From the Editors: UAE early risers have healthy morning regimens

EARLY RISERS AND THEIR MORNING REGIMENS: Temperatures may be soaring by the day, but early risers make the most of the relatively pleasant mornings. A look at the Dubai Creek or the tracks around the many parks in the city is enough proof of this, as residents are up and about their morning regimens. Of course, there are many who prefer to hit the gyms or do some mall walking in air-conditioned comfort, but that’s another matter. The point is to stay active and stay fit, with due precautions, to guard not only against the extreme heat but also COVID-19. [COMMENT BY: Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor]

DELTA VARIANT UPSURGE FORCES ISRAEL TO DELAY TOURISM: Israel has postponed the reopening of its borders to foreign tourists until August 1, reinforced quarantine regulations and introduced a 5,000-shekel ($1,535) fine on parents whose children don’t quarantine when required in an effort to stop the spread of Delta variant of COVID-19. Mask wearing, scrapped just days ago, was reimposed at airports, border crossings and medical facilities, and will be required in all closed public places if new daily infections don’t fall below 100 soon. Most of the new cases have been unvaccinated children and people returning from abroad. Delta variant that triggered a dangerous new phase in the pandemic has been found in more than 80 countries since it was first detected in India and it is spreading panic across nations. Israel’s swift action is a lesson to learn.[COMMENT BY: Stephen N R, Senior Associate Editor]

INDIA CAN FEND OFF ANOTHER COVID-19 WAVE: Second wave or third wave? Or is it the fourth? When the coronavirus first hit parts of the world, every infection was reported. People wondered how the coronavirus could travel so fast around the globe. Then came the deaths and the lockdowns. Today, about 18 months after the first case was reported, the focus is not so much on individual cases, but on the wave of infections. Europe has seen three waves, Portugal is fearing a fourth and India is fighting the second, with an eye on the third. India reported 54,069 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday which took the infection tally to more than 30 million, while 1,321 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 391,981, according to the Union Health Ministry data. While fears of a third wave of infections in India are based on statistical modelling, the country can fend off a fresh spike in numbers if vaccinations are speeded up and people follow the safety protocols. [COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

GERMANY SCRAPE THROUGH TO EURO 2020 LAST 16 IN DRAMATIC NIGHT: Never write off the Germans. We always say it – but they left it incredibly late to book their places in the last 16 of Euro 2020. Trailing against Hungary 2-1 with just six minutes remaining, Germany were rock bottom of Group F and facing an embarrassing early exit from the tournament. But then substitute Goretzka found the net and the match ended 2-2 meaning Germany progressed at the expense of Hungary, who put in another battling display. Now, Germany will face England in the knockout stages and this is where we tend to see their cool mentality help them advance even when they’re not playing particularly well. They will fancy their chances against Gareth Southgate’s men but they’re playing at Wembley and England will hope the fans will act as a 12th man and see them into the quarter finals. [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Editor]

BRITNEY NEEDS TO BE FREED: At almost 40 years old, pop star and global icon Britney Spears has revealed the shocking conditions of the conservatorship she is under, and which she is trying to be set free from. She told a Los Angeles judge on Wednesday that she has been drugged, made to work against her will and has not been allowed to remove a birth control device despite wanting to have more children. "I just want my life back,” she said during the trial. It’s unimaginable that any woman should be forced to bend to someone else’s will, let alone a woman who is as famous and as publically loved as Spears. [COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor – Features]