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420,070 workers served during Hajj 2025: Saudi statistics authority

420,070 workers served during Hajj 2025: Saudi statistics authority
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Members of the Hajj security services join a photo session outside the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. (SPA)
420,070 workers served during Hajj 2025: Saudi statistics authority
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A health worker takes blood samples from a pilgrim being transported at one of the holy sites in Makkah. (SPA)
420,070 workers served during Hajj 2025: Saudi statistics authority
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A worker assists pilgrims at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. (SPA)
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Updated 12 June 2025

420,070 workers served during Hajj 2025: Saudi statistics authority

420,070 workers served during Hajj 2025: Saudi statistics authority
  • Over 1.6m pilgrims undertook Hajj, according to General Authority for Statistics

RIYADH: A total of 420,070 workers from the public and private sectors, including security services, worked to serve 1,673,230 pilgrims during this year’s Hajj, the General Authority for Statistics has reported.

Of the number, 92 percent were male and 8 percent female, GASTAT said in its Hajj Statistics Publication carried by the Saudi Press Agency recently.

The publication said there were 34,540 male and female volunteers at the holy sites, contributing a total of 2,134,398 volunteer hours during the Hajj season.




Elderly, infirm and disabled pilgrims are given assistance in moving around the holy sites. (SPA)

It also stated that 314,337 male and female pilgrims from eight countries benefited from the Makkah Route Initiative this year, representing 20.9 percent of all pilgrims.

This initiative, launched during the 2017 Hajj season, aims to streamline travel procedures for pilgrims.

GASTAT announced earlier that of this year’s 1,673,230 registered pilgrims, 1,506,576 arrived from abroad through various entry points. There were 166,654 citizens and residents who performed Hajj this year.

This year there were 877,841 male and 795,389 female pilgrims, the authority stated.

GASTAT said the statistics are based on records provided by the Ministry of Interior.




Workers spend a lot of effort to keep facilities in the holy sites clean and safe. (SPA)


Training program promotes smart farming practices

Training program promotes smart farming practices
Updated 26 August 2025

Training program promotes smart farming practices

Training program promotes smart farming practices
  • Participants are learning about advanced systems for climate control, smart irrigation, crop monitoring, and energy-saving solutions

Riyadh: The National Research and Development Center for Sustainable Agriculture, known as Estidamah, and NEOM food company Topian have been running their second greenhouse management training program in Riyadh.

The program, which began on Aug. 24 and ends on Thursday, aims to promote sustainable agricultural practices by providing comprehensive training in the management and operation of climate-controlled greenhouses.

Participants are learning about advanced systems for climate control, smart irrigation, crop monitoring, and energy-saving solutions, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The curriculum also addresses key challenges such as water scarcity, soil health, and biodiversity conservation, the SPA added. 

This initiative is a part of Estidamah’s knowledge-transfer program, which seeks to improve farming efficiency and enhance food security. This is in line with the objectives of the country’s National Agriculture Strategy.


Yanbu fisheries support program boosts efficiency

Yanbu fisheries support program boosts efficiency
Updated 26 August 2025

Yanbu fisheries support program boosts efficiency

Yanbu fisheries support program boosts efficiency

RIYADH: The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture’s Yanbu office, in cooperation with Reef National Foundation, delivered 65 marine engines to fishermen in the governorate, along with around 1,234 tools and pieces of equipment for boat outfitting.

The initiative is part of support programs for small-scale fishermen to strengthen the fisheries sector, ensure sustainable marine resources, and contribute to the ministry’s strategic goals.

The programs also included training and qualification for 580 beneficiaries to improve efficiency in all fishing processes, ensuring the highest quality products reach consumers, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

Earlier, the office provided about 17 preservation and refrigeration vehicles and 40 fishing boats under the localization of the fishing profession initiative, in cooperation with the Yanbu Cooperative Society for Fishermen.

The initiative’s fishing boats generated sales exceeding SR697,000 ($186,000) through more than 2,700 fishing trips, the SPA reported.


Saudi cabinet reaffirms support for OIC stance on Gaza, urges urgent global action

Saudi cabinet reaffirms support for OIC stance on Gaza, urges urgent global action
Updated 26 August 2025

Saudi cabinet reaffirms support for OIC stance on Gaza, urges urgent global action

Saudi cabinet reaffirms support for OIC stance on Gaza, urges urgent global action
  • The ministers also reviewed the outcomes of recent high-level engagements, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

JEDDAH: The Saudi Council of Ministers, chaired on Tuesday by King Salman, affirmed its support for the outcomes of the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Jeddah to address Israel’s ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the cabinet reiterated the Kingdom’s call on the international community, particularly the permanent members of the UN Security Council, to urgently intervene to end the violence and protect civilians.

The ministers also reviewed the outcomes of recent high-level engagements, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The session further discussed a message King Salman received from President El-Sisi regarding bilateral relations between Riyadh and Cairo.


Ƶ denounces Israeli incursion into Syrian territories

Ƶ denounces Israeli incursion into Syrian territories
Updated 26 August 2025

Ƶ denounces Israeli incursion into Syrian territories

Ƶ denounces Israeli incursion into Syrian territories
  • Syria says Israel takes some territory around Mount Hermon despite talks
  • An Israeli military spokesperson said troops carried out a routine operational activity in an area of southern Syria

Ƶ strongly condemned Israeli incursions inside the Syrian border, it was announced on Tuesday, calling them “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty” of Syria. 

A statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry said: “The Kingdom of Ƶ expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the continuation of Israeli violations, its incursion into Syrian territories, and its interference in its internal affairs.”

It added the act was “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty” of Syria and international law and also violated “the disengagement agreement signed between Syria and Israel in 1974, which comes amid the tension in the situation in the Sweida Governorate.”

 

Syria said on Monday that Israel had sent 60 soldiers to take control of an area inside the border around Mount Hermon. The Syrian government said the operation violated its sovereignty and posed a further threat to regional security.

“This dangerous escalation is considered a direct threat to regional peace and security,” said a statement from Syria’s foreign ministry.

A spokesman for the Israeli military said troops carried out routine operational activity in an area of southern Syria but did not operate in Beit Jinn, an area close to the border with Lebanon and near Mount Hermon.

Monday's incident took place near a strategic hilltop overlooking Beit Jinn, according to the Syrian ministry. It was also reported that Israel arrested six Syrians there.

The incident comes as the two countries engage in US-mediated talks on de-escalating their conflict in southern Syria. Damascus hopes to reach a security arrangement that could eventually pave the way for broader political talks.

 


Global symposium charts future of digital regulation

Global symposium charts future of digital regulation
Updated 26 August 2025

Global symposium charts future of digital regulation

Global symposium charts future of digital regulation
  • GSR25 will close with a resolution outlining regulatory principles for the post-digital era

RIYADH: The Global Symposium for Regulators opens in Riyadh next week, bringing together delegates from more than 190 countries to discuss the future of digital regulation.

With the theme “Regulation for Sustainable Digital Development,” the event is being hosted by Ƶ’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission with the UN International Telecommunication Union. It will address topics including artificial intelligence, sixth-generation networks and the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial systems. 

Officials say the symposium marks a milestone in shaping global digital governance, stressing the role of regulators in driving innovation, protecting consumers, and closing the digital divide while advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

It comes as Ƶ aims to become a global digital leader following its appointment to the UN’s ITU digital regulation network board. Internet use in the Kingdom reached 99 percent in 2024.

GSR25 will close with a resolution outlining regulatory principles for the post-digital era, based on participants’ insights and session recommendations.