THE NEWS

The State Of Democracy

After eight consecutive years of declining scores, the 2025 EIU Democracy Index showed a stabilization of democracy around the world.

In the latest edition, almost 75 percent of countries either saw their score improve or remain stable compared to 2024, as the global average score across 167 countries and territories improved slightly to 5.2 out of 10.

You will find more infographics at Statista

The index, which assesses electoral processes, governance, civil liberties, political participation and political culture classified 26 countries as full democracies, including all Scandinavian countries, several other European nations as well as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Mauritius, Taiwan, Japan and Latin American countries Uruguay and Costa Rica.

However, as Statista’s Felix Richter reports, notably absent from the top category was the United States, which saw its score fall from 7.85 to 7.65 and was once again classified as a “flawed democracy”.

Once considered a shining example of democracy in the world, the country now ranks 35th between Poland and Botswana, as its civil liberties score deteriorated under the Trump administration and its political culture was rated badly due to the intense polarization in the country.

Globally, the three worst-rated countries remained unchanged, with Afghanistan, Myanmar and North Korea at the bottom of the table for non-existing civil liberties, electoral process and pluralism. At the other end of the scale, Norway, New Zealand and Denmark were ranked as the most democratic countries in the world, with Norway rated particularly highly for electoral process and pluralism, political participation and civil liberties.

While the decline of democracy at the global level has been stopped, the share of the world’s population living in full democracies is still remarkably low at just 6.6 percent. Meanwhile, 39 percent of the world’s population live in countries rated as authoritarian, with China and Pakistan the most populous examples.

Tyler Durden
Wed, 09/23/2026 – 04:15

British police arrested two men, foiling what authorities believe was a terrorism plot targeting Manchester’s Jewish community.

President Donald Trump said a three-hour round of U.S.-Iran negotiations on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly “went very well” Tuesday and later told Gulf and other regional leaders there was “a lot of momentum” toward a deal, as Washington and Tehran reopened a negotiating channel for the first time since June.
The post Trump: U.S.-Iran Talks ‘Went Very Well’ — There Is ‘Momentum’ Toward Deal appeared first on Breitbart.

Flash In The Pan Already Burned Out: German Economy Loses Its Hormuz Boost

Submitted by Thomas Kolbe

That Was a Short-Lived Boom.

After just a few weeks, the special economic effect of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has already evaporated, according to Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs. In its monthly report, the ministry states that energy-intensive sectors and companies in German industry benefited from a massive disruption of supply chains in Asia following the closure — a one-time opportunity to temporarily offset the competitive disadvantages at home by shutting out the competition and moving into the business vacuum that had emerged.

Companies in the chemical and metals industries in particular benefited from this special situation, which generated robust growth in the second quarter, the ministry said.

Ultimately, the effect faded faster than expected. After just a few weeks, the German economic miracle was over — and the gray reality has returned. According to the ministry, the German economy continues to lack growth impulses. The stagnation is therefore continuing.

Bad news for the German government, and even worse news for Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is desperately hoping for economic figures he can use as campaign ammunition rather than going into the next election with completely empty hands when voters hand him another political rebuke in just a few days. Pressure on the unpopular chancellor is also growing within his own party. Merz should actually be delivering something substantial by now — after more than a year of his debt orgy. He should be spreading hope of an impending upswing. Instead, his artificial economy, bloated with ever more debt, keeps collapsing like a soufflé.

The figures from the economy show that this soufflé will not rise again anytime soon. Industrial production is currently 3.3 percent below its level a year ago. Energy-intensive industries in particular, which are falling back into their old apathy after the Iranian special boom, reported a 1.7 percent decline in July. No stimulus can be expected from German consumers — real retail sales fell by 3.4 percent from the previous month in July. Inflation is eating into household purchasing power, and the weak labor market is showing its teeth.

Given the dramatic state of German industry, no one should expect an upswing in the German labor market. A total of 144,000 industrial jobs have been lost in the past twelve months alone. In August, the number of unemployed stood at 3.06 million — although statistical manipulation involving unregistered unemployed people in job-creation programs, short-time work or early retirement conceals the true state of the labor market. The naked truth about the German economy is also hidden in basic income support and other social programs — underemployment is a far greater problem than the statistics allow us to see.

Compared with the previous year, Germany’s job centers count 226,000 fewer people employed in the German economy. The German state’s reforestation program in the public sector will do little more than provide cosmetic relief. The decline is real, and it is reflected in corporate insolvencies, which this year are at their highest level since 2013.

More than 18,500 corporate failures over the past twelve months are now on the books. They are compelling evidence of the structural problems at Germany’s economic location, which could only be eliminated through a political U-turn of 180 degrees. Yet even following a political change, returning to a path of growth would probably be difficult. The collateral damage left behind by political ideologues has simply become too great.

Germany is trapped: cut off from Russian gas, caught in the grip of the emerging diesel-price crisis caused by the Hormuz closure, and dependent on the goodwill of the Americans, who have become its main supplier of fossil fuels — the German economy is stumbling toward a price shock with almost no alternatives.

Once this energy shock works its way through the economic chain and into consumer prices, many German households will be in trouble. They have already been suffering from rising prices for years. Among supporters of degrowth ideology, this fatal combination of circumstances may be cause for celebration. Everyone, however, should be aware that Germany’s deeply divided society needs a boost in prosperity more urgently than ever. And growth is only conceivable in an environment of secure and affordable energy.

Economics is the study of relationships and scarcity. Germany is competing with giants such as China and the United States. Energy prices there are now so significantly below German levels that the bleeding of domestic industry has become inevitable, regardless of how much subsidy money is pumped into the economic body through subsidized industrial electricity prices or direct aid.

Political action in these times appears bizarre. Berlin and Brussels are responding to their own interventionism, the regulatory shackles left behind by low interest rates, climate regulation and energy policy, with further regulation and strangulation of businesses. Are we really surprised by the zombification of large parts of the economy, which now has to compensate for the significant rise in borrowing costs? This policy is dangerous to society. It is destabilizing and could only be prevented by a radical return to the market economy, to a principle of limited government while mobilizing all the forces of society. Until that realization matures, it will be a long and very dangerous road for all supporters of a free society and the market economy.

* * * 

About the author: Thomas Kolbe, a graduate economist, has worked for or over 25 years as a journalist and media producer for clients from various industries and business associations. As a publicist, he focuses on economic processes and observes geopolitical events from the perspective of the capital markets. His publications follow a philosophy that focuses on the individual and their right to self-determination.

Tyler Durden
Wed, 09/23/2026 – 03:30

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani fired back at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday after the Israeli leader accused him of supporting Hamas terrorists and inciting unrest against Jewish New Yorkers, escalating their long-running feud days before Netanyahu is expected in the city.When asked by reporters about Netanyahu’s video, Mamdani rejected the prime minister’s accusations.”We all know that what the prime minister has said in that video is not true,” Mamdani said. “What we do know to actually be the truth when it comes to the prime minister is that he is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.”NETANYAHU ACCUSES MAMDANI OF ‘FOMENTING HATE,’ SAYS RHETORIC IS MAKING NEW YORK JEWS AFRAIDThe ICC issued the arrest warrant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, but Netanyahu and the Israeli government have rejected the allegations and challenged the court’s actions.Mamdani went further, leveling additional accusations against the Israeli leader days before he is slated to speak at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.”And as the prime minister, he is the architect of horrific genocide against Palestinians,” Mamdani asserted. “And just a few days ago, his military killed an 11-year-old boy in what is deemed to be a safe zone in Gaza. So that is what I have to say to his video.”ISRAELI UN ENVOY BLASTS MAMDANI AS ‘CLOWN’ OVER CALL TO ARREST NETANYAHU: ‘IT’S A STUNT’The mayor was responding to comments Netanyahu made earlier Tuesday in a video pledging to “tell the truth” about Mamdani when he speaks at the U.N.”Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani. Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people. Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews,” Netanyahu said in the video posted to X.”I’m coming to the U.N. I am going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers, and I’m going to tell you the truth about you,” he added.EXCLUSIVE: ISRAELI PRESIDENT HERZOG BLASTS MAMDANI, PRAISES TRUMP, SOUNDS ALARM ON IRANThe exchange is the latest chapter in an ongoing public feud between the two leaders and comes as Netanyahu prepares to visit the city Mamdani leads.Earlier this year, Mamdani explored whether New York City could execute the ICC warrant against Netanyahu — an issue he had campaigned on — before acknowledging that the city could not enforce the warrant on its own.Mamdani has previously called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and an “architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.” He also said over the summer that Netanyahu was “not welcome” in New York City.”I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” Mamdani said at the time.Mamdani has also defended New Yorkers’ right to protest during Netanyahu’s visit, though he has said he is not encouraging them to demonstrate.MAMDANI DODGES ON ‘POLITICAL THEATER’ OF EMPTY NETANYAHU ARREST THREAT, CALLS FOR US ACTION AND NYC PROTESTSWhen asked in July what New Yorkers frustrated with Netanyahu should do when the Israeli leader visited the city, Mamdani pointed to protest as an option.”One of the bedrocks of our city is protest,” Mamdani said. “It is something that has been a part of what makes our city so special, that New Yorkers can express themselves whether they are in support or in opposition no matter on whatever topic.”More recently, Mamdani clarified that he had no plans to participate in protests surrounding Netanyahu’s visit and said he had not encouraged New Yorkers to demonstrate.”To New Yorkers, I have never encouraged them to protest,” Mamdani said last week. “What I have always told them is that they have the right to do so in the city.”Following Mamdani’s meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday, the mayor was also asked whether he discussed Netanyahu with the president.Mamdani said their conversation remained focused on New York City and New Yorkers. The mayor’s office said after Monday’s meeting that Mamdani and Trump discussed issues affecting the city, including affordability and economic development.”And when it comes to the prime minister, though, I’ve made very clear where I stand on that,” Mamdani said.Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.

A lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, sparked community backlash after lifting its mask mandate for one night a week, with accusations of ableism and boycott directed at the struggling business.Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue recently removed its mask requirement on Saturdays in an effort to boost business, but some members of the small city’s queer community objected to the change, according to The Boston Globe.Some critics accused the bar’s owners of putting disabled people at risk and compared the policy change to a “mass disabling event” and a “eugenicist” attack while also wishing violence against the establishment, according to The Boston Globe.”I hope your venue gets firebombed for robbing my fellow immunocompromised people of their Saturday plans just to scrape extra revenue from ablists [sic],” one commenter wrote on the bar’s social media post announcing the change.IDAHO COFFEE SHOP OWNER DEFENDS EJECTING PRO-LIFE GROUP FROM HIS BUSINESS AFTER BACKLASH”People like you kill disabled people in the name of your own leisure and convenience,” wrote another.”Just say you’re being complicit in a mass disabling event and get it over with,” a third said.”When y’all close, let the record state it was ableism + complying in advance, because that’s what it is,” another wrote.”Does COVlD not disable people on Saturday nights?” added another user, who had a picture of himself in a mask as his profile picture.This comes years after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared over by the federal government in 2023. State and local governments as well as most businesses across the country had also lifted masking requirements several years ago.Additionally, Greenfield had not reported a COVID-19 case in more than two months, according to The Boston Globe.The bar has been sparsely attended on what would normally be busy Saturday nights as some angered customers have called for a boycott, according to The Boston Globe.The backlash came as the bar was already struggling financially under to the bar’s unusual business model that includes rules such as “Nobody will be barred from entry due to lack of funds.”Last Ditch also had the mask mandate in place as part of a policy intended to make the space accessible to disabled and immunocompromised patrons, meaning the face covering requirement was designed to protect anyone who was immunocompromised.Customers were told that they were expected to mask up unless they were actively taking a bite of food or a sip of a drink.The bar’s owners began to fall behind on their bills and were unable to pay themselves or even their staff.Jackie Matellian, the remaining owner involved in daily operations, lived in her truck for six months, working four jobs and carrying a $50,000 loan, according to The Boston Globe.ONLINE FURY ERUPTS AS CONSERVATIVES RECALL ’INSANE’ COVID-19 LOCKDOWN POLICIES AFTER FAUCI TAKES THE FIFTHThe two other owners stepped back from daily operations months ago, including one who had enrolled in clown school and another who is a drag performer using it/its pronouns.Because of the financial woes, the bar decided to lift the mask mandate on Saturdays to increase revenue and keep the business afloat, The Boston Globe reported.”It is with love we inform our immunocompromised disabled divas we will be opening Saturday nights as mask optional,” Last Ditch wrote on an August Instagram post that ignited the backlash.The bar first attempted to ease tensions and apologize for its post, writing: “We are sorry for our passive and dismissive tone of our change to the norms and schedule impacting the most intersectional of us. We understand everyone faces different intersections and we are always working to consider all needs fully.”But that did little to lower the temperature, as critics said Last Ditch’s post failed to include written “alt text,” a short written description of an image added to the HTML code of a webpage for visually impaired people.”This is not an accessible post,” one person commented. “It indicates the lack of care or interest in Disability intersectionality.”Last Ditch again sought to address the controversy during its monthly community meeting on Sept. 11, according to The Boston Globe.Outraged attendees who joined by Zoom began flooding the chat with comments that were read aloud for the in-person group to hear.The meeting took another twist when critics made an allegation of racism because the mediator, a licensed therapist, was white.”A lot of people are calling for an acknowledgment of harm and I’m hearing a WHITE therapist … center[ing] the feelings of a majority white and white adjacent staff,” one person said, the newspaper reported.Attendees also took issue with a therapist being there at all and said it made them feel “widely unsafe” since that made the woman a mandated reporter, meaning she is required by law to report known or suspected abuse.Matellian broke down in tears when it was her turn to speak, saying she was only trying to help her friends with bar before taking over once they left and having a difficult time trying to survive financially.Matellian has fallen behind on rent and the bar’s landlord wants $3,900 by the end of September.”It was not my passion project,” Matellian cried while masked up. “I never really wanted this. I don’t think I’m doing a very good job.”MASSACHUSETTS LAWMAKERS PASS BILL TO SCRAP ‘OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE’ FROM STATE’S GENERAL LAWSBut the bar’s critics had no sympathy for the struggling business owner.”You chose to use your time to spill tears and center your feelings,” one person responded. “This is incredibly racist and deflecting behavior.”The mask-optional Saturday nights have not helped with business, as the barroom has been nearly empty each weekend despite drink deals and DJs that would attract dozens of customers in the past.One person recently suggested having a Lady Gaga-themed party to pull in more patrons.”Gaga is canceled,” the bartender said. “Gaga is Zionist.”

Authorities in New Hampshire are searching for two minimum-security inmates alleged to have escaped from their transitional housing unit this week.

On Sept. 23, 1950, the U.S. Congress adopted the Internal Security Act, which provided for the registration of communists.

Nordics Consistently Lead The World In Gender Equality

For the 17th consecutive time, the World Economic Forum has named Iceland the most gender-equal country in the world.

This is according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2026, which was released earlier this week.

Iceland is the only country to have closed its gender gap by more than 90 percent and one of only four economies that have consistently been in the top 10 since the index’s inception in 2006.

As Statista’s Felix Richter reports, aside from Iceland, these are Finland, Norway and Sweden, with the former two making the top three for the third consecutive year.

You will find more infographics at Statista

European economies have consistently filled most of the top 10 spots over the past two decades, with Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom having each featured at least once in the past 20 years.

Several countries from Sub-Saharan Africa also made it into the top 10 over the years, including South Africa, ranked sixth in 2009, and Lesotho (2009, 2010 and 2011. Rwanda was in the top 10 for eight consecutive years between 2014 and 2022, partly due to the fact that it has achieved full parliamentary parity – a feat few nations worldwide have managed. Namibia first joined the top 10 in 2018, before it rose to sixth place in 2021 and climbed to a record fourth place this year.

New Zealand and the Philippines are the two countries in Eastern Asia and the Pacific to have appeared fairly consistently in the top 10 throughout the Gender Gap Report’s history, while in Latin America and the Caribbean, Nicaragua is the sole high performing country. Notably, the regions of Central Asia, Southern Asia, North America and the Middle East and Northern Africa are underrepresented at the top of the gender parity ranking.

The Gender Gap Index is a means to benchmark gender parity across four dimensions: economic opportunities, educational, health and political leadership. The level of progress toward gender parity is calculated as the ratio of the value of each indicator for women to the value for men, with a parity score of 1 indicating full parity. The index also expresses progress toward gender parity as a percentage.

Tyler Durden
Wed, 09/23/2026 – 02:45

As farmers across the country face rising costs, some are turning to tourism to bring in money beyond their traditional agricultural operations.At Lynette Ralph’s horse ranch in Missouri, vacationers can spend the night in a small cabin, wake up to views of the horses and get a firsthand look at ranch life.Guests can explore the property, pet and feed the horses or pay extra for horsemanship and riding lessons.”You have access to the farm life, the horses, the barns,” Ralph said.THE $1,600 LETTUCE: CALIFORNIA GROWERS WARN OF ‘MASTER PLAN’ STRANGLING FAMILY FARMSFor Ralph, welcoming guests is about more than offering a unique getaway. The income from offering short-term vacation rentals on site has allowed her to keep her ranch operating.”If I didn’t have the short-term rentals associated with the riding program, I would have to probably liquidate, sell the horses, sell the property,” she said.Airbnb and American Farmland Trust are launching a new grant program to help farmers earn extra income through tourism, the organizations told Fox News exclusively.According to USDA data cited in Airbnb’s report, households associated with intermediate farms, a category of smaller operations where farming is the principal operator’s primary occupation, reported a median loss of approximately $2,800 from farming in 2024.AMERICAN FARMERS PINCHED BY HIGH DIESEL PRICES AHEAD OF SPRING PLANTING SEASONDavid Haight, vice president of programs at American Farmland Trust, a national nonprofit dedicated to protecting farmland and supporting farmers, said finding additional sources of income could help some farm families navigate financial challenges.”Many families are looking for ways to diversify income, and so bringing people out to the farm or ranch for some is a way to help bring in other dollars,” Haight said.Demand for farm stays is growing, according to Airbnb, which reported that online searches increased 61% during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year.The company says the typical farm stay host earned approximately $8,000 in 2025, while U.S. farm stay hosts collectively earned nearly $120 million. Those figures represent hosting earnings, not necessarily profits after expenses.In Georgia, farm stay host Gilda Lyon said income from her existing rentals has allowed her to build additional cabins and invest in her farm.The money helped her build a greenhouse, start selling herbs and maintain blueberry plants.”The extra income actually has allowed me to invest, in many improvements and to expand the opportunities available for guests,” Lyon said.AMERICANS CHOOSING TO VISIT SMALLER TOWNS OVER BIG CITIES AS TRAVEL COSTS RISEAirbnb and American Farmland Trust’s new “Farm to Stay” Grant Program will award approximately 25 to 30 grants of up to $10,000 each, with applications opening in November.Haight said the grants may not cover every expense associated with welcoming visitors, but could help farmers in other ways, such as assisting in renovating barns for events, installing fencing or preparing accommodations for overnight guests.The benefits could also extend beyond individual farms. Haight said visitors may spend money at nearby restaurants, shops and other businesses, bringing additional tourism dollars into rural communities.Ralph said welcoming guests has allowed her to continue sharing her passion for horses while maintaining the property she loves.”The short-term rental has totally facilitated my being able to stay here and do the things that I love,” she said.