DUBAI: As the countdown to 2026 begins, Dubai is preparing to light up the sky with an awe-inspiring spectacle of fireworks.

In a celebration set to captivate the world, Dubai will host 48 dazzling fireworks displays across 40 iconic locations.

From the towering Burj Khalifa to the stunning Palm Jumeirah, Dubai is set to ring in the New Year with a glittering display that promises to leave spectators breathless.

The Dubai authorities have announced the list of key locations where the celebrations will take place.

The main venues include iconic landmarks such as:

• Burj Khalifa
• Dubai Frame
• The World Islands
• Dubai Festival City
• Burj Al Arab
• Palm Jumeirah
• Dubai Creek Harbour
• Global Village
• Al Seef
• Hatta
• Bluewaters

In addition, fireworks displays are also set to take place in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah, with over ten locations across these emirates also joining the celebrations.

Earlier, it was reported that the Dubai Mall was also set to dazzle with a spectacular light display to complement the grand fireworks at the Burj Khalifa.

Mohammed Al Abbar, the Emirati businessman whose construction company built the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and the iconic Dubai Mall, is personally supervising the preparations for this year’s New Year’s Eve celebration.

• Tajik forces killed three alleged militants crossing from Afghanistan.
• Taliban say they are jointly investigating with Tajikistan.
• Kabul warns of attempts to damage bilateral ties.

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said on Saturday they were working with neighbouring Tajikistan to investigate a border clash earlier this week that killed five people, including two Tajik guards.

Tajikistan announced on Thursday that three members of a “terrorist” group had crossed into the Central Asian country “illegally” at Khatlon province, which borders Afghanistan.

Tajik security forces killed the trio, but two border guards also died in the clash, the Tajik national security committee said.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Saturday that “we have started serious investigations into the recent ‘incidents’ on Tajik soil.

“I spoke to the foreign minister of Tajikistan, and we are working together to prevent such incidents,” he told an event in Kabul.

“We are worried that some malicious circles want to destroy the relations between the two neighbouring countries,” the minister added, without elaborating.

Tajikistan shares a mountainous border of about 1,350 kilometres (839 miles) with Afghanistan and has had tense relations with Kabul’s Taliban authorities, who returned to power in 2021.

Unlike other Central Asian leaders, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, who has been in power since 1992, has criticised the Taliban and urged them to respect the rights of ethnic Tajiks in Afghanistan.

At least five Chinese nationals were killed, and several were wounded in two separate attacks along the border with Afghanistan in late November and early December, according to Tajik authorities.

According to a UN report in December, a militant group, Jamaat Ansarullah, “has fighters spread across different regions of Afghanistan” with a primary goal “to destabilise the situation in Tajikistan.”

Dushanbe is also concerned about the presence in Afghanistan of members of Daesh in Khorasan.

The year 2025 ended as a year of failures and defeats in Indian foreign policy as New Delhi faced a barrage of diplomatic setbacks at the global leve.Expectations in India related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to materialize.

Indian newspaper The Hindu described 2025 as a year of broken promises in the country’s foreign policy due to failure to meet expectations.

According to The Hindu, symbolic diplomacy, personal relationships and narrative-building could not prove to be a substitute for real economic, military and diplomatic power.

According to The Hindu newspaper, India made promises not only to itself but also to its partners that it did not have the influence and power to implement.

On relations with the US, The Hindu newspaper says that 2025 has proven to be the most difficult year for India this century.

The 25 percent tariff, additional restrictions on Russian oil and H-1B visa bans have proven that India’s partnership with Washington is conditional and self-serving.

According to The Hindu newspaper, India has been reduced to a limited role in the US National Security Strategy 2025 compared to 2017.

Despite all the high-level meetings regarding China and Russia, no tangible security progress could be made on the Line of Actual Control.

Investment barriers remained and India remained limited to a mere symbolic presence.

In the energy sector, The Hindu newspaper clarified that India backtracks on Russian oil deal under US pressure.

The Hindu newspaper calls Pahalgam false flag operation a serious security failure.

It was also admitted that there was no global diplomatic support for Indian military operations after the Pahalgam attack.

The silence on aircraft losses after the Indian operation damaged India’s reputation.

The announcement of the Saudi-Pakistan bilateral defence agreement was an additional blow to India.

According to The Hindu newspaper, Indian analysts now consider Pakistan’s leadership to be “tough and capable of organizing”.

The Hindu newspaper admits that India-Bangladesh relations have reached their highest level ever.

Finally, The Hindu newspaper warns that India is moving away from the “Vishu Guru” narrative and towards the “Vishu Victim” one.

According to the newspaper, India’s blaming of others is the biggest obstacle to reform and realistic policymaking.

According to experts, The Hindu newspaper has exposed India’s weak diplomacy.

India must understand that only showy diplomacy cannot achieve practical results.

The newspaper’s admission of diplomatic failure confirms Pakistan’s position that India’s foreign policy is mostly based on optics, not practical results.

This analysis by The Hindu newspaper indicates the fact that India is no longer an indispensable strategic partner for the United States.

This point reinforces Pakistan’s position that India’s deterrence narrative has failed to convince at the global level.

The newspaper’s admission that some countries supported Pakistan’s military operations has exposed India’s diplomatic failure.

The Indian newspaper The Hindu’s admission of the capabilities of the Pakistani leadership negates the Indian claim that Pakistan is weak or isolated on the global level.

India, which has expressed concern over the atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh, must condemn and prevent such attacks on minorities in its own country.