REGULATING BIKE DELIVERY SERVICES IN DUBAI A TIMELY STEP: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) decision to introduce a slew of measures to ensure the safety of bike-borne delivery persons couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment. With the ever-increasing popularity of ordering food and merchandise online, particularly during the movement restrictions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, these delivery services needed to be regulated. The delivery persons are often too hard-pressed for time and are overburdened with assignments, thereby endangering their lives as well as those on the roads. Therefore, setting clear guidelines regarding the size of the bikes, the maximum permissible load carried on them, having clearly-demarcated areas to be serviced by each biker as well as making consumers aware of what to expect from and how to behave with these delivery persons will go a long way in ensuring the safety of all concerned. [COMMENT BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]
Image Credit: Clint Egbert/Gulf News
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LONG TERM EFFECTS OF TRUMP IMPEACHMENT DRIVE: With just days to go before the end of his term, US president Donald Trump faces another impeachment. Congressional Democrats begin their drive to force him out of office, kicking off a week of legislative action. Following the storming of the Capitol last week, many Democrats and a handful of Republicans say Trump should not be trusted to serve out his term, which ends on January 20. The effort faces long odds of success without support from both sides, so why are the Democrats pressing ahead with it? It could have long term effects. A conviction would bar him from running for president again in 2024. [COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]
Image Credit: AP
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INDONESIA’S AVIATION SAFETY RECORD: Indonesia doesn't have an impressive aviation safety record. The crash of Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 on Saturday afternoon is a case in point. It is not yet known what sent Flight 182 hurtling into the Java Sea but the black boxes have been found and so we will know soon enough. We already know two things, and they may prove huge factors; the plane was 27 years old and it was being flown in heavy rain. Indonesia is home to one of the largest archipelagos, a chain of islands that have the highest incidences of thunderstorms and lightning strikes and this too may have played a factor along with the fact that volcanic eruptions often throw plumes of ash into the air which can get sucked into jet engines and result in failure. It would be the worst way to go and whenever there is a crash it sure puts you off flying. [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Editor]
Image Credit: AP
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RONALDO STRIKES AGAIN TO SAVE JUVE: We all know Cristiano Ronaldo has shown the ability to change a match and carry a team with a flick of his boot, and even now, at the age of 35, he is still hauling his teammates along to gain those vital three points. His late goal allowed a struggling Juventus to see off 10-man Sassuolo and retain a glimmer of hope in the Serie A title race. Sassuolo, who played the entire second half with 10 men, looked like all but ending Juve’s title challenge before Ronaldo stepped up once again. They still have a fight on their hands as they are fourth, seven points off Serie A leaders AC Milan. [COMMENT BY: Matthew Smith, Sports Editor]
Image Credit: AP
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WHY PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN QUITTING SOCIAL MEDIA REFLECTS POORLY ON US: With news reports gathering steam that Prince Harry and Meghan have chosen to withdraw further from the public eye by quitting social media, it is perhaps time to hit pause and reflect inwards as a society that has all but driven two public figures into hiding. If there is any one lesson to take away from ‘Megxit’, then it is perhaps the acceptance of the underlying racism that Meghan was subjected to during her tenure as a British royal. The endless commentary, the derogatory headlines and the incessant trolling online can break even those made of firmer stuff, and here, Meghan had to endure it all while pregnant with their child, Archie. While British royalists may have more to opine as Harry and Meghan retreat from social media indefinitely, also take a moment to comprehend that perhaps they left the couple with no other option. [ COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor, Gulf News
Image Credit: AFP
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