From the Editors: Exemplary road works in Dubai

EXEMPLARY ROAD WORKS IN DUBAI: The progress of the Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Roads Improvement Corridor project in Dubai which has reduced travel time on the Ras Al Khor Road from 20 to seven minutes is yet another milestone achievement by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). It is to the credit of RTA and other authorities in the city that projects of such magnitude are undertaken with minimal public inconvenience and traffic disruption. The exemplary work makes for a global case study indeed. [COMMENT BY: Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor]

LEBANON MUST ACT ON REFORMS NOW: With France and Saudi Arabia committing themselves to “fully engage” to resolve a diplomatic row between Gulf states and Lebanon, it’s time for Beirut to act and implement long-awaited comprehensive reforms in finance, energy, anti-corruption and border control. It is heartening to know that Riyadh and Paris also agreed to establish a common humanitarian mechanism to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese. Emmanuel Macron’s announcements in Jeddah mark another intervention by the French President to try and aid Lebanon. Macron said that he and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also held a joint telephone conversation with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati as part of attempts to resolve the crisis. All these efforts will bear fruit if the Lebanese leaders also do their part. Only time will tell whether Beirut is serious about reforms which are needed to secure much-needed international aid. [COMMENT BY: Stephen NR, Senior Associate Editor]

CHELSEA, LIVERPOOL, MAN CITY ALL LEAD TABLE IN CRAZY SATURDAY: It’s proving to be yet another topsy-turvy English Premier League season as yesterday saw three different teams sit at the top of the table during the course of the day. Chelsea began the day sitting on top of the pile but they then suffered a shock 3-2 defeat away at West Ham United and then when Liverpool beat Wolves – courtesy of an injury-time Divock Origi goal – the Reds leapfrogged the Blues to take first place. But then, in last night’s late game, Manchester City beat Watford 3-1 and they moved from third place to first and are now the new league leaders. There are going to be many more twists and turns and we look set to be in for the most exciting season in EPL history. [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Editor]

MANY MORE ADVENTURES AWAIT AT THE MOVIES: As we approach the last few weeks before bidding goodbye to 2021, the year has been bittersweet for movie-mad fans and theatre owners who have united in their efforts to see the return of normalcy to the big screen. While several plum project have fallen wayside, humming away on the backburner with delayed shoots and timelines, this year hasn’t been a complete washout in terms of theatrical releases. Projects such as ‘Godzilla vs Kong’, ‘No Time to Die’, ‘Fast 9’, ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ have made us fall in love again with the magic of the movies. And as we wait in breathless anticipation for Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’, Marvel’s ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and the reboot of ‘The Matrix’ franchise before 2021 comes to a close, we can safely say that cinemas are here to stay. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]