Author: dailyguardian.ae

The weather in the UAE will be fair to partly cloudy in general, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). Red and yellow alerts have been issued for fog in parts of the country. Residents are urged to exercise caution when venturing outside, especially while driving. Abu Dhabi Police has issued a warning for motorists as well, and has asked them to pay attention to changing speed limits on roads. Temperatures are set to reach 26°C in Abu Dhabi and 27°C in Dubai. The emirates will see lows of 20°C and 21°C respectively. It will be humid by night…

Gold prices rose in the UAE on the first trading day of the New Year, rising by Dh0.75 per gram on Tuesday. According to Dubai Jewellery Group data, the 24K variant of the yellow metal opened at Dh250.5 per gram, up from Dh249.75 per gram at the close of the markets last week. Meanwhile, 22K, 21K and 18K opened at Dh232.0, Dh224.75 and Dh192.5 per gram, respectively. Spot gold was up 0.45 per cent at $2,072.15 per ounce as of 9.45 am UAE time, helped by the prospect of interest rate cuts in 2024 from the US Federal Reserve. The…

More companies are now subject to Emiratisation target rules. More than 12,000 companies with 20-49 employees, operating across 14 specific economic sectors, are now required to hire at least one UAE citizen in 2024 and another one in 2025. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre) recently notified the firms via its digital system, providing them sufficient time to meet their required targets. The targeted companies operate across 14 specific key economic activities: Information and communications; finance and insurance; real estate; professional and technical activities; administrative and support services; education; healthcare and social work; arts and entertainment; mining and…

Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday struck down a key component of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul, a decision that threatens to reopen the fissures in Israeli society that preceded the country’s ongoing war against Hamas. Those divisions were largely put aside while the country focuses on the war in Gaza, which was triggered by a bloody cross-border attack by Hamas. Monday’s court decision could reignite those tensions, which sparked months of mass protests against the government and had rattled the cohesion of the powerful military. There was no immediate reaction from Netanyahu. In Monday’s decision, the court narrowly…

An Israeli minister on Monday called for the return of settlers to Gaza and said Palestinians should be encouraged to leave, a day after similar remarks by another far-right politician. “We must promote a solution to encourage the emigration of Gaza’s residents,” Israel’s firebrand National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said as war with the Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers rages on. Israel unilaterally withdrew the last of its troops and settlers in 2005, ending a presence inside Gaza that began in 1967 but maintaining near complete control over the territory’s borders. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow…

Saudi Arabia’s deadline for foreign firms to establish their regional headquarters in the Kingdom or lose out on hundreds of billions of dollars in government contracts came into effect on Monday as did several exceptions to the rule. The exceptions include contracts below 1 million riyals ($266,681), contracts executed outside of the Kingdom, deals with companies that are the sole providers of their service or commodity, and emergencies that can only be addressed by a foreign company without regional headquarters, the state gazette Um Al Qurra reported previously. Companies without regional headquarters can still compete for government tenders, but government…

The Sheikh Zayed Festival in Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba area celebrated New Year 2024 with exceptional shows and features, breaking 4 Guinness World Records. This included a spectacular fireworks display and a 60-minute drone show, along with international performances and programmes, creating a joyful and cultural atmosphere for visitors. The festival attracted a large international crowd to celebrate the New Year with events, activities, and performances. A 40-minute fireworks display broke 3 Guinness World Records, while over 5,000 drones created dazzling formations in the sky, setting another record for the largest aerial logo. A unique laser show, a first in…

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group said on its Telegram account on Monday that three of its fighters were killed in southern Lebanon. The statement gave no detail about how the three were killed but said they “were martyred on the road to (liberate) Jerusalem”. Security sources said they were killed in an Israeli raid on two houses in the Lebanese village of Kafr Kila near the border where Hezbollah maintains security control. Hezbollah, an ally of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israel across Lebanon’s southern frontier since the eruption of the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza in early…

Residents from the GCC are expected to increase their investments in UK real estate in 2024 in the face of global inflationary pressures, supply-chain disruption, and interest rate rises, real estate experts and property developers said. The Bank of London and The Middle East (BLME), a London-based independent Shariah-compliant bank, expects GCC investment in UK properties to reach $3.2 billion in 2024, primarily driven by declining prices of real estate assets in the UK. While London remains the preferred location, investors are also looking at properties in Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Bristol. According to the UAE and UK-headquartered Hinduja Group,…

Employees who have made an impact, helped in revenue growth or increased the productivity of a business are likely to receive an increase in salary levels, according to recruitment and HR experts. “It is worth noting that it is not just salary that can be negotiated. Other areas could be additional benefits, flexible working, bonuses, schooling, job titles, work incentives, allowances or even share options. It really depends on the company, but not all businesses will be cash-rich,” said Nicki Wilson, managing director, Genie Recruitment, said. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. Deepa…