From the Editors: Dubai Safari Park is UAE's latest outdoor option

REFRESHING OUTDOOR OPTION: The gates of Dubai Safari Park have opened today, giving UAE residents and tourists yet another avenue to explore and enjoy, even as COVID-19 safety protocols continue to be in place. Home to over 2,600 animals from different species in the new season, the park also offers attractive packages which can be availed. For families with young children – and others too -- this is indeed a refreshing recreational option. It’s informative and educational too, going by the many new additions this year. So let’s make the most of it. [COMMENT BY: Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor]

WILL OCTOBER ELECTION END MISERY FOR ORDINARY IRAQIS? Come October 10, Iraqis head to the polls to elect a new government. The list of issues facing the country is depressingly long, but limitless corruption, sectarian politics, and lack of security occupy the top three slots. In a country literally drowning in oil and gas, the quality of life is miserable. Electricity - or, to be precise, the endemic lack of it - is a symbol of all that has gone wrong with Iraq. Chronic outages are a hallmark of the national grid. And this issue has been a trigger for mass protest in the past that led to at least 600 protesters being gunned downed by troops and their allied Shiite militiamen, who have a stranglehold over daily life in Iraq. So, will the latest election resolve these problems? Few Iraqis are holding their breath. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A TALL ORDER FOR EUROPE IN RYDER CUP: Rory McIlroy says that the US will be “formidable” for the next two decades after they thrashed Europe in the Ryder Cup. It was a record 19-9 win for the US at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin even though they had a team consisting of six rookies and eight players that were under 30 year old. “There's phenomenal talent on that team. It has been a tough week for us,” said the Northern Irishman. Europe had won the seven of the last nine tournaments and arrived in the US in high spirits in and confident mood. But just one of the past seven events had been won by the away team and so it was going to be a tall order and so it proved. They were outclassed by the Americans and captain Steve Stricker described his team as the "greatest ever". [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Editor]

CAN WE JUST LEAVE BRITNEY SPEARS ALONE? How much more should Britney Spears suffer? Her life has become the subject of countless documentaries, with so-called friends, associates and former employees selling her story for a quick buck or five minutes of fame. ‘Controlling Britney Spears’ comes hot on the heels of Hulu’s previous doc on the singer titled ‘Framing Britney Spears’. Meanwhile, Netflix is hitting back with ‘Britney vs Spears’ that will drop soon. It doesn’t come as any surprise that everyone is cashing in on the hype what with the next hearing in Spears’ conservatorship battle with her father Jamie Spears scheduled for September 29. All she has asked for is privacy and a little bit dignity. Somewhere along the way, we have forgotten that there’s a person behind the brand and she also needs to be heard. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]