First group of Yemeni pilgrims arrive in Jeddah for Hajj

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The Saudi government simplified the Yemeni visitors’ travel with immigration officers ensuring entry procedures were carried out smoothly. (SPA)
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The Saudi government simplified the Yemeni visitors’ travel with immigration officers ensuring entry procedures were carried out smoothly. (SPA)
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The Saudi government simplified the Yemeni visitors’ travel with immigration officers ensuring entry procedures were carried out smoothly. (SPA)
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Updated 29 May 2024
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First group of Yemeni pilgrims arrive in Jeddah for Hajj

  • The Saudi government simplified the Yemeni visitors’ travel

RIYADH: The first Yemeni pilgrims to the Kingdom to perform Hajj this year arrived through Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport.

The Saudi government simplified the Yemeni visitors’ travel with immigration officers ensuring entry procedures were carried out smoothly, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Kingdom’s General Directorate of Passports “has exerted every effort to ensure that the entry of pilgrims is facilitated, equipping all international border crossings with advanced technology and trained staff proficient in different languages spoken by pilgrims,” the report added.

Saudi Arabia in 2019 launched the Makkah Route Initiative to help Hajj pilgrims from seven countries — Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkiye and Ivory Coast — with their visa, customs and passport requirements.

The government program issues visas electronically and collects biometric data, carrying out all travel procedures at the airports of the countries of departure, including ensuring that pilgrims have a clean bill of health. Baggage is coded and sorted to meet the transport and accommodation arrangements while pilgrims are in the Kingdom.

King Salman earlier ordered the hosting of 2,322 Hajj pilgrims, a group that includes 1,000 family members of Palestinians killed or wounded by Israel or held in Israeli prisons.


Riyadh forum to discuss AI impact on education, jobs

The conference aims to redefine work and human capacity building to meet future labor market demands. (SPA)
Updated 12 January 2026
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Riyadh forum to discuss AI impact on education, jobs

  • The exhibition will give young people direct access to educational, training, career, and technological opportunities while enabling them to learn from leading local and international experiences to shape their future careers

RIYADH: Experts from more than 50 international and local organizations in education, employment, and artificial intelligence will gather in Riyadh from Jan. 28-29 for the International Conference on Data and AI Capacity Building to explore the future of education during rapid AI advances.

Discussions will examine how AI is transforming work, its implications for current and future generations, and the new opportunities it creates, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.

Organized by the Saudi Data and AI Authority, the conference aims to redefine work and human capacity building to meet future labor market demands.

Participants will present practical solutions for empowering young people with AI skills, integrating AI into education, and aligning learning outcomes with the most in-demand future skills locally and globally.

By addressing AI’s evolving impact on the job market, the conference offers academics, AI and data professionals, policymakers, and students a platform to exchange insights and explore the latest innovations for societal benefit and national development.

An accompanying exhibition will highlight cutting-edge educational and digital transformation solutions from public and private sector organizations.

The exhibition will give young people direct access to educational, training, career, and technological opportunities while enabling them to learn from leading local and international experiences to shape their future careers.