Author: gulf-daily.com

MENA Newswire, NEW DELHI: India’s government has proposed a tax holiday through 2047 for foreign companies that provide cloud services to customers worldwide while running those workloads using data centre services based in India, a long-horizon incentive unveiled in the Union Budget 2026 to strengthen the country’s role in global digital infrastructure under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The proposal, announced in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, sets out a clear condition for domestic business: qualifying foreign companies must provide services to Indian customers through an Indian reseller entity. The budget also proposes a safe harbour of 15% on cost when the…

MENA Newswire, ATLANTA: Mercedes-Benz USA has unveiled the 2027 S-Class Sedan as a major update to its flagship luxury sedan, adding new lighting signatures, a revised cabin technology stack and expanded personalization choices. The automaker said the model introduces an illuminated front grille with three-dimensional chrome star accents, and for the first time offers an illuminated standing Mercedes-Benz star hood ornament, positioning the exterior refresh around brand-identifying design elements. Lighting is a headline change. Mercedes-Benz said the 2027 S-Class adopts next generation DIGITAL LIGHT headlamps using micro-LED technology, paired with Adaptive High Beam Assist+. The company also highlighted new twin-star headlamp designs intended to…

MENA Newswire, SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft on Jan. 26 introduced Maia 200, the second generation of its in-house artificial intelligence accelerator, built to run AI models in production across Azure data centres. The company said Maia 200 is designed for inference, the stage where trained models generate responses to live requests, and will be used to support a range of Microsoft AI services. Maia 200 is manufactured on TSMC’s 3-nanometer process and includes more than 140 billion transistors, Microsoft said. The chip pairs compute with a new memory system that includes 216 gigabytes of HBM3e high-bandwidth memory and about 272 megabytes of on-chip SRAM, aimed at…

MENA Newswire, JAKARTA: The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia’s West Java province has risen to 50, police said Wednesday, as rescuers continued searching for dozens of missing people in steep terrain hit by days of heavy rain. The landslide struck before dawn on Saturday, January 24, in Pasir Langu village in the Cisarua area of West Bandung Regency, about 100 kilometers southeast of Jakarta. Saturated hillsides gave way, sending mud, rocks and uprooted trees into residential areas and burying homes while many residents were asleep. Police said 33 people remain missing. Disaster victim identification teams have been working to confirm identities as…

India marked its 77th Republic Day on Monday with senior European Union leaders attending the national celebrations in New Delhi, underscoring the country’s expanding global economic and diplomatic engagement. President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa at the annual parade along Kartavya Path, coinciding with high-level India–EU meetings in the capital. Republic Day commemorates the adoption of India’s Constitution in 1950 and is one of the country’s most significant national events. The annual parade traditionally showcases India’s military capabilities, cultural diversity, and participation by states and federal institutions.…

MENA Newswire, WASHINGTON: U.S. regulators have classified a recall affecting more than 80,000 single serve coffee pods made for Keurig brewers after a labeling error raised concerns for consumers who avoid caffeine. The action covers McCafé Premium Roast Decaf Coffee K-Cup pods distributed by Keurig Dr Pepper, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recall listing. The FDA categorized the action as a Class II recall on Jan. 23, 2026. A Class II classification is used when use of or exposure to a product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences, or when the likelihood of serious adverse health consequences is remote.…

MENA Newswire, NEW DELHI: India placed 16th out of 154 countries in the Responsible Nations Index 2026, a new global ranking that assesses how countries use national power in relation to citizens, the environment and the wider international community. The index was launched in New Delhi under the aegis of the World Intellectual Foundation, which said the framework is intended to broaden comparisons beyond conventional measures such as economic size or military strength. The launch was held at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in the capital, with former President Ram Nath Kovind attending as chief guest. A government release said the index…

MENA Newswire, DETROIT: Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 119,000 vehicles in the United States after federal safety regulators said a defect in certain engine block heaters can raise the risk of an under-hood fire when the heater is plugged in. The recall covers some Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with 2.0-liter engines, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA said the engine block heater in the affected vehicles may develop cracks that allow coolant to leak through the heater’s element pins. If coolant reaches the heater-to-cord interface and the system is connected to a 110-volt power supply, the condition can…

MENA Newswire, Cairo, Egypt: At a time when Arab literature is witnessing renewed interest in psychological depth and introspective storytelling, Emirati author Heba Ibrahim Al-Mansoori is set to make a notable cultural statement with the launch of her novel Tanfisa at the 57th Cairo International Book Fair. Her participation underscores the growing presence of Emirati writers on major Arab literary stages and reflects a broader shift toward narratives that explore the human psyche with nuance, sensitivity, and intellectual ambition. Introducing Tanfisa in Cairo, a city long regarded as the heart of Arab publishing and thought, positions the novel within a…

MENA Newswire, KARACHI: Rescue teams searched through debris at Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping complex on Tuesday after a large fire swept through the commercial building over the weekend, killing at least 21 people and leaving 63 others missing, according to Rescue 1122 officials involved in the operation. The fire began late Saturday and burned for nearly two days, officials said, damaging much of the multi storey plaza on M.A. Jinnah Road in the Saddar area, a dense retail district in Pakistan’s largest city. Authorities said the search shifted from firefighting to recovery as crews used heavy equipment to remove rubble from collapsed sections…