From the Editors: UAE leads in COVID-19 management

UAE leads in COVID-19 management: In another acknowledgement of the UAE’s stellar handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Soft Power Index, issued by Brand Finance, has ranked the UAE as the top country from the Middle East and 14th in the world in handling the crisis efficiently. Evidence of this is already around us as the country has opened up to the world and life is mostly back to normal. We are now in the last stage of winning the war against the pandemic, and we’ll soon be there! - Somshankar Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Editor

‘No Deal’ is not an option in the long run: Amid the messy Brexit negotiations between the UK and the European Union, with the time running out for a deal, many anticipate a ‘No Deal Brexit’ that will come with higher tariffs, clogged entry and exit points, and uncertainty over data sharing and fishing rights. While the EU countries too will take the brunt, the impact will be distributed among 27 countries. One official estimate suggests that the lack of a trade deal would take an extra 2 per cent off Britain’s economic output and drive up inflation, unemployment and public borrowing. Even if a deal may not be pulled off before December 31, there is no escape for UK from some kind of deal in the long run. - Babu Das Augustine, Banking Editor

Addition of Moderna will only benefit US anti-coronavirus fight: America has approved Moderna as its second COVID-19 vaccine, leading to millions more doses. In total, America may buy 200 million of these jabs, with six million slated for the first batch. The logistics involved in transporting Moderna vaccines are easier as it requires temperatures of around -20C for shipping - similar to a normal freezer. This is in contrast to the prior approved vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and BioNTech SE, which requires temperatures closer to -75C. The response of the world’s only superpower to COVID-19 has left much to be desired, with 315,000 deaths and 17.5 million cases. It now seems to be getting its house in order - something that couldn’t have come a moment too soon. - Omar Shariff, International Editor

Darkness at noon for India at Adelaide: If India’s 42 all out against England during their 1974 tour was regarded as their lowest point in Test cricket so far, it plumetted to a new depth when they were all out for 36 in the first Test against Australia at Adelaide. Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane – men with strong overseas records looked out of depth against an extraordinary exhibition of hostile fast bowling by Josh Hazlewood (5-8) and Pat Cummins (4-21). It’s a scar which will not go away in a hurry in the three remaining Test matches, and the job will not be any easier with skipper Kohli’s scheduled departure for India to be with his wife for her childbirth. - Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor

'Cyberpunk 2077’ launch: A botched tale Some Christmas dreams will remain unfulfilled this year with the botched launch of ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ raining on our parade. The game was the most hotly anticipated release of the year, but less than 10 days in and Sony pulled the plug and removed the game from its online store. Such a drastic measure was taken after days of complaints by frustrated players that all was not right with the game. Microsoft responded by offering fans a refund but has decided to keep the game available for sale for now. Exactly what went wrong with the Keanu Reeves-starrer is anybody’s guess, but this botched launch does call into question the industry norms of pushing ahead with a release even when a game isn’t quite ready to roll out. CD Projekt Red apparently was aware of the hiccups, but pushed ahead regardless to make it to the Christmas list. Unfortunately, they landed on Santa’s naughty list this year. - Bindu Rai Entertainment Editor