Arabia

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday mocked protesters who took part in “No Kings” demonstrations across the United States while praising his father’s business-first approach to the Middle East during a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Trump spoke before business leaders and Saudi officials at the Future Investment Initiative, the brainchild of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who feted President Trump during his Mideast tour in May to the kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Trump backed the prince during his first presidential term even after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi officials at he kingdom’s consulate in Turkey. Prince Mohammed plans a trip to Washington next month as well.

Speaking alongside Omeed Malik of 1789 Capital, Donald Trump Jr. criticized Democratic Party policies and protesters targeting his father. Trump invests in 1789 and continues to work in the real estate arm of the family, the Trump Organization, which has expanded its Mideast offerings even as his father serves his second term in the White House.

In particular, Trump mocked the “No Kings” protests which drew millions of people to demonstrations across the U.S., claiming it was “not an organic movement, it’s entirely manufactured and paid for by the usual puppets around the world and their” groups.

“If my father was a king, he probably wouldn’t have allowed those protests to happen,” he said. “You saw the people that were actually protesting — it’s the same crazy liberals from the ‘60s and ’70s, they’re just a lot older and fatter.”

Trump made the comments while visiting a nation ruled by an absolute monarchy where dissent is criminalized.

The “No Kings” demonstrations, the third mass mobilization since his father’s return to the White House, came against the backdrop of a government shutdown that is testing the core balance of power in the United States in a way protest organizers warn is a slide toward authoritarianism.

Trump separately acknowledged it was his first trip to Saudi Arabia and praised the changes he saw in the kingdom.

“When my father came here, unlike the last presidents who visited here, it wasn’t an apology tour,” Trump said. “It was, ‘How do we work together? How do we grow our respective economies? How do we create peace and stability in the region?’”

“There can be ‘America-First’ component to that, but there also can be a ‘Saudi-First’ component to that and everyone can actually benefit,” he added.

Gambrell writes for the Associated Press.

Shipping containers are stacked on a cargo ship in Bayonne, N.J., in 2020. Now the United States, with the help of Russia and Saudi Arabia, has halted a global agreement to reduce cargo ship greenhouse gases because of the Trump administration’s view that climate change is a “scam.” File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 17 (UPI) — The United States delayed the adoption of an international requirement for commercial cargo ships to reduce their greenhouse emissions or be subject to fines that is widely supported globally.

Using threats of sanctions and tariffs, and backed by Saudi Arabia and Russia, the Trump administration forced representatives of more than 100 countries to table the International Maritime Organization’s Net-zero Framework, which would have set a mandatory marine fuel standard.

The draft framework, agreed to in April and aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cargo ships to net-zero by 2050, would have gone into effect in 2027 for all ocean going ships weighing more than 5,000 tons, according to the IMO.

President Donald Trump has referred to nearly all efforts to reduce human impacts on the environment as a “green scam.”

In an Oct. 10 statement meant to put “IMO members on notice,” Trump’s secretaries of state, energy and transportation said that the United States would employ a series of penalties “against nations that sponsor this European-led neocolonial export of global climate regulations.”

“President Trump has made it clear that the United States will not accept any international environmental agreement that unduly or unfairly burdens the United States or harms the interests of the American people,” Secs. Marco Rubio, Chris Wright and Sean Duffy said in the statement.

The new regulation would have gone into effect in 2027 after a standard for ships to reduce their annual gas fuel intensity — the amount of greenhouse gases released for each unit of energy a ship uses — and economic measures and penalties were established at meetings planned for 2026.

The IMO plan was widely supported — Britain, Canada, the European Union, Japan and China were all in favor — and was expected to pass by most of the roughly 100 countries represented at Friday’s meeting.

Although a handful of countries were not in favor of delaying talks about the regulation for a year, the United States persuaded several countries, including China, to join it, Russia and Saudi Arabia to push off negotiations on the deal.

“We are disappointed that member states have not been able to agree [on] a way forward at this meeting,” International Chamber of Shipping secretary-general Thomas Kazakos told reporters.

“Industry needs clarity to be able to make investments,” he said, reiterating the already known overall support the shipping industry reportedly has for the global standard.

Widespread regional anger over Israel’s war on Gaza, and beyond, will likely prove a major obstacle to any further signatories to the accords.

United States President Donald Trump has said he expects an expansion of the Abraham Accords soon and hopes Saudi Arabia will join the pact that normalised diplomatic relations between Israel and some Arab states, one week into the all-encompassing and fragile Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

“I hope to see Saudi Arabia go in, and I hope to see others go in. I think when Saudi Arabia goes in, everybody goes in,” Trump said in an interview broadcast Friday on Fox Business Network.

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The US president called the pact a “miracle” and “amazing” and hailed the United Arab Emirates’s signing of it.

The “Abraham Accords” secured agreements between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

“It’ll help bring long-lasting peace to the Middle East,” Trump claimed with his signature bombast.

But there are several factors at play since the original iteration of the accords, signed with fanfare at the White House during Trump’s first term as president in 2020.

Israel has carried out a two-year genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, escalated its harsh assault on the occupied West Bank, and beyond Palestine, bombed six countries in the region this year, including key Gulf Arab mediator Qatar, the huge diplomatic fallout from which effectively helped Trump force Israel into a ceasefire in Gaza.

An emergency summit of Arab and Muslim countries held in Doha in September, in the wake of the attack, staunchly declared its solidarity with Qatar and condemned Israel’s bombing of the Qatari capital.

The extraordinary joint session between the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) gathered nearly 60 member states. Leaders said the meeting marked a critical moment to deliver a united message following what they described as an unprecedented escalation by Israel.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision of a “Greater Israel”, has also been roundly condemned by Arab and Muslim countries, and involves hegemonic designs on Lebanese and Syrian territory, among others. Syrian President al-Sharaa, while welcoming Washington’s moves to end its international isolation, has not been warm to the idea of signing up to the Abraham Accords.

Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem appealed to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks to mend relations with the Lebanese armed group, aligned with Iran, and build a common front against Israel.

An August survey from the Washington Institute, a pro-Israel think tank in the US, found that 81 percent of Saudi respondents viewed the prospect of normalising relations with Israel negatively.

A Foreign Affairs and Arab Barometer poll from June came to similar findings: in Morocco, one of the Abraham Accords signatories, support for the deal fell from 31 percent in 2022 to 13 percent in the months after Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023.

Saudi Arabia has also repeatedly asserted its commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative, which conditions recognition of Israel on resolving the plight of Palestinians and establishing a Palestinian state.

Saudi Arabia beat Indonesia 3-2 while Qatar and Oman end goalless as fourth round of qualifiers begin.

Saudi Arabia have fought back to earn a 3-2 win over Indonesia in Group B of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers as Feras Al-Brikan’s double boosted their hopes of securing a place at next year’s finals in North America.

Kevin Diks put Indonesia ahead from the spot in the 11th minute on Wednesday, but Saleh Abu Al-Shamat levelled six minutes later before Al-Brikan scored either side of half-time to secure the points despite a second Diks penalty two minutes from time.

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Saudi Arabia next face Iraq in Jeddah on Tuesday and know that a win over Graham Arnold’s side will guarantee their place in December’s draw for the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Indonesia and Iraq will face one another on Saturday.

The Indonesians went in front when Hassan Al-Tambakhti stuck out an arm as Dean James swung in his free kick from the right and Diks stepped up to clinically place his spot kick beyond Nawaf Al-Aqidi.

The lead was short-lived as Al-Shamat steered his right-footed strike from the edge of the area beyond Maarten Paes’s dive to his left.

With nine minutes left in the half, the home side went in front. Yakob Sayuri’s needless pull on Al-Brikan’s shirt saw referee Ahmad Al-Ali called to the pitch-side monitor, and the Kuwaiti awarded a penalty that Al-Brikan slammed home.

Al-Brikan put the result beyond doubt in the 62nd minute with a clinical close-range finish.

Paes threw himself to his right to keep out Musab Al-Juwayr’s low drive only for Al-Brikan to pounce on the rebound and send the ball back under the body of the Indonesia goalkeeper.

Diks struck again from the penalty spot after Nawaf Bu Washl hit the ball with his arm as he went down in his own area in a tussle with Ole Romeny while Mohammed Kanno’s injury-time red card made for a nervous finish for Herve Renard’s side.

Qatar’s World Cup hopes hit by plucky Oman

Oman kept hosts Qatar at bay to earn a 0-0 draw in the countries’ opening clash in Group A of the fourth round of Asia’s World Cup preliminaries earlier on Wednesday, denting both nations’ hopes of automatic qualification for the 2026 finals.

Qatar captain Akram Afif went closest to claiming the points for Julen Lopetegui’s side at Doha’s Jassim bin Hamad Stadium when he wastefully steered his shot wide 49 minutes into a tense game of few chances.

The Carlos Queiroz-coached Omanis, who are looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time, will face the United Arab Emirates on Saturday in the next game in the three-team group. Qatar will take on the Emiratis on Tuesday.

The winners of the group will qualify directly for the finals while the team finishing second advances to a playoff with the runner-up from Group B, which is being played in Saudi Arabia.

Qatar dominated the opening exchanges but struggled to turn that superiority into opportunities. Only midfielder Boualem Khoukhi threatened the Oman goal with a strike from distance in the 13th minute that flew wide of the target.

The Omanis were largely kept on the back foot although Issam Al-Sabhi did fashion an opening in the 27th minute that goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada gathered, and Amjad Al-Harthi steered a header over the bar late in the half.

Afif should have put the hosts ahead soon after the interval when the Omanis gifted him possession in their own half, but the Asian Player of the Year uncharacteristically side-footed his shot the wrong side of the post.

Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Jordan and Uzbekistan have already claimed six of Asia’s eight guaranteed berths at the expanded 48-team finals. A possible ninth spot is available via an intercontinental playoff in March.

England midfielder Jordan Henderson says he has had “tough moments” since leaving Liverpool for Saudi Arabia and could “have made different decisions”.

The 35-year-old was roundly criticised for leaving Liverpool in 2023 to play for Al-Ettifaq in a country where same sex-relationships are illegal.

Henderson had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and apologised for letting down or hurting anyone in the community when he left Saudi Arabia to join Ajax six months later.

Henderson missed out on Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad but is back in the Premier League with Brentford and the England squad under Thomas Tuchel.

“I don’t think it was the reason why I missed the Euros,” Henderson said. “When I was in Saudi I think I was in every camp prior to the Euros.

“Timing, with everything in hindsight, yes – maybe I would have made different decisions.

“But at the time that’s how I felt and the decision I made was for many different reasons and only I know them reasons.

“I am not going to lie, over the past couple of years I have had some tough moments. It felt like a break-up when I left Liverpool.

“Of course I’m not perfect and I’ve made mistakes in the past. Of course I will have throughout my career.

“But all I’ve ever tried to do is the right thing.”

Henderson has won 85 caps since making his England debut against France in 2010.

He is in Tuchel’s squad to play Wales and Latvia this week and feels he still has plenty to offer on the pitch.

“The most important people are the manager, the coaching staff and the players and what they think,” said Henderson.

“Ask them what they think, if I am a cheerleader when I am here. I don’t think one of the best managers in Europe would be choosing me just to do that.”

The competition will be held at the Global Theater, Riyadh, which staged the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in December.

That event offers a $1m (£745,000) bonus if a player pots a golden ball after a maximum 147 break, for a 167 clearance.

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, has said he wanted to get involved in darts and introduce a “crazy concept” to the sport.

The World Series of Darts will begin with the Bahrain Darts Masters from 15-19 January.

Saudi Arabia will follow before events in Denmark, the US, New Zealand, Australia and the Finals in the Netherlands.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of ‘sportswashing’ in recent years – using its unprecedented spending on sport to improve the oil-producing kingdom’s reputation over its human rights record and environmental impact.

It has staged many major sports events, including Formula 1 and golf, and will host the men’s football World Cup in 2034.

In February Saudi’s UK ambassador Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud said alcohol would not be sold anywhere during the World Cup, including hotels.

The darts tournament will be part of Riyadh Season events in partnership with Matchroom Sport – run by Hearn’s son Eddie – which features boxing and snooker.

Other events not part of the Matchroom partnership include the ‘Six Kings’ tennis exhibition and WWE’s Royal Rumble.

Sept. 18 (UPI) — Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a mutual defense agreement, deepening their decades-long security partnership as tensions in the region heighten following Israel’s attack on Qatar last week.

The agreement was signed during Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

“This agreement, which reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieving security and peace in the region and the world, aims to develop aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,” the two countries said in a joint statement.

“The agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”

Both countries said the agreement builds on their nearly eight decades of partnership that is based “on the bond of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity” as well as strategic interests.

The agreement was signed after Israel launched an attack targeting senior Hamas leadership in Qatar’s capital of Doha.

The move set off alarm bells throughout the Middle East, and threatened to undermine the trust of Gulf nations in the United States as not only be a reliable ally but a security guarantor.

During a summit on Monday in Doha, Arab and Islamic leaders came together in a sign of solidarity with Qatar.

It also comes several months following a four-day armed conflict between India and Pakistan.

India said Thursday it was aware of the agreement.

“We will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability,” Shri Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesman for India’s foreign ministry, said in a statement.

“The government remains committed to protecting India’s national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains.”

Tom Brady is not coming out of retirement.

Adam Schefter, the most plugged-in NFL reporter anywhere, did in fact begin an X.com post Monday with the words “Tom Brady is coming out of retirement” — but he didn’t mean that the greatest quarterback of all time was actually doing so.

He won’t suit up to spell Joe Burrow while the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback nurses his turf toe back to health. He won’t nudge Russell Wilson into retirement and join the New York Giants.

What Brady, 48, will do is play in a flag football tournament in Saudi Arabia next March.

At least that’s what Schefter wrote.

Brady will join fellow retired New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski and a host of current NFL standouts including Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, Maxx Crosby, Sauce Gardner and Myles Garrett in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, a three-team tournament to be held March 21, 2026, in Riyadh.

Pete Carroll, Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan will coach the three five-player teams. The tournament will be held at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh and televised by Fox Sports, with comedian Kevin Hart hosting.

The whole thing sounds like fun. It is, however, a business plan disguised as a promotional stunt.

The NFL makes no secret that it is going global — witness the season opener in São Paulo between the Chiefs and Chargers. And Saudi Arabia makes no secret about broadening its sports holdings, investing billions through its Public Investment Fund in an attempt to expand its oil-based economy and mend its international image.

Fanatics, which is an exclusive licensed retailer of NFL online merchandise, will sponsor the flag football event as a business venture as well. The PIV and the Qatari sovereign wealth fund have invested in Fanatics.

“It is just a great opportunity to expand the game globally,” Brady said in a statement. “Sometimes, you have to get outside your comfort zone to create awareness.”

The NFL will play six more regular-season games overseas this season, three in London and one each in Dublin, Berlin and Madrid.

Flag football has become an easy way to introduce the game to new markets. The NFL has encouraged states to play flag football in high school, and it has become particularly popular as a girls sport.

Flag football also will debut as an Olympic sport in 2028 in L.A., and the NFL has given its players permission to participate.

BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia and Qatar are ready to invest in an economic zone in south Lebanon near the border with Israel that would create jobs for members of the militant Hezbollah group and its supporters once they lay down their weapons, President Trump’s envoy to the Middle East said Tuesday.

Tom Barrack made his comments in Beirut after trips to Israel and Syria where he discussed with officials there the ongoing situation in Lebanon following this month’s decision by the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year. Hezbollah’s leader rejected the government’s plan, vowing to keep the weapons.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces could begin withdrawing from territory they hold in southern Lebanon after the Lebanese government’s “momentous decision” to disarm Hezbollah.

The U.S.-backed Lebanese army is preparing a plan for Hezbollah’s disarmament that should be ready by the end of August. The government is expected to discuss the army’s plan and approve it during a meeting scheduled for Sept. 2.

“We have to have money coming into the system. The money will come from the Gulf,” Barrack told reporters after meeting President Joseph Aoun. “Qatar and Saudi Arabia are partners and are willing to do that for the south (of Lebanon) if we’re asking a portion of the Lebanese community to give up their livelihood.”

“We have 40,000 people that are being paid by Iran to fight. What are you gonna do with them? Take their weapon and say ‘by the way, good luck planting olive trees’? It can’t happen. We have to help them,” Barrack said. He was referring to tens of thousands of Hezbollah members who have been funded since the early 1980s by Tehran.

“We, all of us, the Gulf, the U.S., the Lebanese are all gonna act together to create an economic forum that is gonna produce a livelihood,” Barrack said.

When asked why the U.S. doesn’t go to discuss the Hezbollah issue directly with Iran rather than traveling to Israel and Syria, Barrack said: “You think that’s not happening? Goodbye.” Barrack then ended his news conference and walked out of the room.

Speaking on the U.N. peacekeeping force that has been deployed in south Lebanon since Israel first invaded the country in 1978, Barrack said the U.S. would rather fund the Lebanese army than the force that is known as UNIFIL. Speaking about this week’s vote at the United Nations in New York, Barrack said the U.S. backs extending UNIFIL’s term for one year only.

Conflict escalated to war in September 2024, before November ceasefire

A low-level conflict between Israel and Hezbollah started a day after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack against Israel from Gaza, when Hezbollah began launching rockets across the border in support of its Palestinian ally. The conflict escalated into war in September 2024 and left more than 4,000 people dead, and caused destruction worth $11 billion in Lebanon, according to the World Bank.

The war ended in November with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and since then Hezbollah says it has ended its presence along the border area. Israel has continued almost daily airstrikes that have killed dozens of Hezbollah members.

Amnesty International in a report released Tuesday said it had identified more than 10,000 buildings that were “heavily damaged or destroyed” in southern Lebanon between October 2024 and January this year.

Israeli forces remained in much of the border area for weeks after the ceasefire agreement went into effect and are still holding five strategic points.

Amnesty’s report alleged that Israeli forces may have violated international law by destroying civilian property in areas they were controlling with “manually laid explosives and bulldozers” after the active fighting had ended and there was no longer an “imperative military necessity.”

Barrack chides journalists before news conference, provoking ire

At the start of the joint news conference with U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus, Barrack warned journalists at the presidential palace to be quiet, telling them to “act civilized, act kind, act tolerant.” He threatened to end the conference early otherwise.

“The moment that this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone,” said Barrack. He then asked: “Do you think this is economically beneficial for Morgan and I to be here putting up with this insanity?”

None of the journalists present responded to his comments but the Lebanese press syndicate issued a statement about the “inappropriate treatment” that the Lebanese journalists were subjected to and called on Barrack and the State Department to apologize. It added that if no apology were made, it could escalate by calling for boycotting Barrack’s visits and meeting.

The Presidential Palace also issued a statement regretting the comments made by “one of our guests” and greeted journalists who cover news at the palace, thanking them for their “hard work.”

Mroue and Chehayeb write for the Associated Press. AP writer Abby Sewell contributed to this report.

UNCERTAINTY looms over Saudi Arabia’s plans to build a high-tech mountain ski resort in the middle of the desert.

The project has met such substantial woes that the country is even reportedly in talks to relocate the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

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These games had been expected to take place in Trojena – in the futuristic city of NEOM in the north of Saudi Arabia.

But the project has faced substantial difficulties as the desert Kingdom scrambles to complete the resort in time, the FT has reported.

Trojena is planned to feature 30km of ski-runs – which will include the Asian Games’ 400m slope.

Snow for the ski slopes would be artificial, and would be pumped from the Gulf of Aqaba 200km away.

“Trojena will become one of the most dazzling destinations in NEOM and across the world,” says a NEOM spokesperson.

But for all the promise of a glittering, high tech future, NEOM’s many projects have been bogged down with delays and setbacks, with Trojena being no exception.

Amid construction woes, South Korea and China are reportedly being considered as alternate venues for the games.

But a source familiar with the project told the Telegraph: “The difficulties have been magnified by the schedule imposed on the project.”

Another said: “The Saudis are really committed to building something there.

“Maybe not on the scale that they have imagined in the first place.”

NEOM was announced as part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s Project 2030 in 2017.

It came as part of a major push to wean the oil-rich nation’s economy off its reliance on fossil fuels.

As well as the ski slopes, it is expected to include The Line, Oxagon, Trojena, Sindalah and the Gulf of Aqaba Projects.

Yet human rights abuses and brutal conditions for workers looming over NEOM.

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As many as 21,000 are reported to have died during construction, but Saudi authorities have disputed this figure.

Human Rights Watch researcher Joey Shea previously told the Sun: “Unfortunately migrant workers in Saudi Arabia continue to face widespread abuses, some of which may amount to situations of forced labour, including at high profile gigaprojects.

“On NEOM, Human Rights Watch has found that ambitious targets set by Saudi authorities have tight and unrealistic deadlines which can lead employers to demand that workers continue to work under dangerous conditions.

“Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia experience illegal and exorbitant Recruitment Fees, limits to job mobility, obstacles exiting the country,  as well as serious health and safety risks.”

One NEOM worker previously told The Sun that the project’s management has “overspent quite a bit” since its announcement.

He said: “They were focusing on way too many things at the same time.

“They just wanted everything at the highest level possible. The biggest entertainment complex in the world. The biggest media studio in the region.

“No matter how much money you throw at the thing, it takes more than just money to make it work.”

He is in line to share a £50,000 147 bonus with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who knocked in the third maximum of the season earlier this week.

Both players will also collect a further £147,000 if they are able to make another 147 at any of this season’s Triple Crown events – the UK Championship, Masters and World Championship.

In Friday’s earlier last-four match – at a tournament regarded as snooker’s ‘fourth major’ by organisers – Neil Robertson claimed a 6-3 win over Elliot Slessor.

While neither player was at their best, the rejuvenated Australian was always in control and enjoyed two runs of 93 and a 50 as he reached the 39th ranking final of his career.

“The start was crucial today, I could see Elliot was a bit nervous and I was able to use my experience,” said 2010 Crucible winner Robertson.

“To get to the final is huge in terms of ranking points, it means I should be in all of the big events later in the season which makes my scheduling so much easier.

“I took that for granted a few years ago when I was always in the top four. The standard is so high now that I have realised you have to keep your foot down all the time. A lot of hard work has happened to get these kind of results.”

Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is a religious obligation involving rituals and acts of worship that every Muslim must fulfil if they have the financial means and are physically able to do so.

More than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj, according to a government spokesperson on Wednesday. Hajj Ministry spokesperson Ghassan al-Nuwaimi provided an approximate number for foreigners at this year’s pilgrimage, though he did not specify how many domestic pilgrims were participating. Last year, there were 1,611,310 pilgrims from outside the country.

On Wednesday, worshippers streamed into Arafat, with some undertaking the journey on foot and carrying their luggage in temperatures nudging 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

According to traditional sayings of the prophet, the Day of Arafat is the most sacred day of the year, when God draws near to the faithful and forgives their sins.

Mount Arafat, a rocky hill southeast of Mecca, holds immense significance in Islam. Arafat is mentioned in the Quran and it is where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have given his last sermon on his final Hajj.

Pilgrims remain in Arafat, in prayer and reflection, from after midnight until after sunset.

After sunset, they will head to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and the sprawling tent city of Mina, where they will gather pebbles so they can perform the symbolic “stoning of the devil”.

Saudi Arabia has spent millions of dollars on crowd control and safety measures, but the sheer volume of participants continues to pose challenges. In recent years, one of the greatest difficulties has been the high temperatures.

Earlier this week, Health Minister Fahad bin Abdulrahman Al-Jalajel stated, “10,000 trees have been planted to provide more shade, there is increased hospital bed capacity, and the number of paramedics has tripled.”

Authorities have urged pilgrims to remain inside their tents between 10am (07:00 GMT) and 4pm (13:00 GMT) on Thursday when the desert sun is at its harshest. To combat the heat, fans spraying mist and providing cool air have been placed at the foot of the mount.

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE had planned the visit to discuss Palestinian statehood and end to war on Gaza.

Saudi Arabia has accused Israel of “extremism and rejection of peace” after it blocked a planned visit by Arab foreign ministers to the occupied West Bank.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud made the remarks during a joint news conference in Jordan’s capital, Amman, on Sunday with his counterparts from Jordan, Egypt, and Bahrain.

“Israel’s refusal of the committee’s visit to the West Bank embodies and confirms its extremism and refusal of any serious attempts for [a] peaceful pathway … It strengthens our will to double our diplomatic efforts within the international community to face this arrogance,” Prince Faisal said.

His comments followed Israel’s decision to block the Arab delegation from reaching Ramallah, where they were set to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had planned the visit as part of efforts to support Palestinian diplomacy amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

Israel controls the airspace and borders of the West Bank, and on Friday announced it would not grant permission for the visit.

“The Palestinian Authority – which to this day refuses to condemn the October 7 massacre – intended to host in Ramallah a provocative meeting of foreign ministers from Arab countries to discuss the promotion of the establishment of a Palestinian state,” an Israeli official had said, adding that Israel will “not cooperate” with the visit.

Prince Faisal’s trip to the West Bank would have marked the first such visit by a top Saudi official in recent memory.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said blocking the trip was another example of how Israel was “killing any chance of a just and comprehensive” Arab-Israeli settlement.

An international conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, is due to be held in New York from June 17 to 20 to discuss the issue of Palestinian statehood.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the conference would cover security arrangements after a ceasefire in Gaza and reconstruction plans to ensure Palestinians would remain on their land and foil any Israeli plans to evict them.

Israel has come under increasing pressure from the United Nations and European countries, which favour a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, under which an independent Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel.

LEON BAILEY is expected to seal a life-changing £25 million move to Saudi Arabia this week.

The Aston Villa forward is the subject of an offer believed to be from league newcomers Neom.

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His agents have already held initial discussions with the Pro League club.

Jamaican international Bailey, 27, is set to earn up to £10 million a year, tax-free.

He was a key member of the Villa squad that qualified for the Champions League last season but has since fallen out of favour.

The emergence of Morgan Rogers and the arrival of Marcus Rashford, combined with a series of niggling injuries, frustrated Bailey throughout the past campaign.

Bailey’s imminent departure adds to mounting speculation that Emi Martinez could also leave the club this summer.

The Argentine World Cup winner was left in tears after Villa’s final home game of the season, further fuelling rumours that it may have been his last appearance at Villa Park.

When asked about the futures of both Bailey and Martinez ahead of the final game of the season, Villa boss Unai Emery said: “Now we are focused on the matches we are playing.

“It is the last match here I don’t know, we will see. We will see about the team and the players.

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“How they respond and how focused they are on how we prepare for games.”

Villa are set for a big summer having already said goodbye to winger Marcus Rashford, who arrived from Manchester United late last season and made a significant impact.

The 27-year-old had been sidelined by United manager Ruben Amorim but was a breath of fresh air as Villa narrowly missed out on a Champions League spot.

Sunsport understands Rashford has not entirely ruled out a return to Villa Park.

However, interest from clubs abroad has made negotiations delicate at this stage.

Martinez, 32, fuelled speculation when he broke down in tears and  took a bow in front of the Holte End after Villa’s final home game of the season.

Some feared it was a farewell and since then he was  linked with a  lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League.

Man United, Arsenal, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are also rumoured to be keen.

Martinez’s contract runs until 2029 but a bid of £40million or more would ease Villa’s PSR concerns.

Saudi and Qatari efforts aim to stabilise Syria by funding public-sector salaries and boosting economic recovery plans.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has said that the kingdom and Qatar will offer joint financial support to state employees in Syria.

His statements came on Saturday during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani in Damascus.

The two Gulf nations have been among the most important regional supporters of Syria’s new authorities, who ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after nearly 14 years of war.

Saturday’s statement did not provide details on the exact amount of the support for Syria’s public sector. However, it comes after Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh said earlier in May that Qatar was going to provide Syria with $29m per month for an initial three months to pay civilian public sector worker salaries.

The Reuters news agency had also reported that the United States had given its blessing to the Qatari initiative, which came a few days before President Donald Trump announced that sanctions on Syria imposed during the al-Assad regime would be lifted. The European Union has since also lifted sanctions on Syria.

Further evidence of Saudi Arabian and Qatari support came in mid-May, when it was announced that the two countries had paid off Syria’s debt to the World Bank, a sum of roughly $15m.

International ties

Syria’s new government, led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to rebuild the country’s diplomatic ties and convince wary Western states that he has turned his back on past ties with groups such as al-Qaeda.

The Syrian leader has repeatedly disavowed extremism and expressed support for minorities, but incidents of violence that has led to hundreds of deaths continue to cause international trepidation – even as the government and al-Sharaa denounce the killings.

Syria’s new government has also made a concerted effort to solidify ties to Gulf Arab states who have begun to play a pivotal role in financing the reconstruction of Syria’s war-ravaged infrastructure and reviving its economy.

On Tuesday, the European Union announced it had adopted legal acts lifting all economic restrictive measures on Syria except those based on security grounds. It also removed 24 entities from the EU list of those subject to the freesing of funds and economic resources, including the Central Bank of Syria.

And after Saudi Arabia and Qatar cleared Syria’s debt to the World Bank, the US-based financial institution said that it would restart operations in the country following a 14-year pause.

The World Bank has begun to prepare its first project in Syria, which will focus on improving electricity access – a key pillar for revitalising essential services like healthcare, education, and water supply. It also marked the start of expanded support to stabilise Syria and boost long-term growth.

Syria’s gradual re-integration into the global economy is in large part due to Trump’s dramatic shift in Washington’s policies towards the country. After announcing the lifting of US sanctions on May 13, Trump also became the first US president in 25 years to meet with a Syrian counterpart.

The US had already removed a $10m reward for the capture of al-Sharaa, and the Syrian president has been able to travel internationally and meet world leaders, including in Saudi Arabia and France.

Still, there is a lot to be done. A February report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimated that at current growth rates, Syria would need more than 50 years to return to the economic level it had before the war, and it called for massive investment to accelerate the process.

The UNDP study said nine out of 10 Syrians now live in poverty, one-quarter are jobless and Syria’s gross domestic product “has shrunk to less than half of its value” in 2011, the year the war began.

Officials say more than one million Muslim pilgrims from around the world have already arrived in the country.

Saudi Arabia has announced that the annual Hajj pilgrimage will begin on June 4 after observatories confirmed the sighting of the crescent moon.

The announcement was made on Tuesday by the kingdom’s Supreme Court in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

At a news conference on Monday, Saudi Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah said more than one million pilgrims from around the world had already arrived in the country.

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken at least once by all Muslims who are able to.

The pilgrimage occurs annually between the eighth and 13th days of Dhul-Hijjah, the 12th and final month on the Islamic lunar calendar.

Worshippers take part in four days of ceremonies with the high point coming on the second day with mass outdoor prayers on Mount Arafat, the hill where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his last sermon.

Around the world, many Muslims choose to fast on this day.

Many pilgrims also visit the city of Medina, home to the Prophet Muhammad’s tomb and the second holiest site in Islam. While not an official part of the Hajj, visiting Medina remains a significant spiritual experience for many Muslims.

This year, the day of Arafat will fall on June 5, followed by Eid al-Adha on June 6, according to Saudi authorities.

Last year, 1.8 million people took part in the pilgrimage, according to official figures.

During the 2024 Hajj, temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit), and more than 1,300 pilgrims died, raising concerns about the growing risks of extreme heat during the Saudi summer.