New speed limit on Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Road and Striking a balance between humans and wildlife, our editors comment on the top stories of September 25

KEEP WITHIN SPEED LIMITS IN THE INTEREST OF ALL: The introduction of a new speed limit on Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Road (Al Qurm Street), from Sheikh Zayed Bridge to Qasr Al Bahr intersection in both directions, to 100km/hour in Abu Dhabi from Monday (September 26) will serve the interest of motorists well. Such measures are invariably well thought of and implemented after due studies and deliberations. So motorists would do well to keep within the stipulated limit, help ease traffic flow and avoid accidents. (COMMENT BY: Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor)

STRIKING A BALANCE BETWEEN HUMANS AND WILDLIFE: Conservationists in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal have warned about the rising risks of animal-human encounters. The move comes as the eyes of the entire nation have been riveted on the Kuno National Park where cheetahs have been released after seven decades in a new conservation effort. Animal attacks have killed 86 people in Maharashtra in 2021-22. Small villages continue to exist on the fringes of forests making the population targets for wild animals. All this makes the task difficult for conservations. Any development which affects the natural habitat of wildlife must be turned down in order to safeguard both humans and beasts. (COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor)

SPAIN LOSE FIRST HOME MATCH IN FOUR YEARS: Switzerland dealt Spain a huge blow in their bid to qualify for next year’s Nations League finals as they lost their first match at home for four years. The 2-1 loss in Zaragoza was their first home defeat in 22 matches across all competitions since losing 3-2 to England in October 2018. Spain took the lead through Jordi Alba but Eric Garcia put through his own net before Manuel Akanji won it for Switzerland. Luis Enrique’s team are now in second spot of Group A2 with Portugal leapfrogging them into first place. The two sides will clash on Tuesday in a winner-takes-all match with Spain two points behind Portugal and requiring all three points to progress. (COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor)

BOLLYWOOD STARS BROADEN THEIR HORIZON: Hollywood’s calling for Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt. The official teaser to her Hollywood debut ‘Heart Of Stone’, a high-octane action thriller starring Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan, is out now and it looks promising. It’s heartening to see talents like Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, and Anil Kapoor broaden their skill-set and conquer new heights and audiences. While it’s yet to be know if Bhatt will have a substantial role in HOS, it’s definitely a great start for one of Bollywood’s most promising talents. (COMMENT BY: Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Assistant Editor Features)

UAE'S BALANCED TRADE TIES KEEP THE LARDER FULL: The UAE, with a perfectly balanced trade equation, has ensured that the global disruption in supply has not affected the domestic market. As rice exports from India dropped, the country tapped into other markets such as Pakistan and Myanmar to ensure that supermarket shelves were stocked up with minimum impact on prices. Following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, while other countries have struggled with supply constraints as trade routes were upended overnight, the UAE was able to maintain a stable supply of goods with minimum inconvenience. And this is not the first time this has happened. Even during the peak of the pandemic, when shelves in world’s most developed countries were running dry and residents were hoarding commodities, residents here had the peace of mind that they will find their gallon of milk at the same shelf of the supermarket every morning. (COMMENT BY: Anupam Varma, Assistant Editor)