From the Editors: New home quarantine rules in Abu Dhabi step in right direction

STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: The announcement of new home quarantine rules in Abu Dhabi today is another step towards effectively combating the spread of COVID-19 in the UAE. While unvaccinated people who come in touch with a positive case must observe quarantine for 12 days, the new rules stipulate that even those who are vaccinated but have come in touch with a positive case must stay home for seven days, with a PCR test being conducted on Day 6. This will ensure that no one takes a chance, while sparing others the risk of infection. It also goes without saying that we continue to wear masks, maintain hand hygiene and keep necessary social distance. [COMMENT BY: Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor]

SOUND BYTES WILL NOT HELP LEBANON: In dramatic fashion, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that his country was ‘days away’ from social explosion. That is quite obvious. What is not clear is what Diab and other political leaders plan to do about it. In the absence of a proper government, his outgoing administration cannot even re-start talks with the International Monetary Fund, as the new government - if at all it emerges - may very well not uphold any commitments made to the IMF. The type of severe economic crisis Lebanon is going through is usually associated with wars, as the World Bank noted. In Lebanon’s case, it is a result of extreme economic policies that have left the banking system insolvent and led to collapse of the currency. The worst part is the politicians cannot even agree on forming a government. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

AFGHANISTAN FACES AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE: When the world is waging a war on COVID-19, there is a different war raging in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of Afghan families are fleeing to escape the Taliban’s rapid advance into the country’s northern region and an even larger refugee crisis is brewing as the US is set to leave the country. The Afghan forces are also fleeing to neighbouring countries. At least 1,000 Afghan forces fled to Tajikistan after brutal attack. About five million Afghans have fled their homes between 2012 and 2020 and over three million have fled the country in the same period. And the US departure leaves Afghanistan facing an uncertain future, with an increasingly confident Taliban appearing to set the stage for a military takeover and another round of internecine civil war. [COMMENT BY: Stephen N R, Senior Associate Editor]

FEDERER, DJOKOVIC ON SONG IN WIMBLEDON’S LAST MANIC MONDAY: It was Wimbledon’s last Manic Monday as from next year, no longer will all 16 fourth-round singles matches be scheduled on one day, a tradition vanishing along with that of a Middle Sunday without any play. Fittingly enough, it saw the organisers allowing full capacity crowd as eight-time champion Roger Federer made it to the quarter finals – sounding happy to extend his stay to the second week. Novak Djokovic, No.1 and multiple champion here, made his 12th last round appearance here while former winner Angelique Kerber ended 17-year-old American Coco Gauff’s run. ‘’I’ve been happy I played in an era when there was a Middle Sunday. We have to go with the times. I understand,’’ Federer said later. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

KARAN JOHAR’S WELCOME RETURN TO DIRECTION: You may disagree, but Karan Johar is one of the most talented and insightful filmmakers in Bollywood today. The man knows his audience and delivers on that promise with his candy floss entertainers that rarely fail to strike gold at the box office. After a five-year hiatus that saw Johar become a father to twins, launch a talent agency and stand accused of facilitating a toxic environment In Bollywood that shuns outsiders in favour of star kids, the filmmaker has finally found the confidence to step off the emotional roller-coaster and return to direction. ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ke Prem Kahani’, which stars Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh in the lead, may not serve up a path breaking story that will change the course of Bollywood, but it promises a larger-than-life canvas to fans starved for entertainment. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]