From the editors: Lebanon turns 100 as race tensions grip America

ONCE AGAIN, CALLOUSNESS AND INDIFFERENCE HAS SNUFFED OUT ANOTHER LIFE ON UAE'S ROADS LAST WEEK: A blowout in a truck’s tyre on the Sharjah-Al Dhaid Road claimed one life and injured several others as the vehicle hit two others on the opposite side of the road. Despite several warnings by the authorities each year, the summer invariably brings along some people who believe ‘Oh! This won’t happen to me’ and avoid taking basic precautions. Every single part of a vehicle needs maintenance, including tyres. Drive safe and keep others safe too! [COMMENT BY: Somshankar Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Editor]

AS LEBANON TURNS 100, NEW PM IS NOMINATED: Reports have emerged that Lebanon’s main Sunni politician Saad Hariri has nominated the country’s ambassador to Germany Mustapha Adib to be the next prime minister. This week, 100 years ago, was when the precursor state to present-day Lebanon - the so-called Greater Lebanon - was declared by French colonial rulers. The situation for the country on its centennial couldn’t have been more dire. The Lebanese state has failed in every aspect of governance. There is little hope that a new prime minister can alter that grim reality. What Lebanon needs is a fundamental revamp of its political order.[COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

LAW AND ORDER, RACE TOP OF US POLL AGENDA: Racial tensions were back on the political agenda after a supporter of a right-wing group was shot dead in protests in Portland. US President Donald Trump unleashed a flurry of tweets praising the participants in the protests, while Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden blamed the president for inciting violence. ‘Law and order’ and ‘anarchy’ are words that will be used by both sides over the next few weeks leading up to the election, and Trump is expected to continue to hit that theme when he visits Kenosha where a Black man was shot in the back seven times, leaving him paralysed. [COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham Senior Associate Editor]

A TIME TO SOFTEN STANCES: There is no easing of tensions on property service charges in Dubai, with homeowners insisting that the fees they pay out for property upkeep should come down, while property management companies/developers say ‘No way!’. All efforts to come up with some common ground between these sharply divided opinions have failed to yield results. Now, if legal notices are send out to homeowners who have delayed paying up their 2020 commitments, the chances for any consensus will crumble further. This is the time then for the market regulator, RERA, to make a forceful intervention and set out what’s possible and what’s not. It has the authority and the law to make it happen. More distrust between homeowners and OA companies/developers will not help the market’s cause.[COMMENT BY: Manoj Nair, Business Editor]

NO CROWDS, NO RAFAEL NADAL OR WOMEN'S WORLD NO 1 ASHLEIGH BARTY: US Open becomes the first of the tennis grand slams to resume in the new normal at New York today. The early tidings are not good as France's Benoit Paire tested positive for COVID-19 and became the first player to pull out of the Open. Hopefully, his case will be an exception as Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams chase tennis history over next two weeks. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

AWARDS GO VIRTUAL WITH THE MTV VMA'S: A socially distant and pandemic friendly MTV Video Music Awards finally unspooled with all the razzle dazzle of showbiz, albeit with no audience sitting in the stadium or screaming fans cheering stars on the red carpet. What enthusiasts did get was a virtual event with several pre-recorded performances and celebrities such as Taylor Swift accepting their trophies through video messages. Could this be a sign of times, showing us a window into the future of live events? While the jury may be out on this one, what we can say with certainty is that the show must go on. The ‘how’ is up for interpretation and creative ideas. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]