Middle East Energy Shock: Oil prices jumped toward $100 as US-Iran tensions flared again, with reports of US strikes on Iranian tankers and Iran warning crews near Kuwait and Bahrain to evacuate, while Jordan said it intercepted most incoming ballistic missiles—raising fresh supply and inflation worries. Bahrain Tech & Travel Systems: Global Travel Bahrain was appointed General Sales Agent for TPConnects’ Iris platform, giving Bahraini agencies unified access to airline content and pricing via one interface, including NDC/LCC sources and major GDS options. EGA Technology Transfer: Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and NALCO signed an agreement to transfer EGA’s DX+ Ultra smelting technology to India for a 500,000-tonne expansion in Odisha, with first output expected by end-2030. Digital Finance in Bahrain: BBK won a Bahrain 2026 award for strategic digital finance partnerships, citing work with Tarabut on open banking and AX Coin on stablecoin initiatives, plus broader cross-border tech collaborations. Gulf Digital Economy Policy: Bahrain hosted GCC audit and oversight discussions on using AI to modernise financial scrutiny, while Bahrain’s Shura and other councils pushed for updated legislation to keep pace with the Gulf’s digital economy. AI & Data Security Warning: A report highlights how data centres and AI compute are becoming strategic targets, pointing to past drone activity against AWS facilities in Bahrain and the UAE.