From the Editors: Expansion of Dubai’s marine transport is the way forward

EXPANSION OF DUBAI’S MARINE TRANSPORT IS THE WAY FORWARD: Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has expanded Dubai’s popular marine transport network. It is good news for daily commuters as well as tourists since marine transport is the cheapest mode of commuting with fares as low as Dh1 on some routes. Marine transport is an integral part of the public transport network in the city as it ferries about 14 million riders every year. A sustained growth in the sector by introducing new routes will not only help link more areas, promote businesses but also provide affordable alternative transport mode to riders.

FIRE AT BAGHDAD HOSPITAL SIGN OF GENERAL MALAISE IN IRAQ: A fire at a hospital in the Iraqi capital Baghdad after an oxygen tank explosion has killed 27 people. This has brought renewed focus on an issue that has plagued Iraq for years: Its decrepit healthcare system. Decades of sanctions, war, neglect, and limitless corruption had already taken their toll when COVID-19 hit. The pandemic has brought the system to its knees. Iraq, Opec’s second largest oil producer, should have had public health services on par with Gulf states. Instead, what we see in Iraq is a system that has been stretched to its limit during the coronavirus crisis. If Iraq were to witness a massive spike in the virus, as seen in neighbouring Iran over the past year, the system will fully collapse. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

INDIA CONTINUES TO SET DAILY COVID-19 RECORDS: India has once again reported a record daily rise of COVID-19 cases today. 349,691 new infections now take the country’s overall tally to 16.96 million. And with a total of 2,767 people succumbing to the virus in 24 hours, total fatalities now stands at 192,311. The coronavirus pandemic is sweeping through the nation at such an alarming pace that it has left scientists flabbergasted. Since the start of March, the daily case numbers have exploded in India, but European countries including France and Germany are also experiencing large outbreaks while Brazil and the US have been reporting around 70,000 infections a day. The virus is proving hard to beat but if we all continue wearing masks, washing our hands, keeping social distancing and taking the vaccine, we will prevail. We simply have to. [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Editor]

RAJASTHAN ROYALS TICK ALL THE BOXES, FOR A CHANGE: It was a refreshingly different performance from Rajasthan Royals on Saturday night when they pulled off a much-needed win against the fancied Kolkata Knight Riders, sending them to the cellar of the IPL table. It was their bowlers who set up the win by restricting the Knights to a below-par total – when the South African journeyman Chris Morris proved the money’s worth and the three left-armers: Unadkat, Sakariya and Mustafizur Rehman did a great job at the powerplay. Sanju Samson, probably chastened by director Kumar Sangakkara, showed he is capable of risk-free, responsible batting as he finished the game. The demanding fans of KKR, meanwhile, are not going to forget this loss in a hurry. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

THESE OSCARS ARE A FIRST AMONG EQUALS: It’s not every day a historical ceremony such as tonight’s Oscars will be experienced in one lifetime. With the odds stacked against it in light of the pandemic, the Academy Awards will be held for the first time ever across two venues in the city — the Dolby Theatre and Union Station. But the logistics are hardly the focus this time. In a year of firsts, two women — Chloe Zhao for ‘Nomadland’ and Emerald Fennell for ‘Promising Young Woman’ — are nominated for achievement in directing. Zhao is also the first Asian woman and the first woman of colour to be nominated for best director. Riz Ahmed from ‘Sound of Metal’ also made history as the first Muslim to be nominated for best actor and the first person of Pakistani descent to be named in any acting category. While ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’, nominated for best picture, is making Oscars history as the only nominated film ever to have an all-Black producing team. Whether your favourite wins tonight, the awards have already found a place for itself in the history books. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]