From the Editors: Periodic Covid-19 tests in schools best way forward

BEST WAY FORWARD: Making periodic COVID-19 tests a must for schoolgoers in Abu Dhabi is a step in the right direction. As the global fight against the coronavirus continues, getting screened regularly for the virus, besides vaccination, are the only way forward. This applies to people in all sectors. The greater the cooperation, the more effective is the combat. Of course, it goes without saying that following due precautionary measures is also a must at all times. [COMMENY BY Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor]

THINGS COULD GET OUT OF CONTROL IN IRAQ: A rocket attack on US-led forces near Erbil airport in northern Iraq on Monday killed a non-American civilian contractor and injured a US service member. Iran-backed Shiite militiamen have been playing a cat and mouse game with the heavy US troop presence in Iraq. It is routine for them to fire missiles at or around US bases in the country. But it is very rare for any casualties to occur. After one such attack, the US retaliated by killing about two dozen militiamen. Another militia attack was used as one of the reasons for the killing of Iranian Gen Qassem Soleimani and a key Iraqi militia boss in a US drone strike in January 2020. Any escalation that might result from these tit-for-tat attacks bodes ill for Iraq. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

VACCINE DELIVERY TO POOR GETS BOOST: The approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine by the World Health Organisation is good news as it will ensure that the jabs reach the poor. Covax, the effort to procure the vaccine for the most vulnerable 20 per cent in every country, is largely reliant on this vaccine. Rich nations across the world have started vaccinating their people. WHO’s move means poorer countries too can start doing this. The sooner three-fourths of the world’s population is vaccinated, the faster we can beat the COVID-19 pandemic. We will be safe only when others are safe too. [COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

SPIN THE NAME OF THE GAME FOR INDIA IN CHENNAI: Hosts India have rebounded in the Test series against England, and how! The spin trio of Ravi Ashwin, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav claimed 17 of the 20 rival wickets to fall in two innings as India wrapped up the second Test by a whopping 317 runs. And yes, despite several other solid performances like Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and skipper Virat Kohli, it will be remembered as Ashwin’s Test. The four-Test series is now nicely poised at 1-1, with the third Test in Ahmedabad – a day-night affair – offering interesting possibilities. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

BRITISH ROYALS READY TO SPILL THE TEA? Royalists will shift their focus stateside when talk show host Oprah Winfrey will have her sit down with Prince Harry and Meghan in what, one can only hope, will be a no holds barred interview with the British Royals on March 7. The couple, who only recently announced that they were pregnant again after a painful miscarriage, are expected to talk about ‘marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work’ to ‘handling life under intense public pressure’, according to CBS. But the real question on everyone’s mind is whether they will address the rumoured rift between the Royal family after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex dared to break away from the restraints of a public life in their high-profiled ‘Megxit’? Only time will tell. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]