Dubai visa application becomes easier, and US aviation industry feels headwinds, our editors comment on the top stories of Jan 12

APPLYING FOR VISAS WILL BE FAR MORE EASIER IN DUBAI: The new facility through which people from all over the world can complete residency-related transactions in Dubai via video calls should be welcomed. The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA-Dubai)’s new service enables customers to submit all documents and complete residency-related application procedures with the new technology well in advance and from the comfort of their homes. It is commendable how the authorities keep making improvements in their services to benefit customers. (By Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor).

NOT A GOOD TIME FOR THE US AVIATION INDUSTRY: The US aviation sector was struggling to return to normal on Wednesday after a nationwide ground stop imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bought all flight activity in North America to a sudden halt. A computer issue forced all aviation activity to a 90-minute standstill. While a cyberattack has been ruled out, the US Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has directed the FAA to determine the "root cause" of a technology system outage that caused thousands of flight cancellations and delays. At least 10,900 flights to and from the US were disrupted due to the outage, only weeks after a bomb storm ruined the holiday travel season for Americans across the country. All this is coupled with staff shortages and a disruptive summer of 2022; the industry has suffered a rough patch despite earnest attempts at post-pandemic recovery. From the looks of it, the US air travel nightmare isn't going away any time soon. (By Dhanusha Gokulan, Chief Reporter)

UMRAN MALIK NOT GIVING ANY SWEET MUSIC TO BATTERS: All eyes will be on the speed gun when Indian pacer Umran Malik takes his stride in the second One Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. The Kashmiri pacer has the reputation of making the ball wizz past the batter’s ears in quick time and has showcased his skills time and again in the Indian Premier League for Sunrisers Hyderabad. A lot was expected of him when he made his international debut, but Umran Malik didn’t live up to that expectations in the early days and lost out on the spot for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia, where conditions suit him the most. Undeterred, the young pacer has been steaming in against Sri Lanka and sent out deliveries at 155 kmph and 156 kmph to become the fastest Indian in Twenty20 internationals and ODIs. Now, what will he do as he has already clocked 157kmph in IPL? It will not be sweet music to the batters. (By A.K.S. Satish, Sports Editor)

IT’S HOLLYWOOD CALLING IN DUBAI: This afternoon, Hollywood supermodel Tyra Banks will be in Dubai to launch her own business venture and speak about her experiences of following her dream of building an empire. While we are confident that she will be inspiring, we are also sure that Tyra will speak about the curve balls that came her way in our sit-down interview with her. While we always welcome a sprinkling of star dust in our lives, the celebrity roll call is far from over. A week later, we will also witness pop idol Beyonce in action at the opening of a swanky hotel in the Palm Jumeirah. Here are two women of colour – paragons of grit and glamour -- who broke the proverbial glass ceiling in Dubai in the same month. Safe to say, 2023 has begun on a fantastic note. Gulf News will be there covering these two significant celebrity-driven events in the city. Make sure to log onto Gulf News to get all the action. (By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Entertainment Editor)