Regional Security & Air Defence: Bahrain’s General Command of the Defence Force says air defence systems intercepted and destroyed multiple Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting civilians, urging the public to avoid suspicious debris. Geopolitics & Energy Markets: The U.S. and Iran traded renewed strikes after Trump said the interim ceasefire is “over,” while Washington revoked a waiver for Iranian oil sales—pushing Brent and WTI sharply higher and rattling global risk sentiment. Bahrain-India Tech & Policy Links: Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa met India’s EAM Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, with discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation and building new trade and investment opportunities. Investment Climate Push: A UNCTAD-linked World Investment Report 2026 event in Bahrain urged the kingdom to boost its investment climate and focus on high-value sectors like AI, data centres, and semiconductors. Digital Infrastructure & AI Ecosystem: Bahrain’s National Cyber Security Centre and BIBF launched an AI awareness campaign, while Robbyant upgraded and open-sourced LingBot-VLA 2.0, aiming to advance embodied AI for real-world robotics. Industry & Governance: Bahrain’s Engineering Professions Regulation Council reminded engineers to apply before Dec 31, 2026 to benefit from experience recognition and professional status regularisation. Payments & Commerce: stc pay Bahrain launched Mastercard Click to Pay, positioning the service as a faster digital checkout option for merchants.