From the Editors: Put that phone or camera away while driving

PUT THAT PHONE OR CAMERA AWAY WHILE DRIVING: Dubai Police have once again advised motorists to refrain from clicking pictures or videos while driving. There have been several incidents in the past when major accidents have occurred, sometimes leading to loss of life as well, due to distracted driving. The danger can be all the more imminent when the roads are slushy and slippery owing to rain, just as they have been over the last few days in Dubai and other parts of the country. The authorities keep reminding motorists and pedestrians as well about ideal and safe road behaviour. Yet, accidents keep happening, primarily because we road users often tend to throw caution to the wind in our desperate bid to live life on the edge – whether it is clicking pictures while driving, not maintaining safe distance between vehicles or speeding. The UAE authorities have done everything possible to ensure road safety and security for all, but if we community members – and motorists in particular – still prefer not to adhere to the rules, then we are only likely to invite pain. And we should not be blaming anyone for that, but ourselves! [COMMENT BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]

PREMIER LEAGUE: ANOTHER BLOW FOR MAN UNITED HOPES: Manchester United suffered their first defeat in interim manager Ralf Rangnick’s tenure, forcing senior defender Luke Shaw questioning the togetherness and commitment of the squad after Monday’s 1-0 home defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers, the latest setback in their troubled season. Shaw wanted more intensity from the team as he said: ‘’We have to put more pressure on them, we have to have intensity. Us players, we have been here a long time, maybe tonight we struggled, I didn't think we were all there together. You look at the players we have, we have unbelievable quality but sometimes quality is not enough," Shaw told Sky Sports.[COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

MOVIE STUDIOS AND STARS CONTINUE TO FACE OFF COVID-19: The fear of COVID-19 continues to strike at the heart of Hollywood and the Indian film industry, with celebrities and films falling in its shadow as collateral damage. Marvel superhero movie ‘Morbius’ is the latest big-ticket project to see its release date pushed from January 28 to April 1, amidst Omicron fears. This despite the Jared Leto film already postponed several times during the COVID-19 pandemic. The news is equally grim in India, with movies such as ‘RRR’ and ‘Jersey’ already delayed, while several high profile stars have revealed their personal battle with the virus, including actor John Abraham, Mrunal Thakur and producer Ekta Kapoor. Meanwhile, veteran star Prem Chopra has landed in the hospital over his prognosis. It remains to be seen how the pandemic will play out in 2022, but now isn’t the time to complacent. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]