Year of Sustainability, Lebanon impasse, Sushant Sigh Rajput: Our editors comment on the top stories of Jan 21

‘YEAR OF SUSTAINABILITY’ – ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS EFFECTIVE CLIMATE ACTION: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced on Friday that 2023 would be the ‘Year of Sustainability’. The ‘Year of Sustainability’ will include initiatives, activities and events that draw upon the country’s values of sustainability and the legacy of its founder, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The initiative shows the UAE’s commitment towards taking effective climate change measures. It will also focus on environmental sustainability by inspiring collective action through a nationwide commitment towards sustainable practices. The Year of Sustainability has particular significance as the country prepares to host the COP28 climate conference. (Comment By Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor)

LEBANON IMPASSE MUST END: Two Lebanese lawmakers are staging a sit-in in parliament to pressurise the members after they failed to elect a president for the 11th time. The squabbling is mainly between lawmakers supporting Hezbollah and those who oppose it — but neither side has a clear majority. The currency has collapsed to a new record low of 50,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar. Almost two million people were food insecure in the last four months of last year. Amid all the turmoil, the country lost its voting rights in the UN due to unpaid contributions. It is a huge fall for a country that was once called the ‘Switzerland of the Middle East’. Will the politicians step up at least now before it’s too late and address the challenges? It is high time to bring the economy back on a path of recovery. (Comment by N.R. Stephen, Senior Associate Editor)

SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT: A DISTURBING MEMORY: Today is Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s birth anniversary and it has been nearly three years since his unfortunate demise. Yet, he remains etched in the memory of tens of thousands of his fans. One reason for the enduring legacy is that he did not come with the usual strappings associated with most Bollywood stars. Rajput had no connections in the film industry and was Bollywood’s rank outsider. He had a down-to-earth personality and interacted widely with people, winning their hearts on the screen and off it. The public perceived him as someone who didn't let stardom get to his head. No wonder a section of the fans saw the Bollywood star as the boy next door with whom they could talk about anything under the sun. Which makes his passing all the more disturbing. (Comment by Rajagopalan Venkataraman, Assistant Editor-Features)

JUVENTUS DOCKED 15 POINTS FOR ‘COOKING THE BOOKS’: Things are going from bad to worse for Italian giants Juventus. First, the board of directors resigned in November after police launched an investigation into the club’s past transfer dealings. And now, following an investigation by Italy’s football federation (FIGC) on those deals, Juve have been docked 15 points after they were found guilty of ‘cooking the books’ by inflating transfer values and lying to financial officials in an attempt to save money. The team had been up in third spot in the Serie A table but have now dropped to 10th. What’s worse is that they are well and truly becoming known as the most corrupt football club in the world after they were earlier found guilty of match fixing and demoted to Serie B. Juve denies any wrongdoing and are set to appeal the decision but the perception of this grand old club is at an all-time low. (Comment by Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor)