From the Editors: UAE’s Aqdar E-Safe School to change online education

E-SAFE SCHOOL INITIATIVE ENSURES SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL STUDENTS: Aqdar E-Safe School, a new initiative launched in the UAE, will help change the way of online education in the UAE. The initiative aims to build a smart security structure in schools, making the UAE the first country in the world to apply the concept of an E-safe school to all its public and private schools, in accordance with the European Union Standards for Safe Internet. The initiative supports the educational process and provides a safe virtual environment, as it provides an electronic education system with educational resources. The initiative is all the more important to ensure smooth distance learning during COVID-19 pandemic. Every public and private school should benefit from it. [COMMENT BY: Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor]

CORONAVIRUS OUT OF CONTROL IN AMERICA: This month alone, there have been more than 4 million COVID-19 cases reported in the US. This is more than twice the number reported in October. An astonishing 170,000 people are testing positive in the US every single day. The death toll stands at more than 266,000 - by far the highest for any country in the world. Hospitals are unable to cope with the rising numbers of cases. It is scarcely believable that the wealthiest, mightiest and most technologically advanced nation in the world has been caught so unprepared to deal with a medical emergency. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

MALL FOOTFALL IS NO MORE AN INDICATOR OF SALES: The Black Friday came and went. Going by the footfall in retail outlets across the US, it turned out to be uneventful with sparse crowds. Of course, the absence of stampedes in malls shouldn’t fool you. The sales numbers show it's still shaping up to be a record year for total holiday retail sales. An online sales record is expected with as much as $9.6 billion, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracked a trillion visits to US retail sites. Retailers with more than $1 billion in revenue had a 52 per cent jump in online sales on Thanksgiving. With or without the pandemic around, online is going to rule the retail space of the future. [COMMENT BY: Babu Das Augustine, Business Editor]

HECTIC SCHEDULE A SPOILSPORT FOR PREMIER MANAGERS: A 5-0 win over Burnley on Saturday should have boosted the morale of Manchester City, but the killing schedule of Premiership in the 2020-21 season seems to be taking the joy out of the teams. Just ponder this: they now travel to Porto for their Champions League tie on Tuesday and then on coming back, will have to get ready to face Fulham on Saturday. Pep Guardiola joined Juergen Klopp in criticizing the schedule, with the Liverpool manager saying it’s taking a toll on the players with frequent injuries. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

The entertainment business is getting into the Christmas spirit already, with a slew of festive movie and series releases hitting screens. Our seasonal favourite Mariah Carey has also dropped the trailer for her new TV special with a number of top singers performing too. Some might say it’s way too early to be pulling out the Christmas content, or maybe some might be too in the dumps to enjoy the festive season. But we all could use a pick-me-up in the form of a Christmas rom-com or some special music. So let’s just enjoy it. [COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor – Features]