Saudi Arabia

MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Millions of Muslims across the globe — including in countries like Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt, Kenya and Yemen — were celebrating Eid al-Adha on Saturday, one of the biggest holidays of the Islamic calendar.

Known as the “Feast of Sacrifice,” the revered observance coincides with the final rites of the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia. It’s a joyous occasion, for which food is a hallmark. Much of Asia, including Indonesia, India and Pakistan, will observe the holiday on Sunday.

MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims from around the world raised their hands to heaven and offered prayers of repentance on the sacred hill of Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Friday, an intense day of worship considered to be the climax of the annual hajj.

Multitudes stood shoulder to shoulder, feet to feet, for the emotional day of supplication in the desert valley where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon, calling for equality and unity among Muslims.

RIYADH, July 7 (Reuters) - The United States and Israel are seeking to lay the groundwork for a security alliance with Arab states that would connect air defence systems to combat Iranian drone and missile attacks in the Middle East, four sources familiar with the plan said.

The idea, which would use Israeli technology, could gain momentum during President Joe Biden’s stops in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Saudi Arabia on a July 13-16 trip, said two of the sources who were briefed on the plans.

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — It is a scene that stirs hope — and relief — for Muslims around the world.

One million pilgrims from across the globe amassed on Thursday in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform the initial rites of the hajj, marking the largest Islamic pilgrimage since the coronavirus pandemic upended the annual event — a key pillar of Islam.

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — One million Muslim pilgrims were converging on Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca on Wednesday for the largest hajj since the coronavirus pandemic severely curtailed access to one of Islam’s five pillars.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to allow some 850,000 Muslims from abroad to make the annual pilgrimage, which begins on Thursday, marks a major step toward normalcy after two years of a drastically scaled-down hajj restricted to Saudi residents.

04 July 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia's unemployment fell to 10.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2022, down from 11 per cent at the end of last year, the state-run General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) announced yesterday.

GASTAT said in its report that the kingdom's female unemployment rate had declined to "20.2 per cent, compared to 22.5 per cent at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021," noting that this was the "lowest since 2001."

RIYADH, Jul 1 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabian Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, announced yesterday, national priorities in research, development and innovation in the next 20 years.

The national “priorities and aspirations” aim to boost the contribution of the sector to GDP, to 60 billion Saudi riyals (about 16 billion U.S. dollars), in 2040.

The two-decade plans cover human health, environmental sustainability, energy and industry pioneering, and future economies, it said.

30 June 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has announced that it will impose a $2,665 (10,000 riyals) fine against pilgrims attempting to perform the Hajj without a permit.

Yesterday the Public Security spokesperson, Brigadier General Sami Al-Shuwairekh, said that pilgrims must obtain a Hajj permit from the relevant authorities before attempting to undertake the pilgrimage, a fundamental pillar of the faith.

30 June 2022; MEMO: Officials from the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are currently negotiating on a deal regarding the ownership of islands in the Red Sea, in a move which could further ties between Riyadh and Tel Aviv.

29 June 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia's population has decreased by at least 2.6 per cent over the past two years, due to the significant amount of expatriate workers who left the Kingdom throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a report published today by the Kingdom's General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), it stated that the country's population in the middle of last year was 34.1 million, down from 35 million in the middle of 2020.