From the Editors: Don't let your guard down during National Day

DO NOT LOWER THE GUARD WHILE CELEBRATING THE NATIONAL DAY: Expatriates in the UAE always celebrate UAE’s National Day along with the Emiratis. They are take full advantage of the long weekend and make extensive plans to show their love for the country. Since, majority of them are unable to travel due to COVID-19 restrictions, many have planned activities including during the five-day holidays. While some prefer to spend time in shopping malls benefitting from sales, others head to the parks, desert and mountains to have good time. Some of us have arranged social gatherings to spend quality time with friends and relatives. Whatever the case may be, residents must not lower the guard to avoid the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. [COMMENT BY: Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor]

LEBANON REMAINS IN A STATE OF IMPASSE: An international aid conference will be chaired today by French President Emmanuel Macron for Lebanon. However, hopes are down as Lebanon is still in a state of impasse. The country has not taken any real step to form a government. The political, economic and administrative situation continues to be as delicate as it has been all these months, despite the tremendously precarious situation wrought by the currency collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic and the colossal blast in August. Therefore, it is not politically sound to expect miracles from this summit. It will likely be slim on any real commitments. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

WILLINGNESS TO HELP CAN OVERCOME CHALLENGES: Forced migration, impact of global warming and conflicts will result in 25 million people requiring help in 2021. Add to that the number of people already suffering from the effects of COVID-19, and the UN humanitarian agency will have its hands full. What can we do about this? At Gulf News we get regular calls from readers asking how they can help people in need. This is the first step - a willingness to help and a heart of compassion. Even during the pandemic people were giving out of an abundance of love. The new year may bring many challenges, but if humanity stands together it can tide over the difficulties. [COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

BEWARE, NORMALCY COULD COME WITH TAPER TANTRUM: Wall Street kicked off December with more milestones, as a broad rally pushed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite to new highs. In November stock markets enjoyed one of their best months ever reflecting investors’ confidence about things returning to normalcy in 2021. Currently, apart from the recovery optimism driven by vaccine headlines, low interest rates is the key driver of valuations. If the recovery takes hold in the first half of 2021 and inflation begins to pop up its ugly head, central banks will be forced to tighten rates. That leaves us with the prospect of a new round of taper tantrum, driving down equity valuations and potentially hurting emerging market currencies and bonds.[COMMENT BY: BABU Das Augustine, Business Editor]

CONTRASTING FORTUNES FOR LIVERPOOL, REAL MADRID: It was happening night at the Uefa Champions League on Tuesday. Liverpool, depleted as they are with a spate of injuries, relied on a strike by teenager Curtis Jones to see off Ajax and make their way to last 16 as manager Jurgen Klopp called it one of their ‘most difficult’ fixtures in the competition which they won last year. However, Zinedine Zidane seems to be unable to replicate the magic with Real Madrid, which saw the Spanish giants almost establish a stranglehold on the European title not so long ago. Shakhtar Donetsk, the Ukrainian side, won both their home and away matches to push the decorated side on the threshold of an early exit. The Frenchman, however, is in no mood to give up so easily. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

All over the world, Spotify users are checking their most listened to artists and songs with the yearly ‘Wrapped’ feature that launched today. The feature gives users a detailed breakdown of their listening habits and most people post their results on social media. It ends up being a fun compare and contrast between friends and strangers, and shows how music really does bring people together. Whether it’s bonding over being a fan of the same artist, or falling in love a brand new genre, music goes beyond just lyrics and melody. [COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto Assistant Editor – Features]