Tehran, Sep 14: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that a meeting between the foreign ministers of Iran and Gulf states scheduled to be held on the same day in Oman was postponed at Saudi Arabia’s request.

He made the remarks at the weekly press conference in the Iranian capital Tehran after Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi announced the meeting’s deferral the previous day in a post on social media platform X.

Baghaei rejected “incorrect” reports that the meeting was postponed due to the ongoing developments between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis, describing such speculation as “giving a wrong address.”

The meeting was originally scheduled to be held in the Omani City of Salalah on Monday.

“In the interests of consensus, the regional meeting set for tomorrow in Salalah has been postponed,” Omani FM Al Busaidi said on X.

“We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region,” he added.

Confirming the meeting’s deferral in an interview with Iran’s official news agency IRNA, Mohammad Ali Bak, director general of the Persian Gulf at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said it was postponed to another date at some regional countries’ requests and based on a joint decision by Iran and Oman.

The official stressed that Iran is in close consultations with Oman to ensure the necessary arrangements and coordination regarding the appropriate time for holding the meeting, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Baghaei on Friday announced that Gulf littoral states’ foreign ministers were scheduled to meet in Oman on Monday to exchange views on regional issues, including the Iran-Oman talks on designating safe routes in the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, Baghaei said the gathering would “hopefully” be attended by foreign ministers from Gulf states as well as Iran and Iraq.

New Delhi, Sep 14: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India are broadening a strategic and economic partnership that serves as “an effective model of cooperation within BRICS,” a new report has said.

The partnership is built on a foundation of historic ties, shared interests and major projects that promote trade, investment and logistics connectivity between markets, the report from Gulf Today said.

“The growing UAE-India partnership, reflected in expanding trade, increasingly integrated logistics corridors and cooperation in investment and innovation, provides a practical model of the UAE’s role within BRICS,” the report said.

Further, the partnership also proves UAE’s commitment to exchanging expertise and perspectives and building more integrated and sustainable economic partnerships.

Bilateral trade reached $101.25 billion in FY26, marking the second consecutive year in which trade between the two countries exceeded $100 billion. The UAE and India have set a target to raise bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032.

The partnership is being advanced through initiatives such as Bharat Mart, the Virtual Trade Corridor and cooperation under the India‑Middle East‑Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

“These initiatives are helping strengthen supply chain integration and create new routes for trade and investment flows between the two countries and global markets,” the report noted.

The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), operational since 2022 was hailed as the first agreement of its kind concluded by the UAE. The agreement has bolstered the flow of goods, services and investment and expanded opportunities for the private sector in both countries.

United Arab Emirates and China were the largest destinations within BRICS, together accounting for 88.50 per cent of India’s electronics exports to the grouping.

The number of Indian companies registered as active members of Dubai Chamber reached 85,841 by the end of June 2026 after 7,579 new Indian firms joined in the first half of the year, marking a year‑on‑year increase of 15 per cent, another report said.

Sydney, Sep 14: A man has been hospitalised after he was attacked by a shark off the coast of Western Australia (WA) on Monday morning.

The WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development reported that the shark incident occurred at Glenfield Beach, 380 km north of Perth, around 9:45 a.m. local time on Monday.

Two ambulance crews were dispatched to the scene and a man in his 50s was rushed to hospital as a priority emergency, reports Xinhua news agency.

Local media reported that the incident occurred about 40 meters offshore and the victim suffered serious leg injuries.

The species or size of the shark involved has not been identified.

Members of the public have been advised to take additional caution in the area.

Similar incidents have occurred in Australia in the past as well.

Last year, a teenager was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries after being bitten by a shark in Australia’s far north and remained in a critical condition.

Emergency services were called to Thursday Island off the north coast of the Australian state of Queensland following reports that a male aged in his mid-teens had been attacked by a shark while swimming.

The teenager was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening abdominal injuries before being airlifted over 1,000 kilometres to a hospital in the Queensland city of Townsville.

A spokesperson for Queensland Health said that the boy remained in a critical condition.

The species of shark involved in the attack was not identified.

Separately, on September 6, 2025, a surfer died after being attacked by a shark at a beach in northern Sydney.

A police statement said that emergency services were called to reports that a man had been critically injured at Long Reef Beach, 16 km northeast of central Sydney.