UAE targets the moon again and two UAE banks book profits: Gulf News Editors comment on top stories of April 27

NO LIMIT TO UAE’S SPACE AMBITIONS. A new moon rover, Rashid 2, is being built by Emirati scientists. The report comes shortly after the first Rashid Rover’s attempt to land on the moon on Tuesday, the first such endeavour by an Arab country. Communication was lost with the rover’s lander moments before touchdown. A day later, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced that work is underway on Rashid 2, another rover, for the next mission to the moon. It underlines the UAE’s strength to take on challenges and achieve its goals. (By Faisal Masudi, Assistant Editor)

UAE’S TWO BIGGEST BANKS FLUSH WITH CASH: Dubai’s Emirates NBD and Abu Dhabi’s FAB booked combined profits of Dh10 billion from their Q1-2023 endeavours. That’s a tidy sum to bank on if the global economy and banking sector turns sluggish through the coming months. What will please the management and shareholders of FAB and Emirates NBD is the gradual increase in the returns from their international operations. The UAE’s two biggest banks could generate more from those interests. But they are grounded to a keen sense of risks at all times, and doing enough to offset them. (By Manoj Nair, Business Editor)

HOPE FLOATS AGAIN FOR CINEMA OWNERS: The message was loud and clear at this year’s CinemaCon, the annual convention for movie theatre owners, in Las Vegas: Streaming can wait, but theatres can’t. That’s a huge relief for theatre owners and traditional movie distributors as prominent Hollywood studios, including Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, and Disney, have thrown their weight behind making movies for theatres. During the pandemic, these studios skipped theatres to release their films directly on Over-The-Top platforms. Now that the uncertain times are over, they are committed to bringing movies to cinemas first. And that’s good. Films like superhero flicks are best viewed in a cinema rather than the living room, and the magic of community viewing can never be replaced. See you at the movies. (By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Entertainment Editor)

VIRAT KOHLI’S QUEST FOR PERFECTION: Success is a product of constant learning. Virat Kohli is one of the few batters who makes technical tweaks based on the situations and requirements. The Royal Challengers Bangalore stand-in skipper, who was out leg-before for a golden duck against Trent Boult, has now taken leg-before wicket out of the equation by taking a guard outside the leg stump. It allows him the freedom to play shots on the off-side, even if it pitches within the stumps, and anything on the pads is certain to miss the wickets. The change helped the Indian batter to play with authority and notch another half-century in the Indian Premier League. The quest for perfection continues for Kohli. (By A.K.S. Satish, Sports Editor)