POLITICAL ISSUES
IRAN
1. Delhi Police to question Iranians on car blast
New Delhi, Wednesday, 1 August 2012
A Delhi Police team will soon visit Tehran to question some Iranian nationals on the Israeli embassy vehicle bomb blast, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

2. India attends Iran meet on Syria war
New Delhi, Friday, 10 August 2012
India was represented by a mid-level official at an international meeting on Syria hosted in Tehran. The hurriedly-convened meeting was ostensibly aimed to help stop the continuing violence in Syria and start a political dialogue.
Source: Times of India, New Delhi

3. Manmohan set for high-wire diplomacy in Iran: Oil, trade, Syria on agenda
New Delhi, Sunday, 12 August 2012
In a visit of immense symbolic significance, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh headed for Iran to attend the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit. The trip is expected to not only reinforce India's enduring commitment to the movement but also underline New Delhi's strategic intent to deepen ties with sanctions-hit Tehran.
Source: Yahoo.com

4. At NAM in Tehran, Singh to balance energy interests with US ties
New Delhi, Monday, 20 August 2012
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh headed towards Tehran to represent India at the 16th NAM Summit, all eyes would be focused on the fine line he would walk between protecting India’s energy interests with Iran and Delhi’s all-important political-strategic relationship with the US.
Source: Business Standard, New Delhi

5. Manmohan to meet Khamenei, Ahmadinejad
New Delhi, Saturday, 25 August 2012
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would leave for Iran on 28 August 2012 to attend the 16th NAM summit, which will be preceded by crucial bilateral talks with Iran’s supreme leader and Iranian President.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

6. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to head to Iran for crucial NAM summit today
Tehran, Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would arrive in the Iranian capital of Tehran on a four-day visit to attend the NAM Summit, prior to which he will hold crucial bilateral talks with Iran's top leadership, including supreme leader, ignoring US reservations.
Source: NDTV, New Delhi

7. Manmohan meets Iran's supremo Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian president Ahmadinejad
Tehran, Wednesday, 29 August 2012
In a rare meeting with a non-Muslim dignitary, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei held discussions with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a variety of subjects, including bilateral matters and the tense situation in the region.
Source: Times of India, New Delhi

8. Iran showcases “nuclear martyrs” at NAM summit
Tehran, Friday, 31 August 2012
Iran which is under pressure from Israel for allegedly attempting to kill one of its diplomats in New Delhi by attaching a magnet bomb to her car attempted to turn the tables at the ongoing NAM summit by showcasing three shattered cars in which its nuclear scientists were killed by the same modus operandi.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

ISRAEL
9. Special Cell charge sheets Kazmi for attack on Israeli diplomat
New Delhi, Wednesday, 01 August 2012
The Delhi Police Special Cell filed its charge sheet, accusing journalist Syed Mohammed Ahmad Kazmi of involvement in the criminal conspiracy leading to the terror attack on Israeli diplomat, Tal Yehoshua Koren, on 13 February 2012, which left her seriously injured.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

10. India-Israel sign MoU on research programme
New Delhi, Friday, 03 August 2012
India and Israel entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for launching a programme that would promote collaborative research across a wide range of disciplines from medical and information technology to social sciences, humanities and arts.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

11. India protests Israel's refusal for NAM meet at Ramallah
New Delhi, Tuesday, 07 August 2012
India protested against Israel's decision to deny permission to envoys of five nations from crossing over to Ramallah for a NAM meeting. "We have taken strong objection to the fact that we were unable to express solidarity with the Palestinian people by holding this meeting in Ramallah,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin.
Source: Times of India, New Delhi

12. Protest against MoU for joint research with Israel
New Delhi, Saturday, 11 August 2012
A group of concerned citizens has come down heavily on the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by India for a joint research programme with Israel on 2 August 2012.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

13. India asks Israel to stop all settlement activities in occupied Palestinian land
Tehran, Tuesday, 28 August 2012
During the 16th NAM summit India asked Israel to stop all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories and emphasized that it supports a negotiated solution resulting in a "sovereign, independent, viable and united state of Palestine".
Source: The Economic Times, New Delhi

PALESTINE
14. NAM’s Palestine meet cancelled
Ramallah, Monday, 06 August 2012
A Ramallah meeting of a NAM committee that includes India to support a Palestinian bid for upgraded U.N. membership was cancelled at the last minute after Israel refused to allow representatives of five countries, which do not have diplomatic relations with it, to enter West Bank.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

SYRIA
15. No mention of opposition violence in Syria resolution
New Delhi, Sunday, 05 August 2012
India abstained from voting on a resolution, denouncing the Syrian government, at the UN General Assembly. It found that the text did not make adequate reference to role of armed opposition, which was setting a “dangerous trend” by using weapons of “very high sophistication,” in the violence.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai; See also Times of India, New Delhi

16. Unrest in Syria checks pilgrims' progress
Hyderabad, Wednesday, 08 August 2012
The unrelenting violence in Syria has brought despair to Hyderabad’s Shia Muslims who make their annual holy pilgrimage or Ziarat to shrines in the Middle Eastern countries.
Source: Times of India, New Delhi

ECONOMIC ISSUES
IRAN
17. India eyeing Iran's Chabahar port for direct access to Central Asia
New Delhi, Sunday, 26 August 2012
India is weighing three investment options in Iran's Chabahar port with a total investment of Rs. 300-400 crore.
Source: Times of India, New Delhi

18. Persian puzzle for Manmohan Singh at NAM
Tehran, Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Despite the oil sanctions on Iran by the European Union and the United States, India and Iran continue to do business, though it is anything but usual.
Source: Reuters, India

19. Punjab wants to trade with Iran through Attari border in Amritsar
Chandigarh, Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Punjab deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal has sought permission from the central government to initiate trade with Iran and other Middle East countries through Attari border in Amritsar, four months after a Rs 150-crore modern Integrated Check Post (ICP) there has become one of the point of India’s new commerce with Pakistan.
Source: Times of India, New Delhi

20. Trade, security, Syria on agenda of Indo-Iran talks
Tehran, Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Highly-tilted trade relations in favour of Iran, supply of oil and gas and other key strategic bilateral and international issues, including Syria, are expected to dominate the meetings of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Source: Business Standard, New Delhi

21. India, Iran to step up economic ties
Tehran, Thursday, 30 August 2012
India and Iran, at two high-level meetings on the eve of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, resolved to step up economic ties, especially in stabilizing Afghanistan and shoring up Indian exports, which have suffered an imbalance with respect to Iranian exports of oil by a factor of five.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

MISCELLANEOUS
22. India walking tightrope in intra-Islam cold war in Middle East
New Delhi, Friday, 24 August 2012
India is trying hard not to take sides in what seems to be heading towards an intra-Islam cold war in the Middle East. As Manmohan Singh heads to Iran later this month to participate in the NAM summit he is likely to be pressed to take the Tehran line on Syria, certainly in his meetings with both Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Source: Times of India, New Delhi

ISRAEL
23. From Israel with love: Kapap to your rescue
Gurgaon, Thursday, 2 August 2012
Kapap, an Israeli hand-to-hand combat and self defence system, has gradually gained popularity among the corporate houses, schools and residents in India.
Source: Times of India, New Delhi

SAUDI ARABIA
24. “Take steps for deportation of Bihar engineer from Saudi Arabia”
New Delhi, Tuesday, 28 August 2012
The Supreme Court asked the Centre to pursue the case of Fasih Mahmood, an engineer from Bihar, with Saudi Arabia and, depending upon its decision, take necessary steps for his deportation to India.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

Compiled by Manjari Singh

Manjari Singh is pursuing her M Phil degree in School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.  Email

As part of its editorial policy, the MEI@ND standardizes spelling and date formats to make the text uniformly accessible and stylistically consistent. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views/positions of the MEI@ND. Editor, MEI@ND: P R Kumaraswamy