Dubai’s Global Village starts and Rishi Sunak takes over in the UK, our editors comment on the top stories of October 25

DUBAI’S GLOBAL VILLAGE GETS UNDERWAY: Global Village opens its doors to the world on October 25, marking the official start of its 27th season. It is undoubtedly one of Dubai’s most popular entertainment and shopping destinations, which attract hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists from around the world. This year, Global Village has been upgraded with more activities and attractions. It brings together 27 pavilions, over 3,500 shopping outlets and more than 250 restaurants, cafes, and street food options. Featuring 40,000 shows, visitors can experience a new lineup of performers, famous characters, concerts and street entertainment. Global Village helps cement Dubai’s position as a global hub for entertainment and tourism. (By Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor)

IN UAE’S CORPORATE HISTORY, ARABTEC CLOSES OUT ONE CHAPTER: Finally, the UAE Courts delivered a final, irrevocable verdict on Arabtec, the storied construction giant that was there for the Burj Khalifa and some of the storied landmarks across the length and breadth of this country. Drive through the UAE’s islands, its roads and bridges, cultural landmarks, and chances are that an Atabtec imprint would have been there. Through the years, Arabtec reached for the skies – and delivered. But corporate overreach finally did it in, and the series of losses that it sustained through the years brought it to its knees. Unpaid claims, outsized debt exposures all played a part in the downfall. Now, the courts have had their say, and Arabtec will now be a cautionary tale in the UAE’s corporate history books. Arabtec will not be there anymore, but those landmarks stay on of the company’s glory days. (By Manoj Nair, Business Editor)

CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR SUNAK, BUT GIVE HIM A CHANCE: While the celebrations continue over Rishi Sunak becoming the new UK prime minister, he faces tremendous challenges - chief among them tackling a mounting economic crisis and keeping the party together. Add to that uniting a divided country and Sunak's hands are full. There have been calls from the opposition for an early general election, which Sunak has already refused. The next few weeks will be daunting, but a united Conservative party and a few good moves to calm the markets could set the stage for the next steps. A strong UK is in everybody's interest, and Sunak must be given a chance to prove himself. (By Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor)

EMERY APPOINTMENT IS A SIGN OF ASTON VILLA’S AMBITION: Following the sacking of Steven Gerrard last week, Aston Villa have appointed Unai Emery as their new manager. The former Arsenal boss had been in charge of Villarreal and will take over the Villa Park hot seat on 1 November. The appointment of the 50-year-old is an ambitious signing by the Premier League club. He has managed over 900 games and won three successive Europa League titles between 2013 and 2016. Villa will need to give him time to make a mark on the team. He was Arsene Wenger’s replacement and had huge shoes to fill but he still guided the Gunners to fifth in his full season and lead them the Europa League final where they lost to Chelsea. He is one of Europe’s most experienced, respected and decorated coaches and Villa fans will be delighted at his arrival. (By Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor)

HOLLYWOOD ACTOR MATTHEW PERRY OF ‘FRIENDS’ FAME COMES CLEAN: It isn’t easy for actors, who are constantly scrutinised, to wear their vulnerabilities on their sleeves but ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry has gone ahead and done just that in a tell-all addiction memoir ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’. He spent a whopping Dh33 million and more to attain sobriety by checking into swanky rehabs, but he’s now 18 months clean. In the book, he has been refreshing honest and candid about how his drug and alcohol addiction led to near-fatal complications including being in a coma to his colon exploding.The details aren’t pretty, but here’s a big shout out to Perry for being searingly honest about his life struggles. Perhaps, it might compel someone struggling with any kind of addiction to take a leaf out from his cautionary memoir. (By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Entertainment Editor)