Global support for UAE President testament to his virtues

Global support for UAE President a testament to his virtues: World leaders descended on Abu Dhabi yesterday to condole President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the passing of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and wish him well on his unanimous election as UAE’s new leader. He also received congratulatory messages from heads of governments, who reaffirmed his leadership qualities. Sheikh Mohamed has over the decades travelled the world to boost economies, build bridges and facilitate humanitarian efforts. Yesterday’s outpouring of solidarity from all corners of the world speaks volumes about Sheikh Mohamed’s contributions to the global community. [Faisal Masudi, Assistant Editor]

Lebanon’s electorate have punished Hezbollah: The Lebanese people have spoken, and it appears that they have decided to punish the Iran-allied Hezbollah movement and its allies in the elections. Early results show the militant group has suffered losses. But given the sectarian makeup of the Lebanese state, and the sectarian allocation of seats, the group and its chief ally, fellow Shiite movement Amal, are likely to keep the 27 seats that are allocated to their sect in the parliament. Hezbollah’s main Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, also seems to have taken a hit. It’s rival Christian bloc, the pro-Saudi Lebanese Forces, claims to have bitten into FPM’s seat-share, and won 20 seats. Plus, many independents claim to have made progress. Only time will tell if this new alignment in the upcoming Lebanese parliament will bring the change that the country and the people so desperately need. [Omar Shariff, International Editor]

Title in Man City’s hands despite draw at West Ham: Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City may have been held by plucky West Ham United last night in the Premier League but they still hold the advantage over Liverpool in the title race. West Ham raced into a 2-0 lead at half time and Liverpool fans all over the world were desperate to see the Londoners hold on for a shock win that would have seriously dented City’s hopes. But they staged a second half fight back and came away with a point after a 2-2 draw. It means they are now 4 points ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s Reds who play tomorrow against Southampton. They must win that match to take the race to the final day of the season. And if City fail to beat Aston Villa and Liverpool beat Wolves then the title will head to Anfield. It is bound to be a tense and exciting final day with plenty of ups and downs but one way or the other we will have a winner to this spectacular season. [Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor]

Billboard Music Awards welcomes controversial stars: At what point does a line blur between absolute outrage and providing a platform for controversial artists under the guise of ratings? Will Smith continued to sit in the audience, going on to win an award for Best Actor at this year’s Oscars, minutes after he slapped Chris Rock on stage. Last night’s Billboard Music Awards welcomed back Travis Scott and country music star Morgan Wallen, despite the former facing multiple lawsuits following last November’s Astroworld Festival tragedy where 10 people were killed after a massive crowd surge. Wallen, meanwhile, performed at his first major awards show after he was caught on camera more than a year ago using a racial slur. Controversies and celebrities may share a love-hate relationship but the fact remains that power players sometimes need to simply take a step back and look at the bigger picture, asking themselves: is it really worth it? [Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]