From the Editors: Drive safely in the fog

DRIVE SAFELY IN FOG: Another innocent life was snuffed out last week as a result of a 19-vehicle crash due to heavy fog in Abu Dhabi last week. The multiple collision took place in the Maqatara area, on a road leading to Al Mafraq. According to police, the accident occurred due to drivers not paying attention to road conditions, and a failure to maintain safe distance from other vehicles. Despite countless campaigns by the authorities, the lack of safe driving habits remains a major cause for concern. It is time that such motorists changed their behaviour on the roads for everyone’s benefit. [COMMENT by Somshankar Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Editor]

IS THE PHENOMENAL LIVERPOOL RUN COMING TO AN END? Like all good things, Premier League champions Liverpool’s phenomenal home run had to come to an end. It’s the nature of the sport that it came after 68 matches, against a lowly Burnley on Thursday, when they lost 1-0 as their title-defence hopes continued to fade after two extremely consistent seasons. An 83rd minute penalty from Ashley Barnes, after he was brought down by goalkeeper Alisson Becker, decided the contest after Juergen Klopp’s side failed to score for the fourth straight league match. [COMMENT by Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

BIDEN AIMS TO TACKLE COVID-19 WITH FIRM HAND: Fighting COVID-19 needs a firm hand and US President Joe Biden demonstrated just that when he issued a sweeping set of executive orders to tackle the pandemic. The orders on virus testing and managing the roll-out of medical supplies and vaccines is the need of the hour if the country has to stop the runaway death rates, predicted to rise by another 100,000 in the next month. The onus on implementation also lies with the people who must take wearing masks seriously and maintain social distancing protocols. Too many lives have been lost to the coronavirus. It is time to fight the virus with all our resources. [COMMENT by Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

REPRESENTATION MATTERS: Indian actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas has fought her way to the top – going from Miss World to starring in big-budget global projects. Now, she wants to make seeing South Asians in global TV shows and movies a normal thing. Amid discussions about representation that have been going on for years, it’s important that the actors themselves start creating opportunities. Leaving it in the hands of production houses might mean diversity is never achieved. Chopra Jonas opened the door and instead of closing it behind her, she wants to hold it open for others. [COMMENT BY Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor - Features]