Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 20 Jun 2026, 5:11 PM (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.
Uba Sani Commends Kaduna Pilgrims In Makkah Daily Trust
Turkey Joins Egypt, Iran, United States, Canada, Australia, Somalia, Yemen and Many Others as Saudi Arabia Welcomes a Staggering One Million Seven Hundred Seven Thousand Three Hundred and One Pilgrims for Hajj 2026 in a Monumental Global Faith Travel And Tour World
CST reveals telecom performance during Hajj 1447H in Makkah and holy sites entARABI
Rare albino buffalo spared due to security concerns over unusual level of public interest in 700kg animalA rare albino buffalo in Bangladesh nicknamed “Donald Trump” for its distinctive blond tuft has been spared from Eid al-Adha sacrifice after a last-minute government intervention, according t...
Uba Sani commends Kaduna pilgrims in Makkah Daily Post Nigeria
Muslim worshipers enter final days of this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca africanews.com