From the Editors: Abu Dhabi’s disinfection campaign a huge success

NO MEAN FEAT: The Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre’s announcement yesterday that it had completed 1.8 million hours of disinfection between March and November 3 this year came as a reminder on how we take things for granted in the UAE. The efforts of the 972-strong task force that worked 10 hours daily to carry out 485,000km of disinfection operations were no mean feat. The fact that such a mammoth exercise was undertaken with little or no disruption to the lives of the public at large speaks volumes for the capabilities of the local authorities. The pandemic may be stressful, but being in the UAE is certainly comforting. [COMMENT BY: Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor]

AFGHAN SECURITY SITUATION SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL: Attackers - sometimes known, often unknown - are able to carry out shootings and bombings in Afghanistan with impunity. In the latest, the deputy governor of Kabul was killed after a sticky bomb was attached to his car by unknown assailants. Last week an Afghan government prosecutor was shot dead. The violence comes even as even as the Taliban and Afghan government negotiators are trying to reach a peace deal. With Daesh entering the fray and also carrying out mindless, brutal attacks - such as the killing of a female journalist - the situation remains as tenuous as it has ever been. The Afghan government must get its act together and bring the security situation under control. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

BIDEN FACES COVID-19 CHALLENGE: The US Electoral College has confirmed Joe Biden as the country’s next president, giving him a majority of 306 electoral votes to Donald Trump’s 232, the same margin by which Trump won the election four years ago. It is one thing to win the election, it is another to unify the country. Of the many challenges that Biden faces, the first will be to stem the rising tide of COVID-19 deaths. The vaccine rollout has begun, but coronavirus cases continue to rise in the US at a staggering rate. The fight against the pandemic cannot be fought by the president alone. The people must come together, regardless of their political affiliations to defeat this enemy. [COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

CLEVELAND FINALLY MOVE WITH THE TIMES: Better late than never I suppose, as — following years of protests from fans and Native American groups — the MLB’s Cleveland Indians have finally decided to change their team name, moving away from a moniker that has long been criticised as racist. The move follows a decision by the Washington Football Team of the NFL in July to stop using the Redskins name long considered a racial slur, and is part of a larger national conversation about race that magnified this year amid protests of systemic racism and police violence. Small steps but each one is a step toward a better future. [COMMENT BY: Matthew Smith, Sports Editor]

LITTLE MIX’S JESY NELSON TURNS SPOTLIGHT ON MENTAL HEALTH: Singer Jesy Nelson’s statement on quitting Little Mix may have come as a shock to her fans, but it takes a brave person to step back from the spotlight and focus on their mental health. In her social media post, Nelson wrote about the pressures of fame, stating: “I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard. There comes a time in life when we need to reinvest in taking care of ourselves rather than focussing on making other people happy, and I feel like now is the time to begin that process.” In a year that has been exceptionally brutal on mental health while the world rides out the pandemic amidst lockdowns and tragedies, Nelson’s admission that all is not OK deserves the support from friends and fans. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]