Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 14 Sep 2026, 10:34 AM (Saudi time)
Saudi Arabia has made the Nusuk smart card mandatory for all Hajj 2026 pilgrims, combining personal, medical, and accommodation data. The Nusuk app has surpassed 51 million users with over 130 digital services.
The first international Hajj 2026 pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Malaysia, with 3.1 million seats across 12,000 flights allocated for the season.
Saudi Arabia has revealed plans for a new Makkah international airport, a metro system with completed feasibility studies, an AI crowd management programme, and integrated Saudia-Saudi Railways ticketing as part of a large-scale infrastructure overhaul of the Holy City.
Saudi Arabia requires all Hajj 2026 pilgrims to carry a valid quadrivalent ACYW meningitis vaccination certificate administered at least 10 days before arrival, with additional polio vaccine requirements for pilgrims from high-risk countries.
Saudi Arabia restricted entry to Makkah from 13 April 2026 to Hajj permit holders only and suspended Umrah permits from 18 April to 31 May 2026 as the Kingdom prepares for the Hajj pilgrimage beginning around 25 May.
Saudia has launched Hajj 2026 operations with 160 aircraft and over one million seats spanning 145 global destinations, as part of Saudi Arabia's total air transport plan of 3.1 million seats across 12,000 flights.
UMRAH VLOG | WE TOOK 20 BROTHERS TO MAKKAH & MADINAH 🕋 France (tLByvgRpYW) Mshale
2026 Hajj: Kano Gets 3,050 Slots As Saudi Arabia Cuts Nigeria’s Allocation Arise News
Virtual meeting between Myanmar Ambassador U Nay Myo Oo and Dr. Abdul Fattah bin Sulaiman Mashat, Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.(31-8-2026, Riyadh) – Ministry of Foreign Affairs နိုင်ငံခြားရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာန
Rakhi Sawant’s kind gesture in Makkah Minute Mirror
Hotels Reshape the Real Estate Investment Landscape in Makkah ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English
More than 40 Australians are among several thousand people unaccounted for after catastrophic flooding on the Nepal-Tibet borderHow the deadly Nepal and Tibet flash flood unfolded – a visual guideGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn 11-year-old child, an ADF member and man...