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Bahrain Budget Gap Doubles In 2013, Spending Rise Lowest Since 2009

State spending rose by 2.8 per cent to BD3.4 billion in 2013, some 14 per cent below the budget plan.

Bahrain Opposition To Boycott Election Unless Political Deal Reached

Bahrain has been in turmoil since protests led by Shi’ite Muslims erupted in 2011 after similar uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.

Bahrain Clarifies Basel III Capital Rules, Eyes 2015 Rollout

Bahrain’s decision could influence regulators in other Gulf states such as the UAE and Qatar that have not yet clarified their stance.

Roberto Cavalli Approaches Bahrain’s Investcorp For Possible Investment

Founder-owned fashion firm Cavalli has for some time been looking for a partner or a buyer to bring in new funds.

Bahrain Plans IPO For Khalifa Bin Salman Port Operator

The listing aims to fulfill a contractual agreement made when the port opened in 2009.

Bahrain Says No Plans To Return Ambassador To Qatar Soon

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE recalled their ambassadors from Doha in March.

Bahraini Rights Activist Free After Two Years In Jail

Nabeel Rajab, founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, was found guilty of organising and participating in illegal protests.

Bahraini Teenager Dies After Clashes With Police – Activists

The Gulf state has suffered low-level civil unrest since mass protests in 2011.

Bahrain’s Gulf Air Says Losses Fell 52% In 2013 After Restructuring

Losses were cut by retiring aircraft, closing eight routes, reducing staff expenses and renegotiating over 2,000 contracts with suppliers, it said.

Bahrain’s GFH Expects To Complete Capital Reduction This Quarter

GFH will reduce the nominal value of its shares by 13.8 per cent to $0.265 per share from $0.3075.

Bahraini Lender ABC Names Hopkins As CFO Effective June 1

Hopkins spent 18 years at Standard Chartered including as CEO for Europe.

Bahrain Has No Date For Planned Diesel Subsidy Phase-Out

Officials had previously said that they would gradually raise the domestic selling price for diesel fuel, almost doubling it by 2017.

Bahraini Shi’ite Youth Risk Radicalisation As Political Talks Stall

There are fears that a deadlock in political efforts to solve a three-year-old standoff is deepening frustration among young Shi’ites.

Bahrain’s GIB Sets Guidance On 2bn Saudi Riyal Floater -IFR

The issuer completes investor meetings for the deal on May 5 and settlement is scheduled for May 11.

Bahrain’s Batelco Q1 Net Profit Rises 8%

The former monopoly made a net profit of 14.5 million dinars ($38.46 million) in the three months to March 31.

Bahrain, Russia Sign Investment Deal Amid Western Sanctions

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said it had signed a deal with Bahraini sovereign wealth fund to identify and work together on investment opportunities in their countries.

Bahrain Jails Five For Plotting To Bomb 2013 F1 Race

Bahrain’s official news agency did not name the five but said they had confessed to the plot.

Bahrain Sentences Eight People To Life For Policeman Bomb Death

Eight men planted a homemade bomb close to where police usually erected a checkpoint during protests, before setting tyres on fire and blocking the road to lure policemen to the site.

Bahrain Says Expels Representative Of Shi’ite Ayatollah Sistani

This latest move likely adds to tensions in the tiny Gulf state, where there are clashes with police in many Shi’ite areas almost every day.

Bahrain’s GIB Plans 2bn Saudi Riyal Note Issue

Gulf International Bank plans to issue floating rate notes with a lifespan of five years through a private placement in Saudi Arabia.

Two Killed In Bahrain Car Explosion – Interior Ministry

The ministry said on its Twitter account the explosion was in the mostly Shi’ite village of al-Maqshaa’, outside of the capital Manama.

Bahrain’s Ahli United Bank Considers Sale Or Merger

The deal, estimated to be worth $5 billion, would be the largest banking transaction in the region for the past 20 years.

Starwood, MAF Sign Deal To Open Westin, Le Meridien Hotels In Bahrain

Both the hotels are scheduled to open in July 2014.

Bahrain Q4 GDP Growth Slows To 5.4%

The mining sector, which includes oil production and accounts for over a fifth of GDP, led growth in the fourth quarter.

Small Blast Heard In Bahrain Capital – Witnesses

The incident took place near a government security building in the Adliya district.

Bahrain’s Investcorp Tie-Up Targets European Distressed Debt

Investcorp will provide capital to Eyck, a newly established investment manager founded by Khing Oei.

Bahrain’s Batelco Names New CEO

Prior to joining Batelco, Alan Whelan has worked in firms such as AT&T, BT and other telecom companies in India and Macao.

Bahrain Batelco’s Bond Buy-Back Ends, $131m Purchased

Debt holders tendered $136.1 million of bonds and Batelco agreed to buy back $131.4 million of them, a statement said.

Bahrain Eyes New Rules For Islamic Financing Contracts

The move comes as part of a broader push to revamp Bahrain’s efforts in Islamic finance.

Bahrain Banks Get Clean Bill Of Health, But Statistics Go Missing

Bahrain has weathered the most recent bout of volatility in global financial markets, the IMF said last week.