Austrian Far-Right Freedom Party Secures Historic Victory in Styria State Election.

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Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPO) achieved a historic victory in Styria’s state election on Sunday, marking the first time it has claimed leadership in the region. This significant win follows the party’s strong performance in September’s general election and underscores its growing influence amid ongoing national coalition negotiations.

Styria, home to Graz—Austria’s second-largest city—holds limited immediate national sway. However, this outcome adds pressure on political leaders striving to establish the nation’s first three-way coalition government since 1949.

This is only the second state the FPO has ever won. The first was Carinthia, previously a stronghold of the party under Joerg Haider during his leadership in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“There’s been a landslide in Styria. I didn’t expect such a resounding result,” said Stefan Hermann, the FPO’s deputy leader in Styria, during an interview with national broadcaster ORF.

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According to a projection by pollster Foresight for ORF and APA, the FPO is leading with 35.3% of the vote, followed by the conservative People’s Party (OVP) at 26.6%. The estimate, which is based on 70% of votes counted, has a margin of error of 1 percentage point.

For the first time since World War II, neither the OVP nor the Social Democrats (SPO) have emerged victorious in Styria. This marks a dramatic shift in the political landscape of the state, famously known as the birthplace of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Despite its success, the FPO will need to form a coalition to secure a majority in Styria’s state assembly and establish a governing administration. Unlike national elections, where the president decides who is tasked with forming a government, Styria’s rules automatically grant the leading party—now the FPO—the opportunity to set up a state government.

This victory reinforces the FPO’s growing foothold in Austrian politics, signalling a changing tide as the country navigates complex coalition talks at the federal level.

• Moscow Denounces E3’s Move on Iran Sanctions

  
  The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday condemned the decision of the E3 nations — the United Kingdom, France, and Germany — to push for the reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.
  
  In a statement, Moscow declared:
  
  > “We strongly condemn these actions of European countries and call on the international community to reject them. Such manipulations cannot entail any obligations for other states.”
  
  Russia has repeatedly argued that the so-called “snapback mechanism” for reactivating sanctions on Tehran is illegal under international law.
  
  Moscow’s Warning
  
  The foreign ministry urged the E3 to “come to [their] senses” and withdraw the move before it triggers “irreparable consequences and a new tragedy.”
  
  Moscow emphasized the importance of maintaining constructive dialogue instead of escalating tensions, framing the E3’s decision as a dangerous step away from diplomacy.

  Background
  
  The E3 initiative comes amid ongoing concerns from Western powers about Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
  
  The “snapback mechanism”, rooted in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), allows for the automatic reimposition of UN sanctions if Tehran is deemed non-compliant.
  
  Russia and China, however, maintain that with the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018, the mechanism no longer has legal standing.

• French Crypto Trader Kidnapped Near Paris, Released After Refusing €10K Ransom

  
  A 35-year-old former cryptocurrency trader was kidnapped earlier this week in the Paris region and held captive between Paris and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, according to French media reports.

  The abduction reportedly took place late Tuesday night, with the victim being forced into a vehicle by a group of unidentified men.

  Failed Ransom Demand
  
  The kidnappers demanded €10,000 in exchange for the man’s release, attempting to contact his associates for payment. However, their efforts failed as no ransom was paid.
  
  When negotiations collapsed, the kidnappers eventually released the trader on Wednesday morning without receiving any money.

  

  Police Investigation
  
  Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. While the victim was shaken, he was reportedly unharmed when released.
  French police are now working to identify the perpetrators and establish whether the kidnapping was directly linked to the victim’s previous activity in the crypto sector.

  Crypto Traders and Rising Security Risks
  
  This case underscores the growing physical risks faced by crypto traders and investors in Europe and worldwide. Criminals have increasingly targeted individuals known to have access to large sums of digital assets, often assuming that quick ransom payments can be made in cryptocurrency.
  
  Experts warn that crypto holders should remain discreet about their holdings and adopt stronger personal and digital security measures to reduce such risks.

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• The Weather in Your Mind: Finding Freedom in the Clouds of Anger

  
  
  We’ve all felt it—that hot, sudden flash. The tightening in the chest. The rush of thoughts that scream of injustice, frustration, or hurt. Anger is one of our most primal and powerful emotions, and the common advice we get is to either suppress it (“Don’t be angry!”) or to let it out (“Vent your rage!”).
  
  But what if both approaches are missing the point? What if anger isn’t a boulder we must push down or throw, but something far lighter, far more transient?
  
  I was once given a piece of advice that changed my relationship with my own emotions: “Anger is like a cloud in the sky. When you meet it with a bit of awareness instead of judgement, you set yourself free.”

  Let’s sit with that for a moment.
  
  Think of your mind as the vast, open sky—always present, inherently clear and calm. The thoughts and feelings that pass through are merely weather. Joy can be a bright sunbeam, sadness a soft rain, and anger? Anger is a dark, turbulent cloud.
  
  Our instinctual reaction to that dark cloud is judgement. We see it and we think, “Oh no, not again. I shouldn’t feel this way. This is bad.” We tense up. We might try to ignore it, to pretend the cloud isn’t there (spoiler: it never works). Or, we might grab onto it, feeding it with more stories of why we’re right to be angry, until it grows into a full-blown storm that we then unleash on the world.
  
  Judgement is what gives the cloud its weight and its power. It’s the act of conflating the weather with the sky itself. We forget the clear sky and believe, temporarily, that we are the storm cloud.

  But awareness… awareness is different.
  
  Awareness is the simple, almost gentle act of looking up and noting, without alarm, “Ah, a cloud. There is anger.” It is the profound shift from being in the emotion to being aware of the emotion. You are not the passing weather; you are the sky that holds it.
  
  This isn’t about bypassing or denying your anger. It’s about meeting it with curiosity instead of conflict. When you stop judging the feeling as “bad,” you can actually understand it. You can ask, “What is this cloud telling me? What need of mine feels unmet? What boundary was crossed?”
  
  By creating that tiny space of non-judgmental awareness, you accomplish two liberating things:
  
  1. You break the automatic reaction. Between the trigger and your response, there is now a moment of choice. You are no longer a puppet jerked by the strings of emotion.
  2. You allow the emotion to move. Clouds, by their very nature, are transient. They form, they change, and they pass. An emotion met with open awareness is acknowledged and felt, and because it isn’t fed by a storyline of judgement, it will naturally begin to dissipate on its own.
  
  This week, when you feel that familiar heat rise, try it. Pause. Take a breath. See if you can notice the anger as a temporary cloud in your vast inner sky. Don’t fight it. Don’t feed it. Just watch it with a quiet mind.
  
  You might just find that in letting the cloud be, without judgement, you aren’t setting the anger free. You are setting yourself free.

• Pressure on Powell: the political risk that the market has not yet priced in

  
  
  Trump discusses the possibility of firing the head of the Federal Reserve before his term ends.
  
  From a legal standpoint, it’s complicated. From a political standpoint, it’s possible. Moreover, a formal draft of the letter already exists.
  
  If he returns to the White House and appoints a “soft” candidate as the chair of the Federal Reserve, rates could start to be aggressively lowered.
  
  🚨 A rate cut in 2025 could coincide with the launch of the ETH ETF — a dual driver of demand.
  
  ✅ Altcoins — especially those under institutional radar (L2, RWA, AI) — could begin to perform even before spring. Funds are already making initial allocations.
  
  🔴 But here, the fact itself is not the only important thing. The signal matters.
  
  Markets are extremely sensitive to hints of a change in monetary policy. Any turbulence within the Federal Reserve is a reason to reassess the trajectory of rates.
  
  Against the backdrop of such rumors, the DXY fluctuated: it initially dropped, then recovered.
  
  Gold gained 1.6% — as a safe-haven asset. And crypto has found a footing for growth.
  
  💡 The essence is as follows:
  
  The politicization of monetary policy is intensifying. And this is another argument in favor of diversification — especially into assets that are outside sovereign structures.
  
  In the short term — turbulence. In the long term — a structural shift in capital distribution.

• Rock Bottom: The Awakening We Don’t Expect

  
  Most people fear rock bottom. They see it as the place of defeat, shame, or final collapse. Yet, if we look closer, rock bottom is often the most powerful turning point in a person’s life. It is not destruction; it is revelation.
  
  The real danger is not in falling, but in settling for the comfortable middle. That middle ground, where life is “fine” but not fulfilling, where you exist but don’t grow, is far more dangerous than hitting the floor. Comfort has a way of numbing the human spirit. It silences ambition, dulls passion, and lulls us into thinking mediocrity is enough.

  Rock bottom, on the other hand, wakes us up. When you fall hard and hit the ground, something inside you stirs. The illusions of control shatter. The noise of pride quiets. Suddenly, you see yourself — and your choices — for what they really are. That is why rock bottom is a place of enlightenment.
  
  Many of us don’t get perspective until life strips away the comfortable cushions. We don’t recognize the weight of our bad habits, broken priorities, or neglected values until we are forced to confront them at the lowest point. As strange as it sounds, rock bottom is a gift. It is a mirror and a teacher.

  
  But here’s the warning: if your prayer life, discipline, or sense of direction falls asleep, something else will wake up — often the very things you wish you had kept buried. Neglecting your higher self creates space for your weaker self to rise. That is why rock bottom, though painful, is sometimes the only alarm loud enough to snap us out of spiritual or personal slumber.
  
  So, the next time you face a fall, don’t despise it. Don’t see it as the end. See it as the ground that gives you a new foundation. From rock bottom, you don’t just rise — you awaken.
  
  Because the truth is simple: rock bottom isn’t the end of your story. The dangerous part is never falling — it’s staying asleep in the comfortable middle.

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