From the Editors: The sky is no limit for the UAE

THE SKY IS NO LIMIT: With less than a month to go for the UAE’s Hope Probe to reach Mars, the countdown to February 9 has begun in right earnest. That the UAE will be the first among the three space missions (the other two being from US and China) expected to reach the Red Planet next month is a matter of great pride. Clearly, the sky is no limit for the UAE which will also become the first Arab nation to achieve the feat. [COMMENT BY: Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor]

LONGER PRECAUTIONS NEEDED AFTER WHO WARNING: The World Health Organisation has sounded a note of caution for those who expect herd immunity to kick in as soon as people are vaccinated. The health body has said that people must continue to maintain social distancing and take other control measures for the foreseeable future to curb the pandemic. Scientists estimate that 70 per cent of the population need to be vaccinated to develop herd immunity, but some fear that the infectious nature of COVID-19 could require a higher threshold. WHO has warned this may not be achieved in 2021. So it is imperative that even as we get ready to be inoculated, we continue to take measures to protect ourselves and others from the coronavirus. [COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

OUTLOOK BRIGHTENS FOR OIL, BUT DISCIPLINE MATTERS: Over the weekend many analysts have revised their oil price outlook with Bank of Singapore forecasting $62 a barrel for Brent this year. Two key developments last week such as the OPEC oil cut and as the Democrat’s win in the Georgia runoffs, have significantly changed the supply demand dynamics of oil market. While greater supply control looks possible, the dominance of both houses of Congress by Democrats would mean greater US spending. While the post-pandemic economic recovery is likely to ease demand drag, on the supply side, more than the recent voluntary Saudi sacrifice of 1 million barrels per day, greater discipline supported by OPEC+ group cohesion is key to sustain the current upswing. [COMMENT BY: Babu Das Augustine, Business Editor]

MANCHESTER UNITED GET THEIR GROOVE BACK: It has been a long time coming but Manchester United look to finally have that famous groove back after they moved top of the Premier League on Tuesday night with a 1-0 win over Burnley. In recent years, the Old Trafford side had fallen so far that they would be dreading a clash with old rivals Liverpool. But after Paul Pogba’s strike took them top of the standings, they are relishing locking horns with Jurgen Klopp’s side on Sunday in the league. “We’re looking forward to it, we enjoy being where we are at any time. We go there knowing we’re playing the best team by a mile over the last year and a half. It’s a great test of where we’re at.” Welcome back, United. [COMMENT BY: Matthew Smith, Sports Editor]

NETFLIX PULLS OFF A CASTING COUP: With the fate of cinemas still perched on a knife’s edge, streaming giant Netflix has swooped in to fill in this market demand with a roster of 70 star-studded films that has left the competition bewildered. Oscar-winning stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Sandra Bullock and Halle Berry are bringing some top-notch films to the streaming platform, backed by commercial crowd pullers such as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot showing strength in numbers. It is still unclear when the pandemic will lift its cloud of gloom to allow conventional cinematic releases to take the spotlight once again. But the Netflix announcement has underscored that it wasn’t planning on waiting in the wings for that moment to arrive. And if there’s one thing the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us about viewership trends, it’s that fans will follow where the stars go and the big names have clearly made their choice. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]