Caspar David Friedrich, Moonrise over the Sea (1822). Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany

Whatever Happened to the Human Person?

‘Learning, the moral and intellectual basis of human life, must be readapted and reopened to the world of value and inspiration. Education must once again become Bildung.’

JD Vance Bashes EU over Free Speech as Brussels Prepares to Fine X

US Vice President JD Vance blasted Brussels for targeting Elon Musk’s X platform, urging the EU to defend free speech instead of ‘attacking American companies over garbage’. His remarks follow reports that the European Commission is preparing a major DSA fine against X—just as tensions with Washington escalate over Ukraine and trade.

COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago (C) speaks during a plenary session of the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para state, Brazil on November 21, 2025.

COP30 in Belém: Mixed Outcomes in Scaling up Collective Efforts

Global leaders met in Belém, Brazil, for COP30, seeking progress on climate action despite geopolitical tensions. Brazil’s proposed ‘Global Mutirão’ aimed to unite countries on fossil-fuel transition and climate finance, but negotiations yielded only partial breakthroughs, revealing deep divides over energy, funding, and trade measures.

Mogherini Fraud Probe Threatens to Damage von Der Leyen above All

Nearly three years after Qatargate, Brussels is rocked by another major scandal: Belgian authorities have detained former EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini and top diplomat Stefano Sannino in a fraud probe involving the EU’s diplomatic academy. The probe is already fuelling calls for accountability at the highest levels of the Commission.

Republicans Hold Onto House Seat in Tennessee Special Election

Matt Van Epps of the Republican Party defeated Democrat nominee Aftyn Behn, who has been dubbed as ‘the AOC of Tennessee’ by right-wing media, in the special election for the vacant seat in the US House of Representatives in Tennessee’s 7th congressional district. The GOP retains their 220 House seats, while Democrats currently have 214.

Book Review: Vandalising Ireland

‘Following an embarrassing spectacle in Ireland that saw nearly 13 per cent of voters cast “spoilt” ballots while an unapologetic leftist cruised to victory in the Irish presidential race, establishment-liberal politicians like Tánaiste [Deputy Prime Minister] Simon Harris exhibited timid initial signs of policy reversal on the immigration issue.’

Hungary Becomes Net Contributor to the European Union

Hungary has become a net contributor to the European Union for the first time since its 2004 accession, as frozen EU funds continue to distort the financial balance. With Budapest paying more into the common budget than it receives, the economic impact of the European Commission’s political blackmail campaign is increasingly visible ahead of the 2026 election.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen gives a press conference at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on 29 January 2025

The EU’s Road to Censorship — The Democracy Shield

‘The Commission’s initiative…is more than just stigmatizing content deemed “false” by Brussels’s fact-checkers. It is also about setting up a closely aligned network in Europe that can coordinate to spread “correct” and “truthful” information—while being paid by Brussels.’