From the Editors: UAE’s quest for clean energy reaches new milestone with Unit 3 at Barakah plant

UAE'S QUEST FOR CLEAN ENERGY REACHES NEW MILESTONE WITH UNIT 3 AT BARAKAH PLANT: The UAE has issued the operating licence for the third reactor at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi. The first two reactors at the Barakah plant are already operational. Commissioning and testing for the third unit in preparation for commercial operations will now begin. With this, the UAE’s implementation of its plan for clean energy generation through nuclear power has reached a new milestone. Once the Barakah project is fully complete, it will deliver 5,600 megawatts of clean energy to the UAE national grid, thereby catering to 25 per cent of the country’s energy requirements. The UAE is the first Arab nation to use nuclear energy for power generation and in that sense, each building block at the Barakh plant is a reaffirmation of the UAE’s commitment to a greener, cleaner future for its people. [COMMENT BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]

CLIMATE CHANGE - WE REAP WHAT WE SOW: The human, environmental and economic costs of global warming are becoming increasingly visible. Destroying biodiversity could destroy us. "With our actions, we disrupt both the structure and functions of ecosystems and change local biodiversity. As a result of our activities, the wounds we open in natural life come back and affect us. We reap whatever we sow on our planet, where none of us is independent of one another," as one report has put it. So true. Meteorologists agree the unusually early heatwave in Europe is a sign of what’s to come as global warming continues, moving up in the calendar the temperatures that the continent would previously have seen only in July and August. From catastrophic flooding to hurricanes, droughts, and fires, the impacts of climate change are no longer a concern of the future, but rather a present reality that we must address now. [COMMENT BY: Stephen N.R., Senior Asociate Editor]

ENGLAND TARGET MAGIC SCORE OF 500, SAYS JOS BUTTLER: After their record-breaking win against the Netherlands Jos Buttler has said England will keep chasing for the magical target of 500 runs in one-day internationals. England scored an incredible 498-4 at the VRA Cricket Ground in Amstelveen to beat the previous record which they too had set in 2018 of 481-6 against Australia. Against the Dutch wicketkeeper Buttler smashed an unbeaten 162 off 70 balls. It included 14 sixes and seven fours. Dawid Malan scored 125 and Phil Salt got 122 while Liam Livingstone hit 66 off just 22 balls. In total England racked up 26 sixes in an eye-catching start to Matthew Mott’s tenure as their new white-ball coach. “Is it a matter of time before me make 500? I don't know. We'll keep trying to do it,” Buttler said. [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor]

KATE BUSH IS HITTING NEW HIGHS: The British singer-songwriter Kate Bush has topped the UK singles chart with her 1985 hit ‘Running Up That Hill’, a song that has gone viral thanks to Netflix show ‘Stranger Things’. The 63-year-old icon has said that “its very touching that the song has been so warmly received”. In an industry where youth and new music is so highly prized, it’s brilliant to see a veteran artist get a new moment in the spotlight. And in a way, new social media is granting these older stars a fresh audience. [COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor - Features]