Maritime Security & Trade: Saudi Arabia unveiled a 14-state Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance to protect Red Sea and Gulf of Aden routes, with Bahrain among the signatories, as shipping risks keep pressure on regional logistics. Strait of Hormuz Watch: Diplomacy remains messy: reports say a 60-day US-Iran ceasefire extension is being discussed, but Iran denies talks on extending it, while Trump reiterates “total control” over Hormuz and the IEA warns oil stocks could drop sharply. Bahrain Utilities Policy: Muharraq Municipal Council urged a new way to calculate electricity subsidies for joint households, counting eligible Bahraini families in one property instead of treating the whole building as one unit. Housing & Billing Scrutiny: A call is growing to investigate alleged disparities in utility bills for government housing versus private villas, after residents reported unusually high charges. Food Industry: Bahrain Flour Mills (Al Matahin) approved H1 results; Q2 net profit fell 70% to BD293,906 amid higher costs and geopolitical strain. Government Procurement: Bahrain awarded BD79.4m in contracts in June, led by Bapco Upstream and EWA, signaling continued activity across energy and public services. SME Support: Bahrain’s municipalities and agriculture ministry met SME leaders to expand programmes for entrepreneurs and agricultural businesses. Finance: Bank ABC reported H1 2026 net profit of US$111m, down 27%, citing Middle East conflict impacts on trade and economic conditions. Industry Events: AMEA Oman 2026 will bring a major bitumen/base oil/lubricants logistics exhibition to Muscat on 23 November, targeting downstream supply-chain buyers.