Welcome to The National's weekly newsletter Beshara, where we share the most positive stories of the week.
Fireworks at Burj Khalifa welcome 2025 in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
It is said the Babylonians, more than 4,000 years ago, were the first to celebrate a new year, with festivals, gifts and pledges. And while the ancient people of Mesopotamia celebrated this in the spring, known as Akitu, and still marked each year by Iraqi Assyrians, its legacy is a ritual that has spread across cultures to become a near-global event that we will ring in on Wednesday at midnight.
With it, despite the usual ticking of the clock and the normal passage of one day to the next, we will usher in a new beginning with a collective hope for renewal, a chance for positive change and a commitment to do or be better.
The feeling of promise and anticipation as we peek over the starting line of 2026 is a powerful lens for looking ahead – and as you’ll discover below, there is plenty to look forward to.
Yaqeen Kankar, a Syrian girl with spinal muscular atrophy, was given Zolgensma in Dubai this year. Itvisma is an advanced treatment using the same drug. Antonie Robertson / The National
But first, to a medical milestone that is expected to offer a lifeline to children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Hospital in Abu Dhabi has made history by becoming the first in the world to deliver pioneering gene-therapy treatment, Itvisma. The one-dose drug works to replace the defective SMN1 gene responsible for the debilitating disease and, unlike earlier forms of treatment, it can be used on patients beyond infancy.
SMA, which is thought to affect one in 50,000 people globally, causes a broad spectrum of severity. In its most severe form, the disease can be fatal before a child’s second birthday and is the leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers. Milder cases may not show symptoms until much later in childhood or adulthood.
The advancement is the latest measure in a UAE-wide effort to improve the lives of patients with SMA. Clinicians expect families from around the world to travel to the Emirates to receive the life-changing treatment – a single dose that could transform thousands of lives. Read the full story here.
Quoted
'The most valuable things we give, and give to ourselves, are not always the ones that take up space. Often, they are the ones that stay with us long after the season has passed'
Tourists enter the Khufu Pyramid via the so-called Robbers' Tunnel. Photo: Getty Images
From the depths of the pyramids to the far side of the Moon, James Langton has been busy looking at events the world can expect in 2026.
In his round-up of what the coming year has in store is a record-breaking natural phenomenon, some major milestones for human endeavour and plenty more celebrations – read it here.
He has also delved into the happenings on the UAE horizon – from the much-anticipated national passenger rail network to new laws aimed at improving health or helping the environment. You can read that round-up here.
Faisal Al Zaabi has scoured the listings and new releases for you to create this bumper list of 30 films to look forward to in the next 12 months.
If you’re looking for inspiration for those resolutions – whether it be more challenges or travel – this collective effort from across our newsroom has plenty to inspire: our top 16 destinations for 2026. And for those who want challenges and travel, take inspiration from our intrepid reporter and runner, Lizzie Porter, who has shared her round-up of marathons she has completed across the Middle East.
Snapshot
A traditional dance during a mass wedding reception at Qasr Al Hosn, Abu Dhabi. Photo: UAE Presidential Court
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Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Know before you go
Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
