From the Editors: Importance of following COVID-19 guidelines in UAE

Customers must cooperate with businesses to implement COVID-19 guidelines: Most businesses in Dubai are strictly following safety measures to stem COVID-19 spread. The daily inspection results released by Dubai Economy have shown that most businesses in the emirate now comply with COVID-19 protocol. Out of thousands of businesses inspected last week, only a few got warnings while no closure or fines were reported. It is definitely a good sign and a healthy move towards a COVID-19 free society. However, customers visiting shops, restaurants, shopping malls, public and private offices need to be more responsible. They must abide by the safety guidelines set by the businesses without fail to help them operate smoothly. [COMMENT by Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor]

When stimulus hinges on two Senate seats: Despite the threat of a long drawn-out legal battle by President Trump, it appears that a Joe Biden presidency is a done deal. A bigger challenge for the new president and his economic policies will be a Republican controlled Senate. The latest job report showed unemployment dropped to 6.9% last month from 7.7% in September, but job recovery slowed as fiscal support waned. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the job data supported a smaller stimulus, clearly hinting trouble for Democrats’ $2.2 trillion spending plans. As it stands, the chances of Democrats taking control of the Senate looks remote and that is reason enough for worry for the economy and the Wall Street. [COMMENT by Babu Das Augustine, Banking Editor]

US Supreme Court may not come to Trump’s rescue: Trailing his rival Joe Biden in the vote count, President Donald Trump has placed his faith in dragging the election result to the Supreme Court - where there are six conservatives judges compared to three liberals. The Trump campaign has mounted small-scale legal challenges in several states. But these are mostly the type of lawsuits that do not appear to affect many votes. No one expects the court to intervene simply based on unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. It appears, therefore, that the result of this election will be decided in the old-fashioned way: By counting all the ballots, and declaring the winner based on that. [COMMENT by Omar Shariff, International Editor]

Low totals make tricky targets. The Sunrisers Hyderabad realised that on Friday, having made heavy weather of the chase against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. A score of 131 in IPL 2020 is certainly below par, but Virat Kohli’s side fought well enough to turn it into a tight finish. Tight finish, it was. But it never transformed into a thriller. It was not allowed to. And that required the steady hands of two internationals. New Zealander Kane Williamson and West Indian Jason Holder, both captains of national sides, have abundant experience in facing stiff challenges. And that helped Hyderabad win the eliminator in Abu Dhabi. [COMMENT by Shyam Krishna, Senior Associate Editor]

Actor Johnny Depp has stepped down from his role as in Warner Bros’ “Fantastic Beasts” film franchise after he lost a libel case in the United Kingdom against a tabloid that called him a ‘wife beater’. The case let the public into their strange and twisted marriage, and exposed the fact that Heard is not as innocent as she seems. Many fans have reacted with outrage over the Warner Bros decision, pointing out that Depp’s ex-wife has not been removed from ‘Aquaman’. It’s unjust for Depp to pay a heavy price that might last a lifetime. [COMMENT by Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor - Features]