RIYADH: Nearly 1.5 million religious services were offered to pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance said that approximately 1,485,000 services had been offered from the day before Arafat, which was on June 15, until the end of Hajj.
Saudi authorities said that 1.8 million pilgrims participated in this year’s Hajj.
Six hundred Islamic teachers and translators were on hand to provide pilgrims with information about the duties of annual religious event.
The teachers were able to support the pilgrims in Makkah, Madinah and at the Hajj location of Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat. They also fielded calls from pilgrims who called a toll-free number set up for inquiries.
The minister, Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Alsheikh, thanked them and praised their work of aiding pilgrims.
Ministry reports nearly 1.5 million religious services to pilgrims during Hajj
https://arab.news/yq54t
Ministry reports nearly 1.5 million religious services to pilgrims during Hajj
Board of Grievances unveils judicial intelligence hackathon to foster innovation
- Registration opens on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, and continues through Jan. 20, 2026
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Board of Grievances has opened registration for the Judicial Intelligence Hackathon, the institution’s first competition seeking sustainable solutions that harness cutting-edge technology to improve the efficiency of judicial procedures, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Registration opens on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, and continues through Jan. 20, 2026, as part of efforts to cultivate talent and promote innovation in digital transformation and artificial intelligence in the judicial sector.
The board is calling on industry experts, experienced professionals, and university students to form teams of three to five members. Each team must be led by a Saudi citizen or academic staff member at least 18 years old.
Participants register via a dedicated portal on the board’s digital platform and must submit a preliminary proposal demonstrating practical and legal viability, incorporating advanced technology with appropriate quality standards, and showing innovation relevant to the board's operations with transformative impact and long-term sustainability.
Competition unfolds in two distinct tracks. The first addresses AI applications and creative solutions for administrative justice, tackling challenges such as minimizing procedural errors and offenses during virtual court proceedings and streamlining lawsuit filing classifications.
The second track emphasizes digital innovation enhancing user journeys, focusing on simplifying document submission processes when initiating lawsuits and developing accessibility solutions enabling seniors and people with disabilities to navigate board services more effectively.
Finalists are scheduled to be announced on Jan. 23, 2026, followed by virtual project discussion and presentation sessions on Jan. 28.
According to the SPA, this methodology for sourcing innovative concepts underscores the dedication of the board’s leadership to advance performance across judicial chambers and administrative divisions while pursuing strategic goals of refining administrative court litigation processes, expediting case resolutions, and establishing competitive leadership in the judicial arena.
