From the Editors: All residents must get vaccination to prevent COVID-19 spread

IT IS TIME TO BE VACCINATED, IT IS FREE FOR ALL: Health authorities in the UAE have urged all residents to get vaccination to prevent COVID-19 spread. Vaccination jabs are available free of cost across the country including government health centres and many private hospitals. Authorities have made vaccine readily available for everyone with an aim to inoculate 50 per cent of the UAE population until the first quarter of 2021. We are lucky that we live in the country, which cares for everyone. Now, it is our collective responsibility to respond to the call and help the government achieve its target. We can make UAE COVID-19 free society and ensure safety of everyone by getting vaccine jabs at the earliest. [COMMENT BY: Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor]

CORONAVIRUS ORIGIN PROBE DELAYED: More than a year since the first reports of COVID-19 were released, we are yet to find out the origins of the coronavirus. An expert team that was preparing to visit China for this purpose was told at the last minute that the necessary permissions were not ready. This has prompted WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to deliver a rare critique of Beijing. The probe into the origins of the coronavirus that has ravaged the world is long overdue. This must be done not to cast blame, but to ensure that future generations are protected.[COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

DISEASE TO FOLLOW A DEBT DOOM AND INEQUALITY LOOP? The consensus that emerged at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association that ended on Tuesday was that the world economy will be exiting the pandemic weighed down by much bigger debts and increased inequality. Global debt rose by more than $15 trillion last year to a record $277 trillion, equivalent to 365 per cent of world output, according to the Institute of International Finance. While rich countries like the US have cushioned the blow to their citizens with government aid, poorer nations have been unable to do that. With the rising debts, particularly in poor countries, inequality is something that is certain to rise and hobble global growth in the longer term. [COMMENT BY: Babu Das Augustine, Business Editor]

MESSI ON POCHETTINO SHOPPING LIST AT PSG: New Paris St-Germain Mauricio Pochettino seems to have sent out an overture to Barcelona’s wantaway superstar Lionel Messi by stating “any big player in the world is always welcome at PSG”. Messi has requested a transfer from the Catalan club and has been strongly linked with a switch to Manchester City in England and Inter Milan in Italy. But Pochettino’s comments has thrust PSG back into contention for the Argentine superstar — who has a strong bond with current PSG striker and former Barca teammate Neymar. Should Messi head to Paris, and they manage to hold on to young France superstar Kylian Mbappe, last year’s Champions League finalists would have a formidable front line, that even Bayern Munich would fear. [COMMENT BY : Matthew Smith, Sports Editor]

BIDDING GOODBYE TO AMERICA’S SWEETHEART, TANYA ROBERTS: Tanya Roberts grabbed headlines more so in the past 48 hours than she probably did in these past few decades after her publicist and her partner mistakenly informed the world that the former Bond girl had died in a hospital, only to retract the statement a few hours later. The unfortunate scenario unfolded when Roberts’ publicist Mike Pingel supposedly assumed she had died after her partner Lance O’Brien told him he had bid goodbye to the actress one final time. Roberts shot to fame starring alongside Roger Moore’s James Bond in ‘A View to Kill’. Her acting credits also include ‘Charlie’s Angels’, ‘The Beastmaster’ and playing Midge in the sitcom, ‘That ‘70s Show’. Despite the unfortunate drama that unfolded in the lead up to her passing, let’s take a moment to appreciate her acting legacy and the fact that she was so much more than just a headline to her fans. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]