Prime Minister Narendra Modi today embarked his two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a focus on boosting cooperation in various sectors, including energy, ports, fintech, digital infrastructure, railways, and investment flows. 

The Prime Minister landed in Abu Dhabi. He held discussions with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on taking forward Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go to Doha in Qatar after his visit to the UAE ends.

Ahead of his departure, the prime minister took to social media platform X and said he is looking forward to meeting with his “brother” the President of UAE with whom he shares a good rapport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the iconic BAPS Hindu Mandir, which is the first-ever Hindu temple in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Apart from inaugurating the temple, PM Modi will also address the Indian community at an event in Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi.

Here are the LIVE updates on PM Modi’s UAE visit:

Protesting farmers called it a day after hours of clash with police on their way to Delhi today, declaring “ceasefire” and promising to “try again tomorrow”.  For Delhi and its neighbouring states, it was a flashback to 2020-21 as thousands of farmers tried to make their way towards the national capital, facing off with the police at practically every state border.

The Haryana police went all out to stop them from entering the state, throwing all they had at the protesters — drones carrying tear gas canisters, water cannons, cement barriers, sandbags and tyre deflators.

The farmers say they are ready for a long haul and come armed with six months’ worth of rations and diesel. “We didn’t budge through the 13 months last time. We were promised our demands will be met, but the government didn’t keep its promise. This time, we will leave only after all our demands are met,” a farmer said.

“It is ceasefire for today and we will try again tomorrow morning,” said a farmer leader.

The farmers started the “Delhi Chalo” march this morning after a last-ditch meeting with a team of Union ministers yesterday remained inconclusive. The Centre, they said, is not ready to meet the demands they had promised to meet two years ago in writing.

Among the farmers’ demands is a law that guarantees them a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops, farm loan waiver and the implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations.

All three remained sticking points in yesterday’s talks. The farmers alleged that the government is just wasting time and have no intention of meeting their demands.

Delhi has turned into a fortress, with the police putting in place prohibitory orders banning large gatherings at the border, putting up concrete roadblocks and carpeting the road with nails. The Centre and Arvind Kejriwal government, meanwhile are at odds again over  a “holding area” for the farmers in case they manage to cross into Delhi.

The Arvind Kejriwal government has declined the centre’s proposal to convert a stadium into a “holding area”.

The prohibitory orders will stay on for a month and the Delhi Police have also placed restrictions on vehicles movement across the border.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a massive cultural programme in Abu Dhabi this evening, applauded the growing synergy between India and United Arab Emirates and the direction it would take in his “third term”.  There were also thanks the expat Indians, who, he said, were responsible for the burgeoning partnership with the Gulf nation he was visiting for the seventh time.  There were also promises that “Modi’s guarantee” will work every time.  

“Modi ki guarantee means guarantee pura hone ki guarantee (Modi’s gurantee means that every guarantee will be met,” he declared at the “Ahlan Modi” programme at the Zayed Sports City Stadium, attended by thousands of expat Indians.

“This is the time to hail the friendship between India and the UAE. In this historic stadium, every heartbeat echoes the same sentiment. Long live Bharat-UAE friendship,” PM Modi said at the event, which started with national anthems of the two countries.

One of the ways, he hinted, was taking India’s UPI to UAE to build a system where money transfers can be made directly.

“India’s Rupay helped UAE develop their domestic payment card. They have named the card Jeevan… Soon UPI services will start here and this will facilitate seamless payment transaction and you can send money to your family without any hassle,” he said.

Over the last nine years, India’s cooperation with the UAE has shot up in sectors like trade, defence, food and energy security and education. The two nations are among each other’s top trading partners, with a bilateral trade of about $85 billion in 2022-23, official data shows.

Yet, the bond between the two nations is of “talent, innovation, culture”, PM Modi said. “Over the past few years, we have given a boost to our ties… UAE is India’s third biggest trade partner,” he added, congratulating expat Indians for their role in the process.

There were words of praise for President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, whom the Prime Minister has repeated referred to as his “brother”, for his contribution to the growing partnership.

“The way he takes care of you in UAE and the way he cares about your interests, it’s rare to see that and that’s why people are here to thank him for that. I’m privileged that UAE honoured me with their highest civilian award, this is a honour for all of you,” he added.