DSF closing deals, Palestinians-Israelis clash, Man City confident to beat Arsenal again: Our editors comment on the top stories of January 28

Make the best use of Dubai Shopping Festival last weekend: UAE residents and visitors can make the best use of the exceptional shopping deals during the last weekend of the Dubai Shopping Festival, which will draw to close on Sunday, January 29. The 28th edition of the DSF has been a roaring success. The final couple of days of DSF bring citywide celebrations, including unmissable deals and incredible chances to win — from the DSF Final Sale to the DSF Greatest Deal of the Year. The DSF Final Sale will supercharge shoppers with deals, promotions and offers with further reductions and discounts from 25-90 per cent off a huge range of items from over 500 participating brands at over 2,000 stores across the city. (By Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor)

Positive steps needed to restore calm in region: Tensions are running high in the region following attacks in Jenin, Gaza and the killings in a synagogue in Jerusalem after months of clashes involving Palestinians and Israelis. The cycle of violence heightened fears of a spiral in bloodshed. The attacks come days before a planned visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel and the West Bank. All out efforts should be made to de-escalate tensions and take practical measures to improve the situation on the ground that must lead to peaceful negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. Parties involved must take positive steps to restore calm before the conflict spirals out of control. (By N.R Stephen, Senior Associate Editor)

Cheer ‘Pathaan’s success, but don’t forget failures: Today as Siddharth Anand, director of the blockbuster ‘Pathaan’, says he wants to make many spectacles, of the cinematic type, fans of Bollywood around the world would be cheering him. The Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone-starrer is eclipsing one record after another in Indian box office history, and deservedly so. But that seemed unattainable as not long ago, a lot of people were writing the epitaph for this film industry, among India’s largest. It was bogged down by failures or tepid showings of movies starring big actors, and only a few lesser known films tasted success. Yes, viewer preferences have undergone a tectonic shift in India, thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, when they were exposed to better crafted movies from other regions, notably the south. The Hindi film industry must laud ‘Pathaan’s success, but importantly it must also reflect on what went wrong in the intervening years. That would provide it a buffer against failures. (By Rajagopalan Venkataraman, Assistant Editor-Features)

Man City have psychological edge over Arsenal: Manchester City beat Arsenal in the FA Cup fourth round last night and coach Pep Guardiola will view it as a psychological blow aimed in the direction of Mikel Arteta’s side. The Gunners have been flying this season and are City’s biggest threat of retaining their title. But the fact that Guardiola was able to mastermind a win over the league leaders, albeit in a cup match, is massive. It proves City have the ability to beat the table toppers whom them trail by five points. Guardiola and co will be boosted by the win and will feel they can repeat the result when the sides meet at Emirates Stadium on 15 February in the Premier League. But, victory has come at a cost as defender John Stones, who has been rock solid this season, was forced off due to a hamstring injury. He has been an influential figure but with him set to be out for a period of time, the question is will the team suffer? (By Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor)