News – Middle East

Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — The Makkah Mayoralty is building the first stone park on an area covering around 1,000 square meters. This is part of the park projects that the mayoralty is implementing in the holy city. The mayoralty aims to utilize recycled materials and benefit from leftover stones …

Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Deputy Emir of Makkah Prince Saud bin Mishaal announced on Sunday the commencement of time planning for the Hajj season of 2025. Senior officials and representatives of 60 entities involved in the Hajj operation attended the meeting held under the patronage of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, …

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has highlighted Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector as a major contributor to the country’s economic diversification in its 2024 Article IV Consultation report. The report acknowledges Saudi Arabia’s success in exceeding the Vision 2030 target of attracting 100 million visitors annually …

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The General Directorate of Passports has issued as many as 23,871 administrative decisions against violators during the last Hijri month of Safar. Administrative committees under Passport departments in various regions across the Kingdom have taken the punitive measures, including imprisonment and fines, against citizens and …

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economic activities recorded a growth of 4.9 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2024, beating late July estimates of 4.4 percent. This growth rate is the highest in a year, according to data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). It …

Less than half of Algeria’s eligible voters cast a ballot in the country’s presidential poll, preliminary figures from electoral authorities showed early Sunday, despite incumbent Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s hopes for a high turnout.Tebboune, 78, is heavily favoured to secure a second term, seeing off moderate Islamist Abdelaali Hassani, 57, and socialist …

Palestinian AFP photographer Mahmud Hams has won the prestigious Visa d’Or News prize for his coverage of the conflict in Gaza, the Visa pour l’Image Association announced Saturday.The 44-year-old, who has worked for AFP in the Palestinian territory since 2003, thanked the jury for the award in a recorded video …

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), has won the bid to host the United Nations World Data Forum in Riyadh in 2026 after a competitive bidding process . The decision was made by the High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and …

Saudi Gazette report CAIRO — Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the Presidential Palace in Cairo on Sunday. The visit was in line with the directive of the Saudi leadership. During the meeting, they discussed ways to further enhance …

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that it has “nearly 200 schools in the Gaza Strip, all of which have been closed since last October, and many of which were used as shelters for displaced persons throughout the war.” The UN agency indicated in …