From the editors: UAE announces first Arab Mission to the moon

TO THE MOON AND BACK: The UAE continues to take giant strides towards the future as His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the launch of the first Arab Mission to the moon. The UAE will become the fourth country in the world to land on the lunar surface after the US, Russia and China. The project embodies the spirit of innovation and scientific progress that characterises the UAE and its zest for scientific progress. It will inspire the nation’s youth to conquer new heights. [COMMENT BY: Somshankar Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Editor]

CHANGES NEEDED TO US PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE FORMAT: After the chaotic first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the organisers have said that they were planning to make changes to the format for the remaining two encounters. The Commission on Presidential Debates did not say what these corrections would be, but any change would be better than no change, considering the insults that were traded on Tuesday night. The free use of ‘clown’, ‘liar’ and ‘shut up’, apart from the constant interference from the opponent, meant that the debate was one of the low points of the presidential campaign. Questions are also being asked now on whether these debates serve any purpose at all.[COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

NAGARKOTI, MAVI MAKE A STATEMENT FOR KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS: Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti, the two young pace bowlers of Kolkata Knight Riders, joined forces with erstwhile Under-19 India teammate Shuvman Gill to script their second win on the trot in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday night. Watched by Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood icon and the team’s co-owner, the duo rattled the Rajasthan Royals batting line-up with two wickets each as they recorded a 37-run win in Dubai. Gill earlier topscored for his team with a sparkling 47 off 34 balls. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

Things are looking up for the Bollywood movie industry as cinemas are given the green light to open back up following the COVID-19 closures. They will be up and running with 50 per cent seating capacity from October 15. Numerous movie releases have been delayed as some filmmakers have held off until they could showcase their projects on the big screen. This will not only bring in revenue to them, but also to other staff who’ve been out of work since the entertainment business ground to a halt. It’s a move that will also bring joy to the lives of film lovers, who’ve surely missed out on their favourite pastime – an evening out at the movies.[COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor – Features]