From the Editors: New guidelines for hiring domestic workers in UAE will help all stakeholders

NEW GUIDELINES FOR HIRING DOMESTIC WORKERS IN UAE WILL HELP ALL STAKEHOLDERS: A new set of guidelines issued by the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation over hiring of domestic workers is a step in the right direction as well as a stitch in time. According to the new strictures, domestic workers cannot be hired for just a few hours or days. The latest rules make it mandatory to employ these workers for a minimum of seven days and are not allowed to be transferred or replaced during that period. Moreover, all domestic workers need to be tested for COVID-19 not more than 48 hours before their deployment at any particular household. Such steps in times of the pandemic are in the fitness of things and will help minimise the risk of exposure for these workers and their employers as well. [COMPILED BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]

LEBANON IS FALLING INTO AN ABYSS IN FRONT OF OUR EYES: The numbers have now become surreal. In a year and a half, the Lebanese pound has become almost worthless, losing 90 per cent of its value against the US dollar. In the make-belief world of Lebanon’s officialdom, the currency remains pegged to the dollar at LP1,507. But in the real world, the exchange rate has skyrocketed to LP15,000. What does this mean? If you earned LP300,000 you could buy stuff worth $200 with it in 2019. Now, with the same salary, you can buy stuff worth $20. A quarter of all Lebanese have been pushed into extreme poverty, compared with just 8 per cent in 2019. Of course, this crisis doesn’t impact the venal political establishment that is responsible for it. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

INDIA COVID-19 NUMBERS RISE WITH ELECTIONS ROUND THE CORNER: India’s coronavirus figures are rising, just months after showing a dramatic decline. The latest data showed nearly 29,000 infections in a day, the highest increase since the middle of December. Crowding and a reluctance to wear masks have been labelled as culprits. With elections round the corner in five states, unless precautions are taken COVID-19 numbers are set to rise further. Vaccinations in the country are slowly picking up, but there is still a long way to go. The good work done by health authorities over the past few months must not be allowed to go in vain. [COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

T20 SERIES: INDIA LEFT WITH MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS: Jos Buttler, England’s wicketkeeper-batsman, was at it again as the visitors wrested a 2-1 lead in the T20 series against India – leaving the hosts with more questions than answers. In the first and third T20s, they lost their top three batsmen with less than 25 runs on the board and were playing catch-up from there while the bowlers – barring Bhubaneswar Kumar and Washington Sundar – have failed to contain the rival batsmen. And yes, KL Rahul looks very short on confidence so far and should make his way for someone else. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

DEMI LOVATO’S BRAVE CONFESSION SHOWS DARK SIDE OF HOLLYWOOD: Demi Lovato’s brave confession about being raped as a teenager while working with Disney sheds light on the dark side of showbiz. These powerful corridors are littered with dark closets bearing skeletons of studio and music executives who have exploited and failed to protect child stars from abuse and addiction. The 2019 Judy Garland biopic starring Renee Zellweger served as a cautionary tale of how Hollywood can use, abuse and throw away talent once their worth is served. Lovato has chronicled her own horror story in her new YouTube docu-series, ‘Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil’ where she speaks up about her sexual abuse, her struggle with bulimia, drugs and alcohol addiction. In this #MeToo era for Hollywood and the music industry, is speaking your truth truly enough to bring about change? [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]