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As Hajj season begins soon, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced that anybody wanting to enter Makkah with a visit visa of any type will not be allowed to starting from today (May 23).

The Ministry of Interior issued the advisory, which is applicable to travellers from Thursday, May 23 to Friday, June 21. These dates correspond to 15 of Dhu al-Qadah, 1445 to 15 of Dhul Hijjah in the Hijri calendar.

For those wishing to perform Hajj in the Holy city of Makkah, only a Haj permit will allow them to do so. Any other form of visit visa is not considered a permit during this time.

Earlier, Saudi's Fatwa Council had also banned performing Hajj without a permit, in order to ensure safety and security of pilgrims. Saudi residents are also required to show permits to enter Makkah since May 4.

Visitors have been urged not to visit the city during this period or stay there without a Hajj permit during this time. Those who violate this will have strict action taken against them.

Earlier, pilgrims were also given a 'mandatory' advisory to always carry their identification cards throughout the 'Hajj period'.

Authorities in the country have already begun implementing security and organisational plans ahead of Hajj, which aims to preserve the safety of guests so that they can perform their rituals in a secure manner.

On Wednesday, after evening prayers, the Kaaba's 'Kiswa' was raised to welcome the new season.

Three Indian-origin students were killed while two others were injured in a car accident in the US state of Georgia last week.

The five students, all 18 years old, studied at Alpharetta High School and the University of Georgia.

Police believe speed may have been a factor in the deadly crash that took place in Georgia's Alpharetta on May 14.

They said the speeding vehicle overturned and ended upside down in a tree line after the driver lost control of the vehicle.

While Aryan Joshi and Sriya Avasarala died on the spot, Anvi Sharma died during treatment at a hospital.

"The injured students - Rithwak Somepalli and Mohammed Liyakath - are being treated at the North Fulton Hospital in Alpharetta," officials said.

Sriya Avasarala was a member of the UGA Shikaari dance team, and Anvi Sharma sang with UGA Kalakaar, and a capella group.

"You were such an amazing dancer, friend and just person to be around," the Shikaari group posted for Sriya Avasarala.

The Kalakaar group said Anvi Sharma's death was shocking and devastating.

Aryan Joshi was set to graduate from high school next week. "He was one of our biggest supporters and his support was one of the most crucial factor in all our wins," the Alpharetta High cricket team said in an Instagram post.

Last month, two Indian students from Telangana were killed in a multiple-vehicle collission near Lake Pleasant in Arizona.

Nivesh Mukka and Goutham Kumar Parsi, both 19 years old, were killed when a car in which they were travelling collided head-on with another car in Peoria.

Gautam Adani, chairman of multinational conglomerate the Adani Group, has reclaimed the title of the richest person in Asia with a net worth of $111 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. This came after the group's shares rallied up to 14 per cent on Friday.

With this, Adani has overtaken Reliance Industries’ Mukesh Ambani after nearly 5 months. Ambani stands at 12th rank with a net worth of $109 billion. He had overtaken Adani in net worth after his conglomerate's shares crashed following the Hindenburg report last January.

So far in 2024, Adani’s net worth has jumped $26.8 billion while Ambani's wealth has increased by $12.7 billion.

Last week, Adani also expressed his optimism about the future of the group saying that its best days are ahead.

“The road ahead is paved with extraordinary possibilities, and I can promise you that the Adani Group today is stronger than it has ever been," he said.

2023 had been quite challenging for the Adani Group after the Supreme Court ordered a panel to probe the allegations in the Hindenburg report. Adani, who was the third richest person in the world before the report, slipped in the rankings rapidly after the group's shares saw a sell-off.

However, later the Supreme Court ordered the Securities and Exchanges Board of India (Sebi) to conclude its investigation into the Adani Group and said no more probes were needed. Sebi had said that it could not reach an outcome in its probe.

The shares of the Adani Group have rallied after the judgement. In January, Adani had overtaken Ambani after nearly 12 months but later the lead was taken again by Ambani. Now Adani has overtaken Ambani again.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index showed that currently, Bernard Arnault is currently the richest person in the world with a net worth of $207 billion. He is followed by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos with total wealth of $203 billion and $199 billion respectively.