Saudi Arabia

June 28, 2024 4:55 PM

Climate change boosted deadly Saudi haj heat by 2.5 C, scientists say

The heatwave in Saudi Arabia blamed for the deaths of 1,300 people on the haj pilgrimage this month was made worse by climate change, a team of European scientists said on Friday. Temperatures along the route from June 16 to 18 reached 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit) at times and exceeded 51.8 C at Mecca's Great Mosque. The heat would have been approximately 2.5 C (4.5 F) cooler without the influence of human-caused climate change, according to a weather attribution analysis by Cli...

June 24, 2024 8:38 AM

Over 1,300 people died during Hajj pilgrimage in 2024: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that as many as 1,301 people died during the Hajj pilgrimage, with "numerous cases" due to heat stress and "unauthorized" trips accounting for over four out of five of the deaths, CNN reported. In a statement, the Saudi government said, "The health system addressed numerous cases of heat stress this year, with some individuals still under care. Regrettably, the number of mortalities reached 1,301." The statement noted that 83 per cent of those who died were "unautho...

June 20, 2024 6:33 PM

Millions sweltering under extreme heat worldwide as summer arrives

Dangerous heatwaves are scorching cities on four continents as the Northern Hemisphere marks the first day of summer, a sign that climate change may again bring about record-breaking heat that could surpass last summer as the warmest in 2,000 years. Countries around the Mediterranean have endured another week of blistering high temperatures that have contributed to forest fires from Portugal to Greece and along the northern coast of Africa in Algeria, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and ...

MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA - JUNE 19 : Pilgrims worship and circumambulate around the Kaaba after fulfilling the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on June 19, 2024. (Photo by Issam Rimawi/Anadolu via Getty Images)

June 20, 2024 12:03 PM

Climate change threat hangs over haj pilgrimage as hundreds perish in heat

Nearly 2 million Muslims will reach the end of the haj pilgrimage this week, but extreme heat has proved fatal for hundreds who began the journey last Friday to the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in Saudi Arabia. At least 562 people have died during the haj, according to a tally based on foreign ministry statements and sources. Egypt alone has registered 307 deaths and another 118 missing, according to medical and security sources, as temperatures at times soared past 51 degrees Celsius (...

June 13, 2024 12:07 PM

Record 175,000 Indian Pilgrims Arrive for Haj 2024, Boosted by New Services

A record 175,000 Indian pilgrims have descended on the holy cities of Mecca and Medina for the annual Haj pilgrimage this year, with the massive group being supported by a range of new services and amenities provided by the Indian government. In the first, around 95% of the 140,020 pilgrims traveling through the Haj Committee of India (HCoI) have been put up in hotels inside the preferred Markazia area of Medina. All HCoI pilgrims are also being accommodated inside the traditional boundaries o...

June 7, 2024 3:19 PM

Saudi Arabia Crown Prince congratulates PM Modi on triumph in general elections

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has extended congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his party's triumph in India's recently concluded general elections, highlighting the strong diplomatic relations between the two nations. "HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulates the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his political party's victory in the general elections," the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Friday. PM Modi is set for an unprecedented thi...

June 7, 2024 3:19 PM

Amid war, Putin looks east from Russia’s window to Europe

Cut off from the West, Russia is pitching its $2 trillion economy to giants like China and Saudi Arabia and longer-term prospects like Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at its premier investment forum in St Petersburg, which was founded by the tsars as a window to Europe. The war in Ukraine has led to the biggest upheaval in Russia's relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and Western sanctions have forced a once-in-a-century revolution in Russia's economic relations. Since Peter t...

May 30, 2024 4:24 PM

Saudi Arabia may announce landmark Aramco share offering

Saudi Arabia may announce a landmark secondary share offering in oil giant Aramco later on Thursday, pending final approval, people with knowledge of the matter said. Final approval would come from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The share offering is expected to be launched on Sunday, the sources said. The offering is the culmination of a years-long effort to sell another chunk in one of the world's most valuable companies after its record-setting IPO in 2019 that raised $29.4 billion. Sou...

May 26, 2024 2:30 PM

Jeddah-Makkah high-speed rail debuts for Indian pilgrims

In a historic first, around 32,000 Indian Hajis will travel by high-speed train directly from Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport to the holy city of Makkah this year. Traditionally, pilgrims arriving in Jeddah have taken buses provided by Saudi authorities to reach Makkah. However, the Consulate General of India in Jeddah has arranged special transportation on the newly launched Haramain High Speed Rail line in coordination with Saudi officials. On May 26th, Ambassador of India Dr....