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Bahrain’s Al-Munther satellite was carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which took off from California on 15 March, also carrying the UAE’s Etihad-SAT. The authorities in Manama then announced the creation of a Bahrain Space Agency, to sit under the Supreme Defence Council headed by national security advisor Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa.

The Saudi utility developer has acquired $693m-worth of plants in Bahrain and Kuwait from French rival Engie, while also expanding its domestic portfolio in two other deals. 

In her first public engagement, Sheikha Fatima Al-Dana Bint Salman Al-Khalifa inaugurated a pop-up exhibition for local fashion and beauty brands at The Avenues shopping mall.

A new record was set for the value of defence deals signed by the UAE authorities at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference’s latest edition, with local groups Edge and Calidus securing most of the orders

The initial days of Donald Trump’s second stint in the White House seemed to pick up where his first term left off, with big investments promises by Gulf states to secure the president’s favour. However, deal-making has been quickly overtaken by more strategic concerns and grandiose political posturing, with suggestions the US could force Gaza’s population to move to Jordan, Egypt or even Saudi Arabia, while Trump has renewed his ‘maximum pressure’ campaign on Iran, hinting darkly that Washington could support Israel ‘bombing the hell out of them’.

Manama is to increase the proportion of relatively limited crude export revenues that flow into its Future Generations Reserve Fund, which has still not recovered from the drawdowns the government made during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The Higher Authority for Hawar Islands Development replaces a committee set up in 2017 to develop tourism infrastructure on the island – which was previously the subject of a territorial dispute with Qatar. It comes as the islands’ first major hotel development is due to welcome its first guests.

London has been bolstering its defence ties with a number of Gulf countries in early December, during high-level talks with leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

King Charles III’s younger brother is stepping up to promote the United Kingdom’s interests in the region, visiting Manama and Kuwait City in mid-December, after welcoming the Qatari emir to London earlier in the month.

Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammed Al-Nahyan visit to Bahrain followed trips to India, Qatar, Norway, Singapore and Brazil in the previous two months. Soon after his visit, Abu Dhabi wrapped up a deal to buy the McLaren luxury car business from Bahrain.

The Bahraini national security adviser has been appointed by his father King Hamad to a little-known but powerful body that deals with internal disputes and other issues within the ruling Al-Khalifa family.

The dramatic end to Bashir Al-Assad’s rule has created another crisis for Iran’s regional strategy and is an unnerving moment for Gulf monarchies which, in the name of ‘stability’, had been rebuilding ties with a Damascus regime that seemed to have survived a decade-plus of civil war. Diplomatic strategies will now have to be hastily redrawn, with an initial focus on ensuring Syria does not slide further into turmoil.

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ahmed Bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa has taken over as transport and telecoms minister from Mohammed Al-Kaabi, while the social development file has passed from Osama Al-Asfoor to Osama Al-Alawi, in a small reshuffle of the Bahraini cabinet.

King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa has emphasised the need to continue pursuing the government’s Economic Vision 2030. At the recent inauguration of the third session of the sixth legislative term of the Shura Council and the Council of Representatives he told the assembled parliamentarians that work should also be “accelerated on its next version for the year 2050.” On the regional front, Bahrain has been continuing to try and improve relations with Tehran. King Hamad hosting Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi for talks at Al-Sakhir Palace on 21 October.

Bahraini sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat is considering selling luxury sportscar business McLaren Automotive to Abu Dhabi’s CYVN Holdings – adding to the latter’s existing portfolio of stakes in Chinese and British EV companies.