Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has set off on his first foreign trip since taking office, and he has chosen Saudi Arabia as his destination. All aboard the luxury express! Saudi Arabia is set to roll out its first-ever five-star train, "Dream of the Desert," in , promising a journey draped in opulence. In a major policy shift, Saudi Arabia has allowed foreign investors to invest in publicly-traded companies owning real estate in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Saudi Arabia is increasing its poultry production as part of a larger plan to diversify its economy away from oil. The Ministry of Religious Affairs in Pakistan has introduced a new policy mandating women to seek parental or spousal consent before performing Hajj in The suspect behind the tragic car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on December 20, , has been identified as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a two-day official visit to Kuwait, the first by an Indian prime minister to the Gulf nation in 43 years.
In , 86 Indian nationals were attacked or murdered in different countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said. The Saudi Arabian censor board has reportedly cut a major scene from the Telugu film Pushpa 2: The Rule, which was released on Thursday. Khan is accused of providing funds and weapons to militant outfits in Bengaluru. The final round of negotiations for a legally binding treaty to combat plastic pollution is underway in Busan, South Korea.
The United States and the United Kingdom have urged Iran to refrain from retaliating after Israel's airstrikes on Iranian military targets. Saudi Arabia has broken ground on The Mukaab, a project that will become the "world's largest building.
