WILL POLITICS LEAVE US UNEMPLOYED HIGH AND DRY?: When the US Congress passed the $900 billion pandemic relief bill last week it looked like a fresh lease of life for the economic support for more than 10 million unemployed Americans who would have benefitted from it until March. President Trump Tuesday hinted he may veto the measure, which he sees as unsatisfactory. He called for direct payments to be more than tripled to $2,000 per adult. Caught up in a bipartisan dispute and a threat of veto looming, the relief payout could be delayed for weeks. Persistent stress facing the economy with personal income falling and jobless claims remaining elevated, a political dispute over the relief measures is the last thing the needy US households would want. [COMMENT BY: Babu Das Augustine, Business Editor]
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DHA RECEIVES GLOBAL ACCOLADES: Dubai has won another global feather in its cap in its fight against COVID-19, as International Hospital Federation recognized the Dubai Health Authority’s (DHA) hospitals among the top 100 hospitals in the category ‘Beyond the Call of Duty for COVID-19 Programme’ for its response to the pandemic. DHA received the recognition badge after a thorough review by an international review committee consisting of 16 experts from the health-care industry. This international recognition once again pays tribute the exemplary steps taken by the UAE authorities to combat the pandemic. [COMMENT BY: Somshankar Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Editor]
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LISTEN TO THE POPE: During his Christmas Day address, which was delivered online for the first time ever instead of the balcony at St Peter's Basilica as is tradition, Pope Francis called on world leaders to make sure unrestrained access is made available to everyone for the COVID-19 vaccine. The pontiff warned against putting up “walls” to treatments which means everybody - whether they be billionaires or paupers - deserve fair and equal access to it. But it appears that this is just a pipe dream as the wealthier nations have already bought disproportionate doses compared to the poorer ones. We can only hope the Pope’s words aren’t forgotten no sooner than they have been uttered… [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Editor]
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INDIA TAKE STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION: India took their first steps in the right direction on the road to redemption as they dismissed Australia for 195 on the first day of the second Test on Saturday in Melbourne. The tourists are desperate to restore pride after being skittled for 36 during their embarrassing thrashing in the first Test in Adelaide. There is still a long way to go — as India know too well, having thrown away a commanding position in the first Test — but the form of Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj with the ball will give them much needed confidence. Now for the batsmen to play their part ... [COMMENT BY: Matthew Smith, Sport Editor]
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ANOTHER CELEB COVID-19 CASE: ‘Criminal Minds’ actor Shemar Moore is the latest star to get hit by the virus. He says his symptoms aren’t too serious at the moment. While it’s unclear how he got it, these kinds of things are bound to happen as the film and TV industry attempts to get back into the swing of things. In Bollywood itself, a number of actors such as Varun Dhawan, Neetu Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh tested positive amid shooting for their projects. The show must go on to sustain jobs but how can they prevent the spread of the virus? There are no easy answers here, but extensive precautions must be taken. [COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto Assistant Editor, Features]
Image Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
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