From the Editors: People welcome perfectly timed rains in the UAE

PERFECTLY TIMED RAINS: Rains in the UAE over the last couple of days have brought much cheer to residents, giving them another reason to enjoy their all-new weekend. What’s more, the rains were perfectly timed as they did not dampen the New Year eve celebrations. The heavy downpour the following morning was almost as if it was cleaning up after the party. This morning’s weather too makes it a beautiful Sunday, our very first relaxing Sunday, after 2021 morphed into 2022. (By Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor).

RIGHT CHOICE FOR INDIA’s CRICKET: Leadership is a role that will truly test one’s character. There have been many great leaders on the cricket field and some legends who are world beaters. But it rarely blends together and, more often than not, these individual’s performance graph goes down once they sit on the hot seat. But KL Rahul, the newly appointed Indian skipper for One Day Internationals, has shown his true mettle. The talented batter has soaked up the pressures of captaincy well and has been topping the batting charts in the Indian Premier League since he took charge of Punjab Kings. In a true sense the Indian selectors have found the right choice for the future. (A.K.S. Satish, Sports Editor)

RECONSIDER POLLS IN UP: India has reported 27,553 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours. This comes as the northern state of Uttar Pradesh - which has a population almost equal to that of Brazil or Pakistan - is heading to the polls. The High Court has suggested the government postpone the election as cases are expected to surge. But the Election Commission has said all political parties in the state want the polls to go ahead by March. Even now, thousands of people without masks have been heading to the election rallies being organised by political parties. Clearly, no one is in the mood to postpone the polls. That could prove to be a costly mistake. (Omar Sharif, International Editor)

FEARS in BOLLYWOOD: All eyes were on director SS Rajamouli and the makers of ‘RRR’ in the lead up to the film’s proposed release of January 7, with the outcome almost certainly setting a precedent of what the following weeks would determine for Bollywood at the box office. And the fear was rightfully founded, with the period epic now delayed indefinitely following a surge in a COVID-19 cases across India, resulting in several states pulling the shutters down on theatres. With ‘Jersey’ and now ‘RRR’ deferring their theatrical rollout, the domino effect could be catastrophic for film studios and showcasers that are still reeling from the pandemic losses across two years. For the sake of all players and the millions riding on the line, one can only hope this delay is temporary. (Bindu Rai, Tabloid Editor)