Road safety during rains, UAE commercial agency law and Pope’s visit to Africa: our editors comment on the top stories of Jan 26

DRIVE SAFE, STAY CALM DURING THE RAINS: With heavy rains lashing the UAE, residents would do well to stay indoors if they can. Those who can’t would do well to pay heed to the traffic advisories. Bad weather is a time when our driving skills are put to test. Delays in travel time can be only be expected during the rains, so drivers must stay calm and composed, to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. Keeping fuel tanks full and checking the general condition of the car before venturing out would also hold them in good stead. (By Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor)

UAE COMMERCIAL AGENCY LAW UPDATE: The long-awaited update to the UAE Commercial Agency Law will come in June. The changes are just what international businesses and local entities would have wanted to see in their best-case scenarios. What the Law does is even the playing field, offering a safety net by way of rules to international and local enterprises alike in their partnerships. And the Ministry of Economy takes a more direct role in ensuring smoothness in product availability if the partners are enmeshed in a dispute. What the Law does is do away with such vacuums — all for the greater good. (By Manoj Nair, Business Editor)

POPE'S VISIT TO AFRICA TO BRING HOPE: Pope Francis, 86, is not showing any signs of slowing down. Next week he will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, delivering a message of peace and reconciliation to two nations plagued by conflict. In fact, in an interview this week, the Pontiff said he is in the best of health for a man of his age. Any visit by the pope is looked forward to by the faithful around the world and his 40th overseas trip since being elected head of the Catholic Church in 2013 will be no different. (By Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor)

SKY SEEMS TO BE HAVE NO LIMITS: Suryakumar Yadav has been an unknown name in international cricket, two years ago. His dazzling performance for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League earned a call-up to the Indian team and Yadav became an instant on his international debut in 2021, SKY, as he is known, went on to score three hundreds and 13 fifties in 43 innings at an incredible strike-rate of 180.3. His impressive form gave stability to the Indian middle order in shorter formats. So it was no surprise when Suryakumar was adjudged the ICC Player of the Year. Suryakumar could now play even the longer formats, given that the Tests are changing at a rapid pace. Looks like there is no limit for SKY. (By A.K.S. Satish, Sports Editor)

IT’S RAINING CONCERTS IN ABU DHABI: What were the chances that three major bands appealing to different age groups and spanning disparate music genres would hit the stage day after day? That will happen in Abu Dhabi this week. Tonight Imagine Dragon will perform at the Etihad Arena, followed by Sting on Friday night and then K-Pop’s Black Pink on Saturday. After a lull in live music acts in pre-Covid times, this deluge of music gigs in the UAE is welcome. It’s an indication of how fast the cultural scene in the UAE is picking up. (By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Entertainment Editor)