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Bahrain Forms New Government

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa. (AFP)
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa. (AFP)
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Bahrain Forms New Government

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa. (AFP)
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa. (AFP)

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa approved on Tuesday the new cabinet lineup that was presented by Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, reported the Bahraini news agency (BNA).

King Hamad appointed Prince Khalifa to his post on Sunday and tasked him with nominating members to the new cabinet.

The approved lineup stipulates the appointment of Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander as First Deputy Prime Minister.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa, Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa, Jawad bin Salem Al-Arrayed and Sheikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa were appointed as deputy premiers.

Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Mutawa was appointed Cabinet Minister, Lieutenant-General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa as Interior Minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa as Foreign Minister, Dr. Majid bin Ali Al-Nuaimi as Education Minister, Dr. Abdulhussein bin Ali Mirza as Minister of Electricity and Water, Sheikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa as Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments and Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa as Minister of Oil.

Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa was appointed Minister of Finance and National Economy, Essam bin Abdulla Khalaf as Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan as Minister of Labor and Social Development, Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed as Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Bassem bin Yacoub Al-Hamer as Minister of Housing, Ghanim bin Fadhl Al-Bouainain as Parliament Minister, Faeqa bint Said Al-Saleh as Health Minister, Zayed bin Rashid Alzayani as Minister of Industry and Commerce, Ali bin Mohammed Al-Romaihi as Minister of Information Affairs, Major-General Abdulla bin Hassan Al-Nuaimi as Defense Affairs Minister and Aymen Tawfiq Almoayyed as Youth and Sports Affairs Minister.

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Gulf

Albudaiwi: GCC States Consistently Seek to Enhance Global Security and Stability

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA
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Albudaiwi: GCC States Consistently Seek to Enhance Global Security and Stability

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi said that the GCC member states consistently seek to enhance security, stability, development, and prosperity to serve the mutual interests of the region's peoples and the entire world.

This comes in light of the rapid geopolitical shifts as well as growing security and economic challenges facing the globe, according to SPA.

During his participation in a panel session on GCC-European strategic links, held today in the Czech capital, Prague, on the sidelines of the GLOBSEC Global Security Forum 2026, the GCC secretary-general said: "The GCC General Secretariat’s participation in the GLOBSEC Global Security Forum 2026 embodies its keenness to maintain an active presence in regional and international forums. This engagement aims to bolster communication and exchange perspectives with international partners, decision-makers, and experts, thereby supporting efforts to maintain regional and international security while keeping pace with rapid global changes."

He also pointed out that the region has recently witnessed several events that have heavily impacted security and stability, adding that the GCC states have sustained their continuous diplomatic efforts to de-escalate and defuse tensions in the region, promoting paths of dialogue and diplomacy to protect regional security, stability, and the safety of its peoples.

The GCC secretary-general underscored the paramount importance of protecting the security of air and maritime corridors, ensuring freedom of navigation, the safety of supply chains, and the stability of global energy market.

"The stability of the Gulf region remains a fundamental pillar for the stability of the global economy and international maritime security," he reiterated.

Albudaiwi explained that recent developments have proven that the security of Europe and the Middle East has become unprecedentedly interconnected, asserting that any disruption in the Gulf region and its surrounding maritime passages directly affects the European economy, global energy security, supply chains, and international stability as a whole. He stressed that Gulf stability is no longer merely a regional matter, but has become a shared international interest.

Discussing the future of Gulf-European relations, Albudaiwi mentioned that both sides aspire to elevate their ties to broader horizons.

He added that the upcoming GCC-EU Summit will contribute to cementing cooperation across numerous fields and achieving the mutual interests of both parties, emphasizing the significance of reaching tangible results that serve both sides and elevate their ongoing cooperation.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia Says Will Not Allow Practices That Deviate Hajj from its Objectives

Security commanders are seen at the press conference in Makkah on Friday (Bashir Saleh)
Security commanders are seen at the press conference in Makkah on Friday (Bashir Saleh)
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Saudi Arabia Says Will Not Allow Practices That Deviate Hajj from its Objectives

Security commanders are seen at the press conference in Makkah on Friday (Bashir Saleh)
Security commanders are seen at the press conference in Makkah on Friday (Bashir Saleh)

Saudi Arabia said it would not allow the Hajj to be used for any activity that strays from its religious purpose, as more than 1.5 million pilgrims arrived from abroad by Friday afternoon.

He made his statement during a press conference by Hajj security commanders at the Unified Security Operations Center (911) in the Makkah region.

Officials outlined security, traffic, and organizational plans for this year’s holy pilgrimage, along with related instructions and guidelines.

Lt. Gen. Mohammed Al-Bassami, director of Public Security, said the Hajj security system was fully ready to carry out its duties.

“Our goal is for pilgrims to reach their destination, perform their rituals, and return home safely,” he stressed.

Al-Bassami said crowd management plans focused on regulating pilgrim flows and minimizing overlap between routes. Technology, he said, was playing a key role alongside security personnel on the ground.

He said authorities were prepared for various scenarios based on risk assessments, following extensive drills and field exercises to test the readiness of all security agencies.

Lt. Gen. Mohammed Al-Omari, commander of the Special Emergency Forces at the Presidency of State Security, described the security plans as “integrated, proactive and flexible.” He said security forces were deployed in the central area and the holy sites to protect pilgrims.

Maj. Gen. Dr. Hammoud Al-Faraj, director general of Civil Defense, said preparations for the Hajj season were complete.

“We trained all bodies involved in serving pilgrims on self-protection,” he said, adding that male and female volunteers were working alongside Civil Defense personnel across all tasks and operations.

Maj. Gen. Dr. Saleh Al-Murabba, commander of the Passports Forces for Hajj, said the “Makkah Route” initiative accounted for 30% of arriving pilgrims. He said 1,518,153 pilgrims had arrived from outside Saudi Arabia by Friday afternoon.

Gulf

Saudi, Pakistani Interior Ministers Discuss Security Cooperation

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
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Saudi, Pakistani Interior Ministers Discuss Security Cooperation

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz received on Friday a telephone call from his Pakistani counterpart Mohsin Naqvi for talks on issues of common interest.

They also reviewed aspects of security cooperation and coordination.