POLITICAL

BAHRAIN

Rahul Gandhi in Bahrain

New Delhi, Tuesday, 9 January 2018

Addressing NRIs in Bahrain, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the government’s failure to create jobs is resulting in “tremendous unrest” in India. In his first address to NRIs outside India after taking over as Congress president, on Monday he accused the government of dividing people on the basis of caste and religion, alleging it was converting the anger of jobless youth into hatred among communities.

Source: Hindustan Times

IRAN

Kidnapper of Indian Kulbhushan Jadhav found

New Delhi, Thursday, 4 January 2018 

Mullah Omar Irani, a terrorist from Jaish-ul-Adl, was the one who had kidnapped Indian National Kulbhushan Jadhav- who is accused by Pakistan of spying-  from Iran has been identified.

 Source: The Financial Express

KUWAIT

Relief for Indian workers as Kuwait announces amnesty

Hyderabad, Tuesday, 23 January 2018

In a relief for thousands of Indian workers forced to stay illegally due to non-payment of salaries, the Kuwaiti government on Tuesday announced that it would not impose any penalty on them. The amnesty has been granted from January 29 to February 22. The amnesty also means that they can once again go back to Kuwait legally to take up jobs.

Source: The Times of India  

2,000 unpaid Indian workers stranded in Kuwait

Hyderabad, Wednesday, 3 January 2018

With no food to eat or even a blanket to cover themselves with, about 2,000 Indian workers are suffering in Kuwait as they have not been paid wages by the company they have been working for more than a year now. Their visas have expired while waiting for the infrastructure company — Kharafi National to settle the issue, which has not happened.

Source: Times of India  

SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia agrees on India’s plan to ferry Haj pilgrims via sea route

New Delhi, Monday, 8 January 2018

The Union Minister of Minority Affaris Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi  observed that besides signing of annual Haj agreement Saudi Arabia has given its nod to India’s plan to revive the option of ferrying Haj pilgrims via sea route.

Source: The Hindu  

MULTILATERAL

PM Modi to visit Palestine, UAE and Oman in February

New Delhi, Saturday, 27 January 2018

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting three countries in the Middle East including Palestine, the UAE and Oman from 9 to 12 February, the Indian foreign ministry announced on Saturday.

Source: Livemint

ECONOMIC

IRAN

India’s imports from Iran predicted to Rise

New Delhi, Tuesday, 16 January 2018

India was scheduled to lift its biggest volume of Iranian crude in nine months in December, helping to shore up Iran’s oil exports to Asia.

Source: Money Control  

ISRAEL

Israel signs bilateral agreements on energy, cyber security

Mumbai, Tuesday, 16 January 2018

On Day 2 of his maiden visit to India, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu held delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two countries also inked 9 MoUs in areas like oil and gas, air transport, space, etc.

Source: Business Today  

First Prime Ministerial visit from Israel to India in 15 years after that of Ariel Sharon in 2003.

New Delhi, Monday, 15 January 2018

Israeli Prime Minister was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Netanyahu, accompanied by a 130-member business delegation, arrived in New Delhi on Sunday on a six-day visit to India that also saw him going to Agra, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Source: IANS

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu pays tributes to the November 2008 terror attack victims

Mumbai, Thursday, 18 January 2018

Netanyahu addressed the India-Israel Business Summit and met Bollywood celebrities at the iconic Taj hotel, and laid a wreath for the 26/11 terror attack victims. He later proceeded to Nariman House, where he met 11-year-old Moshe Holtzberg, whose parents Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and Rivka were killed during the attacks.

Source: The Hindustan Times

Netanyahu plays down Indian decision to vote in favour of a UN resolution on Jerusalem

New Delhi, Monday, 15 January 2018

Both Prime Minister Modi and Netanyahu were careful to avoid comment on disagreements between the two nations. Netanyahu was quoted as saying "I don't think one vote affects the general trend and you can see it in many other votes that we have had here. Naturally, I'm disappointed but I think this visit is a testament to the fact that our relationship is moving forward on so many frons" .The leaders also did not comment on India's decision to cancel a $500mn anti-tank missiles deal with Israel.

Source : BBC India

Protests against the visit of Prime Minister Netanyahu in Kargil

Kargil, Monday, 15 January 2018

Thousands marched in Kargil against Israeli Prime Minister’s visit, to burn his effigy. The protest was organized by Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust (IKMT).

Source: Greater Kashmir  

MOROCCO

CKGS opens Morocco Visa Application Centres in India 

New Delhi, Thursday, 25 January 2018

Cox & Kings Global Services (CKGS) have announced the opening of Morocco Visa Application and Information Centres (MVAIC) in India which was inaugurated by Mohamed Maliki, the Ambassador of Morocco to India.

Source: Economic Times

Morocco and India to Develop Cooperation in Housing Sector

Rabat, Wednesday, 10 January 2018

Fatna El Khiel, the State Secretary for Housing and India’s ambassador to Morocco, Kheya Bhattacharya, met on Tuesday and discussed new ways to cooperate in the housing sector.

Source: Morocco World News  

_____________________________________

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