POLITICAL ISSUES
BAHRAIN
1. Bahrain to widen cooperation with Kerala
Kerala, Thursday, 9 February 2017
Bahrain is keen to widen cooperation with Kerala in all spheres such as culture, education, Ayurveda, technology, and health and official communication.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai; See also: The New Indian Express, Chennai

2. Bahrain may enhance direct air connectivity to India
Mumbai, Saturday, 25 February 2017
Historically, Bahrain is playing a very important role to make a gateway between East and West and is planning to enhance air connectivity with India and other Asians countries.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

ISRAEL
3. PM Modi likely to make first visit to Israel in June-July
Jerusalem, Wednesday, 1 February 2017
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much-anticipated visit to Israel could take place in mid-2017 in what would be the first such tour by an Indian Premier to the Jewish state, as the two countries mark 25 years of their diplomatic ties.
Source: The New Indian Express, Chennai

4. Narendra Modi’s visit could seal the free trade pact: Israel envoy to HT
New Delhi, Friday, 3 February 2017
Israeli envoy Daniel Carmon said that Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Israel would reflect the tremendous growth in diplomatic relations and could serve as a catalyst for finalizing a long-pending Free Trade Agreement.
Source: Hindustan Times, Mumbai

5. India, Israel to celebrate 25 years of diplomatic ties
New Delhi, Monday, 27 February 2017
India and Israel would hold a series of events in both countries on a variety of subjects to celebrate the silver jubilee of their diplomatic relations, an official release said on Monday.
Source: Business Standard, New Delhi

QATAR
6. Qatar Airways looking at potential Indian carriers for collaboration
New Delhi, Tuesday, 21 February 2017
Qatar Airways, which is interested in expanding its air operations to India, is looking at potential carriers for collaboration.
Source: The New Indian Express, Chennai

SAUDI ARABIA
7. Sushma Swaraj responds to Sikh man’s cry for help from Saudi Arabia on Twitter
New Delhi, Wednesday, 8 February 2017
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has promised to help a Saudi Arabia-based Sikh man who asked for urgent call of action. The man had posted a video on Twitter asking for help from the Indian Embassy as the company he works for refused to pay his salary.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi

UAE
8. Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba to visit UAE to consolidate ties
New Delhi, Saturday, 25 February 2017
With an aim to consolidate naval ties with Arab nations and to explore new avenues for defence cooperation, navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba is leaving on a five-day visit to the UAE and Oman.
Source: The New Indian Express, Chennai

ECONOMIC ISSUES
EGYPT
9. Indian business delegation in Egypt; enhancement in trade ties expected
Cairo, Thursday, 9 February 2017
Seeking to enhance India’s trade ties with Egypt, a 17-member business Indian delegation has arrived here to participate in a seminar to scout investment opportunities in the country.
Source: The Financial Express, Noida

IRAN
10. Currency crisis in Iran hits India’s basmati rice exports
Mumbai, Saturday, 11 February 2017
Uncertainty over use of currency for bilateral trade has impacted India’s Basmati rice exports to Iran following hesitation over the use of the dollar after fresh sanctions levied by the US.
Source: Business Standard, New Delhi

UAE
11. India, UAE to push for investment bond
New Delhi, Sunday, 26 February 2017
Indicating a sense of political urgency to give wings to a nascent partnership, India and the UAE are trying to get the investment cycle working between the two countries.
Source: The Economic Times, Mumbai

12. Anil Ambani, UAE PM discuss trade, investment
Abu Dhabi, Tuesday, 21 February 2017
Trade and investment issues figured prominently at a meeting here between Anil Ambani, Reliance Group, and the UAE Prime Minister.
Source: The Economic Times, Mumbai

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