From the Editors: Dubai golden visas in the field of art and culture continuation of a rich legacy

DUBAI GOLDEN VISAS IN THE FIELD OF ART AND CULTURE CONTINUATION OF A RICH LEGACY: Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) has issued 69 golden visas to creative individuals in the field of art and culture in 2020. This was revealed by a GDRFA official on Thursday at the ongoing Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. The golden visa rule is a fantastic provision to attract talented professionals from various fields to Dubai and the UAE. The world-class infrastructure that Dubai offers, coupled with its consumer and entrepreneur-friendly business atmosphere have always been major factors towards transforming Dubai into a global hub for trade and commerce. Now with the golden visas, Dubai has further cemented its place among professionals as one of the most preferred destinations in the world for long-term residency. Offering golden visas to the best of creative minds in art and culture is in keeping with that tradition. [COMMENT by Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]

NO PLACE FOR MILITARY COUPS: The United Nations Security Council has called for the release of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi who has been detained in a coup and US President Joe Biden has said the military should step down. But such demands don’t seem to have mattered in Myanmar itself where a senior member of the deposed ruling party has become the latest prominent politician to be arrested. Military coups do not have a place in the modern world and international bodies and governments are doing the right thing by putting pressure on the Myanmar junta to take a step back. [COMMENT by Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

BACK AT HIS HAPPY HUNTING GROUND, DJOKOVIC STARTS AGAINST CHARDY: The Australian Open is to Novak Djokovic what French Open is to Rafa Nadal, or Wimbledon is to Roger Federer. The world No.1, who captured a record-extending eighth title at Melbourne Park last year, begins his title-defence against Jeremy Chardy while reigning women's champion Sofia Kenin meets wild card Maddison Inglis after the draw was made on Friday. Meanwhile, the good news is that there have been no new cases of COVID-19, clearing the decks for the year’s first grand slam to begin on schedule on Monday. [COMMENT by Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

IMPORTANT TO BE MINDFUL: Pop musician Sia has been embroiled in controversy over her upcoming movie ‘Music’, which has been slammed by many people in the autism community. One issue that has been pointed out is the depiction of the use of restraint in sequences involving actress Maddie Ziegler’s titular character, who is autistic. Sia has since said that a warning will be added to the movie. The outrage shows that filmmakers need to be mindful of the depiction of people who are differently abled. They already lack representation in so many facets of life, including on the screen. So when they are included in a movie or TV show, extra care must be taken to tell their stories authentically and after enough research is done. [COMMENT by Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor - Features]