Daily Briefing: India and the UAE

On that note, let’s get into the rest of today’s edition👇

🚨 Big Story

As Delhi expands its global footprint, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met visiting UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (or MbZ) at his residence. Modi took to X to say that he was “deeply touched” by MbZ’s “gesture of visiting Delhi”, adding that they had discussed a “wide range of issues” to enhance bilateral ties.

On the table: The two leaders discussed five agreements and seven outcomes, including a framework pact on defence, a joint initiative on space, and a $200 billion trade target, among others. The two countries also agreed to cooperate on AI and nuclear technology, and signed a 10-year LNG supply agreement, which would make the UAE India’s second-largest supplier of LNG.

Zoom in: The two leaders also agreed to set up a “House of India” in Abu Dhabi and offices of UAE companies at GIFT City in Gujarat. Notably, they also announced the setting up of data or digital embassies in each other’s countries — marking a first for India once the proposal materialises. A data embassy is an offshore centre where nation-states can back up crucial databases in a trusted host nation.

Zoom out: MbZ’s visit comes at a time when West Asia is undergoing a churn. Tensions are brewing between the UAE and Saudi Arabia over competing interests in Yemen. The Saudis recently signed a defence pact with Pakistan — a development that was closely watched in Delhi.

PM Modi and MbZ also discussed developments in Gaza, as New Delhi weighs US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the Board of Peace for Gaza. India faces the challenge of balancing its strategic and economic interests in the Middle East while also considering the potential consequences of declining the US invitation. Shubhajit Roy looks at India’s options.

⚡Only in Express

The Department of Atomic Energy is pushing for speedy work on the Light Water Reactor (LWR) project. The design work for a 900 megawatt electric LWR had started in 2015. However, with India looking to open up its nuclear power sector to private participation and invite foreign vendors, an indigenous LWR would boost India’s leverage to secure better terms in imports. Anil Sasi reports.

📰 From the Front Page

Tragic: Two days after a 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, drowned in a 70-foot-deep ditch in Noida, the Uttar Pradesh government removed Noida Authority’s CEO, Lokesh M, and put him on a “waitlist”. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also ordered an SIT probe into the incident. Mehta’s autopsy reveals that his nose was blocked with mud and water, and there was water in his lungs and chest.

War chest: The BJP spent Rs 3,335.36 crore on elections and campaigning in 2024-25, during the Lok Sabha and eight Assembly elections, according to the party’s annual audit report. This was 2.5 times more than the amount it spent in the 2019-20. Damini Nath has more details.

Blunt: At a bilateral meeting with the visiting Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, Radoslaw Sikorski, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India had been a victim of “selective targeting”, referring to the US penalty on its purchase of Russian oil. It also flagged Sikorski’s recent visit to Pakistan, and cautioned that Poland should “not help fuel” terror.

📌 Must Read

Threat: With Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland looking increasingly possible, we take a look at the consequences of any American military takeover. The 32-member security alliance, NATO, could implode, which could, in turn, serve the interests of the US’s adversaries, Russia and China. Anil Sasi explains.

Meanwhile, ramping up his threats, Trump sent a message to Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Stoere, linking his push for Greenland to the Nobel Peace Prize snub. “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize… I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,” he wrote.

Also read: C Uday Bhaskar, the director of Society for Policy Studies, reflects on Trump 2.0’s foreign policy, which can only be described as “Pavlovian”, given his impulsive decisions and unilateral measures. The US midterm elections could signal what’s to come next.

⏳ And Finally…

In 2026, everyone’s obsessed with 2016. Blurry, Snapchat-edited photos dominate social media timelines, which begs the question: Did everyone have a great 2016? Nostalgia has long influenced pop culture trends, birthing an economy of its own, from reruns of TV shows to concerts of older pop stars. I write on Gen Z’s ‘retromania’.

🎧 Before you go, do tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode. The lineup: voter deletion row in Rajasthan, women in the gig economy, and the BJP’s new President.

That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta

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