From the editors: Global Village to boost consumer confidence

25th EDITION OF GLOBAL VILLAGE WILL BOOST CONSUMER CONFIDENCE: As Dubai’s Global Village gets ready to open its doors to visitors on October 25, for what will be the 25th edition of the annual event, it is time for UAE residents and visitors to rejoice. With the tourism and retail industries all over the world having taken a massive hit due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, social and family-oriented amusement events and venues such as the Global Village play a key role in helping boost consumer confidence and encourage more people to step out and socialise, of course in strict compliance with health safeguards. Dubai and the UAE have always been pioneers as tourism hot-spots and the silver jubilee edition of Global Village bears testament to that. [COMMENT BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]

IS IRAN'S RESTRAINED APPROACH LINKED TO US ELECTION? At a time when the Trump administration has ramped up its pressure on Iran, Tehran appears to be showing uncharacteristic restraint. Ever since the killing of its top general Qassem Soleimani, Iran has held back from a full blown retaliation. There seems to be a belief in Iran that some alleged US-Israeli attacks, like the one at the Natanz nuclear reactor in July, are aimed at goading them to hit back, so that the US or Israel can then launch military strikes. As the US election nears, Iran seems to have come to the conclusion that its best option to reduce the chances of Trump’s reelection is restraint. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

INDIA'S AUTO SECTOR NEEDS GOVERNMENT SUPPORT: The chorus around India’s the tax structure on automobiles is becoming louder after Toyota pointed out that it was the primary reason why the company has decided to halt its expansion plans. Pune-based Force Motors, Maruti Suzuki and automobile component manufacturers too have pointed out the high taxes as being restrictive. The government denies the industry’s complaints and blame the high automobile prices on excessive royalties auto manufacturers pay their foreign principals. At a time when the auto sector is looking to pick itself up from the COVID-hit 2020, the industry needs support even at the cost of tax revenue loss to prop up demand and job creation. [COMMENT BY: Babu Das Augustine, Business Editor]

It was a Super Saturday for the UAE in terms of making the country’s presence felt on the world sporting map. Tadej Pogacar of Team UAE Emirates, who at a day shy of 22 years, became the youngest winner of the gruelling Tour de France since World War II late in the evening. Earlier in the day, the Indian Premier League 2020, kicked off in Abu Dhabi to usher in nearly eight weeks of unterrupted world class T20 extravaganza. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

Academy Award-winning Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is one of the directors tapped to helm the upcoming ‘Ms Marvel’ series. The comic book hero was introduced in 2012 and was special because she was Marvel’s first Muslim character to get her own title. Now the character will be Marvel Studio’s first Muslim superhero to be seen on screen. Through her work, Obaid-Chinoy has vehemently spoken up for the rights of Pakistani women and so there is something magical about her being part of an international project with a young Pakistani-American superhero at its centre. [COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor - Features]