Weekend Digest: India's new passport application rule, Abu Sabah's Dh150m fine, most dangerous man in tech, and more

This week's trending stories are an even mix from UAE to technology, with new passport application rule for NRIs and an update on the Abu Sabah case. Pakistan's bullet train plans revealed while Sourav Ganguly takes over as head coach. Official school hours for students and three-day weekend announced.

We also explain a little-known path on how to get Spanish citizenship fast. Oh, and have you already met the most dangerous man in tech?

In entertainment news, Lee Byung-hun's comment snowballed into online chatter. Here are the week's top stories:

The Indian Consulate in Dubai has issued a new passport application rule for Indian expats in the UAE, requiring updated standards for photographs, which will come into effect from September 1. Read more ➜

Pakistan Railways has revealed plans for the country’s first bullet train, aiming to slash travel time between Lahore and Karachi from nearly 20 hours to just 5 by 2030. Read more ➜

If you’re Filipino — full or half — you have one of the easiest and fastest paths to Spanish citizenship. While most nationalities wait a gruelling 10 years, Filipinos? Just two. Read more ➜

Former India captain and ex-BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has been named the new head coach of the Pretoria Capitals ahead of the upcoming season of the SA20 league. Read more ➜

The International Astronomy Center in the United Arab Emirates announced on Sunday that the crescent of Rabi Al Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar, was not sighted across the Arab world on Saturday, August 23, 2025. The finding means that the new lunar month will begin on different days depending on location. Read more ➜

The Dubai Court of Appeal has upheld a four-year prison sentence against Indian businessman Balvinder Singh Sahni, widely known as ‘Abu Sabah’, and sharply increased the financial penalties against him and his co-defendants in one of the largest money-laundering cases ever tried in the UAE. Read more ➜

The Ministry of Education has set the official school hours for students, as part of the second and third phases of the gradual return with the start of the new academic year 2025–2026, beginning on August 25. The move is aimed at regulating the school day and facilitating students’ smooth transition into the learning environment. Read more ➜

Actor Lee Byung-hun thought he was sharing a playful behind-the-scenes moment about Son Ye-jn at the press event for their upcoming film No Other Choice. Instead, the comment snowballed into online chatter about her personality — and not all of it kind. Read more ➜

Another round of trying to auction off Lamcy Plaza, Dubai’s once popular shopping destination, has come to nothing. There were no bids as the auction closed, and with the minimum price set at Dh185 million. This is the third time the community mall, which has remained shuttered since a fire broke out in 2017, has been put up for bidding. Read more ➜

The most dangerous man in tech? Not Elon Musk. Not Sam Altman. It’s the former Twitter CEO Musk fired — Parag Agrawal. Read more ➜