Page 12 - Saudi Arabia

8.7 mn Indians employed in West Asia, mostly in blue-collar jobs: Report

UAE remains the largest hub, followed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

Saudi Arabia to become world's biggest construction mkt with large inflows

Aimed at overhauling and diversifying the economy, the kingdom is making large investments in infrastructure

Pilgrim deaths in Mecca bring underworld of Hajj industry into spotlight

While pilgrims with permits are transported around the holy city of Mecca in air-conditioned buses and rest in air-conditioned tents, unregistered ones are often exposed to the elements

Heatwave tragedy for Hajj pilgrims: Saudi Arabia reports 1,301 deaths

The Saudi government's statement highlighted that 83 per cent of the deceased were 'unauthorised pilgrims', facing extreme conditions without adequate shelter or amenities

More than 1,300 died during Hajj, many after walking in intense heat

More than 1,300 people died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced extreme high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom, Saudi authorities announced Sunday. Saudi Health Minister Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel said that 83% of the 1,301 fatalities were unauthorized pilgrims who walked long distances in soaring temperatures to perform the Hajj rituals in and around the holy city of Mecca. Speaking with the state-owned Al Ekhbariya TV, the minister said 95 pilgrims were being treated in hospitals, some of whom were airlifted for treatment in the capital, Riyadh. He said the identification process was delayed because there were no identification documents with many of the dead pilgrims. He said the dead were buried in Mecca, without giving a breakdown. The fatalities included more than 660 Egyptians. All but 31 of them were unauthorized pilgrims, according to two officials in Cairo. Egypt has revoked the licenses of 16 travel agencie

Essar awaits final approvals to begin work on steel plant in Saudi

Essar Group is awaiting final approvals to start investing about USD 4.5 billion in building a low-carbon steel plant in Saudi Arabia, its top official Prashant Ruia said. The approvals are expected anytime now, after which the conglomerate will start working on the 4 million tonne per year steel plant along with port facilities at Ras Al-Khair in Saudi Arabia. "We still haven't got all the final approvals," Ruia, director of Essar Capital, which manages the group's portfolio of investments, said in an interview with PTI. The plant will meet domestic steel demand in Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia is going through a large growth phase, a large part of steel today is getting imported into Saudi Arabia. So this is basically a domestic plant," he said. The oil-rich kingdom is eyeing becoming an electric vehicle manufacturing hub, manufacturing more than 3 lakh cars annually by 2030. Essar is looking to tap into the demand for steel for such cars as well as for other consumer goods ...

May oil imports: Russia at record high, Saudi lowest in 10-month

India shipped in about 5.1 million bpd oil in May, a growth of about 5.6% from April, the data shows

India to push its 2036 Olympic bid in Paris, seek inclusion of Indic sports

India's sports administrators would be "lobbying" hard during the upcoming Paris Olympics to brighten the country's chances of hosting the 2036 Games where they will push for the inclusion of indigenous disciplines like yoga, kho kho and kabaddi if their ambitious bid is successful. The Sports Authority of India's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) presented its detailed report on the measures needed for a successful bid to new sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday. In this document, MOC has identified six disciplines, including yoga, kho kho, kabaddi, chess, T20 cricket and squash for inclusion in the 2036 Olympics if the country gets to host the quadrennial extravaganza. "We met the new Sports Minister yesterday and handed him the report. The minister said he will need a few days to go through it. But he asked us to prepare another report on how sports can be a career option in the country, how to build interest among youth, how to bring private players into sports," a senior memb

90 Indians among over 1,000 Hajj pilgrims dead in Mecca amid intense heat

Deaths among Egyptians had surged to at least 658, a significant increase from the previous day's 300, largely due to the oppressive heat

With three in $3trn club, top trio account for nearly a fifth of US mcap

Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, France & UK other top markets where top firms hold big sway

Heatwave kills over 550 people during 2024 Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia

The temperatures at Mecca's Grand Mosque soared to a blistering 51.8 degrees Celsius on June 17. The majority of the fatalities were Egyptian pilgrims, along with at least 60 Jordanians and 5 Iranians

After 2 years out of team, N'Golo Kante key to France's success once again

It was a classic N'Golo Kant performance. Effective, understated and overshadowed by a teammate. With all the attention on Kylian Mbapp and his injured nose, Kant's tireless defensive midfield work was quietly crucial to France's 1-0 win over Austria at the European Championship on Monday. Kant had not played a competitive game for France in two years. It was as if the 33-year-old had never been away. He completed 92% of his passes and stopped Austria counterattacks to preserve France's lead following an Austria own goal. Of course he was brilliant, he was bright tonight, we needed that, France coach Didier Deschamps said through a translator. On a night when seven yellow cards were issued in total and emotions ran high, especially after Austria fans booed the injured Mbapp for what they saw as time-wasting, Kant brought much-needed calm to the French midfield. Kant was a key part of the team which won the 2018 World Cup but he last played a competitive game for France in the Nat

Heatwave claims 19 lives during Hajj 2024 as mercury soars in Saudi Arabia

Temperatures soared above 46 degrees Celsius this week in Saudi, making the outdoor rituals particularly challenging, especially for the elderly

Hajj 2024: Step-by-step guide, rituals and significance of the pilgrimage

The Hajj pilgrimage holds special significance for Muslims across the world. Here's the step-by-step guide to performing the annual holy ritual

More than 1.5 mn foreign Muslims arrive in Mecca for annual Hajj pilgrimage

Muslim pilgrims have been streaming into Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca ahead of the start of the Hajj later this week, as the annual pilgrimage returns to its monumental scale. Saudi officials say more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in the country by Tuesday, the vast majority by air, from across the world. More are expected, and hundreds of thousands of Saudis and others living in Saudi Arabia will also join them when the pilgrimage officially begins on Friday. Saudi officials have said they expect the number of pilgrims this year to exceed 2023, when more than 1.8 million people performed Hajj, approaching pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, more than 2.4 million Muslims made the pilgrimage. The pilgrims included 4,200 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank who arrived in Mecca earlier this month, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were not able to travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj this year, because

Saudi Arabia set to raise $11.2 bn from secondary offering of Aramco shares

Aramco's book was covered four to five times near the bottom of the price range of 26.7 to 29 riyals

Air India's rise could impact three Gulf hubs, says Saudia Airlines

Calling AI a "sleeping giant", Muehlen said: "They have a legacy. They have the hearts of the Indian population. If they get it right, it would be more at the expense of the super-connectors"

Saudi Aramco courts foreign investors with roadshows in US, London

During Aramco's 2019 initial public offering, overseas investors had largely balked at valuation expectations and left the government reliant on local buyers

Yemen's Houthis sentence 44 to death on charges of treachery, spying

A court run by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday sentenced 44 people to death, including a businessman working with aid groups, on spying charges, a defence lawyer said. The 44 were among 49 people who were detained by the Iran-backed rebels and accused of collaborating with the enemy, a reference to the Saudi-led coalition that has been at war with the Houthis since 2015, lawyer Abdel-Majeed Sabra said. Four were given prison sentences, Sabra said. Sixteen were sentenced to death in absentia, while 28 were brought before the Specialised Criminal Court in the capital Sanaa, Sabra said. Among those sentenced to death was Adnan al-Harazi, CEO of Prodigy Systems, a Sanaa-based company that developed systems to help humanitarian groups register and verify the distribution of aid to those in need in the war-stricken country. The Houthis detained al-Harazi in March last year after throwing stones at his company. Saturday's court ruling included the seizure of al-Harazi's properties, Sabr

OPEC meeting to shape India's Russian oil purchases as May levels stay high

Bloc members led by Saudi Arabia and Russia are holding a ministerial meeting on June 2 to decide the fate of global oil production