Motorists urged to follow rules while celebrating National Day; Jeddah floods bring back bitter memories; Jennifer Lopez keeps reinventing herself, our editors comment on the top stories of November 26

Celebrate road safety this National Day: As excitement builds for the upcoming 51st UAE National Day, authorities have as usual reminded residents, especially motorists, to follow rules for celebrations. The timely advice seeks to grant freedom to revel in the festivities while following important safety guidelines. For instance, unauthorised marches and random gatherings won’t be allowed in order to keep roads and public spaces clear and safe, the Ministry of Interior has outlined in its 10-point briefing on social media. Meanwhile car passengers are prohibited from getting out of windows and sunroofs. Let’s follow the rules and celebrate responsibly. [COMMENT BY: Faisal Masudi, Assistant Editor]

Argentina must treat Mexico group game like it’s the final: Having suffered a shock defeat against Saudi Arabia in their opening match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Argentina must go into tonight’s second group game against Mexico as if it was the final itself. They simply cannot afford to lose or they could be out of the tournament. They are the favourites to win the World Cup but have made a terrible start. Star man Lionel Messi, who is playing in his final tournament, will need to show up and make a difference like we all know he can. His country is depending on him. Saudi Arabia’s 2-1 win ended the 36-match unbeaten run Lionel Scaloni’s side were enjoying. They must avoid defeat tonight if they wish to remain in the competition. If they lose, it would be the worst way for Messi to wave goodbye to his international career. [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor]

Jennifer Lopez keeps reinventing herself: Social media has been joking that Lopez’s life right now seems like a repeat of the early 2000s, when she was at her career peak and was in a relationship with actor Ben Affleck. In 2022, the pop star is married to Affleck and is charting her return to music with — no surprise here — a follow-up to her 2002 album ‘This Is Me... Then’. She announced that her next album ‘This Is Me... Now’ will release next year. The 53-year-old has managed to stay as relevant as she was 20 years ago, and remains as fit and beautiful as her younger self. She has proven herself as an eternal star who can keep up with the times. [COMMENT BY: Jennifer BarrettoAssistant Editor - Entertainment]

Jeddah floods bring back bitter memories of 2009: The 2009 floods killed 123 people, left thousands homeless and swept away 3,000 vehicles in Saudi city of Jeddah. Experts then said the record rainfall that fell was not by itself catastrophic. Haphazard construction, corruption and chaotic disaster response were blamed, with questions asked over why houses were built on floodplains. A court in 2014 jailed 45 people for the flooding. Thirteen years on, torrential rain again hit Jeddah for nearly six hours pouring 179mm of rain, which exceeded the amount of rain recorded in November 2009. Only two were reported dead despite the record rainfall because this time the Jeddah Civil Defence emergency teams and mayoralty were well prepared and their response is commendable. Residents also took weather warnings seriously; schools were shut and most stayed indoors. [COMMENT BY: N.R. Stephen, Senior Associate Editor]