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Tag: Saudi Arabia

  • Just in: Saudi Arabia confirms real date for sallah celebrations

    Just in: Saudi Arabia confirms real date for sallah celebrations

    Saudi Arabia has confirmed that Eid-el-Fitr will take place on Sunday.

    This follows the sighting of the crescent moon marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Shawwal.

    The announcement was made on Saturday through an official platform widely followed by Muslims worldwide.

    Eid-el-Fitr, which signals the conclusion of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, is a time for prayers, feasting, and giving to those in need.

    It is observed by millions of Muslims around the globe.

    While Saudi Arabia has set Sunday as the day for the festival, Muslims in Nigeria are traditionally expected to await the announcement from the Sultan of Sokoto, His Majesty Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, who is responsible for confirming the official end of Ramadan in the country.

    Eid-el-Fitr is known for bringing families and communities together in celebration, as worshippers visit mosques, share meals, and extend kindness to the less fortunate during this joyful occasion.

  • Saudi Arabia releases new 2025 Hajj rules, bans children, updated visa policies

    Saudi Arabia releases new 2025 Hajj rules, bans children, updated visa policies

    Saudi Arabia has announced new changes to the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, including a new restriction barring children from participating.

    The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah stated that the move aimed to protect children from potential dangers posed by heavy crowds during the pilgrimage.

    The decision is part of broader efforts to ensure a safer and more seamless Hajj experience.

    According to the ministry, the large crowds during Hajj pose serious risks to children, making this precautionary measure necessary.

    Additionally, priority for the 2025 Hajj will be given to first-time pilgrims to allow more Muslims the opportunity to undertake this religious obligation at least once in their lives.

    ● Changes in visa regulations

    Starting February 1, 2025, Saudi Arabia will issue only single-entry visas for pilgrims from 14 countries, including India, to prevent unauthorized Hajj participation.

    Authorities noted that unauthorized pilgrimages had contributed to overcrowding at key sites, making crowd management and safety more challenging.

    The updated visa policy aims to improve the overall Hajj experience by controlling the number of attendees.

    Saudi authorities continue to refine Hajj regulations to make the pilgrimage safer and more organized.

    Pilgrims are encouraged to register through official channels and follow the new guidelines to avoid complications.

    Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia had also introduced significant changes to its visa policy, effective February 1, 2025, limiting travellers from 14 countries to single-entry visas.

    This move aims to address concerns over unauthorized Hajj pilgrims entering the country on long-term visit visas.

    ● Affected Countries

    The new regulations target travellers from the following nations: Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen. As part of the policy shift, the Saudi government has indefinitely suspended the one-year multiple-entry visas for tourism, business, and family visits from these countries.

    ●¡Hajj registration and new payment options

    Saudi citizens and residents can register for the 2025 Hajj season via the Nusuk app or the official website. Applicants are required to verify their personal details and register their travel companions.

    A new instalment-based payment plan has also been introduced for domestic pilgrims. Payments can be made in three stages: a 20% deposit within 72 hours of booking, followed by two 40% instalments due by Ramadan 20 and Shawwal 20. The ministry clarified that reservations will only be confirmed once the final payment is received.

  • GAZA: Palestinians are not immigrants, you cannot expel them-Saudi Arabia tells Israel

    GAZA: Palestinians are not immigrants, you cannot expel them-Saudi Arabia tells Israel

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has firmly stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot displace Palestinians from Gaza as they are not immigrants.

    Netanyahu had agreed with US President Donald Trump’s proposal to displace all Palestinians residing in Gaza.

    Trump’s proposal is to take over the Gaza Strip, resettle Palestinians elsewhere, and create a “Riviera of the Middle East”.

    In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed its appreciation for the widespread condemnation of Netanyahu’s remarks by other countries.

    Saudi government emphasized its categorical rejection of such statements, which it believes aim to divert attention from the ongoing crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinians in Gaza.

    The Kingdom highlighted that the Israeli occupation’s extremist mentality fails to understand the emotional, historical, and legal connection between the Palestinian people and their land.

    The statement also highlighted the devastating impact of the Israeli occupation on Gaza, where over 160,000 people, mostly children and women, have been killed or injured.

    The Kingdom affirmed the Palestinian people’s right to their land and rejected the notion that they can be expelled at the whim of the Israeli occupation.

    The Saudi government also reiterated its commitment to the two-state solution as the only path to lasting peace.

    The statement reads: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia appreciates the condemnation, disapproval and total rejection announced by the brotherly countries towards what Benjamin Netanyahu stated regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land and the Kingdom values the positions that emphasize the centrality of the Palestinian issue to the Arab and Muslim countries.

    In this context, the Kingdom stresses its categorical rejection to such statements that aim to divert attention from the continuous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian brothers in Gaza, including the ethnic cleansing they are subjected to.

    “The Kingdom also points out that this extremist, occupying mentality does not understand what the Palestinian land means to the brotherly people of Palestine and their emotional, historical and legal connection to this land, and it does not think that the Palestinian people deserve to live in the first place, as it has completely destroyed the Gaza Strip, killed and injured more than 160,000, most of them children and women, without the slightest human feeling or moral responsibility.

    “The Kingdom affirms that the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants to it who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wishes.

    “The Kingdom notes that the proponents of these extremist ideas are the ones who prevented Israel from accepting peace by refusing peaceful coexistence, rejecting the peace initiatives adopted by the Arab countries, and systematically practicing injustice towards the Palestinian people for more than 75 years, with disregard to the truth, justice, law and the values established in the United Nations Charter, including the human’s right to live in dignity on his land.

    “The Kingdom reiterates that the right of the Palestinian People will remain firmly established and no one will be able to take it away from them no matter how long it takes.

    “The Kingdom also asserts that lasting peace will not be achieved except by returning to the logic of reason and accepting the principle of peaceful coexistence through the two-state solution.”

  • S/Arabia rejects Trump’s U.S. Gaza takeover proposal

    S/Arabia rejects Trump’s U.S. Gaza takeover proposal

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia says it has “unequivocally rejected” Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, a Palestine territory.

    A statement from the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saudi Arabia was vehemently opposed to the idea, and would rather continue its efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state.

    Saudi Arabia stressed that Palestinians would “not move” from their land and it would not normalise ties with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state.

    “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s position on the establishment of a Palestinian state is firm and unwavering.

    “His Royal Highness, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, clearly and unequivocally reaffirmed this stance during his speech at the opening of the first session of the ninth term of the Shura Council on Sept. 18, 2024.

    “His Royal Highness emphasised that Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that,” the statement said.

    It further said that the Crown Prince and Prime Minister also reiterated this firm position during the extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit held in Riyadh on Nov. 11, 2024.

    The ministry emphasised the continuation of efforts to establish a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, demanding an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

    The Saudi government also urged more peace-loving countries to recognise the State of Palestine, noting the importance of mobilising the international community to support the Palestinian people’s rights.

    According to the ministry, this is in line with the United Nations General Assembly resolutions, recognising Palestine’s eligibility for full UN membership.

    “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also reaffirms its unequivocal rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, land annexation, or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.

    “The international community has a duty today to alleviate the severe humanitarian suffering endured by the Palestinian people, who will remain steadfast on their land and will not move from it.

    “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia emphasises that this unwavering position is non-negotiable and not subject to compromises,” the statement further said.

    “Achieving lasting and just peace is impossible without the Palestinian people obtaining their legitimate rights in accordance with international resolutions, as has been previously clarified to both the former and current U.S. administrations,” it added.

    Trump had told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, alongside the visiting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. was mulling the takeover of Gaza.

    “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a good job with it too.

    “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings.

    “Palestinians living in Gaza would have to be relocated to create the ‘Riviera of the Middle East,’ as they will be housed in Jordan, Egypt and other countries,” he said.

    Most of Gaza’s 2.1 million population has been displaced by the 15-month war between Israel and Hamas.

    NAN reports that Trump’s proposal, which was his first major remarks on his Middle East foreign policy has shattered decades of U.S. thinking on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

  • Saudi Arabia sponsors Nigerians for lesser Hajj

    Saudi Arabia sponsors Nigerians for lesser Hajj

    The Saudi Arabia embassy in Abuja has hosted a farewell ceremony for 20 Nigerians selected for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Guests Programme for Umrah 2025.

    A statement issued by the embassy in Abuja said the ceremony held under the leadership of Faisal Al-Ghamdi, the Saudi Ambassador to Nigeria.

    It said the initiative highlighted Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting Muslims and fostering spiritual connections through pilgrimage.

    The programme, initiated by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Al Saud, provides Muslims the opportunity to undertake the lesser Hajj with full sponsorship.

    The statement quoted the ambassador as thanking King Al Saud and the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for their dedication to Islam’s holy sites.

    He also praised their exceptional leadership in enhancing the services provided to pilgrims and ensuring that their journey to the sacred sites is both spiritually fulfilling and seamless.

    “The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince have prioritised the well-being of pilgrims, viewing it as a sacred duty and an immense honour.

    ”Through this programme and other initiatives, Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen bonds of brotherhood among Muslims while ensuring their comfort and safety during their spiritual journey,” he said.

    Al-Ghamdi, according to the statement, said the country had invested over 100 billion dollars in the recent expansion and modernisation of the two holy mosques.

    According to him, these ambitious projects, encompassing state-of-the-art infrastructure, advanced crowd management systems and cutting-edge technology, reflect Saudi Arabia’s commitment to accommodating the increasing number of pilgrims.

    He added that Saudi Arabia was sparing no effort in mobilising resources to improve pilgrimage experience for all Muslims.

    Al-Ghamdi also emphasised the importance of adhering to the country ‘s laws and regulations, designed to maintain order and ensure the safety and comfort of all pilgrims.

    “The leadership of Saudi Arabia remains fully committed to serving the guests of God. This is a responsibility we hold dear, and we continuously strive to enhance the spiritual and logistical aspects of the pilgrimage experience,” he said.

    Guests at the occasion expressed appreciation for the opportunity made available through the sponsorship initiative.

    The programme provides pilgrims with the opportunity to perform the lesser Hajj, covering all costs, including travel, accommodation and other logistics.

  • Nigerians arrested, prosecuted in Saudi Arabia released

    Nigerians arrested, prosecuted in Saudi Arabia released

    Saudi Arabia has released three Nigerians who were earlier arrested and prosecuted in the country, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

    In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Acting-Spokesperson of the Ministry, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the release followed high-level diplomatic engagement between the Nigerian government and Saudi authorities.

    The three Nigerians namely: Hadiza Abba, Fatima Malah and Fatima Gamboi were arrested for alleged possession of substance suspected to be cocaine while on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

    According to the statement, they were arrested and prosecuted on March 5,  2024 at Prince Mohammad bin Abdul Azeez International Airport Madinah, Saudi Arabia, and released after spending 10 months in detention.

    The statement said, “The arrest of the three women was a result of the earlier arrest of two Nigerian nationals who were found in possession of 80 capsules of Cocaine weighing 900.28 gm and 70 capsules of Cocaine weighing 789.5gm, respectively.

    “The women were detained by the Saudi authorities on suspicion of being accomplices and abating the trafficking of the banned substance found on the aforementioned arrested Nigerians.

    “The Ministry wishes to recall that the trio’s arrest attracted much attention in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.

    “Their successful release was achieved after prolonged diplomatic and legal engagements, which culminated in their discharge and acquittal, as well as subsequent handover to the Consulate-General of Nigeria in Jedda.

    “The ladies were received by Amb. Muazam Nayaya, Consul-General of Nigeria in Jeddah and currently awaiting relevant immigration processes for their return to Nigeria to reunite with their families,” the statement quoted Ebienfa as saying.

  • Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup, Morocco/Portugal/Spain to host in 2030

    Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup, Morocco/Portugal/Spain to host in 2030

    Saudi Arabia has been elected host of the 2034 men’s football World Cup, world football’s governing body FIFA announced on Wednesday.

    This is coming amid criticism from human rights groups and concerns that the decision by the congress of ruling body FIFA could mean another tournament in the northern hemisphere winter.

    At an extraordinary virtual congress, and in the absence of rival bidders, the 211 FIFA members confirmed via one acclamation that Morocco, Portugal and Spain will co-host the 2030 World Cup.

    That event will start with three matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to celebrate a century since the first World Cup 1930 in Uruguay.

    All countries presented videos before the vote to showcase their bids, with Portugal great Luis Figo starring in a humorous film for the joint 2030 bid.

    Two 13-year-old youth representatives starting the Saudi presentation, and the nation pledged to deliver “a next generation World Cup for a new generation of fans.”

    FIFA president Gianni Infantino spoke “a historic moment” and added: “Let’s unite the world with football and through football.”

  • Tinubu returns from Saudi Arabia

    Tinubu returns from Saudi Arabia

    President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday returned to Abuja from an official trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he attended the Joint Arab-Islamic summit.

    The president arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at about 8. 00 p.m. and was welcomed by members of his administration.

    On hand to welcome the President were Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff, and Mr Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

    Others were Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory, and Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

    The President was accompanied on the trip by Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser, and Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation.

    Also on the president’s entourage is Mohammed Mohammed, Director General of the National Intelligence Agency.

  • Real reason President Tinubu is travelling to Saudi Arabia

    Real reason President Tinubu is travelling to Saudi Arabia

    President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Sunday for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit, which will focus on the current Middle East crisis.

    The Summit will commence on Monday, Nov. 11, says Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s spokesman, in a statement.

    “It is being held at the invitation of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and follows last year’s summit in the same Saudi city.

    “During the summit, President Tinubu is expected to address the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict, emphasising Nigeria’s strong call for an immediate ceasefire and the urgent need for a peaceful resolution.

    “Nigeria will also advocate for renewed efforts to revive the two-state solution as a pathway to lasting peace in the region,” said the statement.

    Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs; Malam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser; Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation; and Amb. Mohammed Mohammed, Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), will accompany the President.

    “After the conclusion of the summit, President Tinubu will return to Abuja,” concluded the statement.

  • Mancini leaving Saudi Arabia job with world record pay-off

    Mancini leaving Saudi Arabia job with world record pay-off

    Roberto Mancini is walking away from the Saudi Arabia job with a massive pay-off.

    The former Inter Milan and Manchester City manager was axed by the Saudi Federation this week.

    Mancini was 14 months in the job, which was worth €20m-a-year.

    The Italian was on a three-year deal and the Daily Mail says an agreement has been reached which will see the contract  paid out in full.

    As such, Mancini will walk away with a massive €60m earner – a record in football.

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