NRI Focus

Esha Oza, Indian-born cricketer who plays for the United Arab Emirates national team, will lead a 15-member UAE squad at the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026, starting August 28 at the Dubai International Stadium. The tournament, which will conclude on September 13, marks the first time UAE will host the continental event, with all matches played under lights. The hosts have been placed in Group B alongside previous winners Bangladesh, Indonesia, and defending champions Sri Lanka.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader may be close to death according to some reports, or he is already dead. A ghost who purportedly spoke from the darkness of a moving car to Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian, some reports claim. The Iranian President also claimed to have met him a second time. Mojtaba is a mystery cloaked in darkness as the regime craves spiritual credibility even as it may be on its last legs. Mojtaba has been communicating through messages to his core team, some reports say.

The second phase of enrollment for NORKA CARE Plus, a comprehensive health and accident insurance scheme for Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs), has begun. The exclusive insurance scheme by the NORKA Department of the Kerala Government for NRKs, along with the dedicated web portal, was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, on August 18, 2026. The second phase of enrollment will remain open till September 18, 2026.

Abu Dhabi has canceled a Christina Aguilera concert and a music festival headlined by Shakira amid the ongoing Iran war. The Offlimits festival, scheduled for November, said it had been canceled and that ticket holders would be refunded. “We look forward to bringing the OFFLIMITS community together again in 2027,” a message on the festival website said, without giving a reason for the cancellation. Ticketmaster also said Aguilera’s Sept.

Iran army chief Ali Abdollahi has warned Gulf countries not to provide any assistance to the US military. “We wish to warn that any assistance or facilitation provided to the aggressor US military amounts to participation in the US military operation,” Abdollahi said. He asserted that doing so would be tantamount to joining American military operations in Iran.

The Director of the Strategic Communications Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Afra Al Hameli, rejected all allegations regarding the status of the economic relationship between the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Al Hameli reiterated the UAE’s steadfast commitment to dialogue, cooperation, and regional integration as essential means of advancing peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.

UAE air defences detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward the country on August 18th, with the first falling outside the country’s territorial waters, while the second fell within the territorial waters.

A recent data from Boundless Immigration confirms US green card approvals for Indians falling to 35% in the first two quarters of FY26, down from 49.1% in FY25. The approvals witnessed a 35% drop, and Indians are reported to be the hardest hit. The approval rate for EB-1A green cards, which is the US route for extraordinary-skilled workers, has dropped drastically in FY26. In FY25, of 14,250 petitions filed by Indians, 6,993 were approved, while 1,474 were denied.

US President Donald Trump warned Oman of consequences as the Sultanate and Iran negotiate control over the Strait of Hormuz as Tehran continues to block access to ships in the waterway. “If Oman gets in ‌the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump told Fox News. He also demanded that Iran surrender. ”They should put up the white flag of surrender,” Trump told the network.

In 2021, just before Christmas, 900 employees of Better.com were fired in a three-minute Zoom call by one Indian-American, Vishal Garg. Nearly five years later, on August 3, 2026, he was removed as CEO after the board of Better unanimously voted to terminate him. Garg is now trying his best to return to an executive role in the company, which he founded in 2014. The company’s account has been changed since August 14.