From the Editors: Deaths at sea remind us yet again of dangers of lack of caution

Deaths at sea remind us yet again of dangers of lack of caution: Over the last two days, there have been two incidents of drowning-deaths while swimming in the sea. The first incident occurred off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah on Thursday, when a 17-year-old Emirati boy was swept away by powerful currents while he was swimming in the sea. The second incident happened yesterday, when a 32-year-old Indian mother of two children was drowned while swimming in the sea off the beach in Umm Al Quwain. Her four-year-old daughter was luckily plucked out of the water in time. These accidents once again underscore the importance of being extremely cautious and vigilant while out at sea or any other waterbody for that matter. UAE authorities have put every possible safeguard in place to prevent such mishaps, but ultimately, the onus lies on every individual to make sure he and she adheres to the safety norms, so that a day out in the sun doesn’t end in a tragedy. [COMMENT BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]

Germany's acknowledgement of genocide - better late than never: What German colonial troops did between 1904 and 1908 in Namibia has been described as the first genocide of the 20th century. More than 100,000 people from two ethnic groups - the Herero and the Nama - were tortured or killed for resisting land grabs by German settlers. In Namibia, German officers also engaged in studying the discredited ‘science’ of eugenics and could have developed theories about ‘racial purity’ there. It was the same ideology that would later lead to Nazism and the Holocaust. Germany has now described the killings as a genocide, agreed to issue an apology and said it will provide $1.35 billion towards development. But Herero and Nama leaders are seeking “reparations”. Nothing the German government can do now will wash away the sins of the past. But Germany has at least accepted it carried out a genocide. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

A Super Saturday for club football on the cards: It’s going to be a meeting of two of the sharpest minds in football with Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel at the rival dugouts at the Uefa Champions League final in Porto today. Premier League champions Manchester City and Chelsea will lock lorns in what seems an all-English final, but boasts the best of global talent both in terms of players and support staff. It’s going to be a Super Saturday for football fans as earlier in the evening, there is this small matter of the Championship play-off final between Brentford and Swansea for a berth in next season’s Premier League. It’s is often called the ‘richest’ match in world football given the vast rewards on offer to the winners once they reach the Premier League. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

‘Friends’: The reunion that the world wanted: It’s been 48 hours since ‘Friends: The Reunion’ aired, yet the social media chatter refuses to die down. The reunion was 17 years in the making, ever since the show went off air and broke millions of hearts across the globe when they were forced to bid goodbye to Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe, who had somehow become everyone’s friends over the sitcom’s 10-year run on NBC. The HBO Max special may have hit a few hurdles in China with appearances by Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and BTS getting axed, but fans world over gave a collective sigh when it was revealed that Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer, who played on-again, off-again couple Ross and Rachel on the show, were secretly crushing on each other in those early years but never acted on it. There were emotionally-charged moments and some flat ones, but the reunion of Aniston, Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry will go down as one of the best moments in television history. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]