News

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.

Mankind’s history is littered with stories and accounts of people betraying or attempting to hoodwink their fellow man. Biblical accounts include Cain’s murder of his younger brother Abel, Jacob’s trickery of his elder brother Esau, Delilah’s attempts to undermine the mighty Samson, and the betrayal of Jesus Christ by His disciple Judas. And in many cultures around the world, stories of trickeries both failed and successful fill entire anthologies.

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).