Iraqi political and militia leaders condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s surprise visit to U.S. troops in Iraq on Wednesday as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, and lawmakers said a meeting between Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi was canceled due to a disagreement over venue.

Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed stated that the Ministry will take all needed measures to not enforce the added value tax (VAT) on local and international exempted transport services.

The Israeli Ynetnews news website said that Schneier predicted that Bahrain would be the first of the Gulf states to officially establish diplomatic relations with Israel, and believes this will occur in 2019.

The Australian SBS website stated that Football Victoria has urged its 350,000 members to get in contact with Australian government officials to call for the release of Bahraini footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi.

Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs & Urban Planning Essam Khalaf explained that residential, commercial or industrial buildings would not be affected by VAT as well as the construction services were construction or planning permission services.

CSB President said that in order to ensure the functioning of health services in the usual quality and ensuing that the course of the educational process and interest of students are not affected, it was decided that June 30, 2019 will be the last day for the employees who work in educational and administrative jobs in schools and who were accepted in the voluntary retirement program.

The High Criminal Court sentenced adjusted the replaced imprisonment verdict of alternative manual work penalty issued against Watan newspaper's editor-in-chief, Youssef Al-Binkhalil, and only fined him 1000 BD in the case the lawsuit presented by former MP Anas Buhendi against Al-Binkhalil in which he accused him of insulting him through an article he published in the newspaper.

Health Minister Faeqa Saeed Al Saleh said that the Ministry of Health will take all the necessary measures to ensure that no VAT is collected on health services including medicines and medical essentials.

Bahrain will exclude oil products from a value-added tax (VAT) due to be implemented next year, part of an essential goods exclusion from the tax, Oil Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Khalifa said on Tuesday in remarks carried by the state news agency.

The First High Appeals Court commuted the sentence of a youth from death penalty to life sentence.

The High Appeals Court upheld death sentence against a suspect, life sentence against 13 others, 15-year jail term against 8 suspects, 5-year jail term against 2 defendants, 3-year jail term against 2 defendants and revoked the citizenship of 25 defendants in a politically-motivated case.

The follow-up team for the treatment of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim said that he left London on Tuesday (December 25, 2018) to visit the holy shrines in Iraq.

The Central Bank of Bahrain confirmed that Article 54 of the Value-Added Tax Law (VAT Law) stipulates that the provision of financial services specified by the Regulation shall be exempt from the application of VAT. This exemption shall not apply in respect of specific fees, commissions or commercial discounts.

The National Audit Office report on labor fund “Tamkeen” showed the absence of a new minister tasked with monitoring the “Fund's” work after the former Media Minister, who was previously concerned with the "Fund" according to decree number 32 for 2015. This led to the absence of the monitoring role tasked to the minister concerned with the "Fund."

Organization and Budgeting director at Civil Service Bureau (CSB) Jamal Abdulaziz Al-Alawi said that the government entities have formally contacted their employees to inform them about accepting those who met the requirements and rejecting the ones who didn't meet the requirements of the voluntary Retirement program.

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism said it will monitor markets and prices after implementation of value-added tax (VAT).

An official statement said that Finance Minister Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and Minister of Industry Zayed Al-Zayani will hold a meeting with Chamber of Commerce and Industry today to discuss the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT).

The Fifth High Criminal Appeals Court upheld a 5-year jail verdict against 3 suspects accused of setting fire to tires at Sheikh Salman Street in Al-Sehla.

The First High Criminal Court in Bahrain decided to postpone the case of 171 citizens arrested by the authorities during dispersing the peaceful sit-in held outside the home of the spiritual leader of the Shiite majority in Bahrain, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) confirmed that it “will not forget Nabeel Rajab”.