Author: dailyguardian.ae

Gift cards make great stocking stuffers — just as long as you don’t stuff them in a drawer and forget about them after the holidays. Americans are expected to spend nearly $30 billion on gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Restaurant gift cards are the most popular, making up one-third of those sales. Most of those gift cards will be redeemed. Paytronix, which tracks restaurant gift card sales, says around 70 per cent of gift cards are used within six months. But many cards — tens of billions of dollars’ worth — wind up forgotten…

Al Hamra Beach Al Hamra Beach in Ras Al Khaimah not only captivates beach enthusiasts but also extends a warm welcome to pet owners. Alongside its pristine sands and turquoise waters, the beach offers multiple pet waste stations for convenient cleanup. Pets are invited to take a refreshing dip in the water, enhancing the beach experience. Located just 29 km from Ras Al Khaimah Centre and 92 km from Downtown Dubai, it’s easily accessible, providing a peaceful retreat for family picnics, night camping, and water sports like jet skiing. Dubai Islands Beach Dubai Islands Beach, near Port Rashid, stands out…

Tough Mudder Middle East license holder Nic Cartwright says the brand is doing everything in its power to introduce more people to the sport of obstacle course racing as they prepare to host four events in Saudi Arabia this year. It’s a hugely exciting start to 2024 for Tough Mudder who will be staging events in Riyadh (January 5), Jeddah (January 19) and Dammam (February 2) ahead of their showpiece competition, Tough Mudder Infinity, an eight-hour endurance challenge, which takes place in AlUla on February 24. Scheduling four big events throughout the first two months of the year is a…

TAQA, Vision Invest and GIC Consortium Wins Juranah Independent Strategic Water Reservoir Project in Makkah The project is the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reflecting active private sector involvement in essential water infrastructure development Abu Dhabi, UAE – 2 January 2024:Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PSJC (TAQA), one of the largest listed integrated utilities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is delighted to announce its participation in the winning consortium for the Juranah Independent Strategic Water Reservoir Project (ISWR-1) in the Makkah region, Saudi Arabia.The consortium, which also includesVision International Investment Company (Vision Invest)…

The best indie games push the boundaries of what’s possible in a video game. From party experiences like Among Us to wonderfully unique narrative adventures like Lake, there’s an endless sea of excellent indie games to choose from. Sorting through the massive pile is a chore, though, which is why we rounded up the top indie games you should play in 2024. From gritty detective dramas to farming simulators, there’s an indie game for everyone. If you’re shopping for a specific platform, make sure to read our dedicated guides: Editors’ Recommendations

A tourist who lost over Dh76,000 after New Year celebrations was given his money back in half an hour by Dubai Police. The authority received a phone call at 2am after celebrations from a tourist, informing them of his lost bag in a taxi that contained large sums of money while returning home — both in dollars and dirhams ($17,000 and Dh14,000). The police team immediately started working on identifying the taxi. “Within a few minutes, they successfully traced the taxi the tourist had taken to his hotel and then communicated with the driver to return the money pouch,” said…

Rescue teams in Japan on Tuesday struggled to reach isolated areas hit by a powerful earthquake on New Year’s Day, with reports of more than 30 people dead and 14 injured in a disaster that toppled buildings and knocked out power to thousands of homes. The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck in the middle of the afternoon on Monday, prompting residents in some coastal areas to flee to higher ground as tsunami waves hit Japan’s west coast, sweeping some cars and houses into the sea. Thousands of army personnel, firefighters and police officers from across the country…

The sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reached a historical peak of $4.1 trillion (Dh15 trillion) in 2023, investing $75.6 billion (Dh277 billion) in 2023, slightly lower than the previous year, said a report. The “Oil Five” sovereign wealth funds of the Gulf region – which include the UAE’s Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), Mubadala and ADQ; Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) – were more active than any other group globally, investing $68 billion (Dh250 billion) in 2023, according to the Global SWF’s annual report released on Monday. PIF was…

The French court of 1780s was a site of opulence. As the royal consort to Louis XI, Marie Antoinette came to be known for her extravagance and finer tastes in life. It is in this court that Abraham-Louis Breguet found his ardent supporter — in Marie Antoinette herself. She not only took a keen interest in Breguet’s creations but was an active supporter of his timepieces. Inspired by her, many noblemen in the court became curious about Breguet’s timepieces and many turned into admirers. The watch, stolen in 1983 from a museum in Jerusalem, was later recreated on the basis…

Gulf Medical University Collaborates with University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria to Conduct Cybersecurity Workshop for Healthcare Professionals January 2, 2024:Thumbay Institute for AI in Healthcare, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, has successfullycompleted a specialized cybersecurity workshop for healthcare professionals, which was organized in collaboration with University of Applied Sciences, Upper Austria a leading university in Artificial Intelligence,and Information Systems. The event held at Gulf Medical University, aimed to address the growing concerns and unique challenges of cybersecurity in the healthcare sector. The interactive workshop, titled “Cyber security for Healthcare Professionals” was attended by a diverse group of healthcare providers, including…