VAT

Empty Promises, and Excuses: Labour’s Tax U-Turn is a Mess

A few months after an election victory, millions of people are left wondering how quickly campaign promises can evaporate.

Capitulation by Trade: Why the EU-US Deal Serves Nobody Well

When Brussels agreed to a 15% trade tariff this week, European officials chose expedience over economic sense.

Oman: Rentier State No More

Oman breaks Gulf tradition with first-ever income tax on top earners, marking a bold step toward post-oil economic transformation.

Bahrain’s Economic Reforms: On Pause For Now

Bahrain’s economic reforms face delays amid public backlash, risking prolonged deficits while balancing fiscal sustainability.

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Anti-Bardella Performative Resistance Falls Short

Culinary protests splatter and legal verdicts land; Jordan Bardella rides economic fatigue to dismantle the cordon sanitaire shielding the French presidency.

Meloni in Manama: The Sakhir Declaration and Gulf Security

Missiles over Doha have turned the Sakhir Declaration from standard diplomacy into a survival blueprint, pushing the Gulf toward self-reliance and Europe ties.

The Rome-Moscow Connection: How Italy and Kyrgyzstan are Keeping Russian Trade Alive

While Europe builds a wall of sanctions against Russia, Italy has found a backdoor, shipping goods through the mountains to Kyrgyzstan.

EU-US Trade Talks: Price of Sovereignty on the Factory Floor

Brussels rejects trading digital sovereignty for tariff relief, leaving European steel workers to bear the heavy cost of a deepening transatlantic deadlock.

The Pope’s Turkey Visit: Eastern Mediterranean as Christianity’s Foundation

Pope Leo XIV's first papal journey to Turkey from 27-30 November 2025 placed the eastern Mediterranean once again at the centre of Catholic imagination, inviting Europe to reconsider how geography shaped its tradition.