From the Editors: UAE set to take a ‘giant leap’ with lunar rover

UAE SET TO TAKE A ‘GIANT LEAP’: After successful Mars Mission, UAE is set to take a ‘giant leap’ to the moon. Emirati scientists are engaged to achieve another historic feat— building their own lunar rover named ‘Rashid’. It is the smallest and the lightest rover to ever land on the moon. We are proud of our scientists as this will not only be the first lunar mission from the Arab world but will also make the UAE only the fourth country in the world to land on the Moon. UAE has already proven its mettle in the space program by sending its astronaut to space and now is set to open the lunar pathway in coming years. [COMMENT BY: Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor]

VIGILANCE NEEDED TO FIGHT COVID-19: More than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic started, it is still out of control in many countries. In Brazil, more than 66,000 people died of the coronavirus in March and in France a limited lockdown is in force. India, too, has recorded high numbers of COVID-19 cases over the past few days. So while countries are making efforts to roll out vaccine jabs, the fight against the virus has not ended. In fact, we need to be more cautious now because a sense of lethargy seems to be stepping in. People around the world are letting their guard down, either because of a false sense of confidence or because they have been inoculated. Vigilance is needed now, more than at any time before. [COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

FAMOUS GERMAN PRIDE TAKE A KNOCK-AGAINST NORTH MACEDONIA: A defeat for Germany is always big news in football – more so if it’s their first World Cup qualifying loss in 20 years. The final months of coach Joachim Low's 15-year reign in charge of the team got sullied with a stunning 2-1 loss to North Macedonia on Wednesday - that left the team sitting third in their group after three games. It was only the country’s third ever loss in the qualifiers since since 1934, the other two coming against Portugal in 1985, when it was West Germany, and the famous 5-1 thrashing by England 20 years ago.[COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

FINDING JOY IN MUSIC: Wim Hoste, a UAE-based singer songwriter, has created a song called ‘Life is Beautiful’ along with a number of local and international artists. The moving track aims to bring a message of hope and positivity to people. The ability of music to heal and empower is evident as many artists around the world have created similar projects amid the pandemic. Bon Jovi, Pitbull, Bono, OneRepublic and Avril Lavigne are some of the artists who have used their voices and creativity to boost people’s spirits during these trying times. Never underestimate the power of a good tune! [COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor – Features]