From the Editors: Dubai-Al Ain project no mean feat

DUBAI- AL AIN PROJECT NO MEAN FEAT: The grand opening of the Dh2 billion Dubai-Al Ain Development Project in Dubai yesterday not only reflects the exemplary vision of the leadership to envisage infrastructural improvements of this scale and utility but also the ability to implement them in record time. It is no mean feat that the new Dubai-Al Ain highway can now service 1.5 million people living or working in surrounding communities, even as it capacity has been doubled top 24,000 per hour in both directions. Travel time from Emirates Road to Ras Al Khor Road has also been halved to eight minutes. Besides the technological success, the fact that a project of this magnitude was developed with minimal or no inconvenience to the public also deserves high praise. [COMMENT BY: Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor]

IN SAUDI ARABIA, YOUNG GET PRICED OUT: A 20 per cent spike in home prices in 12 months – that’s what Riyadh’s residential property market is going through and with more increases to follow. While Saudi developers will be pleased, it does leave the market with vulnerabilities. Especially as to who can afford to buy when prices get too overheated. According to Knight Frank, the UK property consultancy, Riyadh has emerged as the go-to destinations for Saudi citizens, especially those who want to join the now booming job market. As homes turn pricier in the financial capital, there has been a near 30 per cent drop in property deals. This is something that the Saudi real estate space cannot afford, especially in the Kingdom where policies have been crafted to raise property buying among the young. They cannot be priced out by an upturn. [COMMENT BY: Manoj Nair, Business Editor]

GUJARAT PROVE WORTHY WINNERS IN DEBUT IPL SEASON: Gujarat Titans won the Indian Premier League after beating Rajasthan Royals in the final last night in front of a record crowd of 105,000 people in Ahmedabad. Captain Hardik Pandya produced a superb display to help seal a seven-wicket win for the newbies. The Titans were playing in their first season of the IPL and deserved to be crowned champions after some brilliant performances throughout the campaign. In the final, Pandya claimed 3-17 and that included danger man Jos Buttler for 39 as the Royals posted just 130-9. And then with the bat, he smashed 34 runs from 30 balls to help set the Titans on their way to victory. Shubman Gill hit 45 not out to seal the win. It was a deserved victory for the team which has been built on the brilliant bowling skills of Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, Lockie Ferguson and with batting power provided by Gill, David Miller and Matthew Wade with everything being held together by skipper Pandya. [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor]

SIDHU MOOSE WALA’S UNTIMELY DEATH: The tragic death of Sidhu Moose Wala has sent shockwaves across the music and film fraternities in India, with fans also mourning the loss of the famed Punjabi singer who was gunned down by an AK-47 assault rifle in his vehicle by unidentified assailants on May 29. The circumstances surrounding his death get murkier considering just 24 hours before the shootout, the government of Punjab had curtailed his security - one of 424 people who saw their cover scaled back. The singer-turned-actor-politician may have courted controversies during his lifespan, but he commanded a huge fan base and by the age of 29, he had become an icon for the youth of India. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]