Weekend Digest: Indian passport changes, Pakistani pilot tribute, 100-million-win, rare comet and more

From major expat updates to global business turbulence and surprise personal fortunes, this week delivered a diverse mix of headlines shaping conversations across the UAE and beyond. Indian passport holders weighed key changes, aviation history resurfaced with a tribute to a pioneering Emirates captain, and a UAE resident walked away with a life-changing Dh100 million jackpot.

Meanwhile, labour and travel rules tightened in Pakistan, energy markets reacted to corporate upheaval, and Dubai renters finally saw relief in select neighbourhoods. Scientific breakthroughs offered fresh hope for hair loss, an interstellar visitor stirred excitement, and one family’s heartbreaking ordeal spotlighted overseas worker struggles.

Indian ePassport in UAE: Should all expats apply now?

Indian expats in the UAE now have access to chip-embedded ePassport through a new online portal, but the question on many minds is whether they should replace their existing passports with the new technology-enabled version. Read more ➜

PIA Captain Fazle Ghani: Emirates’ First flight hero

As Emirates celebrates its 40th anniversary this week, the airline’s remarkable rise from a two-plane start-up to one of the world’s most recognised carriers is once again shining a spotlight on the man who flew its very first flight — Captain Fazle Ghani, a Pakistani pilot whose calm professionalism helped write aviation history. Read more ➜

UAE Lottery Dh100m winner on how he won, what he'll do

Anilkumar Bolla, the 29-year-old Indian expat who was finally announced as the UAE Lottery's historic Dh100 million jackpot on Monday, has revealed the emotional story behind his winning numbers and his plans for the life-changing prize money. Read more ➜

Pakistan: FIA blocks hundreds of overseas workers

Pakistani citizens travelling abroad for employment are now facing unexpected hurdles as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) enforces a new rule requiring government verification before departure. Read more ➜

UK’s Petrofac collapse clouds $5b UAE, GCC energy deals

The collapse of UK-based energy contractor Petrofac has raised questions over the future of several major oil and gas projects in the Gulf region, including multi-billion-dollar developments in the UAE, where the firm remains an active player in the energy sector. Read more ➜

Rub-on hair serum may rewrite baldness treatment rules

Imagine a rub-on serum that restores visible hair growth in just three weeks. That may no longer be science-fiction. Scientists at National Taiwan University (NTU) have developed a topical treatment that produced full fur re-growth in bald mice in about 20 days, raising hopes of a future cure for baldness. Read more ➜

These Dubai neighbourhoods just got cheaper to rent in

If you’ve been bracing for another rent hike, here’s some good news — not every Dubai neighbourhood is getting more expensive. In fact, a few have quietly become more affordable. Read more ➜

Saudi Arabia tightens employment contract rules

Saudi Arabia has introduced a new requirement for all private sector employment contracts to be digitally authenticated through two official government platforms — part of a wider drive to modernise labour governance, improve transparency, and protect worker rights. Read more ➜

UAE: Presumed jailed, man's body sent home months later

The body of a 42-year-old Indian expat from Kerala was repatriated on Tuesday, just before it was scheduled to be buried in the UAE, three months after his death, while family had assumed he was in jail. Read more ➜

3I/ATLAS set to stun Earth with closest approach

A cosmic tourist just dropped by our solar system, and it’s putting on quite the show. Astronomers are dazzled with a spectacular display of ice and dust jets as an interstellar visitor known as 3I/ATLAS speeds toward the Sun.  Read more ➜