Saudi Arabia

Over 6 million students across Saudi Arabia returned to classrooms for the start to the 2026-27 academic year, of which 1,6 million in the Riyadh region; updated data reveal that more Saudis choose Philippine universities for English and medical programs

Yemen's Houthi fired missiles at Abha's airport after accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control, breaking a four-year truce in the conflict between ‌the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group

Ministry of Health advised pilgrims to pay attention to foot care during Hajj rituals: regular checks of the feet, comfortable footwear, no barefoot walking, washing and drying thoroughly, especially between the toes, are necessaries to prevent injuries

Native plant nursery and seed bank in AlUla governorate has a target of more than 500 local plant species by 2030; supplying reserves and urban landscapes it is strengthening its position as a model for ecological restoration

The National Center for Meteorology forecast a peak of rainfall across most regions of the Kingdom; while also forecasting continued thunderstorms to 28 March, it denied reports of potential hurricanes, urging the public to rely on official sources

Saudi Awwal Bank, one of the leading banks in the Kingdom, has achieved the top global ranking across all categories in the Euromoney Global Trade Solutions Awards following the introduction of a new, client-centric evaluation framework

A strategic stockpile of over 2,2 million bottles of Zamzam water has been prepared to meet the needs of pilgrims during the holy month of Ramadan; Production operations at the Zamzam Water Project have paced up to 200.000 5-liter bottles per day

Contracts with 1.800 foreign travel agencies operating in the Umrah sector, out of a total of around 5.800 agencies worldwide, have been suspended and Ministry of Hajj and Umrah gave a 10-day deadline to align service with required standards

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh honored Omar Yaghi, the Saudi scientist and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, with a reception at its headquarters in Riyadh

Binding “Rules and standards for naming public facilities" have been issued; introducing unified standards, governance frameworks, clear religious and administrative restrictions they will come into force 120 days from publication on Umm Al-Qura Gazette

Schools in Eastern Province and Hafr Al-Batin governorate have switched to distance learning via the Madrasati platform yesterday, following reports from the National Center for Meteorology of rainfall in the region and snowfall in Tabuk area