From the Editors: Mars mission is a welcome step

MARS MISSION IS A WELCOME STEP: For more than a year, the news has been dominated by coronavirus and the damage it has done all over the world. But now we get to talk about something that is out of this world. Literally. NASA’s Perseverance rover has landed on Mars and will now start looking for signs of life on the Red Planet. It’s taken 10 years of preparatory work and is a monumental moment in history. Following its six-month journey, the spacecraft successfully landed on the Jezero Crater having decelerating from 20,000kph. At that speed you could get from London to New York in just 15 minutes. The first step has been completed and now the really exciting work begins – to find evidence of life. The six-wheeled vehicle will spend two years on Jezero which is believed to have held a lake billions of years ago. Whether it finds anything or not out there, it sure is a welcome step from what we are dealing with on our own planet right now. [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Editor]

CAN ARJUN TENDULKAR SHINE ON THE IPL STAGE?: It did not come as a surprise that Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun was eventually picked up by Mumbai Indians in the IPL auction, but the 21-year-old left-arm fast bowler will have to prove himself in order to get a break in the star-studded bowling line-up. Head coach Mahela Jayawardene said he was picked up on ‘’pure skill’’ and not because of the surname – through it will weigh heavy on him. Joining at his base price of $ 27,522, Arjun should try to make the best use of the two months available under team’s fast bowling coach Shane Bond to develop his skills. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

DO NOT SEEK COVID-19 TESTS FROM UNAUTHORISED ENTITIES: The shutting down of a travel agency in the Business Bay area of Dubai on Thursday over offering customers unauthorised PCR tests for COVID-19 is indeed a reassuring bit of news. This goes to show that the authorities in Dubai and the UAE are not only keeping a vigil on strict compliance with COVID-19 safety protocol, but at the same time they are also ensuring that no unauthorised solicitation of any kind is allowed on any front in fighting the pandemic. As responsible community members, it is incumbent upon all to not fall prey to any offer for test or treatment by any unauthorised person or organisation. Along with following the prescribed precautionary measures, it is equally important to ensure that one does not seek any kind of service – medical or non-medical – from sources that are not vetted and approved by the designated government-approved agencies. [COMMENT BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]

SPREADING VIRAL JOY: Pakistani actress Mahira Khan is the latest celebrity to take part in a viral meme that started due to a simple but funny video. Pakistani influencer Dananeer Mobeen’s ‘pawri hori hai’ clip on Instagram has been viewed millions of times and has been recreated by people all over the world. Its spread shows the power of social media to not only influence but also spread joy in a time where there is so much sadness and uncertainty. Mobeen’s video and all its iterations are the types of social media trends that we need in this world. [Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor - Features]