
Second Group of Pilgrims under Custodian of Two Holy Mosques' Program Arrives in Saudi Arabia
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance announced Thursday the arrival of the second group of 1,053 pilgrims from 76 countries as part of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Program for Hajj, Umrah and Visit for 1446 AH.
Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance and General Supervisor of the program Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif Al Alsheikh extended a warm welcome to the pilgrims.
According to SPA, he affirmed that hosting them in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reflects the wise leadership's dedication to the Islamic nation's delegations, showcasing a refined model of hospitality, generous reception, and meticulous organization.
Dr. Al Alsheikh said that the ministry operates with a comprehensive vision, meticulously planning every aspect through an advanced operational framework to ensure the utmost comfort for all program guests, from their arrival through to the completion of their sacred rituals.
Minister Al Alsheikh expressed his profound gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their unwavering support, stating that their directives have been instrumental in delivering this distinguished experience to pilgrims.
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Saudi Gazette
39 minutes ago
- Saudi Gazette
Makkah completes major upgrades around Grand Mosque to ease pilgrim flow
Saudi Gazette report MAKKAH — The Royal Commission for Makkah City has completed a broad range of infrastructure and urban development projects in the central area surrounding the Grand Mosque, in preparation for the 2025 Hajj season. The upgrades aim to enhance pedestrian flow, improve crowd distribution, and raise the operational readiness of high-density zones around the mosque. As part of the project, pedestrian sidewalks and walkways were expanded across more than 235,000 square meters, creating easier and safer access to the Grand Mosque from key transportation routes and surrounding facilities. Over 30,000 square meters of shaded areas have been installed to protect pilgrims and worshippers from intense heat, enhancing comfort while walking or waiting. Prayer areas were also extended, increasing capacity by more than 60,000 worshippers. This expansion is designed to reduce congestion in high-traffic areas, especially during peak prayer counter extreme temperatures, a specialized heat-mitigating surface coating was applied across six major sites — including Ajyad Street, Ibrahim Al Khalil Street, and the Clock Towers Plaza — lowering surface temperatures by up to 15°C across more than 50,000 square commission also introduced a unified visual guidance system throughout the central zone, supported by new signage and wayfinding golf carts were deployed to support the mobility of elderly pilgrims and people with disabilities via dedicated storefronts were organized for a consistent urban appearance, and additional barber shops were equipped to meet pilgrim enhancements are part of a broader urban strategy focused not only on seasonal pilgrimage readiness but also on year-round service integrating with Makkah's public transport systems and improving the area's visual and functional coherence, the Royal Commission aims to establish a safer and more efficient environment for all worshippers.


Al Arabiya
40 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Who will Saudi Arabia play at the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup?
The draw for the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup has been made, with Saudi Arabia discovering its opponents for the tournament – which will be played in Chile between September 27 and October 19. It will be the first time that Saudi Arabia has competed in the global competition since 2019, after the 2021 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Green Falcons failed to qualify in 2023. But having finished as runner-up to Australia at the AFC U20 Asian Cup in China in April, Marcos Soares' side will be among the participants again at this year's edition in Chile. Saudi Arabia's team is expected to be led again by prodigious Al Ittihad youngsters Talal Haji and Farnah al-Shamrani, who played on loan at Al Riyadh and Al Kholood respectively in the Saudi Pro League this season. In Chile, Saudi Arabia will face Colombia, Norway and Nigeria in Group F, with all three of the Green Falcons' group stage matches taking place in the Estadio Fiscal de Talca – around 250 km south of the Chilean capital Santiago. Here, Al Arabiya English takes a closer look at Saudi Arabia's opponents at the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup. Colombia Colombia earned its spot in Chile after finishing third in the 2025 South American U20 Championship. While most confederations use a traditional knockout tournament format, in South America the continental championship is played across two group stages. Colombia – coached by Cesar Torres – topped its first group, drawing with Argentina before beating Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil. In the final stage, Torres' side claimed convincing wins against Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay, but narrowly lost 1-0 to Argentina and eventual champion Brazil. 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Colombia is a three-time continental champion at U20 level, most recently winning the title in 2013, and it has reached the quarter-finals of the past two FIFA U20 World Cups, losing to Italy in 2023 and Ukraine in 2019. Its best ever finish on the global stage was third place, achieved in 2003 in the UAE, with a team that included future internationals Fredy Guarin, Abil Aguilar and Yulian Anchico. When Saudi Arabia and Colombia meet in their opening match on September 29, it will be the first time they have competed against each other at the FIFA U20 World Cup. At senior level, the two nations have only played three previous matches – with Colombia winning their most recent friendly 1-0 in June 2022. Nigeria Saudi Arabia will take on Nigeria for the third time at the FIFA U20 World Cup, in the second Group F game on October 2. The two nations first battled it out in 1989 when what was then known as the FIFA World Youth Championships was held in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia faced Nigeria in its opening game but despite taking the lead, succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to the Super Eagles. One of the scorers that day was Mutiu Adepoju, who went on to play for Al Ittihad. That Super Eagles side was just one-game from history in Saudi Arabia, finishing as runner-up to Portugal in the final at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Had it won, it would have become the first African side to win the tournament – an honor that eventually went to Ghana in 2009. Saudi Arabia and Nigeria also played each other in the 2011 tournament, which was held in Colombia. Goals from Ahmed Musa and Olarenwaju Kayode gave Nigeria a 2-0 win, with Musa also coincidentally going on to play his football in the Kingdom with Al Nassr. Both sides made it through Group D, with Saudi Arabia going on to lose to Brazil in the next round, while Nigeria beat England before losing to France in the quarter-finals. At senior level, there have only been two previous contests, a 0-0 draw in 2010 and a 2-2 draw in October 2023. Nigeria has a rich history at youth level and is a record seven-time winner of the CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations – though it hasn't won the trophy since 2015. As well as reaching the 1989 FIFA U20 World Cup final, Nigeria also finished second in 2005 after having the misfortune of facing an Argentina team led by Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi in the final. Messi scored twice in a 2-1 win over the Super Eagles. The current Nigeria team, coached by Aliyu Zubairu, relies on a number of players still based in West Africa. Defender Daniel Bameyi has already made his senior debut for the Super Eagles, while there are high hopes for Precious Benjamin and Emmanuel Shukwu, who are both in the youth system at German Bundesliga side Hoffenheim. The FIFA U20 World Cup has consistently been a great shop window for Nigerian players, with the likes of Daniel Daga, Solomno Agbalaka, Benjamin Fredrick, Jude Sunday and Samson Lawal all earning moves to Europe after the 2023 tournament. Nigeria won its place at the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup after finishing in third place at the 2023 U20 Africa Cup of Nations – recovering from a surprise semi-final defeat to Gambia to beat Tunisia 4-0 in the third-place playoff. Ahmed Abdullahi was one of the Super Eagles' strongest performers and is currently playing for newly-promoted English Premier League club Sunderland. Norway Saudi Arabia and Norway last faced off at the FIFA U20 World Cup back in 1993, sharing a 0-0 draw in their group stage encounter in Adelaide as neither team made it through to the knockout stage of the tournament Down Under. They will play again 22 years later in the final Group F match in Chile on October 5. At senior level, there has only been one previous meeting between Norway and Saudi Arabia, with the former winning 6-0 in a friendly match in 1998; Manchester United striker – and future Red Devils manager – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored twice. On its last appearance at the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2019, Norway made history by recording the biggest win in the tournament's history. That 12-0 thrashing of Honduras was notable for current Manchester City star Erling Haaland bagging a triple hat-trick – becoming the first player to score nine goals in one match for a national team at a major tournament. He unsurprisingly finished as the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup's top scorer, though surprisingly failed to add any more goals as Norway was eliminated at the group stage thanks to defeats to Uruguay and New Zealand. Norway – led by coach Pal Arne Johansen – qualified for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup after finishing third in its group at the 2024 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. That meant a one-off play-off against Turkey, which Norway won 10-9 in an astonishing penalty shootout after the teams had drawn 1-1. Norway successfully converted every single one of its spot-kicks. The 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile will be Norway's fourth time at the tournament but it has only won two of its nine games – suffering elimination at the group stage in all three of its previous appearances in 1989, 1993 and 2019. Norway's team is likely to feature many of the same players who played at last summer's UEFA U19 European Championship. That includes highly-rated Travis Hernes, the Jamaican-born midfielder who was signed by English Premier League club Newcastle United in 2023 and played on loan for Danish Superliga club AaB in the 2024-25 season. Fellow midfielder Benjamin Faraas was developed in the highly-rated youth system of Belgian side Club Brugge, while the rest of the squad is made up of players from Norway's top clubs – including Rosenborg and Molde.


Arab News
40 minutes ago
- Arab News
Students organize science fair to bridge STEM access in Saudi Arabia
DHAHRAN: Two years ago, when freshmen Jungho Kang and Raahim Lone met during a group math project at the American School Dhahran, they quickly bonded over a shared love of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) — and the realization that they wanted to be part of a science-centric competitive space. But as non-Saudis in the Kingdom, no such space existed for them. So, they built one from scratch. Now in 10th grade, the two co-founded SANES (Saudi Arabian National Engineering Symposium), a new, student-led one-day science fair that took place for the first time on Saturday at their school. What began as an ambitious idea between classmates has since grown into a dynamic, Eastern Province-wide event that welcomed more than 60 participants from more than seven schools. Lone, who moved to Saudi Arabia from Canada two years ago, said it took time to adjust to his new home — but building SANES with Kang has helped him find his footing. Living in the same compound made collaboration easy. They found a sweet spot near their homes where they would regularly meet to brainstorm and plan the fair before heading home. It became their unofficial HQ. They spent countless evenings after school refining their vision. 'We spent freshman year working on it. I think this year it's been more consistent so I guess you could say we've been working on it for two years, but we've actually been really working on it for one,' Lone told Arab News with a laugh. From the start, their goal was clear: give all students living in the Kingdom — Saudi and non-Saudi — a chance to present their ideas, gain feedback, and learn from professionals. 'I really hope that every contestant just takes away something good and I hope they can learn something from these judges because we got really good judges — they're all really experienced — and just presenting and communicating their ideas because that was our main goal from the very beginning,' Kang told Arab News. The event featured two rounds of judging, with a panel made up of local and international experts. Kang and Lone ensured the evaluation process was impartial, with teachers helping them filter initial submissions before handing them over to the judges. They did not judge the final projects themselves but trusted the panel of experts to do the evaluating. Behind the scenes, organizing SANES felt a bit like launching a startup, Lone said. 'We started cold emailing all organizations — universities, companies, organizations — we even got so far as having online pitches with some organizations, but that never really came into fruition. 'So then we kind of turned into our ISG school group when our teachers found out that we were doing such things, and our old superintendent brought us in for a meeting.' With support from the International Schools Group, which runs five schools in the Eastern Province, the students booked their school campus as the venue, secured snacks, and assembled an impressive judging lineup. First place went to students from British School Dhahran, while ISG Dammam students claimed second and third. Kang, originally from South Korea, has lived in the Kingdom since he was four. He is especially drawn to mathematical research and is passionate about expanding access to science education. He co-founded SANES 'to help students across KSA engage more freely in scientific research.' When they started high school, they wanted to join a science fair but found they were not eligible for the Saudi competitions nor the international ones. So they made their own. Hans Ott, director of teaching and learning at ISG, praised the initiative. 'What's exciting about today is that it was started by two of our students.' 'When they were 14, 15-year-old students, they said 'we want a STEM competition in Saudi Arabia.' 'And they created an inclusive environment where international students, Saudi students — anyone in the Kingdom — had a place to showcase their talent and love and passion for STEM.' Assistant principal Will McConnell, who helped mentor the students through the process, was especially proud. 'The journey has been both inspiring and instructive. SANES began as a student-led vision, and watching it come to life has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,' McConnell told Arab News. 'If students walk away feeling inspired, seen and empowered to pursue science and engineering further, then we've succeeded,' McConnell added. Superintendent Rhonda Norris echoed his words. 'Success from my perspective has already occurred. Our students had a vision based on their passion and interests and through the support of the leadership team and our community, they brought it to fruition. 'We are proud of these young men and what they have accomplished today,' she said. As for Kang and Lone? They are already thinking about what comes next. They hope to have the chance to go to college in the US, but in the meantime, with two more years of high school ahead, they are not slowing down — creating opportunities not only for themselves, but for their fellow students. They have already promised to 'continue after we graduate, too.'