*** WORLD | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Iranian Filmmaker Jafar Panahi Wants to Return Home Despite Prison Sentence

Rabat: Acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi has announced his intention to return to Iran despite being sentenced to a year in prison for ‘conducting propaganda activities’. The Palme d'Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival made the statement at the Marrakech International Film Fes...

Doctor who supplied ketamine to Mathew Perry sentenced to 30 months behind bars

Los Angeles: Salvador Plasencia, the doctor who provided the Friends actor, Matthew Perry, with ketamine in the weeks leading up to his fatal 2023 overdose, was sentenced on Wednesday to 30 months in federal prison. The doctor acknowledged exploiting Perry, fully aware of his battle with addictio...

Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol Unveil DDLJ Bronze Statue in London

London: Bollywood icons Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol on Thursday unveiled a bronze statue of their iconic characters, Raj and Simran, from the 1995 classic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) at London's Leicester Square. This milestone marks a historic first for an Indian film, with DDLJ becoming the...

Cloudflare Outage Causes Global Internet Disruption

Manama: A sudden breakdown at web infrastructure giant Cloudflare has caused widespread disruption to online services worldwide, including Talabat and BenefitPay. The outage, which occurred on Friday, has affected millions of users globally, with many websites and apps experiencing errors or beco...

UAE Introduces New VAT Rules from January 1, 2026

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced significant changes to its Value Added Tax (VAT) rules, effective January 1, 2026. The amendments aim to simplify tax procedures, enhance transparency, and align the UAE's tax system with international standards. The key changes incl...

India, Russia Strengthen Ties Amidst Global Pressures

New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in New Delhi, focusing on defence and trade ties, as India navigates heavy US pressure to halt Russian oil purchases. Putin's visit, his first to India since the Ukraine war, aimed to boost bilateral co...

Pakistan to Sell its National Airlines: Bidding Set for Dec 23

Islamabad: Pakistan is all set to sell its national airline, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), with bidding scheduled for December 23. The process is part of a USD 7-billion loan programme approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in September 2024, with the sale of 51-100% of PIA as...

Hong Kong Fire Aftermath: Scaffolding Removal Ordered Amid Investigation

Hong Kong authorities have ordered the immediate removal of all scaffolding mesh from buildings undergoing renovation by Saturday, as investigations continue into the fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, which has claimed 159 lives with 31 people still missing. The blaze, described as the ...

US opens new mega consulate in Iraq’s Kurdistan

AFP | Erbil Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com The United States inaugurated a new mega consulate yesterday in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq. Kurdish auth...

Lebanon, Israel hold first direct talks in decades

AFP | Beirut Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks yesterday in decades, part of a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism in the war w...

US halts immigration applications for 19 nations

AFP | Washington Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com The US government has halted immigration applications for citizens from 19 nations including Afghanistan, Yemen and Haiti, an official memorandum said ...

UAE Condemns Iran’s Ongoing Occupation of Three Islands

GULF SUMMIT 2025 - Manama, Bahrain – The Supreme Council has strongly reaffirmed its condemnation of Iran’s continued occupation of the three islands belonging to the United Arab Emirates: Greater Tunb, Le...

Indian Rupee Crashes Past 90 Against US Dollar, Hits Historic All-Time Low

The Indian rupee (INR) has taken a significant hit, falling to a historic low against the US dollar (USD) and crossing the critical psychological barrier of 90. The currency reached an intraday low of approximately 90.13 per dollar (one dollar is equivalent to BD 0.38), causing wi...

India Advises Phone Makers to Preinstall State-Owned App

India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has mandated that all new smartphones sold in India by manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi must pre-install a state-developed cybersecurity application called 'Sanchar Saathi.' This app cannot be deleted by users. Manufac...

Israel to deploy ‘Iron Beam’ laser defence

AFP | Jerusalem Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com Israel’s defence ministry announced yesterday the completion of a laser air defence system known as “Iron Beam”, which will be deploye...

WHO backs GLP-1 treatments to tackle obesity epidemic

AFP | Geneva Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com A range of blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs could help shift the trajectory of the global obesity epidemic, which affects over one billion people...