May 2019
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit started at al safa palace in Makkah Thursday evening under the chairmanship of The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The purpose of the summit was to discuss ways to enhance regional security and stability, in the aftermath of Iran's recent destabilizing activities in the region.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received on Thursday the Charter of Makkah upon the conclusion of the four-day international conference entitled “Values of moderation in the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah” organized by the Muslim World League (MWL), which took place in the Holy City of Mecca.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia jumped 13 positions, the highest leap among the 63 participating countries, in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2019 issued Tuesday by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is now ranked 26th, making it the 7th most competitive country among its G20 peers.
On May 28, 2019, the “Charter of Makkah” was endorsed unanimously
by an unprecedented group of the world’s leading Muslim scholars, who
gathered in the Holy City for the promotion of moderate Islam.
"The Charter of Makkah" offers Muslims around the world guidance on
the principles that speak to the true meaning of Islam.
The Charter of Makkah is orientated around the following principles:
The United Nations condemned today the terrorist attack which used explosive-laden drones to target two pump stations in Riyadh region.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the drone attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, saying that attacks on civilian infrastructure are a violation of international humanitarian law, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at the UN's daily press conference.
Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Khalid Al-Falih stated that on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., two pump stations on the East-West pipeline were attacked by armed drone, which caused a fire and minor damage to Pump Station No. 8.
On Thursday, the World Food Program (WFP) condemned the Iran-backed Houthi militia for targeting grain silos overseen by the program in Hodeidah.
Spokesman Herve Verhoosel denounced the attacks on humanitarian food stocks as millions of Yemenis suffer from severe food shortages. He added that WFP would send more technical teams and supplies to the Red Sea Mills, and called for safe access to them. An evaluation conducted by WFP confirmed that 70% of the wheat stock was still fit for consumption once the program regained access to the mills in late February 2019.
Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday that it was welcoming Qataris who are seeking to perform the Umrah rituals. It added that it has dedicated an online platform for worshippers from the Gulf state.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah explained that the worshippers are required to register their information to a dedicated website for Qatari travelers. Qatari travelers have been able to register through the portal since 2017.