From the Editors: We must all adhere to Dubai’s New Year guidelines

DUBAI’S NEW YEAR GUIDELINES ALLOW EVERYONE TO PARTY WITH PEACE OF MIND: Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management on Saturday announced precautionary measures for New Year’s Eve celebrations limiting the social gatherings to maximum 30 people. Host will face fine of Dh50, 000 for violating this rule while every individual attending such event will get Dh5, 000 penalty. All these safety precautions are for the good of people as unlike many places in the world, Dubai allows to hold New Year celebrations but with precautions. Now, it is duty of everyone partying in town to adhere to mandatory guidelines to ensure safety of everyone amid COVID-19 pandemic. [COMMENT BY: Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor]

WILL RACISM EVER END? The tragic death of George Floyd should have been the wakeup call to the world to finally put an end once and for all to racial discrimination. Sadly, it has not with news this week of the death of Dr. Susan Moore, a black woman, who was hospitalized for COVID-19 who before she passed had complained of racist treatment by the people we often trust the most – doctors. She had taken to social media to tell the world of her shocking experience when she should have been given proper care and attention from medical staff. She said she would not have been treated so poorly “if she was white.” It’s a harsh reminder that racism is still rampant and it begs the question if we will ever see a time when people of any colour, race or creed can ever live freely and fairly.[ COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Editor]

INDIA’S BULL-RUN IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC: The COVID-19 has not deterred investors in Indian markets from pouring money into stocks. Year to date, the Indian market is estimated to have received more than $22 billion. The COVID induced crash and attractive valuations along with near zero interest rates in foreign markets have seen massive fund flows. Domestic investors were quick to join the bandwagon. Today, India is the most expensive bet among emerging markets with MSCI India index trading at a one-year forward price-to-earnings multiple of 29 times. With the vaccine discoveries, the best case scenarios have already been priced in; and if economic recovery and corporate earnings don’t justify the elevated valuations in the near future, the market could be headed for a massive correction. [COMMENT BY: Babu Das Augustine, Business Editor]

ARSENAL GET BACK ON TRACK-FINNALY: Arsenal fans were celebrating a long-awaited victory, and they got a perfect Christmas present by beating London rivals Chelsea 3-1 on Boxing day to haul the Gunners out of a potential relegation fight — and they ruined the Blues’ festivities in the process. It was a long, long 56-day wait for a Premier League victory to help Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta avoid the New Year axe — at least for now. Arsenal are by no means out of trouble as this win was only three points, but it was an emphatic triumph to show them the way back up the table to relative safety. Maybe now they can look up the standings rather than over their shoulder. [COMMENT BY Matthew Smith, Sports Editor]

2020: THE YEAR FOR FEMALE DIRECTORS IN HOLLYWOOD: Female directors have stormed the upper echelons of Hollywood with Patty Jenkins ending 2020 on a thunderous note as ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ breathes life into a box office that has seen the cash registers go silent during the pandemic. While Jenkins has become the franchise queen in Hollywood with ‘Wonder Woman’, ‘The Old Guard’ and now ‘Star War’s to her credit, she isn’t the only who is standing tall in an industry that has largely favored the patriarchy. Female-led tentpoles that were slated for 2020 included Cathy Yan’s ‘Birds of Prey’, Niki Caro’s ‘Mulan’, Cate Shortland’s ‘Black Widow’ and Chloe Zhao’s ‘Eternals’. While Yan and Caro had their releases this year, Marvel’s ‘Widow’ and ‘Eternals’ have been pushed to next year, giving these female directors their moment in the spotlight. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]