Beirut explosion comes at a bad time for Lebanon
The explosion in Lebanon was sad and unfortunate, especially in this time of the pandemic (“Beirut blasts: Officials in charge of port placed under house arrest”, Gulf News, August 05). As the explosion was heard miles across, it shows the extent of devastation, and the destruction would be beyond imaginable. A quick investigation with expert involvement is very much needed to find the root cause, and those responsible must be booked for the crime committed. Meanwhile, it is learned that the explosion was caused because of an excessive storage of fertilizers meant for agriculture, and concerns are of the safety measures followed for longtime storage.
As the whole world is fighting to contain the spread of COVID-19, the blast has further added to the sufferings of a large community.
From Mr Ramachandran Nair
Muscat
Mumbai: Severe rainfall has brought India's financial capital to a standstill
Year after year, the monsoon season is becoming a real nightmare for the Mumbaikars (people of Mumbai), as heavy rains crippled their normal life in India (“ Heavy rain batters India’s Mumbai disrupting rail and road traffic”, Gulf News, August 04). When the local train services are disturbed because of this heavy rain, it's a real problem. But the government, whether its Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Shiv Sena Party, all have failed to solve the perennial drainage problem to solve the miseries of the common man. Similar is the situation in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and the other states of India. When will our political leaders do something useful for the people of our country?
From Mr N. V. Krishnan
Chennai, India
Cricket: Ireland successfully chase 329 for spectacular victory over England in final ODI
Congratulations to underdogs of the Ireland cricket team for defeating the reigning world champion team England, that too by seven wickets (“Cricket: Need for speed — England pacers give Joe Root headache for Pakistan Tests”, Gulf News, August 03). This is a remarkable achievement, especially after their pathetic performance during the first two matches. Though Ireland was able to price out the top three batsmen for 44 runs, captain Eoin Morgan came to the party with a timely ton to bail them out of trouble. David Willey and Tom Curran added to Ireland misery to go past 300 runs and set a daunting target of 329 runs. But the young Ireland team proved that they are not pushed over and are capable of chasing 300 plus runs to win the final tie to topple the world champion cricket team and lose the series honourably. Well done, Ireland, keep it up.
From Mr Vinay Mahadevan
India
Zimbabwe face severe health crisis amid COVID-19 pandemic
It is painful that seven babies died in one night before they were born in a major Zimbabwean hospital (“COVID-19: Zimbabwe's security guards have lonely jobs”, Gulf News, June 06). The healthcare system in Zimbabwe is clearly unfit for purpose, and the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) ruling has failed to promote and protect the health system in Zimbabwe. It's revealed by the scandal made by the former health minister Obadiah Moyo who was at the heart of corruption for COVID-19 kits. We cannot have more casualties because president Emmerson Mnangagwa has failed to manage healthcare and hospitals in Zimbabwe. President Mnangagwa has been unable to take care of his fellow Zimbabweans.
From Mr Tapiwa Muskwe
United Kingdom
