Author: dailyguardian.ae

Artificial rain was used for the first time in Pakistan on Saturday in a bid to combat hazardous levels of smog in the megacity of Lahore, the provincial government said. In the first experiment of its kind in the South Asian country, planes equipped with cloud seeding equipment flew over 10 areas of the city, often ranked one of the worst places globally for air pollution. The “gift” was provided by the UAE, said caretaker chief minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi. “Teams from the UAE, along with two planes, arrived here about 10 to 12 days ago. They used 48…

All major political parties of Pakistan, except the one led by Imran Khan, on Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court-prompted announcement of the schedule for the February 8 general elections, saying the apex court has foiled a “major conspiracy” to delay the polls and “saved democracy.” Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, however, “continued to question the biases of bureaucrats to be appointed as poll officers,” according to Dawn newspaper. But the party said it wants “timely, free and fair polls.” The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the election schedule late on Friday night after the…

Australia’s bowlers shared the wickets around on Saturday with Nathan Lyon having to wait a bit longer for his 500th after Pakistan folded up for 271 in their first innings as the hosts took a 300-run lead on day three of the first Test. Off-spinner Lyon sits on 499 Test wickets after claiming 3-66 while Imam-ul-Haq top-scored with 62 for the visitors, who were bowled out in 101.5 overs. Opting not to enforce the follow-on, Australia ended the day on 84-2 from 33 overs having posted 487 in their first innings. “I think batting looked really tough there at the…

E-Mobility, A New Reality: UAE Residents Expect Complete Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Domination In A Few Years, Reveals Survey Amidst COP28 63% of respondents plan to make EVs their primary mode of transport by 2025. 73% confident the UAE will have charging stations every few kilometres by 2028. 28% believe that by 2030, nearly 50% of the UAE’s population will be driving EVs or hybrid cars Dubai, UAE, 15 December 2023: Al-Futtaim Automotive, one of the major divisions of Al-Futtaim Group – the Strategic E-Mobility Partner of the recently concluded COP28, today unveiled the findings of an extensive survey exploring…

Grok! It might not roll off the tongue like ChatGPT or Windows Copilot, but it’s a large language model chatbot all the same. Developed by xAI, an offshoot of the programmers who stuck around after Elon Musk purchased X (formerly known as Twitter), Grok is designed to compete directly with OpenAI’s GPT-4 models, Google’s Bard, and a range of other public-facing chatbots. Launched in November 2023, Grok is designed to be a chatbot with less of a filter than other AIs. It’s said to have a “bit of wit, and has a rebellious streak.” It’s only for X Premium users…

An advertisement for a female real estate position in Dubai, requiring candidates to ‘strategically leverage dating apps to identify and connect with potential clients,’ has sparked widespread backlash. Critics from various sectors, notably within real estate, have deemed the ad disrespectful and demeaning. Hosted by Naukri Gulf on behalf of a real estate company, the posting specified that the ideal candidate should be a woman of any nationality with “proven experience using dating apps professionally or personally.” The outlined job description included roles such as “strategically utilising dating apps to connect with potential clients” and “implementing ethical and creative approaches…

The President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Saturday declared a three-day national mourning period over the death of Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed ordered that flags be flown at half-mast starting today at all government departments within the country, as well as the UAE’s embassies and diplomatic missions abroad, according to an advisory on state news agency Wam. In a post shared on the social media platform X, the President extended the leadership’s heartfelt sympathies to Kuwait and its royal family: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,…

Sri Lanka’s bankrupt economy has recorded a positive growth for the first time since the economic crisis hit the island nation, according to official data. “The year-on-year GDP growth rate for the third quarter has been reported a 1.6 per cent of positive growth,” the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) said in a press release on Friday. Sri Lanka had recorded a minus 8 per cent growth when it declared bankruptcy in April 2022. The country’s economy continued to be in the negative from the fourth quarter of 2021. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which released the second tranche…

GHA-SCAI SHOCK MENA: Region’s first cardiogenic shock event to raise awareness about the critical condition Gulf Heart Association (GHA), the region’s professional cardiac care society with representation from 7 countries, has teamed up with the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI), the only professional medical society in the US dedicated solely to interventional cardiology, to bring to the region a first-of-its-kind conference on cardiogenic shock, GHA-SCAI SHOCK MENA. GHA-SCAI SHOCK MENA will be held on 2nd and 3rd of February 2024 at Le Meridien Hotel and Conference Centre, Dubai, UAE. The two-day event will feature presentations, panel discussions, case…

For the first time in nearly two decades, a new incarnation of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka is on the big screen. However, Wonka is not directly based on Dahl’s classic children’s novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Instead, it’s an original story with Timothée Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka who is still chasing his dreams of opening a chocolate store and changing the world. To celebrate the arrival of Wonka in theaters on December 15, we’re looking back at the seven best Roald Dahl movie adaptations. Dahl had a gift for writing dark stories for children, which is why…