Minister inspects preparations for Hajj pilgrims

Hajj and Umrah Minister Mohammed Salih Bentin. (SPA)
Updated 28 July 2018
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Minister inspects preparations for Hajj pilgrims

  • The Hajj, the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in the lifetime of every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so

JEDDAH: Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Mohammed Salih Bentin visited the National Tawafa Establishment for South Asian Pilgrims to oversee its preparations and services for this year’s Hajj season.
He viewed a simulation model of a pilgrim hostel, preparations by the emergency and safety committee, and a simulation model to introduce heads of pilgrims’ affairs offices and tourism companies to the Two-Story Family project, which aims to improve pilgrim housing.
Raafat bin Ismail Badr, chairman of the National Tawafa Establishment, said: “We are constantly working to improve performance and services every year, in a manner that is in line with the special care the country’s leadership gives to the visitors of Makkah.”


Japanese Foreign Minister to visit Saudi Arabia

Updated 4 min 1 sec ago
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Japanese Foreign Minister to visit Saudi Arabia

  • Iwaya Takeshi to visit Kingdom on April 30 and May 1

TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will visit Saudi Arabia on April 30 and May 1 on a trip that will also take him to the United Nations in New York and Senegal in Africa.

Following on from the Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in February, Iwaya will exchange views closely with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss issues such as the situation in Gaza, Syria, Iran and the Red Sea, as well as strengthening coordination between Japan and Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, a high-ranking Foreign Ministry official told Arab News Japan.

The official stated that Japan considers Saudi Arabia to be the leader of the Arab-Islamic world, as it is home to two of Islam’s holiest sites, Makkah and Madinah. Additionally, Saudi Arabia is the only Arab nation that is a member of the G20. With its abundant oil resources, the country plays a significant role in OPEC. “Given the current instability in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia serves as a crucial stabilizing force in the region and maintains a strong relationship with the United States,” he said.

Japan aims to strengthen its diverse economic relationship with Saudi Arabia, extending beyond their existing energy partnership. This visit is expected to speed up the efforts to finalize the Japan-GCC Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations that resumed last year. Additionally, Japan is committed to supporting Saudi Arabia’s goals for decarbonization and industrial diversification as part of “Saudi Vision 2030.”

Japan also acknowledges the role of Saudi Arabia in the international community, which seems to have strong connections with the Trump administration and Russia.

In February, the second Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue was held in Tokyo between Minister Iwaya and Minister Faisal. The most recent visit by a Japanese Foreign Minister to Saudi Arabia occurred in September 2023.

In February, the second Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue was held in Tokyo between Minister Iwaya (R) and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (L). (ANJ)

Japan’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has a long history, with Japan importing approximately 40 percent of its crude oil from Saudi Arabia. This makes Saudi Arabia Japan’s most important partner for energy security. As we approach the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2025, this visit is particularly significant, the Japanese official said.

In February, during Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal’s visit to Japan, the two countries signed an agreement to establish the “Strategic Partnership Council (SPC),” which will be co-chaired by the leaders of both nations.

“As we prepare for the SPC, the visit aims to reinforce cooperation in various areas, including politics, economy, security, and culture. The two countries will also solidify their collaboration for the upcoming Expo in Riyadh in 2030, which is a promising sign for the future of Japan-Saudi relations.”

Iwaya’s visit to the United Nations coincides with the final session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which takes place every five years. This event marks the first time in seven years that a Foreign Minister has attended such a meeting.

To ensure that next year’s NPT Review Conference produces positive results, Japan aims to take a leading role in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The country will advocate for dialogue and collaboration among states and parties to work towards creating a world without nuclear weapons, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Japan is actively engaging in discussions with UN officials to enhance collaboration with the United Nations, focusing on strengthening its functions and addressing global challenges.

Regarding its relationship with Senegal, Japan’s Foreign Ministry highlights that Japan and Senegal are strategically important partners. Japan is dedicated to contributing to the “Senegal 2050” initiative, emphasizing human resource development.

Senegal serves as a key base for Japanese companies in French-speaking West Africa. In 2024, oil and natural gas production began, resulting in an increase in the number of Japanese companies operating in Senegal.


Hundreds of thousands at funeral mourn pope ‘with an open heart’

Updated 26 April 2025
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Hundreds of thousands at funeral mourn pope ‘with an open heart’

  • Some waited overnight to get a seat in the vast square in front of St Peter's Basilica, with the Vatican reporting some 250,00 people attended
  • More than 50 heads of state were also present at the solemn ceremony, including Trump who met world leaders in a corner of the basilica beforehand

Vatican City: Hundreds of thousands of mourners and world leaders, including US President Donald Trump packed St. Peter’s Square on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis, “pope among the people” and the Catholic Church’s first Latin American leader.

Some waited overnight to get a seat in the vast square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, with the Vatican reporting some 250,00 people attended, in an outpouring of support for the Argentine pontiff.

More than 50 heads of state were also present at the solemn ceremony, including Trump — who met several world leaders in a corner of the basilica beforehand, notably Ukraine’s Volodomyr Zelensky, in their first face-to-face since their Oval Office clash in February.

The crowds applauded as the pope’s coffin was carried out of the basilica by white gloved pallbearers, accompanied by more than 200 red-robed cardinals, and then again as it was taken back after the approximately two-hour mass.

Francis, who died on Monday aged 88, was “a pope among the people, with an open heart,” who strove for a more compassionate, open-minded Catholic Church, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said in his funeral homily.

There was applause again from the masses gathered under bright blue skies as he hailed the pope’s “conviction that the Church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open.”

Francis sought to steer the centuries-old Church into a more inclusive direction during his 12-year papacy, and his death prompted a global outpouring of emotion.

“I’m touched by how many people are here. It’s beautiful to see all these nationalities together,” said Jeremie Metais, 29, from Grenoble, France.

“It’s a bit like the center of the world today.”

Members of the clergy attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, at the Vatican, on April 26, 2025. (REUTERS)

Italian and Vatican authorities mounted a major security operation for the ceremony, with fighter jets on standby and snipers positioned on roofs surrounding the tiny city-state.

After the funeral, the pope’s simple wooden coffin was put onto a white popemobile for a slow drive through the streets of Rome to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where he will be buried.

The funeral sets off the first of nine days of official Vatican mourning for Francis, who took over following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013.

After the mourning, cardinals will gather for the conclave to elect a new pope to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Many of Francis’s reforms angered traditionalists, while his criticism of injustices, from the treatment of migrants to the damage wrought by global warming, riled many world leaders.

Yet the former archbishop of Buenos Aires’s compassion and charisma earned him global affection and respect.

“His gestures and exhortations in favor of refugees and displaced persons are countless,” Battista Re said.

The coffin of Pope Francis passes the Colosseum in Rome, on April 26, 2025. (AP)

He recalled the first trip of Francis’s papacy to Lampedusa, an Italian island that is often the first port of call for migrants crossing the Mediterranean, as well as when the Argentine celebrated mass on the border between Mexico and the US.

Trump’s administration drew the pontiff’s ire for its mass deportation of migrants, but the president has paid tribute to “a good man” who “loved the world.”

Making the first foreign trip of his second term, Trump sat among dozens of leaders from other countries — many of them keen to bend his ear over a trade war he unleashed, among other subjects.

The White House said Saturday that the president had a “very productive” meeting with Zelensky before the funeral, while a second meeting was planned after, the Ukrainian presidency said.

Kyiv published a photo of the encounter, the two men sitting face to face in red and gold chairs in the basilica, as well as another showing Zelensky huddled with Trump, Britain’s Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.

In the homily, Battista Re highlighted Francis’s incessant calls for peace, and said he urged “reason and honest negotiation” in efforts to end conflicts raging around the world.

“’Build bridges, not walls’ was an exhortation he repeated many times,” the cardinal said.

Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden also attended the funeral, alongside UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and Lebanon’s Joseph Aoun.

Israel — angered by Francis’s criticism of its conduct in Gaza — sent only its Holy See ambassador. China, which does not have formal relations with the Vatican, did not send any representative.

Italian mourners Francesco Morello, 58, said the homily about peace was a “fitting, strong and beautiful message.”

Of the world leaders gathered, Morello noted: “He could not bring them together in life but he managed in death.”

Pallbearers carry the coffin of Pope Francis inside the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) during his funeral, in Rome, on Italy, April 26, 2025. (REUTERS)

Francis died of a stroke and heart failure less than a month after he left hospital where he had battled pneumonia for five weeks.

He loved nothing more than being among his flock, taking selfies with the faithful and kissing babies, and made it his mission to visit the peripheries, rather than mainstream centers of Catholicism.

His last public act, the day before his death, was an Easter Sunday blessing of the entire world, ending his papacy as he had begun it — with an appeal to protect the “vulnerable, the marginalized and migrants.”

The Jesuit chose to be named after Saint Francis of Assisi, saying he wanted “a poor Church for the poor,” and eschewed fine robes and the papal palace.

Instead, the Church’s 266th pope lived at a Vatican guesthouse and chose to be interred in his favorite Rome church — the first pontiff to be buried outside the Vatican walls in more than a century.

Catholics around the world held events to watch the proceedings live, including in Buenos Aires, where Francis was born Jorge Bergoglio in the poor neighborhood of Flores in 1936.

“The pope showed us that there was another way to live the faith,” said Lara Amado, 25, in the Argentine capital.

A man holds a rose outside the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore), on the day of the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome, Italy, on April 26, 2025. (REUTERS)

Francis asked to be put inside a single wooden coffin to be laid in a simple marble tomb, marked only with the inscription “Franciscus,” his name in Latin.

Francis’s admirers credit him with transforming perceptions of the Church and helping revive the faith following decades of clerical sex abuse scandals.

He was considered a radical by some for allowing divorced and remarried believers to receive communion, approving the baptism of transgender believers and blessings for same-sex couples, and refusing to judge gay Catholics.

But he also stuck with some centuries-old dogma, notably holding firm on the Church’s opposition to abortion.

Francis strove for “a Church determined to take care of the problems of people and the great anxieties that tear the contemporary world apart,” Battista Re said.

“A Church capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds.”


Top Pakistani filmmaker says actors should seek government permission before signing Indian projects 

Updated 59 min 15 sec ago
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Top Pakistani filmmaker says actors should seek government permission before signing Indian projects 

  • The statement comes after Indian cinema federation banned release of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s ‘Abir Gulaal’ following the Pahalgam militant attack
  • Nabeel Qureshi says India has a huge film industry and many Pakistani artists want to work there, but they should not compromise on their self-respect

KARACHI: Pakistani filmmaker Nabeel Qureshi has urged the government to ask Pakistani actors to seek a no-objection certificate (NoC) prior to signing any Indian projects, following the imposition of a ban by the Indian cinema federation on Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s Bollywood movie ‘Abir Gulaal.’
The romantic comedy marks Khan’s highly anticipated return to the Indian film industry after almost nine years. The movie starring Khan, who is widely famous in India, alongside Indian actor Vaani Kapoor is scheduled to release on May 9.
However, Indian media reported on Friday that the movie will not be released in India after the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) asked authorities to ban it, following a militant attack in India-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists on April 22.
New Delhi has blamed the attack on Pakistan, an allegation denied by Islamabad. Both India and Pakistan have since unleashed a raft of measures against each other as tensions remain heightened between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
“It’s a matter of the country’s dignity,” Qureshi told Arab News. “In future, the way India is imposing a blanket ban on Pakistan, our government should also ask actors to seek NoC before signing up for any project there.”
India has a huge film industry and many Pakistani artists want to work there, according to Qureshi. But they should not compromise on their self-respect.
“Our actors should have some integrity not just as artists but also as Pakistanis. [It’s] a country that doesn’t welcome you at all, irrespective of the recent Pahalgam terror attack,” he said.
“There were speculations around the film’s release already, now it’s impossible for the film to release in India.”
India barred Pakistani artists from working in the country after a militant attack in Uri town in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 19 Indian soldiers in 2016. Prior to that, Khan starred in Bollywood films ‘Khoobsurat,’ ‘Kapoor & Sons’ and ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.’
The promotion of his movie Abir Gulaal began in Dubai, with the music launch. But two songs from the film, ‘Khudaya Ishq’ and ‘Angreji Rangrasiya,’ have been removed from YouTube India following the Pahalgam attack.
“It was not like this was unexpected. If it had not been the recent tragedy in Pahalgam, it would have been any other reason, big, small, legit or otherwise,” Kamran Jawaid, a Pakistani film critic and journalist, told Arab News.
“Cinema-goers [in Pakistan] will give the film a warm welcome. However, given FWICE’s hard anti-Pakistan stance, the decision to release the film here would only land them in hotter waters in India. Nobody wants to do that.”
Nadeem Mandviwalla, a leading film importer and distributor in Pakistan who also owns a cinema in Karachi, said India’s ban on the movie’s release is “understandable” under the current circumstances.
“Allegedly, Pakistan has also refused to grant permission to the movie,” he said. “Actors will always play a part in projecting peace and love. Given a chance, it’s commendable for both parties to make this attempt.”
Jawaid, on the other hand, said Pakistani actors should have an “active role” in building up the quality of Pakistani productions, given the wafer-thin, prickly relationship between Pakistan and India.
“They should not run after Bollywood collaborations because the audience-base is bigger or that the pay is better,” he said. “The ‘arts transcend borders’ and ‘arts can make a difference’ mantra can only be beneficial if there is unilateral reciprocation in both industries.”


Kingdom arrests 19,328 illegals in one week

Updated 26 April 2025
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Kingdom arrests 19,328 illegals in one week

RIYADH: Saudi authorities arrested 19,328 people in one week for breaching residency, work and border security regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.

A total of 11,245 people were arrested for violations of residency laws, while 4,297 were held over illegal border crossing attempts, and a further 3,786 for labor-related issues.

The report showed that among the 1,360 people arrested for trying to enter the Kingdom illegally, 54 percent were Ethiopian, 44 percent Yemeni, and 2 percent were of other nationalities.

A further 79 people were caught trying to cross into neighboring countries, and 22 were held for involvement in transporting and harboring violators, the SPA reported.

The Ministry of Interior said that anyone found to be facilitating illegal entry to the Kingdom, including providing transportation and shelter, could face imprisonment for a maximum of 15 years, a fine of up to SR1 million ($260,000), as well as confiscation of vehicles and property.

Suspected violations can be reported on the toll-free number 911 in the Makkah and Riyadh regions, and 999 or 996 in other regions of the Kingdom.


Bangladesh plans to send hundreds of troops to serve in Qatari forces

Updated 26 April 2025
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Bangladesh plans to send hundreds of troops to serve in Qatari forces

  • Bangladesh’s chief adviser discusses deployment with Qatar leadership
  • 6,000 Bangladeshi soldiers are already in service of Kuwait Armed Forces

DHAKA: Bangladesh is planning to send hundreds of soldiers to work for the Qatar Armed Forces, a government spokesperson said, following this week’s talks between the Qatari leadership and the head of the Bangladeshi interim government.

Bangladesh’s chief adviser, Prof. Mohammed Yunus, was in Doha from Monday to Friday to attend the Earthna Summit organized by the Qatar Foundation. On the sidelines of the summit, the Nobel-winning economist also held meetings with top Qatari officials.

Yunus discussed the deployment of Bangladeshi troops with Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Qatar’s deputy prime minister and minister of state for defense affairs.

“An agreement was reached to send 725 members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces on deputation to work with the Qatar Armed Forces,” Azad Majumder, deputy press secretary to the chief adviser, told Arab News on Friday.

“During the discussion, our National Security Adviser Dr. Khalilur Rahman was also present. So, all our topmost responsible authorities held this discussion with Qatari authorities.”

As the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Yunus also oversees its defense portfolio. His caretaker administration assumed office in August last year, when former prime minister Sheikh Hasina quit and fled the country amid violent protests.

Talks between the Bangladeshi and Qatari armed forces will determine the structure of the team that will be dispatched from Bangladesh and identify areas where Qatar requires its expertise.

“It could be in sectors such as medical, infantry, engineering, etc. The details are still being worked out,” Majumder said.

“This is not a tough job for us, as Bangladesh already has this experience. For many years, Bangladesh has been sending soldiers to different UN missions. Bangladeshi armed forces members have also been serving in Kuwait for many years.”

Bangladeshi soldiers are known for contributing to UN peacekeeping missions, with more than 6,300 personnel currently deployed to 10 such operations worldwide.

Beyond these commitments, Bangladesh also engages non-UN international deployments, with its most prominent military presence being in Kuwait.

About 6,000 members of the Bangladesh Military Contingent are currently enlisted with the Kuwait Armed Forces, according to data from the Bangladeshi embassy in the Gulf state.

Kuwait has been recruiting soldiers from Bangladesh under a bilateral agreement with the Bangladeshi government since the end of the 1991 Gulf War.

Initially, they were deployed to conduct extensive land mine clearance operations, but their responsibilities have expanded over the years to include engineering, construction, medical support and logistical assistance.