From the Editors: Sharjah at London Book Fair opens new chapter in cultural exchange

SHARJAH AT LONDON BOOK FAIR OPENS NEW CHAPTER IN CULTURAL EXCHANGE: Sharjah has become the first Arab city to be bestowed the ‘Market Focus’ title at London Book Fair, being held Tuesday to Thursday in the UK capital. At a celebratory iftar dinner, hosted by the emirate at the iconic Royal Opera House in London, the mingling of prominent personalities from the spheres of heritage and knowledge – from the UAE and the UK as well as other places – demonstrated how books play a pivotal role in cross-cultural dialogue and experiences. Guests heard how Sharjah and London are so different – and yet so similar. Both are "multinational, multi-ethnic and multi-faith societies" that celebrate diversity. Perhaps it is no coincidence, then, that the two cities are home to the world’s leading book fairs. [COMMENT BY: Faisal Masudi, Assistant Editor]

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: STUBBORN ATLETICO FALL TO KEVIN DE BRUYNE: It’s still early to say if Pep Guardiola can lead Manchester City to their second final in-a-row in Uefa Champions League, but they stayed on course after Kevin De Bruyne’s second half strike earned them a 1-0 win over a stubborn Atletico Madrid at the Etihad Stadium in their first leg quarter final last night. It was a result City had to eek out against an Atletico side who had travelled to England with the aim of simply denying the hosts opportunities with their deep lying defending and reliance on only the occasional counter to threaten the hosts. Up 1-0, City can expect more of that when they meet in the second leg next week.[COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

#METOO SCANDAL BREWING IN JAPAN: A number of top filmmakers in Japan — such as Hirokazu Kore-eda, Koji Fukada and Miwa Nishikawa — have signed a petition expressing outrage over sexual abuse in the movie industry. This comes after a Japanese magazine published the accounts of four women who say they were abused by director Hideo Sakaki. The #MeToo movement first rocked the US in 2017 and its ripples hadn’t really reached Japan until now. It’s heartening to see publications and industry insiders support women who’ve been abused, and collectively and publicly say that this behaviour will not be tolerated.[COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto,Assistant Editor – Features]