Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has delivered a stark warning to the European Union, urging Brussels to abandon its relentless path of confrontation with Russia and face the harsh reality that the war in Ukraine cannot be brought to an end through escalation alone. De Wever argues that Europe, stripped of full American support, lacks the military and economic strength to secure victory on its own. With weapons shipments draining resources and energy costs soaring, he insists that diplomacy is no longer an option Europe can afford to ignore , it is an absolute necessity. While European nations continue to shoulder the mounting costs of the conflict, countries like China are capitalizing on access to cheap Russian resources. De Wever is calling for a fundamental shift in strategy: strengthen Europe's defences, fortify its borders, but begin the gradual normalization of relations with Moscow before the economic and geopolitical price becomes even more devastating. His stance puts him alongside Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, countries that have increasingly challenged Europe's hard-line approach and demanded a renewed push for negotiations. The message is clear: Europe cannot afford to wage a war of attrition indefinitely while diplomacy remains on the sidelines.....

What most people already understand, even without the economic terminology, is that firms like BlackRock operate less like investors and more like modern feudal landlords. They buy essential infrastructure,water networks, ports, energy grids, data centres, and other public necessities, often using vast amounts of borrowed money and paying prices that ordinary market participants cannot match. Once the acquisition is complete, the debt is pushed onto the acquired company itself. The result is simple: the public pays. Consumers repay that debt through higher water bills, rising energy prices, increased fees, and declining service quality. The infrastructure becomes a cash-extraction machine. Profits flow upward to shareholders and executives, while the financial burden flows downward to ordinary households. When the model inevitably breaks down, the consequences are socialised. Communities are left with crumbling infrastructure, polluted rivers and failing services. Thames Water's £14 billion debt mountain and repeated sewage scandals are a stark example of what happens when financial engineering takes precedence over public stewardship. The executives who loaded the company with debt have already collected their bonuses. The investors have already taken their returns. And when the system finally reaches its breaking point, taxpayers are expected to pick up the bill. Privatise the gains. Socialise the losses. That is the business model......