Creeping censorship, corruption, authoritarianism, economic decline and support for war: these are five of the defining characteristics of the Von der Leyen era. Is it any wonder that internal opposition is on the rise?More
More Good News for Cash in Europe, More Bad News for Digital Dollar in US
Recent developments suggest the trend away from cash and toward central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) may not be quite as smooth or seamless as some may have wished.More
Why Did Colombia Change Its Mind About Expelling Israeli Ambassador Over Israel’s “Genocidal” Siege of Gaza?
“If diplomatic relations with Israel have to be suspended, we will suspend them. We do not support genocides,” said President Petro. But hours after expelling Israel’s ambassador, his government reversed course.More
Relations Sour Between US and Colombia Over Colombian President Petro’s Refusal to Condemn Hamas
“The only way for Palestinian children to sleep in peace is for Israeli children to sleep in peace. The only way for Israeli children to sleep in peace is for Palestinian children to sleep in peace. War will never achieve this.”More
Cuban Government Joins Global War on Cash By Banning All Cash Payments for Gasoline
“Money is the oil fueling the economy’s engine. If the amount of oil needed is not supplied, it breaks down.”More
First Peru, Now Ecuador: US Southern Command Escalates Its “War on Drugs” in South America
In 2009, Ecuadorians voted in a referendum to remove all US military presence from the country. Now, thanks to an agreement signed in the dying days of Guillermo Lasso’s corruption-tainted government, US troops are coming back.More
Is a Revolt Finally Brewing in US Against Exorbitant Credit and Debit Card Swipe Fees?
“The reason this battle is so hard fought is that it pits two big spending constituencies against each other: banks versus retailers.”More
As India-Five Eyes Relations Sour, US Ratings Agency Moody’s Takes Aim at India’s Aadhaar Digital ID System
The report calls into question key aspects of India’s digital ID program, including its heavily centralised nature, the reliability of its biometric identification systems and its vulnerability to data breaches.More
Back to Business As Usual: The US Is Once Again Vigorously Stirring the Pot in Its Own “Backyard”
From Peru to Uruguay, to Ecuador and Guyana, the US is seeking to rebuild its strategic influence in Latin America, one gun at a time. Last week, the head of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Army Gen. Laura Richardson, visited Peru, a country that is in the grip of arguably its worst political crisis of this still-fledgling century.…More
A Valuable Lesson from Mexico: AMLO Government Cancels Extortionate Public-Private Partnerships for 9 Public Hospitals
This will probably not have gone down well with the World Economic Forum, which describes itself as “the international organization for public private cooperation.”More
Nick Corbishley 