Walking a tightrope on finances, enhancing wellbeing in the UAE and more, Gulf News Editors comment on the top stories on March 28

ALWAYS THAT FINE BALANCE BETWEEN SAVING – AND THE NEED TO BREAK INTO IT: UAE residents – and they are not alone – are caught in the dilemma. About committing to regular savings top up, and then having to decide whether they should break into those savings to meet that loan payment or settle the outstanding on their credit card bills. There are never easy solutions to these, as inflation countering rate hikes add more amounts to the monthly payments. And by extension, less of those meant to go into savings. For the salaried ones, it will always be about getting better in making the dirhams stretch more. And when it comes to savings, to decide what your risk appetite should be. It will be never be an easy tightrope to walk on… (By Manoj Nair, Business Editor)

ENHANCING WELL-BEING: An initiative rolled out by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) — called “Positive and Healthy Work Environment - Check” — seeks promote the well-being of their staff. Now on its Phase 3, it targets both federal and local government entities in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, in line with the National Wellbeing Strategy 2031. This drive seeks to strike a balance between work and mental and physical health, by promoting regular medical checkups and offering health education resources. The initiative also aims to encourage healthy habits — eating nutritious food and engaging in physical activities to prevent chronic illnesses and obesity. It also seeks to enhance overall employee satisfaction and performance by demonstrating their value within the entity. Encouraging such balance and creating a healthy workplace environment are key ingredients to ensure the well-being and productivity of employees and the community at large. (By Jay Hilotin, Senior Assistant Editor)

WHO WILL BE NEXT IN THE TOTTENHAM HOT SEAT? Antonio Conte has thanked the Tottenham fans for their support and appreciation after stepping down as the coach of the Premier League club. On Instagram, he said they had always given him vocal support. He wrote: “Our journey together has ended, I wish you all the best.” Now Spurs need to find a replacement and fast as there are just 10 games left with the club looking to qualify for next season’s Champions League. The early front runners are Julian Nagelsmann who was recently sacked by Bayern Munich and former Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino. Either would be welcomed to the club by the fans because they both set their teams up on the front foot. Others being linked with the job are Fulham boss Marco Silva and even Zinedine Zidane whose last coaching role was with Real Madrid. The latter would be a huge coup but can Spurs attract such a huge name to the club? It will be interesting to see who the club goes for. (By Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor)

DON’T MESS WITH MADHURI DIXIT: Streaming giant Netflix has been served a notice for maligning Madhuri Dixit in one of the episodes of their hit series ‘The Big Bang Theory’. Political analyst Mithun Vijay Kumar has taken offense to the show’s lead characters discussing Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in derogatory and offensive terms. While this joke where Aishwarya is labelled as a poor man’s Madhuri Dixit and the latter then shamed in an unholy manner may have landed in the pre-woke times, such wile humour that reduces women to their physicality doesn’t stick anymore. Perhaps, such instances will also serve as a reminder that crude references and crass jokes are no longer currying favour with our astute audiences. Perhaps, it’s time to take stock of the content we consume. Some series that were blockbusters when it released may not always have the same appeal. This case is a classic example of that. (By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Entertainment Editor)