Gold prices reflect a shift in paradigm – Part I

France's Debt Spiral: Tax Hikes Mask A Looming Crisis Submitted by Thomas Kolbe On both sides of the Franco-German border, the same problem persists: overburdened and reform-averse politicians struggle against a rapidly accelerating debt spiral. Their preferred tool: higher levies. Last week, France’s Finance Minister Roland Lescure reported a revision of the projected budget deficit for the current year. Initial estimates for 2026 had suggested a deficit well above five percent. Yet numerous fiscal measures brought last year’s deficit down to 5.1%. For 2026, the Finance Ministry expects it to stabilize at around...

Long-Term Social Media Use Linked to Depression, Self-Harm in Young People: Study Authored by Jerry Zhu via The Epoch Times, An Australian-led study has found children and teenagers who spend more time on social media are more likely to experience depression, self-harm, substance use, and lower achievement later in life. Published in JAMA Pediatrics, the systematic review examined data from 153 studies consisting of over 350,000 children and adolescents aged between 2 and 19 years, for up to two decades. “The strongest pattern we saw was between social media use and later problematic...

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to seize Lebanese territory if Beirut does not prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israel. Israeli forces occupy  “Hezbollah launched heavy barrages toward the State of Israel yesterday. The IDF responded forcefully in the Dahiyeh [the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold] and against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon,” Katz stated […]