News and Prophecy Staff

Just over a week ago, the European Union and the South American countries of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay signed the Mercosur trade deal (BBC, January 9, 2026). This is currently the EU’s largest free-trade agreement and will need to be ratified by the European Parliament in the next couple of months. While many in the EU claim the deal will greatly benefit “both sides,” European farmers fear cheap South American products will greatly undercut their locally produced goods.

Treating and using human waste as fertilizer is a growing industry, and the policies of some governments allow it to be used to grow food for human consumption.

Iran’s policies, compounded by international sanctions, are crippling the country and eroding the wealth of its people (The Telegraph, January 2, 2026). As inflation is exploding in Iran, its currency is also collapsing—in December, the annual inflation rate topped 42 percent, and food prices had increased by 72 percent. Meanwhile, the government is rationing both water and electrical power.

In Europe, as yet another peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is weighed, details suggest that the most recent proposal “paves the way for the legal framework under which British, French, and partner forces could operate on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine’s skies and seas, and regenerating Ukraine’s armed forces for the future” (BBC.com, January 6, 2026).

A sobering essay was published in the Telegraph on December 18, titled “The single biggest threat to our national security is not Russia, China or Iran.” In the article, former British politician Liam Fox observed how nations of the West are spending more each year on the interest on their national debts than they are spending on defense—in a world full of growing threats and a continually aggressive antagonist on Europe’s border. As Mr.