From the Editors: A right step towards securing in-classroom learning in UAE

A RIGHT STEP TOWARDS SECURING IN-CLASSROOM LEARNING IN UAE: The UAE Ministry of Education and Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) have announced that students aged at least 16 years must have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days before returning to in-classroom learning in schools. The age criteria also applies to staff working in schools. This indeed is a very pragmatic step that will further secure the environment in schools across the country in countering the pandemic. While a return to in-classroom learning is imperative, ensuring the health and safety of students, teachers and non-teaching staff is also a prerogative. Right from the beginning of this pandemic, UAE has done everything possible to keep its citizens, residents and visitors safe. The latest decision regarding vaccination of school students aged 16 and above is in sync with the nation’s war against COVID-19. [COMMENT BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]

NEW IRAN PRESIDENT RAISI FACES MULTIPLE CRISIS: Ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi was on Tuesday inaugurated as the new president of Iran, a country facing economic and health crises as well as tensions with the West. Raisi’s presidency will consolidate power in the hands of conservatives. The 60-year-old faces big powers — the US and Britain — and Israel’s warnings to Iran over the recent tanker attack. After swearing in, Raisi said Iran will take steps to lift ‘tyrannical’ sanctions imposed by the US. But, he has to first tackle the nuclear talks aimed at reviving the deal. Iran is passing through difficult times. The economic malaise has been exacerbated by COVID-19, which cost more than 90,000 lives and also hit many Iranians in the pocket. And last month, demonstrators in oil-rich Khuzestan province, which has been hit by drought, took to the streets to vent their anger. Will conservatives be able to improve the conditions of the people and bring Iran out of worldwide isolation? Only time will tell. [COMMENT BY: Stephen N R, Senior Associate Editor]

MASS CORONAVIRUS TESTING IN WUHAN: China has announced mass coronavirus testing in Wuhan. This follows COVID-19 outbreaks in the city and in other parts of the country. China has largely curbed the virus at home mainly due to the widespread testing and strict measures taken. The numbers of new cases are low, but lockdowns and large-scale testing of populations have ensured that the cases do not spread. The Delta variant has been playing havoc in other parts of the world too and only strict measures and a united effort can help fight the coronavirus. [COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

TOKYO OLYMPICS 2020: KEVIN DURANT STANDS TALL AS US REACH OLYMPICS SEMI-FINALS: Kevin Durant, the NBA giant, has never returned from an Olympics without a gold - and clearly, doesn’t plan on that changing. . Durant scored 29 points to keep his quest for a third Olympic title alive and the US are headed to the medal round after ousting Spain 95-81 in a quarter final matchup at the Tokyo Games. Jayson Tatum scored 13 and Jrue Holiday added 12 for the US, who will play either Australia or Argentina in the semifinals on Thursday. The Americans also gave themselves the chance of extending a streak like none other in Olympic basketball history - in all 18 of their previous Olympic men’s basketball appearances, they’ve gone home with a medal. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

WHY WE NEED TO HIT PAUSE ON SHILPA SHETTY’S VILIFICATION: Let’s face facts: a juicy good scandal always sells. With the Raj Kundra arrest grabbing headlines around the globe, his wife, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra, has become an easy scapegoat for the social media trolls, speculative news features and people screaming themselves hoarse on the 9pm news. ‘She’s his wife, of course she was privy to Kundra’s pornography business,’ screamed one TV host. Elsewhere, a social media user speculated whether the money from the ‘porn business’ had been used to pay of the surrogate who gave birth to the couple’s second baby. As Shetty Kundra broke her silence yesterday, weeks after the arrest of her husband in the pornography racket, begging for some dignity and an end to a trial by media, it is important for us to remember the actress is not the one in prison here. Her role as a parent to her two children is not up for debate. And how is it any of our business whether they paid off a surrogate using ‘tainted money’? It’s time to maintain our own dignified silence if we have nothing better to say. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]