Saudi authorities have stopped more than 269,000 people without Hajj permits from entering Mecca, officials announced on Sunday, as part of a sweeping crackdown to enforce rules ahead of this year’s pilgrimage.The Interior Ministry said the clampdown aims to reduce overcrowding and prevent a repeat of last year’s heat-related tragedies, which it partly blamed on […]
Iranian cleric Gholamreza Ghasemian (Image credit: X/InfoSudLiban) Iranian cleric Gholamreza Ghasemian, who was arrested for his controversial ‘obscene concerts’ remarks, was freed by the Saudi government on Thursday, ISNA reported. Saudi authorities arrested Ghasemian on Monday while he was performing rituals of the hajj in Mecca after a video went viral. In a veiled attack […]
DUBAI: A Saudi official denied media reports Monday saying the kingdom, the birthplace of Islam, would lift its 73-year-old ban on alcohol, which is prohibited for Muslims.The report, which was picked up by some international media after it appeared on a wine blog last week, said Saudi authorities planned to allow alcohol sales in tourist […]
Trump is greeted by Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh (NYT photo) No, don’t call it purple. When President Donald Trump disembarked from Air Force One in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, he stepped onto the rich lavender-colored carpet unfurled before him, just one feature of the lavish welcome extended to the visiting American leader on the […]
US President Donald Trump‘s trip to Saudi Arabia gathered a lot of attention, but not for the reasons his team might have hoped.While on a diplomatic visit to the Middle East, the 78-year-old US president was caught on camera with his eyes frequently closing during a special welcome ceremony held in his honour at the […]
US President Donald Trump is set to meet Syria’s newly appointed leader, Ahmedal-Sharaa, during his visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to White House officials. The meeting is a major development that comes after Sharaa’s rebel group overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December, reports Bloomberg. The meeting with Trump is seen as a crucial […]
Inaugural Army-to-Army Staff Talks (Photo: X) NEW DELHI: The Inaugural Army-to-Army Staff Talks between the Indian Army and the Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) took place in New Delhi from April 23-24, with the discussions centered around strengthening defence ties through the Annual Defence Cooperation Plan, which included plans for Joint Exercise Sada Tanseeq, military […]
RIYADH: India and Saudi Arabia have agreed to significantly deepen cooperation in technology and tourism, highlighting new areas of partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the Kingdom on April 22, 2025.Both sides identified emerging technologies, digital governance, and sustainable tourism as key drivers of future bilateral engagement, an official press release by […]
Ten years ago, when former President Barack Obama and other leaders reached a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program, Saudi Arabia was dismayed. Saudi officials called it a “weak deal” that had only emboldened the kingdom’s regional rival, Iran. They cheered when President Trump withdrew from the agreement a few years later. Now, […]
US president Donald Trump During a signing ceremony of executive orders in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump revealed his plans to visit Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia next month. When asked if the trip would take place in May as initially reported, Trump responded, “It could be next month, […]
