Saudi Arabia imposes temporary visa ban for several countries including India; Check full list here
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has introduced new travel restrictions, temporarily suspending the issuance of Umrah, business, and family visit visas to citizens of several countries, including India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
The ban, which is expected to last until mid-June, aims to manage crowd control and prevent unregistered pilgrims from entering the kingdom using alternative visa categories to perform Hajj without official authorisation.
The countries affected by this visa suspension include Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has reportedly instructed authorities to strengthen visa regulations as part of this initiative. As part of the revised rules, the deadline for applying for an Umrah visa this year is set for April 13, 2025. No new Umrah visas will be issued until after the Hajj pilgrimage concludes.
Saudi authorities have also launched a digital Hajj and Umrah guide in sixteen languages to help and educate pilgrims about safe and legal pilgrimage practices. Those found staying illegally during the Hajj season will reportedly face a five-year ban from entering Saudi Arabia, along with a fine of SAR 10,000.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
