Container Ship Sinks In Hormuz After Iranian Strike Last Month; UBS Gives Latest Strait Update

Bahrain Intensifies Crackdown On Shia Communities, Arrests Dozens Over Alleged IRGC Links Via The Cradle Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced on Saturday the arrest of 41 citizens, including multiple Shia religious leaders, over alleged ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The ministry said security services uncovered the alleged network through "investigations, security reports, and previous Public Prosecution cases related to espionage involving foreign entities." The detainees are accused of "espionage involving foreign entities and sympathy with blatant Iranian aggression." AFP via Getty Images Around 30 Shia Muslim clerics were among the 41 arrested, as the Gulf monarchy...

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...