POLITICAL ISSUES
BAHRAIN
1. Mukta Arts launches multiplex in Bahrain
Mumbai, Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Mukta Arts has launched a multiplex in Bahrain in the Middle East under its exhibition brand Mukta A2 Cinemas.
Source: The Economics Times, Mumbai

2. Dana Majhi flies to Delhi to collect Rs 8.87 lakh from Bahrain Prince
Bhubaneswar, Friday, 16 September 2016
Dana Majhi India’s new mascot of deprivation collected a cheque of Rs 8 87,000 from one of the richest monarchs in the world.
Source: The Economics Times, Mumbai

EGYPT
3. India, Egypt to step up security cooperation
New Delhi, Friday, 2 September 2016
During the bilateral meeting PM Narendra Modi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi decided to significantly step up defence and security cooperation to effectively deal with twin challenges of terrorism and radicalization.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi; See also: The Hindu, Chennai

4. Egyptian media highlights Sisi’s upcoming visit to India
New Delhi, Friday, 2 September 2016
Ahead of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi’s visit to India, Egyptian newspapers have highlighted the importance of the trip by analyzing the economic, political and cultural aspects of the bilateral ties.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi; See also: The Hindu, Chennai; The Business Line, Chennai

5. India, Egypt sign MoU to exchange terrorism information
New Delhi, Saturday, 3 September 2016
India and Egypt eyeing to further intensify counter terror cooperation against the backdrop of common threats and rise of radicalization. Both have signed Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation between the two National Security Councils that entails sharing of information to combat growing trends of terrorism.
Source: The Economic Times, Mumbai

IRAN
6. Chabahar will be ‘turning point’ in Indo-Iran ties: Vice-President Hamid Ansari
New Delhi, Sunday, 18 September 2016
Vice President of India Hamid Ansari said to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that the strategic Chabahar port, which would give India access to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan and would be recalled as a “turning point” in Indo-Iran ties.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi

7. India, Iran, Afghanistan keen on expediting pact on Chabahar
New Delhi, Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that India, Iran and Afghanistan are keen on expediting the tripartite transit agreement on Chabahar port which would open a new gateway for development and connectivity.
Source: The Economic Times, Mumbai

8. India may consider Iran’s plan to develop Chabahar airport
New Delhi, Friday, 30 September 2016
India may examine a proposal from Iran to develop the airport at its strategic Chabahar port. It would be as part of comprehensive infrastructure development that includes rail-road connectivity to the port.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai; See also: The Indian Express, New Delhi

ISRAEL
9. India sees more scope for farm sector tie-ups with Israel
New Delhi, Tuesday, 20 September 2016
Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, who concluded his three-day visit to Israel, led a four-member official delegation to deepen bilateral ties in agriculture. He said both countries have scope for increasing cooperation in areas such as agri-research, dairy and aquaculture.
Source: Business Standard, New Delhi

10. Israel offers to assist India in border fencing
New Delhi, Friday, 23 September 2016
Israel offered to India its expertise for strengthening border fencing, urging that the two countries share similar challenges on many fronts, such as cross-border terrorism.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi

11. Israel offers expertise to secure India’s borders
New Delhi, Saturday, 24 September 2016
“Home Minister Rajnath Singh travelled to Israel. He was shown different kinds of borders in Israel with their own uniqueness” Israeli Ambassador David Carmon said at a press conference ahead of the Israel Homeland Security and Cyber 2016 International Conference to be held in November.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi

OMAN
12. Indian embassy in Oman: Businessmen denied access, India protests
New Delhi, Tuesday, 6 September 2016
Upset over Indian businessmen in Oman and their Omani counterparts being prevented from attending a business event at the Indian embassy in Muscat, New Delhi has lodged a protest with Omani authorities.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi

13. India hammers Oman
Dhaka, Monday, 26 September 2016
India registered a thumping 11-0 victory over Oman in the under-18 Asia Cup hockey tournament, boosting its chances of reaching the knock-out round.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

QATAR
14. Indian workers in Qatar ‘unpaid for months’
Doha, Wednesday, 21 September 2016
A leading figure in the Indian community said that as many as 400 migrant workers working for an electrical company in Qatar have gone unpaid for up to four months.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

SAUDI ARABIA
15. PM Modi meets Saudi deputy crown prince, talks UNSC reform
New Delhi, Sunday, 4 September 2016
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman and held discussions on UNSC reform and on enhancing bilateral ties in various areas including energy and maritime security.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi; See also: Business Standard, New Delhi

16. Robust security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and India: Envoy
New Delhi, Thursday, 22 September 2016
Saudi envoy said that both countries are cooperating closely in countering the menace of terrorism and the “robust security cooperation” between the two countries is “important not only for us but also for the entire region and beyond that” and said that the problems of Indian workers in Saudi Arabia have been resolved.
Source: Business Standard, New Delhi

ECONOMIC ISSUES
IRAN
17. India’s Iran oil imports surge to highest in at least 15 years in Aug
New Delhi, Friday, 16 September 2016
India’s daily oil imports from Iran in August surged to their highest in at least 15 years as the OPEC producer boosted its shipments to recoup market share ceded to rivals Saudi Arabia and Iraq under pressure from economic sanctions.
Source: The Economic Times, Mumbai

18. India set to buy Iran oil for emergency reserves: Sources
New Delhi, Tuesday, 20 September 2016
India is set to buy 6 million barrels of Iranian crude for its strategic oil reserves as negotiations with the UAE national oil company for supplies are stuck over commercial terms.
Source: The Economic Times, Mumbai

OMAN
19. Oman’s Sohar Port comes looking for investments
Ahmadabad, Saturday, 10 September 2016
As Oman continues to focus on economic diversification beyond its traditional petrochemical base and strives to transform itself into a major industrial and logistics centre for the region, the Sohar Port and Free zone has come looking for investments from India.
Source: Business Standard, New Delhi

COMPILED BY SUNIL KUMAR

Sunil Kumar is a doctoral candidate 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