Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the "historic bond" between the UAE and India in a speech on Tuesday.
Mr Modi addressed 40,000 Indian citizens at the Ahlan Modi event at Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday evening.
It comes as part of his two-day visit to the UAE, where he will also speak at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Wednesday, before inaugurating Abu Dhabi's flagship Hindu temple later in the day.
Mr Modi arrived at the stadium shortly after 7pm on Tuesday to cheers from a crowd of tens of thousands of Indian expats living in the UAE, and some who travelled overseas to see him.
The national anthems of the UAE and India were played as Mr Modi greeted the crowed by saying "Namaskar".
During his speech, Mr Modi said India was proud of the expats who have created history in Abu Dhabi.
"You have come here from different parts of the UAE and from different corners of India but we are all united," he said.
"I have come here to meet my family crossing the seas.
"I have come bearing a message from your countrymen in India, that people in India are proud of you. Bharat is proud of you," he said.
Mr Modi also used his speech to recall fond memories of meeting President Sheikh Mohamed during a visit to the UAE in 2015.
He said he could not forget how Sheikh Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi at the time, came to receive him at the airport with his brothers.
"I felt like it was meeting family," Mr Modi said. "This was not a greeting for me alone but for each and every Indian."
He then spoke of the President greeting him at the airport for his current visit.
"I have visited the UAE seven times and today Sheikh Mohamed came to meet me at the airport. I'm touched and honoured," he said.
Mr Modi said Sheikh Mohamed praised the contributions of Indian citizens to the UAE.
"Sheikh Mohamed has come to India four times and he was welcomed by people who came on to the roads," he said.
"When I meet my brother Sheikh Mohamed, he always praises you. He praises your contribution in the progress of the UAE."
Mr Modi also said that when a proposal was made to build a temple in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed "agreed immediately".
"The time has come to inaugurate the temple," Mr Modi said.
The Indian Prime Minister ended his speech by affirming India's wish to continue its strong bond with the UAE.
"The connection between our nations is historic and it is our wish that this continues in the future.
"Keep making the bonds between the UAE and India strong. And I thank you for coming here."
The event began with families across the Emirates chanting "Modi, Modi" hours before his arrival.
Some told The National they had arrived at the venue as early as 10.30am.
Families and people from all over India danced and sang along with popular Bollywood songs at the Ahlan Modi community event.
A colourful parade and performances by dancers kept crowds entertained and some of those attending wore the colours of the Indian flag, or had it painted on their faces.
Earlier in the day, Mr Modi was received by Sheikh Mohamed at the Presidential Airport in Abu Dhabi, where an official ceremony was held for his arrival.
Mr Modi will join Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the World Governments Summit on Wednesday, before inaugurating the Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
President Sheikh Mohamed receives Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – in pictures
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Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
RESULTS
Catchweight 63.5kg: Shakriyor Juraev (UZB) beat Bahez Khoshnaw (IRQ). Round 3 TKO (body kick)
Lightweight: Nart Abida (JOR) beat Moussa Salih (MAR). Round 1 by rear naked choke
Catchweight 79kg: Laid Zerhouni (ALG) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ). Round 1 TKO (punches)
Catchweight 58kg: Omar Al Hussaini (UAE) beat Mohamed Sahabdeen (SLA) Round 1 rear naked choke
Flyweight: Lina Fayyad (JOR) beat Sophia Haddouche (ALG) Round 2 TKO (ground and pound)
Catchweight 80kg: Badreddine Diani (MAR) beat Sofiane Aïssaoui (ALG) Round 2 TKO
Flyweight: Sabriye Sengul (TUR) beat Mona Ftouhi (TUN). Unanimous decision
Middleweight: Kher Khalifa Eshoushan (LIB) beat Essa Basem (JOR). Round 1 rear naked choke
Heavyweight: Mohamed Jumaa (SUD) beat Hassen Rahat (MAR). Round 1 TKO (ground and pound)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammad Ali Musalim (UAE beat Omar Emad (EGY). Round 1 triangle choke
Catchweight 62kg: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR). Round 2 KO
Catchweight 88kg: Mohamad Osseili (LEB) beat Samir Zaidi (COM). Unanimous decision
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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