Abu Dhabi: The UAE on Sunday decided to allot land for building a temple here, the first in the Emirati capital as Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his two-day visit to the strategic Gulf nation.

Modi thanked the UAE leadership for this "landmark" decision.

While there are two temples in Dubai, one of Lord Shiva and another of Krishna, there is none in Abu Dhabi.

"A long wait for the Indian community ends. On the occasion of PM's visit, UAE Govt decides to allot land for building a temple in Abu Dhabi," tweeted external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

Modi later reached out to Indian workers in the UAE to know their problems and discussed ways how the Indian government can help them.

Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country in 34 years, interacted with Indian workers at their camps I-CAD Residential Labour Camp that houses thousands of migrant labourers from the Indian subcontinent in an area spread over one square kilometre.

There are nearly 2.6 million Indians in UAE, which constitutes 30 per cent of the total population.

Modi meets NRI investors

Modi also met leading NRI investors in UAE, who briefed him about various projects they are investing in India.

Businessmen led by Abu Dhabi Chamber Director board member, Yusuffali M A briefed the Prime Minister about the prevailing business scenario in the UAE and also about the challenges faced by them while investing in India.

In the meeting, Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country in 34 years, appealed to NRI investors to renew their efforts to bring in more investments into the country especially in the infrastructure and related fields and highlighted the role of 'Make-in-India' for the future generation of Indians.

Kamal Vachani, Group Director, Al Maya Group and Regional Director (Middle East) of Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) said the entire community is excited about the visit.

"This visit will further boost the relations between India and UAE as India is the 3rd largest trading partner with UAE," he said.

Abu Dhabi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met leading NRI investors in UAE, who briefed him about various projects they are investing in India.

Businessmen led by Abu Dhabi Chamber Director board member, Yusuffali M A briefed the Prime Minister about the prevailing business scenario in the UAE and also about the challenges faced by them while investing in India.

In the meeting, Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country in 34 years, appealed to NRI investors to renew their efforts to bring in more investments into the country especially in the infrastructure and related fields and highlighted the role of 'Make-in-India' for the future generation of Indians.

Kamal Vachani, Group Director, Al Maya Group and Regional Director (Middle East) of Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) said the entire community is excited about the visit.

"This visit will further boost the relations between India and UAE as India is the 3rd largest trading partner with UAE," he said. About 2.6 million Indians constitute nearly 30 per cent of the population of this country.

Abu Dhabi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today began his two-day trip to the UAE by visiting the historic Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque, the world's third largest. 

After his arrival, Modi, on first public engagement here, visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a key place of worship in the UAE and known as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture.

The mosque is third largest in the world after the ones in Mecca and Madina in Saudi Arabia. It is named after the founder and first President of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan 

The mosque can accommodate around 40,000 people. The mosque was constructed from 1996 to 2007.

 he first Indian Prime Minister to visit the UAE in 34 years, Modi was earlier received by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi along with his five brothers at the airport, in a departure from protocol. The last dignitary to be received by him was the King of Morocco in May this year.

Abu Dhabi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today began his two-day trip to the UAE by visiting the historic Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque, the world's third largest.

After his arrival, Modi, on first public engagement here, visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a key place of worship in the UAE and known as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture.

The mosque is third largest in the world after the ones in Mecca and Madina in Saudi Arabia. It is named after the founder and first President of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. 

The mosque can accommodate around 40,000 people. The mosque was constructed from 1996 to 2007. 

The first Indian Prime Minister to visit the UAE in 34 years, Modi was earlier received by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi along with his five brothers at the airport, in a departure from protocol. The last dignitary to be received by him was the King of Morocco in May this year.

Abu Dhabi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today began his two-day trip to the UAE by visiting the historic Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque, the world's third largest.

After his arrival, Modi, on first public engagement here, visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a key place of worship in the UAE and known as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture.

The mosque is third largest in the world after the ones in Mecca and Madina in Saudi Arabia. It is named after the founder and first President of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. 

The mosque can accommodate around 40,000 people. The mosque was constructed from 1996 to 2007. 

The first Indian Prime Minister to visit the UAE in 34 years, Modi was earlier received by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi along with his five brothers at the airport, in a departure from protocol. The last dignitary to be received by him was the King of Morocco in May this year.

Abu Dhabi:Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in the UAE as he tries to strengthen the relationship with the Gulf countries and seek more investment to boost Indian economy.





He arrived in Abu Dhabi just before 3pm on Sunday in the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in the past 34 years. Indira Gandhi came to the UAE in 1981.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, received Modi at the airport where an official reception was held after the visiting leader’s arrival shortly before 3pm.

Shaikh Mohammad accompanied Modi to the podium as national anthems of the two countries were played and 21 artillery shots were fired welcoming the country’s guest. 

At 3.30pm, Modi tweeted a message of gratitude for Shaikh Mohammad.

Modi will visit Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque at 6.30pm and ICAD workers accommodation in Musaffah at 7pm.  He is also likely to hold talks with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in order to attract investments.

More than 2.6 million Indians live in the UAE and their annual remittance is estimated to be around $14 billion.

Bilateral trade between the two countries is around $60 billion, making the UAE India’s third-largest trading partner for the year 2014-15, after China and the US.

There is an estimated $8 billion UAE investment in India of which around $3.01 billion is in the form of Foreign Direct Investment.

According to experts this is a significant visit and will have number of issues on the agenda, including trade, investments, energy and security.

“So far, like with other Gulf States, India's relations with UAE have focused almost exclusively on commercial matters.  In future, India will need to take a more strategic approach,” said Dr Kadira Pethiyagoda, a visiting Fellow in Asia-Middle East Relations at Brookings Doha Centre told Gulf News.

“Increased instability in Middle East is threatening Indian energy sources and expat workers. Gulf States' strategic location on the Western perimeter of the Indian Ocean, the region India sees as its future sphere of influence.”

He said India expat workers are central to the functioning of many Gulf States including the UAE. 

“The Emirates hosts 2.6 million Indian workers, around 15-20 per cent of who are white-collar professionals. They constitute 30 per cent of the population and are the largest nationality group. This provides Delhi a strategic advantage in bilateral relations.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s itinerary for his trip to the UAE will include a visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

Mr. Modi will visit the largest mosque in the UAE on August 17, the second and final day of his visit, an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said. During the trip, the Prime Minister will spend considerable time interacting with the Indian community and visit the International City Abu Dhabi, a massive labour camp that houses 26,000 workers, most of whom employees of hotels or industrial companies.

A large portion of the 2.6 million Indians in the UAE are from Bihar and many are Muslims.

Mr. Modi is visiting the UAE on the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Noting that it was the first visit of a Prime Minister to the UAE in 34 years, Mr. Modi said he was certain that it would boost people-to-people ties.

“During his visit, the PM will have in-depth discussions with the UAE leadership and will meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told presspersons. He stressed that the visit was important since the UAE was India’s third largest trading partner. The visit was also important from an investment point of view. “We would like to impress upon them to invest in our infrastructure sector,” Mr. Swarup said.

The unconventional choices for the Prime Minister’s itinerary — visit to the Grand Mosque and a labour camp in Abu Dhabi — could point to a political pitch ahead of the coming Bihar elections. Bihar has a sizeable Muslim population (16.5 per cent) and Muslims form a crucial vote bank for the Nitish-Lalu combine in the State.

“The economic strides taken by the UAE are extremely admirable. The UAE is a global economic success story that has attracted people from all over the world. The UAE has also emerged as an important logistics hub ... During my visit, I seek to enhance cooperation in energy, trade and will talk to investors on why India is an attractive destination to invest,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr. Swarup said it would be a useful opportunity for the Prime Minister to interact with the 2.6 million Indians who lived in the UAE.

Thousands of members of the Indian diaspora in the UAE have registered for a mega event in Dubai on Monday to be addressed by Mr. Modi.

According to organisers, the event, to be held at the Dubai Cricket Stadium, is expected to be attended by a crowd of around 50,000.

A team of students from the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) has produced a mobile app, which has the potential to change the lives of cardiovascular patients worldwide, encouraging them to make positive life changes by making exercise more fun.

Cardio Builder, a ‘gamified’ mobile app created by four final-year Computer Science students, Mohammed Kazim Abbas, Afrah Ahmed, Yerlan Jumatayev and Digital Systems Security Major, Katia Freywat, uses data provided by popular wearable fitness trackers to monitor a patient’s pulse and exercise levels in real-time and challenges them to raise their heart rate and increase exercise in order to unlock achievement badges and new levels.

The app also allows patients to create a list of the medication they need to take, and rewards them with extra points if they take it on time, along with the ability to share their progress on social media and challenge their friends who are also users of the app.

"We noticed that there were fitness tracker-linked games on the market for diabetes patients and those fighting obesity, but nothing existed to help people suffering from cardiovascular disease," explained Project Manager, Mohammed Kazim Abbas. "With recent statistics from Dubai’s Rashid Hospital suggesting that smoking, obesity and lack of exercise cause fatal heart attacks in UAE residents 20 years earlier than the worldwide average, we wanted to turn to technology to create a solution that would encourage cardiovascular patients to make changes to their daily routine in the interest of a more positive prognosis."

For team member Afrah Ahmed, the inspiration for the app came from a family member who was diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. "For many heart patients, the most difficult part of trying to improve their condition is sustaining long-term will-power and momentum. We wanted to create an app that would motivate them to continue with the positive life changes. Our research showed that by making things a little more fun, it helped users exhibit more self-control and reduced the stress many patients place on themselves to achieve a goal."

After receiving guidance from cardiologists at Dubai’s Rashid Hospital and Prime Medical Centre, the app has already attracted the attention of several of the UAE’s leading technology and academic experts. As a result, the team beat over 100 other computer scientists to bag an award at UOWD’s annual software development tradeshow.

The developers are currently working to link the app to a wider range of fitness tracker devices, and are hoping to launch the app on both Android and Apple devices later this year.