From the Editors: Zayed Humanitarian Day – a standard-bearer of UAE’s philanthropic legacy

ZAYED HUMANITARIAN DAY - A STANDARD-BEARER OF UAE'S PHILANTROPIC LEGACY: As the UAE observes Zayed Humanitarian Day today, it is indeed a poignant moment for all Emiratis and residents of the UAE to spare a thought for the nation that has been so kind and generous in offering humanitarian aid and assistance to countries and people spread all across the globe. Zayed Humanitarian Day is observed on the 19th day of Ramadan as it coincides with the death anniversary of late Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father of the UAE. And the occasion is all the more befitting this year as it also happens to be the International Labour Day – which is observed the world over on May 1. Right from the time of late Sheikh Zayed and until this day, the UAE and its wise leadership’s role in offering aid and assistance to the needy and impoverished sections of society, cutting across international borders, race, class, creed and religion, is an exemplar of sorts – something that the rest of the world looks up to. Zayed Humanitarian Day is a standard-bearer of that philanthropic legacy. [COMMENT BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]

INDIA'S DAILY COVID-19 CASES PASS 400,000 FOR FIRST TIME: The situation in India is getting worse. For the first time, the country posted a record daily rise of 401,993 new coronavirus cases today following 10 consecutive days over 300,000. The total death toll now stands at 211,853 after a jump of 3,523 over the past 24 hours, but experts warn the actual number could be even higher. Since the end of February it has added 7.7 million cases - it took six months to add the previous 7.7 million cases. The second wave is picking up steam and although a massive vaccination drive has started, several states have already warned of shortages. Overwhelmed hospitals are scrambling for medicines and oxygen. More countries will need to offer India support to help it through this crisis. [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Editor]

Harpreet Brar, a little known left-arm spinner, turned an unlikely hero for Punjab Kings against Royal Challengers Bangalore this evening. Playing his first match this season, he turned the match on it's head by picking up the prize wickets of Virat Kohli (35), Glenn Maxwell (0) and AB de Villiers (3) in a space of two overs to set up a 34-run win for his team. Just when it looked a target of 180 should be within reach for the high octane batting line-up of RCB, Australian speedster Riley Meredith struck early to castle Devdutt Padikkal with only 19 runs on the board. The lively opening spells from Meredith and Mohammed Shami created some pressure on RCB batsmen, who managed just 35 runs in the powerplay [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

GRAMMY AWARDS FINALLY CHANGES ITS TUNE: It’s about time the Grammy Awards changed their tune to create the nomination process more transparent and inclusive. The change, which is coming years too late, is still a welcome overhaul of a system that is archaic at best and problematic at worst. The anonymous review committees — groups that determined the contenders for key awards – have been eradicated to make way for vote-based nominations. While the overhaul comes a little too late for artists such as The Weeknd who was snubbed with ‘Blinding Lights’ being locked out of the awards despite emerging as the breakthrough hit of last year, the path breaking change will signal new things to come for the Grammys and make way for inclusivity of different genres in music. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]