors 70,000 years back, when multiple human species roamed and mingled. Reich's takeaway? Our origin stories are gloriously wrong—embrace the mix. Harvard Gazette

On September 26, 1983, Soviet lieutenant colonel Stanislav Petrov correctly identified a false alarm in the nuclear early-warning system, preventing a potential retaliatory strike and averting nuclear catastrophe during the height of Cold War tensions in Europe.

On September 27, 2019, Italy's education minister endorsed students skipping school to join global climate strikes, amplifying youth-led environmental activism and fostering awareness of climate change across Europe.

On September 28, 1928, Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in his London laboratory, ushering in the era of antibiotics and transforming medical treatment for bacterial infections worldwide.

On September 29, 1954, the Convention establishing CERN was ratified by 12 European countries in Geneva, Switzerland, creating a hub for particle physics research that has driven major scientific advancements and international cooperation in Europe.

On September 30, 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published satirical cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, igniting international discussions on freedom of expression, cultural sensitivity, and media ethics that reverberated through Europe and globally.

On October 1, 2016, Pedro Sánchez resigned as secretary-general of Spain's Socialist Workers' Party amid internal divisions, a pivotal moment that reshaped Spanish politics and highlighted challenges in forming stable governments in contemporary Europe.

On October 2, 2005, Italy officially established National Grandparents' Day to celebrate the contributions of elders to family and society, strengthening cultural values of intergenerational respect and family unity in Europe.

A 26-year-old Kenyan named Duncan Okindo, fresh off a flight to Bangkok with dreams of easy customer-service cash, wakes up in a barbed-wire nightmare on the Myanmar-Thai border. It's not a call center he's clocking into—it's a human-trafficking hellhole, KK Park, where Chinese gang bosses herd hundreds of kidnapped souls into fluorescent-lit rooms stacked with glowing screens.

There, under threat of beatings and electric shocks, Okindo becomes a reluctant puppeteer of deception, his most trusted co-conspirator not a flesh-and-blood partner, but an AI whisperer called ChatGPT. Prompt by prompt, it spins him into a silver-tongued Texas rancher or an Alabama soybean king, reeling in unsuspecting U.S. real estate agents with tales of crypto-fueled property flips.

What starts as a survival script— "Hey, I'm looking to park some Bitcoin in a beachfront pad"—morphs into a week's worth of intimate digital foreplay, until the mark wires thousands into a ghost wallet, their American Dream gutted in a single transfer. Okindo's story isn't just one man's descent into the scam underworld; it's the bleeding edge of a global fraud machine that's weaponizing the very tools we celebrate as saviors of human ingenuity, turning empathy into exploitation one algorithmically polished lie at a time. Read the full story.

In an era where cryptocurrencies make headlines, remote work has shattered traditional borders, and AI is reshaping economies, few books feel as eerily prophetic as The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg.

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What makes this book so compelling today, is how spot-on many of its forecasts have proven. If you're ready to embrace the information revolution and position yourself as a "sovereign individual" in this new era, grab a copy today—don't miss out on this timeless classic; it's not just a book, it's your guide to the future.
🇬🇧 English Copy | 🇩🇪 German Copy