New Indian passports 'rejected' by Saudi authorities

Jeddah, May 20: Several hundreds of Indian expatriates are facing problems with newly issued passports by Indian diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities are not accepting the newly designed passport, saying they have not received any official information on modification.

Passport holders are legal residents of the Kingdom with valid residency permits who have approached Passport Department (Jawazat) to transfer data from their old passports to their new ones, commonly known as “naql maalumat.”

In the old passport, the passport holder's photo was placed on the second page, whereas the newly issued passports have photos placed on the third page.

Indian expatriates have approached the Indian Consulate and have obtained a letter confirming the validity of the new passport, but Saudi officials are insisting on receiving confirmation of these changes through the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Yesterday, the Saudi passport office in Jeddah refused to update approximately 200 Indian passports for this reason.

Expatriates rushed to the consular service's outsourcing agency and have lodged a formal complaint.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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