Education Fair gets underway and it is concert time in Dubai, our editors comment on the top stories of October 24

A GREAT CHANCE TO EXPLORE HIGHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES: Najah Dubai, the ongoing three-day education fair, is a great platform for students to explore opportunities as there are over 80 universities from 15 different countries on board. If the success of the event in Abu Dhabi last week is any indicator, the Dubai leg too will attract thousands of visitors, all of whom can not only gather information on admissions and overseas education opportunities, but also avail counselling and scholarship options. It’s a must attend for anyone on the threshold of university education. (By Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor).

NEWCASTLE GIVE TOP 4 A NEW LOOK: Newcastle find themselves in the top 4 of the English Premier League after 12 games following their excellent 2-1 win over Tottenham last night. But if you ask most fans of the Magpies, they will likely say they did not expect the team to be so high in the table. And if they are being perfectly honest, they probably don’t think they will be there at the end of the season. It would be a fantastic if they can qualify for the Champions League but there are far too many better teams than Newcastle who will probably leapfrog them. Liverpool are certainly bound to be in the mix as well as a rejuvenated Man Utd under Erik ten Hag. Then you have Spurs and Chelsea who will be pushing for the top 4 too. Newcastle should enjoy being up there and it would be refreshing if they stayed there - but we still have a very long way to go and the table will likely look very different by May. (By Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor)

CONCERT SEASON IS BACK IN UAE IN FULL SWING: It’s that time of the year again when your concert calendar is brimming with live performances from legends and rising stars. Just this morning, news trickled in that Indian maestro Ilaiyaraaja, 78, will perform in Dubai this November and other artists including Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Udit Narayan, and Jubin Nautyal is gearing up to take the UAE concert scene by storm in the next few weeks. If that doesn’t speak to you then we have cracking bands like Swedish House Mafia and One Republic who are all set to perform in this region. Be warned, it isn’t easy to keep track of all the events that are dotting the cultural landscape this winter. And like we always say, when in doubt just log onto Gulf News where these events are chronicled in great details. After the lull in the concert scene triggered by the global pandemic in the recent past, all these acts in the UAE are like music to our ears. Bring it on, we say. (By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Entertainment Editor)