From the Editors: British PM Boris Johnson ends uncertainty

Boris Johnson ends uncertainty: British Prime Minister Boris was under pressure - from ministers who have quit, from party members who want him to come clean and also from recent appointees. And now he has taken the decision to resign, ending the uncertainty. There are too many pressing issues at hand that cannot be left on the backburner because of an unstable government. The country must come together now and move on. [COMMENTS BY: Alex Abraham. Senior Associate Editor]

IB results strong indicators of UAE’s commitment to quality education: Schools in the UAE affiliated with the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme have started receiving their results for the last academic year and it is indeed heartening to see that many of the students in UAE have secured points that are well above the global average. This is a reaffirmation of the superior infrastructure and teaching staff available in the UAE and the sheer hard work and dedication of the students who had to weather a global storm for two years in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. The resilience of parents and all the support staff also must be commended, who stood by the students during these difficult times. The fact that many students from this country have been selected for undergraduate courses with world-renowned universities is a further indicator of the high standard of education available in the UAE. Being committed to catering to the present demand for quality education and staying invested in the future have always been the hallmark of the UAE’s forward march in achieving academic excellence. This year’s IB results are a clear case in point. [COMMENT BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]

UAE PROPERTY PRIMED TO SWITCH FROM RENTAL CHEQUES TO DIRECT DEBIT: Handing out those post-dated cheques to landlords had been feeling dated for quite some time. While some of UAE’s landlords have moved to direct bank debits and other options, a vast majority are still fixated on cheques. That will change with the new deal Dubai Land Department struck with Emirates NBD and the UAE Central Bank, making moves to speed up the switch from cheques to direct debits. When UAE is creating smart government and smart city services, this is a good time for the legacy of paper – in this case, the cheque – to find a replacement. Tenants should push landlords to speed up that change. And without charging an admin fee. [COMMENT by Manoj Nair, Business Editor]

How much rest does Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma need?: India’s ongoing tour of England will be followed almost immediately by a three-match ODI series against the West Indies from the last week of July, and as expected, two of the senior statesmen of the team – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been rested. It would have been a given in the best of times, but may be not now when neither are in the best of form and both have had ample breaks – first by missing the T20 series at home against South Africa and then skipper Rohit having to miss the final Test against England. Irfan Pathan, the former Indian allrounder and now a TV pundit, seemed to have set the cat among the pigeons by saying no one returns to form with ‘rest.’ Well said, Irfan! [COMMENTS BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

Ticket to Bollywood: It’s no secret that Bollywood films also draw a large fan following from Emiratis as well, with the UAE also setting itself up as an ideal destination to film many of these projects with the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan often spotted around the country with their productions. So it comes as no big surprise that the Dubai Film and TV Commission has joined hands with leading Bollywood studios to launch an initiative entitled ‘Ticket To Bollywood’ to support Emirati screenwriting talent. The initiative will provide these talented individuals with an opportunity to write a feature film for one of the world’s biggest filmmaking industries. Today screenwriting and perhaps tomorrow, the chance to play a lead in a Bollywood production… These are indeed exciting times. [COMMENTS BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]