Unified visa for Gulf tourism and Trump goes missing at Republican debate, Gulf News Editors comment on September 28 trending news

UNIFIED GCC TOURIST VISA: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to embark on a transformative journey in tourism as the UAE’s Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri unveiled plans for a unified tourist visa system. This initiative promises to open the doors to multiple GCC nations with a single visa. A Schengen-style visa for Gulf nations underscores the commitment to enhance the region’s tourism prospects. This unified approach aims to draw global travellers to the Gulf’s enchanting destinations by streamlining entry procedures and promoting seamless exploration of diverse cultures and landscapes. As the UAE Minister said, supporting tourism in one GCC country is, in essence, supporting tourism across all GCC nations. Such cohesion exemplifies the spirit of cooperation and unity among these nations. (By Jay Hilotin, Senior Assistant Editor)

TRUMP A NO-SHOW AT GOP DEBATE: At the second Republican debate, presidential hopefuls disputed and challenged one another on several topics — Biden, immigration, autoworkers’ strike, TikTok and so on. But they had to be content arguing without the leader in the opinion polls. Donald Trump has managed to stay in the limelight without taking part in both debates and is still ahead of the pack. Despite mounting legal troubles, Trump’s rivals have failed to shake his dominance, and unless one of them does something spectacular, they will all be running for second place. (By Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor)

GOLD PRICES DROP AHEAD OF DIWALI: Gold prices in the UAE have hit a seven-month low at $1,875 an ounce, providing an early opportunity for shoppers to secure prices before Diwali in November. In local terms, the price for 22K gold has dropped to Dh210.25 from Dh211.5 per gram. Major gold and jewellery retailers are likely to promote price lock-in options to entice buyers. While there’s uncertainty about further price drops, history shows that dips tend to be followed by increases, often surpassing $1,900. Locking in today’s prices ensures buyers get the same rate for their purchase within the next 30 days, even if prices rise. This drop could boost demand for Diwali festivities, a peak buying period for gold and jewellery in the UAE. (By Dhanusha Gokulan, Chief Reporter)

SCORSESE RALLIES FOR AUTHENTIC CINEMA: Celebrated director Martin Scorsese, whose credits include seminal films such as the ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘The Departed,’ has a bone to pick with Hollywood. He believes Hollywood needs rescuing from superhero franchises that have become the storytelling trend. In an interview with GQ, he was critical of the fantasy genre dominating the entertainment landscape. Scorsese also urged director Christopher Nolan to rescue the art form from the caped crusaders. He even urged filmmakers like the genre-bending Nolan to the boundary-pushing Safdie brothers to innovate and redefine the cinematic landscape. While his words may be scathing, he may have a point. Isn’t it time for Hollywood to reinvent the wheel and develop new forms of storytelling? (By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Entertainment Editor)

RUN-FESTS RUIN CRICKET: White-ball cricket has become slugfests since the introduction of the Twenty20 format over a decade and a half ago. There was a time when 225 was a winning score in a 50-over match, then it kept moving up, and now 350 seems a par score on flat tracks. Two matches on Wednesday reflected the state of cricket. Nepal pummeled Mongolia to score 300 in a 20-over game, including a nine-ball 50, the minimum required to reach the mark, in the Asian Games. Later, Australia scored 352 against India at Rajkot, and India responded with 286. A few days back, India had scored 399 against Australia. They all came on flat pitches, as bowlers suffered due to lack of help. So it’s time to bring parity between bat and ball by producing lively wickets. (By A.K.S. Satish, Sports Editor)