RIYADH: The Saudi Arabian Boy Scouts Association is set to participate in the Third Inter-American Scout Moot in Peru from Jul 27 to Aug 5, under the theme “Walking together through America.”
It is an official event of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), hosted and organized by the Scout Association of Peru, for young people aged 18 to 25.
More than 2,000 scouts from 160 national associations from around the world are expected to participate in the event, which also marks the 100th anniversary of the scout movement.
The Secretary General of the Saudi Scout Association, Dr. Abdullah Al-Fahd, said, “the forum provides an opportunity for participants to connect with the world and make new friends as part of their scouting adventure.”
He added the forum will offer an opportunity to exchange intercultural experiences among participants, and to practice collective projects, all participating in Creating a Better World.
The head of the Saudi Scouts delegation, Nasser Al-Aqeel, said that the program includes activities for adventure, the most important of which are cycling, horseback riding, kayaking, climbing and descending, and windsurfing.
The forum includes several workshops, including developing ones self, effective communication, the solar environment, financial intelligence.
It will also feature courses in photography, prevention of anemia, Andean vision, reforestation, agriculture and human rights, as well as traditional games and night activities.
The word moot is Old English and means “an assembly held for discussion.”
Saudi scouts to participate in the Inter-American forum in Peru
Saudi scouts to participate in the Inter-American forum in Peru
- Organized by the Scout Association of Peru, the event is for young people aged 18 to 25
- The activities include cycling, horseback riding, kayaking, climbing and descending, and windsurfing
Saudi Arabia welcomes first Hajj pilgrims in Jeddah, Madinah
- Flights from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia and India start the annual pilgrimage season
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transport and Logistic Services Saleh Al-Jasser received the first group of Hajj pilgrims on Tuesday at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.
The flight, carrying 396 pilgrims from Dhaka, Bangladesh, was one of several scheduled to arrive at Jeddah airport and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.
Al-Jasser said: “Six main airports have been allocated to serve the pilgrims: King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah, Prince Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Yanbu, Taif International Airport, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.”
He said flights will continue until the beginning of Dhul Hijjah, supported by an integrated system of services to ease pilgrims’ journeys from arrival to departure, reinforcing the Kingdom’s leadership in serving the Two Holy Mosques and worshippers.
In another flight from Bangladesh, 414 pilgrims arrived at Jeddah airport and were received by Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia M. Delwar Hossain and officials from both countries.
The envoy extended his best wishes to the arriving Hajj pilgrims and assured them that the Bangladesh Embassy, consulate, and Hajj mission are always available to support them if needed.
The pilgrims expressed their gratitude for the warm welcome and efficient arrangements at the airport. A total of 87,100 people from Bangladesh are expected to perform Hajj this year.
The first flight carrying 442 beneficiaries of the Makkah Route Initiative from Islamabad, Pakistan, arrived in Madinah on Tuesday.
More than 89,000 Pakistani pilgrims will travel under the government’s scheme during Pakistan’s 33-day Hajj flight operation.
Pilgrims will travel to Makkah and Madinah on 342 flights, with the last departing Pakistan on May 31.
Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, Pakistan’s minister for religious affairs, and Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki bid farewell to the pilgrims at the airport.
Yousaf advised Pakistani pilgrims to strictly adhere to Saudi Arabia’s laws and respect the local culture during the annual Islamic pilgrimage.
“As Hajj pilgrims, you are traveling to the sacred land as the guests of Allah and ambassadors of Pakistan, and you are urged to respect the laws and culture of Saudi Arabia,” the minister said in a televised address as he bid farewell to the pilgrims.
Yousaf said he would “soon” travel to Saudi Arabia to review Hajj arrangements.
“I will take every possible measure to resolve the issues faced by Pakistani pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and will personally be among them to provide facilities,” he added.
Yousaf said the government was pushing to extend the Makkah Route Initiative facilities to more Pakistani cities in the future.
Yousaf said each pilgrim was provided a mobile SIM card that contains an application, which can be used to guide pilgrims with directions in case they lose their way in Mina.
Meanwhile, the second Hajj flight of the day left from Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, carrying 150 pilgrims to Madinah via AirSial airline.
Six flights are scheduled to depart from Pakistan for the Kingdom on Tuesday: two from Lahore and one each from Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta and Multan.
This year’s annual pilgrimage will take place in June, with nearly 89,000 Pakistanis expected to travel to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme and more than 23,620 Pakistanis expected to perform Hajj through private tour operators.
From Malaysia, the first group of Makkah Route Initiative pilgrims arrived in Madinah on Tuesday from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The initiative aims to provide high-quality services to pilgrims from participating countries. It includes completing all travel procedures in the pilgrims’ home countries, such as issuing electronic visas, confirming health status, and finalizing passport control at the departure airport.
Additionally, luggage is coded and sorted according to each pilgrim’s transport and accommodation arrangements in the Kingdom.
Upon arrival, pilgrims are transported to their residences in Makkah and Madinah, and their luggage is delivered directly to their accommodation.
The Makkah Route Initiative is a Ministry of Interior program implemented in cooperation with the ministries of foreign affairs, health, Hajj and Umrah, and other government entities.
The first group of Indian Hajj pilgrims also arrived in Madinah on Tuesday, when 262 pilgrims from Hyderabad were received by officials who greeted them with flowers and souvenirs.
Entry procedures were completed efficiently and smoothly, thanks to the coordinated efforts of various entities operating at the airport.
All relevant authorities have launched their operational plans to ensure the pilgrims’' smooth arrival and transfer to their accommodation in Madinah, reflecting the Kingdom’s strong commitment to facilitating the pilgrims’ journey and enabling them to perform their rituals with ease.
Saudi Arabia slams Israel’s actions in Gaza at ICJ
- Tel Aviv ‘continues to ignore’ International Court of Justice rulings, says Kingdom’s representative
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia condemned Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza at the International Court of Justice on Tuesday, accusing it of defying international rulings and committing severe human rights violations.
Speaking before the court, the Kingdom’s representative, Mohamed Saud Alnasser, said Israel “continues to ignore the court’s orders,” and insisted that “there is no justification for Israel’s violations in Gaza.”
Alnasser added that “Israel has turned Gaza into a pile of rubble,” highlighting the widespread devastation and suffering inflicted on civilians.
His remarks came on the second day of the ICJ’s hearings into Israel’s humanitarian obligations toward Palestinians, held amid a total Israeli blockade on aid to the Gaza Strip that has lasted over 50 days.
The hearings are a part of broader efforts to assess whether Israel has complied with international legal responsibilities in its conduct during the war on Gaza.
New platform, pavilion inaugurated at Prophet’s biography museum
RIYADH: A new pavilion and an interactive digital platform have been opened at the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization in Madinah.
The new additions to the museum were inaugurated by Prince Salman bin Sultan, governor of Madinah, in the presence of Mohammad Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League and supervisor-general of the museum.
The new pavilion is a documented presentation of Madinah with more than 20 sections, covering the most important historical, cultural and social monuments and landmarks of the holy city during the era of the Prophet Muhammad.
It includes a panorama of the Prophet’s Chamber and offers a simulation of the construction of the Prophet’s Mosque, the Prophetic medicine tent, and the Prophet’s daily routine.
Ithaf, the new digital platform, allows visitors to explore the Prophet’s biography through virtual tours, with access to a library of more than 350 books and encyclopedias in the service of the Holy Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah, translated into several languages.
The governor also visited the pavilion displaying the Kingdom’s efforts in serving the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the Two Holy Mosques, and was briefed on its work and efforts to highlight the message of Islam.
Saudi’s KSrelief signs $10m deal with UK for cholera response in Yemen
- KSrelief will provide $5m to the WHO, while the UK government will provide a further $5m to the UN Children’s Fund
- An estimated 3.5m people will benefit from the deal to fund a wide range of disease management and prevention services
LONDON: Saudi aid agency KSrelief and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Monday signed an agreement to expand cholera response efforts in Yemen, potentially benefiting an estimated 3.5 million people.
KSrelief will provide $5 million to the World Health Organization, while the UK government will provide a further $5 million to the UN Children’s Fund. The money will help support emergency cholera-response activities in Yemen’s worst-affected provinces.
The WHO will deliver a range of services to tackle cholera, including leadership and coordination expertise, disease surveillance, rapid-response teams, and management of cases. KSrelief will assist these efforts through infection-prevention and control efforts, water sanitation and hygiene improvements, risk communication, community engagement, and oral cholera-vaccination campaigns.
The UK funding will be used to tackle water sanitation, hygiene, and health interventions in the most contaminated and high-risk areas.
The agreement was signed in London by Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of KSrelief, and Jenny Chapman, minister of state for international development at the Foreign Office, during the former’s official visit to the UK.
Unauthorized Hajj Pilgrims, facilitators face penalties in Saudi interior ministry clampdown
- Penalties will apply from Tuesday until approximately June 10
RIYADH: People caught violating Hajj permit regulations, and those helping them, in Saudi Arabia’s Makkah face stiff penalties in a Ministry of Interior clampdown.
The ministry said the penalties would apply from Tuesday until approximately June 10.
A fine of up to SR20,000 ($5,331.43) will be imposed on people caught performing or attempting to perform Hajj without a permit, and on holders of all types of visit visas who attempt to enter or stay in Makkah and the holy sites during the specified period.
A fine of up to SR100,000 will also be imposed on anyone who applies for a visit visa for an individual who has performed or attempted to perform Hajj without a permit, or who has entered or stayed in Makkah city and the holy sites during the specified period. The fine will multiply for each individual involved.
The same fine will apply to anyone who transports or attempts to transport visit visa holders to Makkah and the holy sites during the specified period, as well as to those who shelter or attempt to shelter visit visa holders in any accommodation, including hotels, apartments, private housing, shelters, or housing sites for Hajj pilgrims.
This includes concealing their presence or providing assistance that enables their stay. The fine will multiply for each individual sheltered, concealed, or assisted.
A separate penalty would also apply to illegal infiltrators attempting to perform Hajj, whether residents or overstayers, and the guilty parties would be deported to their countries and banned from entering the Kingdom for ten years.
The ministry also said the relevant court would be ordered to confiscate land vehicles used to transport visit visa holders to Makkah and the holy sites during the specified period, if owned by the transporter, facilitator, or any accomplices.
