From the editors: We are nearing the end of the COVID war

WE ARE NEARING THE END OF THE COVID WAR. With the COVID-19 vaccination programme in the UAE on in full swing, it seems that we are rapidly reaching the final stages of the war against the pandemic. Fifty more vaccination delivery stations have been set up in Sharjah Expo Centre. At the same time, the Dubai Health Authority has begun administering the second dose of the vaccine. Dubai has also begun easing restrictions regarding mass gatherings at hotels and homes. However, the war isn’t over yet. Thus we must continue to maintain the protocols like social distancing, wearing masks and using sanitisers to keep the virus at bay. (COMMENT BY: Somshankar Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Editor)

IMPEACHMENT MUST NOT HAMPER BIDEN AGENDA. Incoming US President Joe Biden has his hands full. As if the economy and the coronavirus were not enough, he will now have to navigate key decisions with the impeachment of President Donald Trump in the background. The multiple events will likely make for a complicated opening with Trump’s trial in the Senate beginning on his first day in office. The US Congress and the people must find a way to move through these troubled times quickly. The sooner Biden is allowed to focus on his agenda the better it will be for the country. (COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor)

LABUSCHAGNE COMES TO THE RESCUE OF AUSTRALIA. Marnus Labuschagne is slowly, but surely, turning out to be a rock of Australia’s Test batting line-up. A fifth century in 18 Tests by the South Africa-born Australian put the hosts in control of the fourth and final Test against India at the Gabba in Brisbane on Friday. Coming into to the crease in the second over with Australia in trouble at four for one, he scored 108 before being caught behind to give debutant T. Natarajan his first Test wicket. (COMMENT BY: by Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor)

COVID-19 MOVIES ARE COMING. Hollywood actors Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor are set to star in a movie set during the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the first major films to include the global crisis in its plot. It’s not a grim story though; ‘Locked Down’ is a romcom heist caper. In the near future, there will be a slew of movies and shows based on the pandemic. It’s only natural and cannot be ignored by the entertainment industry. However, it would be irresponsible to make art that glosses over the realities of the pandemic; how it hit minorities and the poor hard, and how diligently frontline workers have been fighting. Movies made in the future should be balanced while also being entertaining. (COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor – Features)