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The Shura Council has agreed to submit a formal motion to the government recommending the establishment of a national body on parental care and family cohesion, alongside a package of measures aimed at strengthening family stability in the face of accelerating social change. The decision was taken at the council’s regular sitting yesterday, chaired by HE the Speaker Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ghanem. At the opening of the sitting, members welcomed His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s participation in the recent Gulf consultative summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, noting its significance in advancing joint Gulf action and co-ordination on international and regional matters. The chamber also commended the Amir’s recent working visit to Greece, where he held talks with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and reviewing wider geopolitical developments. Following deliberations on a committee report from the Social Affairs, Labour and Housing Committee, members endorsed a series of recommendations to be put to the government. These include the development of regulatory frameworks governing children’s use of technology and the expansion of public awareness and family support initiatives. The motion also calls for reforms to employment practices, with flexible working arrangements, parental leave or care hours, and wider adoption of remote working among the proposals tabled to support work-life balance. Further measures cover revisions to domestic labour policies, expanded childcare provision, a review of school timetables and curricula, and national programmes to deepen co-operation between parents and schools. Members also flagged the role of media and religious institutions in reinforcing values and national identity through targeted campaigns.  Opening the debate, al-Ghanem said the pace of social change had heightened the need for co-ordinated legislative and policy responses, stressing the role of parents in child-rearing, safeguarding national identity and underpinning social stability. Presenting the committee’s findings, Sultan bin Hassan al-Dosari said the committee had held 12 sittings to examine the issue, weighing concerns over reliance on domestic workers, children’s use of technology and the need for stronger parental involvement in education. Members contributing to the debate said primary responsibility for upbringing rests with the family, while underlining the importance of joined-up action across relevant authorities. Elsewhere on the order paper, the council gave a first reading to a draft law on state property, referring it to the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee for detailed scrutiny. It also approved legislation on a unified GCC framework for voluntary work, along with amendments to the law governing the State Audit Bureau, following committee-stage consideration. Members further agreed to extend committee scrutiny of a draft bill on tax exemptions covering certain transactions involving foreign companies working with military entities. 

The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) has introduced a targeted package of measures to assist its firms and ensure business continuity, amid evolving regional developments.The measures form part of the national package introduced by Qatar to support the business community in navigating the current operational and financial challenges.They include extensions to audited financial statement filing deadlines, case-by-case flexibility on tax filing timelines, and temporary relief measures related to the workspace arrangements provided to startups.These measures build on the QFC’s strong operational foundation, reinforcing its commitment to maintaining a stable and resilient ecosystem that enables firms to operate seamlessly."This approach contributes to national efforts to strengthen economic stability and market resilience," it said.The QFC supports a growing business community of more than 4,400 firms, helping them grow with confidence, in line with the Third National Development Strategy. 

Turkish inflation cooled to 2.96% on a monthly basis in ​February while the annual ‌figure rose to 31.53%, largely as expected, according to official ‌data on Tuesday ⁠that tees up ‌a tough rate decision for ‌the central bank next week.Beyond the price pressure, market turmoil due to ⁠war between US-Israel and neighbouring Iran prompted emergency measures by the central bank, including some $8bn in FX sales on Monday, resulting in a roughly 300 basis-point rise in the overnight rate to about 40%.Analysts say the central bank could respond by officially halting an easing cycle that began in late 2024. In January, the monetary policy ​committee trimmed the bank's main policy interest repo rate by 100 basis points to 37%.In January, monthly consumer price inflation surged to a higher-than-expected 4.84% while ‌the annual rate slipped to 30.65%.In ⁠February, monthly ​inflation was driven by a 6.89% surge in food and ​drinks prices, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute, marking the second month of pressure that has raised worries about a disinflation trend that began in 2024 but recently slowed.Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said he expected food-price relief in the coming period, depending on weather conditions, while acknowledging the Iran conflict triggered energy price rises."We are working to limit the inflationary impact of rising oil prices due to geopolitical developments," he said.Turkiye's credit default swaps (CDS), a measure of ‌risk, rose to 251 basis points ‌on Tuesday, from 240 ⁠on Monday, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.In a Reuters poll, monthly ⁠inflation was forecast to ⁠be 3% with the annual rate seen at 31.55%.The data also showed the domestic producer price index rose 2.43% month-on-month in February for an annual increase of 27.56%.The central bank has in recent weeks kept rate-cut expectations on track even as it has repeated it was ready to tighten policy ​if needed.JPMorgan — which like most analysts had previously predicted another cut at the central bank's March 12 policy meeting — said on Monday it now expects the bank to hold rates. It also revised its year-end inflation forecast to 25% from 24%.Last month, the central bank nudged up its year-end inflation forecast range by two percentage points to 15-21% and maintained its interim 16% target, despite market doubts over whether the downward ‌trend seen throughout ​2025 is on track. 

For many in the developing world, Brazil is a rare beacon of hope in an otherwise bleak global landscape. Along with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is among the few world leaders who have stood up to US President Donald Trump with dignity and a measure of success.Brazil has succeeded in reversing some of Trump’s most punitive measures, despite lacking the bargaining power of countries like China. The 40% tariff he imposed on Brazilian agricultural exports, for example, was quietly rolled back without any concessions from Brazil. Likewise, the absurd US sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over the conviction of former President Jair Bolsonaro, were lifted without fanfare.At a time when many governments around the world are retreating from their climate commitments, Brazil is doubling down on decarbonisation. Since returning to office, Lula has accelerated efforts to curb deforestation and announced plans to triple renewable capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030.Even in what many regard as a less ambitious third term, and despite being constrained by strong opposition in Congress, Lula’s administration has launched several important reforms. Most notably, it has simplified the Brazilian tax system and addressed some of its most regressive features, although much remains to be done to make it genuinely progressive.Lula’s industrial policy, launched in early 2024, marks a clear departure from the market-led approach that has dominated recent economic policymaking, offering in its place a mission-oriented reindustrialisation programme structured around six priority areas. Beyond strengthening agro-industrial supply chains through increased mechanisation, the programme seeks to increase the share of domestically produced drugs, vaccines, and medical equipment in national consumption, and to improve urban well-being through investment in sustainable infrastructure, sanitation, and mobility.The programme also seeks to accelerate the digitalisation of productive enterprises and boost the technological capabilities in emerging sectors, and aims to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by the end of 2026 through greater reliance on biofuels – a strategy that raises its own set of concerns.Finally, Lula’s industrial policy signals a major shift in Brazil’s national-security strategy. To boost self-sufficiency in defence production, the administration has set an ambitious target of producing half of the country’s critical defence technologies domestically.Lula plans to advance these priorities through a combination of public and private investment, including approximately R$300bn ($54bn) in government spending over three years. The reindustrialisation programme also relies on strategic public procurement to incentivise domestic production and sourcing, along with special credit lines, regulatory reforms, and changes to intellectual-property laws.On the surface, macroeconomic conditions look favourable, even amid global uncertainty and US tariff pressures. Unemployment has declined to 5.4%, inflation has fallen below 4.5%, and Brazil continues to run a trade surplus, even though the current-account deficit stands at around 2.5% of GDP. Moreover, the country has almost no foreign-currency debt.Even so, many economists remain deeply pessimistic about Brazil’s economic outlook. At a recent economic conference in Sao Paulo, few believed that the premature deindustrialisation that has marked the Brazilian economy over the past few decades could be reversed.That pessimism has far less to do with external conditions than with monetary and fiscal policy. Brazil’s benchmark interest rate, the Selic, is among the highest in the world, at 15% – and that’s merely the base rate from which other interest rates are derived. The country’s real interest rate, at 9.4%, is second only to Turkiye’s. Given how difficult it is to imagine any private investment projects being viable at such levels, it is hardly surprising that Brazil’s investment rate has remained stubbornly low, at around 18% of GDP.High interest rates persist not because they are economically rational, but because of political choices. Since the early 2000s, successive progressive governments have entered into a Faustian bargain with private banks and financial investors, tolerating exceptionally high returns in exchange for the political and financial stability needed to pursue limited progressive social policies. The fact that a significant share of Brazil’s public debt is held by non-residents, even though it is denominated in reais, further intensifies fears of capital flight.With few controls on cross-border capital flows, exchange-rate policy is often used to curb inflation by limiting import-price pressures. But the combination of high interest rates and currency appreciation also erodes the competitiveness of Brazilian firms and discourages precisely the kind of productive investment that the government’s new industrial policy intends to stimulate.High interest rates also place a heavy burden on public finances. Interest payments on debt have accounted for between one-quarter and one-third of total public expenditure over the past decade – an extraordinarily high share, particularly given that Brazil’s public debt, at around 85% of GDP, is modest by international standards. Brazil now allocates roughly 6% of GDP to servicing its debt, more than any other G20 country. By contrast, Japan, with a public debt of 252% of GDP, spends only 0.1% of GDP on interest, while even debt-stressed Argentina – whose debt amounts to 154% of GDP – pays just 2.4%.Such self-imposed constraints are not merely the result of political bargains. They also reflect the restrictions on domestic policy autonomy that come with exposure to global capital markets. In this sense, Brazil offers yet another revealing example of how financial globalisation has undermined the development objectives of middle-income countries. - Project Syndicate. Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is a member of the Club of Rome’s Transformational Economics Commission and Co-Chair of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation 

Al Jasra Cultural and Social Club organized a symposium on men's health and the simple steps that could make a substantial change, as part of the club's weekly cultural salon activities. Moderated by writer Hanan Badie on Saturday, the event featured the participation of Dr. Aksam Yassin, Senior Consultant in Men's Health at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), alongside Dr. Khalid Rashid Al Rumaihi, Senior Consultant in Urology and Vice President of the Urological Society of Qatar. Dr. Yassin noted that attention to men's health began in the 1980s, following a decades-long focus on women's health. He pointed out that the average life expectancy has risen from 64 years in the 1970s to roughly 82 years in developed countries, triggering the pressing need for early preventive measures. He further emphasized that 80% of men worldwide only consult a physician when they are beset by serious health crises. For his part, Dr. Al Rumaihi highlighted that since 1998, men's awareness of the importance of visiting physicians at an early age has increased. He asserted that the key objective is not merely to ensure longevity, but rather to maintain a healthy period of life free from illness through regular medical examinations. He further indicated that HMC has embarked on implementing these testing procedures at Aisha Bint Hamad Al Attiyah Hospital, encompassing comprehensive medical analyses designed to enhance men's health.

Alphabet Inc shares are suddenly unshackled after a long-awaited antitrust ruling removed a key risk that’s weighed on the stock for months.The decision by a US district court judge on Tuesday enabled Google’s parent to avoid the most punitive measures sought by regulators, including the sale of its Chrome browser. That sent the stock up nearly 11% over the past three days, including Friday’s 0.7% advance. The climb has put it within striking distance of a $3tn market value. With the case now out of the way, investors are turning their attention back to the potential for gains in Alphabet’s stock, which is the cheapest among the Magnificent Seven despite the recent rally.“What it does is it clears the runway for additional growth opportunities,” said Neville Javeri, senior fund manager at Allspring Global Investments, referring to the ruling. He sees an “incredible opportunity” in the stock as the decision “sets them up for a growth opportunity that might have been taken away.”The ruling caps a strong stretch for Alphabet shares that began after its second-quarter earnings showed demand for artificial intelligence products is lifting sales. At the same time, its AI offerings continue to boost investor confidence in Alphabet’s ability to fend off competition from rivals like OpenAI.The stock has gained more than 20% since the July 23 earnings report, vaulting Alphabet into the top third of performers in the Nasdaq 100 Index this year, after months of struggles amid concerns about antitrust risks and fears that AI upstarts could eat away at its Google search business, which accounts for more than half of revenue. As recently as June, Alphabet shares were down more than 10% while the Nasdaq 100 was in positive territory.Though the debate over AI is unlikely to be settled anytime soon, Wall Street is increasingly confident Alphabet can defend its turf. It debuted AI functions that were widely praised earlier this year, and the latest version of its Pixel phones, which come loaded with AI features, were also well received. Sales of handsets from both Alphabet and Samsung Electronics indicate consumers are willing to switch to devices that use Google’s Android operating system.“Given new AI Search features and GOOG’s rapidly scaling Gemini app, we expect Google will maintain its leadership in traditional search,” TD Cowen analyst John Blackledge wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday.With a market capitalisation of $2.83tn, Alphabet is roughly 6% shy of the $3tn mark, a level that’s only been reached by Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp, and Nvidia Corp.Closing that gap may not be much of a stretch. Alphabet trades around 21 times estimated earnings, compared with 26 times for the Nasdaq 100, and its revenues are expected to grow 14% this year, outpacing the benchmark.“The stock still looks attractive, since it has so many high-quality businesses growing at fast rates,” said Liam McGarrity, US investment analyst at Harris Oakmark, which has Alphabet as its largest holding.Despite the improving sentiment, Alphabet’s momentum could be difficult to sustain in the near term. The stock’s 14-day relative strength index jumped above 84, its highest since 2017 and well above 70, the level where technical traders consider a security overbought. The shares are trading slightly above with average analyst price target, suggesting Wall Street doesn’t see much upside from here.Investors “understandably are relieved that near-term risks are dissipated,” but “long-term concerns about competitive risks to search will constrain the multiple,” Rosenblatt Securities analyst Barton Crockett wrote in a note to clients Wednesday, reiterating his neutral rating on the stock.For McGarrity, owning Alphabet comes down to believing in its ability to stay ahead of AI rivals and maintain growth.“When you consider it is cheaper than the market even though it has industry-leading AI and significant potential in businesses like Google Cloud and Waymo, then it seems like it is trading at a significant discount,” he said.