In a spectacular celebration at Dubai’s Global Village, the message “Happy New Year, Pakistan” illuminated the sky, as modern drones created a breathtaking light show.

The display was held precisely at Pakistan’s local time, marking the joyous occasion with excitement and pride.

Pakistanis gathered at the venue, chanting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and celebrating the start of the new year. The vibrant drone show was visible from several kilometers away, making it one of the most remarkable highlights of the night.

Since the New Year in Pakistan begins one hour earlier than Dubai’s time zone, the festivities at Global Village were held in line with Pakistan’s local time.

As the clock struck midnight in Pakistan, the sky over Dubai was set ablaze with a stunning one-minute fireworks display in a range of colors, adding to the magic of the night.

Global Village, known for its celebration of global cultures, featured a diverse range of international pavilions, with this year’s celebrations showcasing seven countries: China, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the UAE, and Turkiye.

Fireworks were launched according to each of these countries’ local time zones, creating a truly international atmosphere that made the New Year celebrations at Global Village an unforgettable spectacle.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban welcomed the new year oceans apart as the actress had flown to her home country with their daughters for the holidays and the singer performed a live show.

The 58-year-old country star belted out his hits – Straight Line, New Radicals, and You Get What You Give, during Big Bash on Wednesday, December 31, in Nashville where the estranged couple used to live before their divorce filing.

The Fighter hitmaker appeared energised during the show hosted by comedian Bert Kreischer, which aired on live television as he sang the poignant verses of his song.

The live performance came after the Babygirl star, 58, and Urban marked three months to their split due to “irreconcilable differences.”

The couple’s marriage came to an end after 20 years and Kidman reportedly felt blindsided by the separation and didn’t want their family to break apart.

An insider close to the Nine Perfect Stranger told Us Weekly at the time, “This wasn’t Nicole’s decision, and she is devastated. Her trust was lost, and it was too far gone. Nicole had been trying to get them to work on their marriage and did not want this to get out to the public. She didn’t tell many friends what was really going on with them and was holding this in for months.”

LAGOS: Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has been discharged from hospital, state officials said Wednesday, after surviving a car accident in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends.

Joshua was travelling on Monday with friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele on a busy highway linking Lagos and Ibadan in the southwest of the country when their SUV rammed into a stationary truck.

He suffered minor injuries, according to the Nigerian police.

Preliminary investigations showed the vehicle was moving at excessive speed and had burst a tyre before the crash, said the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) in Ogun state, where the accident occurred.

“Anthony Joshua was discharged from hospital late this afternoon”, spokesmen for Lagos and Ogun state governments said in a joint statement late Wednesday night.

“Though heavy-hearted and full of emotion over the loss of his two close friends, he was deemed clinically fit to recuperate at home,” Lagos state’s spokesman Gbenga Omotoso and his Ogun counterpart Kayode Akinmade said.

Both state governments have been overseeing the two-time heavyweight boxing world champion’s treatment since the crash on Monday.

After leaving the hospital, Joshua and his mother paid their respects at the funeral home where the bodies of his friends were “being prepared for repatriation”, read the statement.

Nigerian police said the two victims died at the scene.

Mangled wreckage

Ghami was Joshua’s longtime strength and conditioning coach, while Ayodele was his personal trainer, according to British media.

A Nigerian newspaper, The Guardian, cited a senior police officer who said the driver of the car had also been discharged from hospital and was being questioned by police.

The newspaper added that the driver “could be prosecuted for reckless driving”, but gave no further details.

Joshua, 36, was admitted at Lagos’s Lagoon Hospital, the joint-statement said, contradicting earlier information by a TRACE official who gave the name of a different hospital.

The boxer, a British national whose family hails from southwest Nigeria, is known to visit the area when he is in the country.

Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling economic capital, throngs with visitors from across the country and diaspora each December.

Photos released by the police showed the mangled wreckage of a black sports utility vehicle.

In December, Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a Netflix-backed bout in Miami.

The former Olympic champion Joshua has since been linked with a fight against compatriot and fellow former world champion Tyson Fury.

Joshua’s last fight before the match with Paul was a fifth-round knockout loss to fellow Briton Daniel Dubois in September 2024.