headlines that matter

 

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

 

The great Golden Visa scam: Dubai-wala edition

WTF is a ‘Golden Visa’: It is an immigration program that offers permanent residency in exchange for a lot of money—usually in the form of investments in the destination country. From the EU to the Caribbean, at least 80 countries offer some form of a golden visa—although rules differ. The UAE has offered a golden visa since 2019 that requires you to make a minimum property investment deposit of 2 million AED (Rs 4.66 crore).

Ab chronology samjhiye: On July 7, Indian media outlets announced that the UAE is rolling out a new sasta golden visa—that offers lifetime residency for a flat fee of 100,000 AED or Rs 23 lakh. No property or business investments in the UAE required. Instead, the program will favour applicants based on “their professional background, societal contributions, or potential benefits to UAE’s sectors such as culture, trade, science, startups and finance.” Music to the ears of LinkedIn bros and the Indian upper-middle class alike.

 

The best bit: This truly once in a lifetime opportunity would be available only to Bangladeshis and Indians.

 

But, but, but: There was one puzzling bit about this so-called announcement. It was not made by UAE officials but by the visa processing firm VFS Global. And it was folded into a press release announcing a partnership between VFS Global and Dubai-based Rayad Group—to launch UAE golden visa services in India. That’s right! All this gyaan from Times of India was based on a PR announcement.

 

The truly funny bit: Indian reporting also included commentary from ‘experts’—like Mr Akash Puri:

 

Commenting on the move, Akash Puri, Director International, India Sotheby’s International Realty said… “For Indian real estate investors, this change brings a two-pronged impact: Historically, property investment was one of the few avenues to secure long-term residency, prompting a surge of interest from Indian investors seeking both capital preservation and immigration benefits. With the visa now accessible through broader channels, the urgency to invest solely for residency purposes is likely to ease—particularly in the mid-market and entry-level segments. This could cool speculative buying and encourage more grounded investment behaviour.

 

That quote goes on for another paragraph, btw, but you get the drift.

 

Cue the ‘haw’ moment: Yesterday, UAE immigration authorities issued a point-blank—‘let’s have zero misunderstandings’—denial:

 

The Authority had recently observed news articles from a consultancy office based in another country, suggesting that lifetime Golden Visas could be obtained for all categories from outside the UAE via consulting or commercial entities under simplified conditions. These claims have no legal basis and were made without coordination with the relevant authorities in the UAE.  

 

They even threatened to take legal action against these ‘entities’.

 

The fallout: VFS Global seems to have effectively pinned the blame on Rayad—since its MD was quoted in all the news stories (never mind that the press release was issued by VFS). The partnership has since collapsed and Rayad has both apologised—and exited the golden visa business. And a new set of Indian experts have issued outraged quotes: “This is absolutely fake—generated by those wanting to scam Indians.”

 

Why it matters: The real story lies in why both the Indian media and its audience were so easily scammed. Before the UAE issued its ‘clarification’, Indian Express published an op-ed titled ‘Dubai offers a Golden Visa: Indians will take it because India can’t offer a good life.’ It placed the visa program—fake or not—in the context of a very real brain and wealth drain: 

 

Many of those choosing to establish residency overseas are the very individuals who have powered India’s economic ascent — through risk-taking, innovation, and private sector investment. That they now perceive greater continuity and dignity outside the country suggests a breakdown in the incentives that once made staying worthwhile.

 

The wave of excitement that washed across Indian LinkedIn accounts points to a sorry return to the socialist era—when the best way to move ahead was to move out.

Reading list: Khaleej Times has the best overview of the fake news and Rayad’s apology. This Indian Express op ed is a must read. The Times of India article is the best example of how well the scam worked—and how much of Indian ‘reporting’ is a rewrite of PR pablum.

 

The new Russian job program for UK criminals

Once upon a time, the Kremlin did its own dirty work to take out dissidents—who had escaped abroad. The most famous being the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko in London—directly ordered by the Vlad and executed by FSB (formerly KGB) agents. But internet ke zamaane mein Moscow has taken a new tack—putting out ads for ‘volunteers’ on Telegram. A bizarre fact revealed by a sensational trial in London.

 

The recruitment: To find a few good men to carry out its dirty work, Russian intelligence agents put out “appeals for international volunteers, directing them to contact an anonymous account for further instruction.” Soon they had their main man—Dylan Earl—21-year-old drug dealer from Leicester with Kremlin dreams and 4Chan energy.

 

The DM convo is the stuff of farce: 

 

“Hello friend,” began the exchange, before telling him: “We would like you to help us in Europe... You said that you have like-minded people. Tell me more details,” the Russian account asked. “Do you have access to firearms?” it later wrote, and then, “Excellent! That’s what we need. The task on this warehouse will be our first step. We need people that you have across Europe and the U.K.,” the account wrote. “We need those who are our kindred spirits.”

 

Mission #1: was relatively tame—to burn down two East London warehouses operated by a Ukrainian businessman. The aim was to destroy the Starlink equipment used by Kyiv to communicate. It was carried out with due efficiency by Earl’s crew:

 

Then, on March 20, a 22-year-old called Jakeem Rose set fire to both units using gasoline and a burning rag. The act was streamed live on FaceTime to Mr. Earl by another man, Nii Kojo Mensah, 23, who recorded it on his phone. A third man, Ugnius Asmena, 20, waited in a getaway car.

 

All of which gave the Kremlin an exaggerated estimate of their talents.

 

Hence, mission #2: was way more ambitious—to kidnap exiled Russian tycoon Yevgeny Chichvarkin and turn and torch his Michelin-starred London restaurant—called Hide. All for a hefty sum of £60,000. Sadly for Earl, he was arrested in the parking lot of a hardware store in April, 2024—before he could execute his masters’ plan.

 

Why any of this matters: It reveals Russia’s strategy of recruiting local criminals to take out pesky Putin critics. The MO itself has long been favoured by our very own RAW—which routinely recruits Pakistani criminals to execute suspected Khalistani terrorists in Lahore etc. (See: This Big Story). But what is new is the ideological pull. Earl was so enamoured with Russia that he wanted to do way more:

 

As reconnaissance and preparations for the attack were carried out, Mr. Earl voiced even bigger ambitions to his Russian Telegram contact. They messaged about creating a new political “partisan movement” in Britain, “punishing Russian traitors,” setting more warehouses on fire, spying on the government and businesses, and obtaining leaked information databases.

 

Well, a man can dream. 

Quote to note: We leave you with these immortal words from Earl’s handler: “You are our dagger in Europe and we will be sharpening you carefully.” Maybe not. New York Times and The Guardian report on the case. Al Jazeera takes a look into Russia’s record of poisoning dissidents.

 

Hair: The ultimate ‘scalp helmet’ for humans

We spend billions on styling, grooming and even growing it—and for good reason, according to new research. It shows that our flowing locks were, in fact, critical to early human survival:

 

The ability to grow long hair wasn’t some evolutionary accident, according to Jablonski and Lasisi. Rather, it kept our ancestors alive in equatorial Africa as they moved out of the forests and shifted to walking upright on two feet. This directly exposed their heads, and the growing brains within, to the intense heat and solar radiation of the savannah sun.

 

The result of this ‘scalp helmet’: bigger, smarter brains. As one scientist notes: “There are naked mammals, there are furry mammals, but we’re the only weirdos that have a naked body and fur on our heads.” (Wall Street Journal, paywalled)

 

Moving on to more intriguing mammals: Meet the ‘chimpfluencers’ of the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust sanctuary in Zambia—who have been wearing grass in their ears and butts, for no apparent reason. The latest trendsetter was a chimp named Juma who was “sticking a piece of grass into his ear, deep enough to stay there on its own.” Within a week, it became all the rage with his buddies. Then Juma sprung a new surprise:

 

Not to be outdone, later that month Juma debuted a risqué variation: he inserted a blade of grass into his rectum, and left it dangling. This unorthodox trend also caught on, with five other chimps adopting the strange new fashion.

 

Btw, an entirely different chimp did something similar back in 2010. Proving once again that every (bad) fashion trend always comes back around. You can see the chimps being goofy in the video below. Check out the study here. (Science Alert)

 

what caught our eye

business & tech

 

• Google’s Gemini now reads your WhatsApp chats by default, unless you change the setting on your device.
• Nvidia has become the first publicly traded company to surpass a valuation of $4 trillion—thanks to the AI chipmaking boom.
• Perplexity launches Comet—an AI browser that reads, searches, and thinks for you, taking aim at Google.
• In a surprise move, Linda Yaccarino is stepping down from her position as X CEO after a two-year tenure.
• In a blow to Google Cloud, AI software firm Replit is partnering with Microsoft.
• Apple’s next COO is…senior vice president Sabih Khan. The Hindu has more.
• Elon Musk’s Starlink has received the final nod from India’s space regulator, clearing the pathway for launch.
• Economic Times breaks down the ‘Hindenburg-esque’ Ponzi scheme expose done by the US firm Viceroy on Anil Agarwal’s Vedanta.

sports & entertainment

 

• The SC has okayed the release of ‘Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal tailor murder’—which is based on an ongoing case. The Telegraph has more on the controversy.
• Red Bull’s F1 team has sacked longtime team principal Christian Horner with immediate effect. While no reason was given, Horner faced prior allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague in 2024.
• The FIFA Club World Cup final will be contested between Chelsea and PSG—after the London club beat Brazilian outfit Fluminense 2-0 while the Parisians thrashed Real Madrid 4-0.
• Indian Express has a good read on Yuvraj Singh’s star-studded fundraiser—featuring Pant’s top bid, Kohli’s beard joke, Tendulkar’s World Cup memory, and a sweet Shubman Gill story.

health & environment 

 

• Americans, beware. Measles cases have reached a record high—with at least 1,285 confirmed cases—since the disease was declared eliminated from the country 25 years ago.
• Scientists have discovered the cells that help pythons digest entire skeletons—and these are present in other animals such as sharks, aquatic mammals, and even raptors.
• Monsoon season’s going MIA—parts of Japan and South Korea saw barely any rain this year, as climate change throws summer skies off script.
• Bengaluru’s soaring heat has a culprit—a 1,078% spike in urban built-up area since 1973, says a new study on the city’s shrinking climate comfort zones.

meanwhile, in the world

 

• Trump fires off tariff threats again—this time slapping Brazil with a 50% warning while throwing a lifeline to Bolsonaro.
• South Korea’s ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol has been arrested—again—this time over fresh charges tied to his failed martial law push.
• Pakistan has asked YouTube to block 27 channels run by journalists and opposition voices, following a court order targeting government critics.
• Rishi Sunak is back at Goldman Sachs—joining as a senior advisor just months after his Downing Street exit.
• While being praised by African leaders, Trump asked Liberia’s president where he learned English—apparently unaware it’s the country’s official language.
• The US Justice Department is suing California over its policy letting transgender athletes compete in girls’ school sports—calling it a violation of federal law.
• French police raided Marine Le Pen’s party HQ over alleged campaign finance violations—with party chief Bardella calling it yet another smear job.
• For the first time, FATF has flagged state-sponsored terror in its report—backing India’s long-held charge against Pakistan.
• Russia’s top election watchdog Golos has shut down—two months after its co-chair was jailed.
• Bulgaria is set to join the euro club on January 1, 2026—becoming the 21st member of the single currency zone.

meanwhile, in India 

 

• Over 25 crore workers joined Wednesday’s general strike—hitting power, coal, ports and more—to demand the scrapping of the Union government’s labour codes.
• A Jaguar trainer aircraft crashed near Churu in Rajasthan. Both pilots were killed.
• The Tirupati temple board suspended an officer for attending church prayers—harshly saying “he has not followed the code of conduct of the TTD as an employee of the organisation, and has acted irresponsibly as an employee representing a Hindu religious organisation.” 

Two things to see

One: At least 11 people were killed and nine injured when a 43-year-old bridge in Vadodara collapsed yesterday. Point to note: Officials said: “Since 2022, we have observed unusual vibrations in the bridge, such that one would be overcome with fear if heavy vehicles were passing through.” The scarier bit: So far seven bridges have collapsed in Gujarat since 2021—including the Morbi bridge tragedy which killed 135 people. See the broken bridge below. (Indian Express)

 

Two: Patrón has long claimed that its tequila is 100% additive free—but Mexico’s Tequila Regulatory Council disagrees—pointing out that companies don’t need to declare additives as long as they are less than 1% by weight. The fallout: Patrón lost its export certificate. So it changed up its ad campaign from this:

To this. (Wall Street Journal)

feel good place 

One: God of all terrible jokes.

 

Two: Ballet classes with mah chick.

 

Three: Mission Impossible, literally!