Weekend Digest: UAE cancels 2nd term exams, Oman's scholarship for Pakistanis, Mukesh Ambani's mother hospitalised and more

It’s been a mixed bag of trending stories this week as UAE ramps up its preparations for Monday's school opening.

UAE cancels 2nd term exams for 2025-2026 academic year as India issues new CBSE rule. Long-time resident returns to India with grand welcome party, while expat in Sharjah wins Big Ticket after 8 years. And the family of Indian cook killed in accident awarded Dh400,000, as Mukesh Ambani’s mother was hospitalised in Mumbai.

In entertainment news, Chinese actress Zhao Lusi shuts down agency pressure and trolls and K-drama rewind of Crash Landing On You. Here are the week's top stories:

In a major move aimed at reducing stress and modernising assessment methods, the Ministry of Education on Tuesday announced the cancellation of second-term exams, shifting toward continuous evaluation that reflects students’ performance throughout the year. Read more ➜

An Indian expat from Kerala, who lived for 51 years in the UAE, facilitating employment visa processing for thousands in his professional role while personally helping dozens from his hometown secure jobs, has returned home. And his grand welcome party has gone viral. Read more ➜

After Chinese actress Zhao Lusi accused her agency KU media of gaslighting, emotionally and financially exploiting her, especially during her illness, several from the Chinese entertainment industry came forward and expressed their support for her. Read more ➜

A stroke of luck has brought smiles to an Indian expat in Sharjah after he pocketed Dh50,000 in Big Ticket’s series 277 draw. Read more ➜

Kokilaben Ambani, wife of the late Reliance Industries founder Dhirubhai Ambani and mother of industrialists Mukesh and Anil Ambani, was admitted to HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai late Thursday night after being airlifted in an emergency, Indian media reported. Read more ➜

The Government of the Sultanate of Oman has invited applications for fully funded scholarships under the Omani Programme for Cultural and Scientific Cooperation, offering international students — including Pakistani nationals — the chance to pursue bachelor’s degrees in select disciplines. Read more ➜

Very rarely, do the endings of K-Dramas remain etched in your mind, far after they finish. And, Crash Landing on You, after 16 episodes of pure melodrama, true soapiness ends on a wistful, hopeful note: Son Ye-jin’s Se-ri and Hyun Bin’s Rheok, standing in the fields of Switzerland with the song Sigriswil playing. Read more ➜

A new rule issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in India has raised concerns among Indian expat students and parents in the UAE, as some schools here have sought the Aadhaar card numbers of students to create a new mandatory ID. Read more ➜

At the beginning of this year, the UAE’s new legislation for public holidays – Cabinet Resolution No. (27) of 2024 Concerning the Public Holidays – came into effect. There are a few rules you need to understand regarding how holidays are determined in the UAE. Read more ➜

The family of an Indian expat cook in the UAE who died in a 2023 road accident has been awarded Dh400,000 in total compensation, after an additional claim was filed following an initial Dh200,000 diya payment. Read more ➜