Pakistan’s new trilateral defence partnership is bound to change the security calculations in the South Asian and Middle Eastern regions. Signed on August 7, 2026, the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement involves Saudi financial assistance, Saudi Uhud bank loan, Turkish defence industry and Pakistan military forces under a collective security pact. The deal provides benefits to the city of Rawalpindi not …

US: Asked about his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, US President Joe Biden said he wants to “strengthen our strategic cooperation,” but also reiterated his commitment to “basic American principles.” “Many people think I made a mistake by going to Saudi Arabia. Fundamental freedoms are always on my agenda when I travel, as they will be on this trip. My …

Indonesia – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) got a civility call from Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia at the Merdeka Palace. During the gathering, President Jokowi and Minister Al Saud had conversations on a few subjects, including the Hajj pilgrimage implementation and the financial participation between the two states. The President talked about the …

Malaysia – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s aide said the former prime minister did “umrah” in March 2021 without a complete Covid-19 or meningococcal meningitis (MM) vaccine because they were not necessary at the time. Mohd Naim Mahmod said in a statement that all of the delegates at the time, including the former prime minister, had received their first dose of Covid-19 …

Malaysia – The Selangor Association For Travel and Tourism Agencies (Saftta) today questioned Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s claim that 14% of Muslims who travelled to Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage lately had no records of receiving the mandatory Covid-19 vaccination. The umbrella organization representing 580 tourist, travel, hotel, and theme park organizations claimed Khairy’s comments at the January 6 press conference …

Admit it or not, Pacman is still one of the world’s favorite boxer. In fact, there are four potential dates on the table for the next fight for super WBA welterweight champion for this current senator and Saudi Arabia is looming as the host country to mark his first title defense since July last year’s dethronement of Keith Thurman in …

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia-Saudi Arabia bilateral relationship has improved under the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s leadership, says Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar He said that despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, both countries has been working to strengthen ties through video conferences between the top levels of both countries. Kamarudin added that Saudi Arabia played a major role …

Etty binti Toyib, an Indonesian migrant worker on death row for murder conviction in Saudi Arabia arrived at Soekarno-Hatta airport, Tangerang, Monday, July 7. She is an Indonesian migrant worker from Majalengka, West Java who escaped the death sentence in Saudi Arabia because she paid 4 million riyals or Rp. 15.5 billion in blood money to the kinfolk of the …

MANILA – Malacañang confirmed on Sunday that the remains of 50  overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will not be brought back and instead will be buried there. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed that the OFWs who died due to Covid-19 related illnesses will be buried in Saudi …

The Minister of Religious Affairs Fachrul Razi decided the Indonesian government would not depart the pilgrims this year. This decision applies to all Indonesian citizens. The Minister conveyed that this decision was taken with various considerations. One of them is the government of Saudi Arabia, which has yet to open access to any country related to the Corona (Covid-19) pandemic …