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First of Iranian Hajj Pilgrims Arrive in Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
    Mecca: Tarek al-Thaqfi
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First of Iranian Hajj Pilgrims Arrive in Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)

Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammed Benten revealed on Sunday that the first Iranian pilgrims had started arriving in the Kingdom to perform the annual Hajj rites.

He stressed that the ministry has completed preparations of all Hajj services for the pilgrims, including Iranians, who started arriving in Saudi Arabia.

The Iranian pilgrims landed in Medina.

Preparations to receive pilgrims from Qatar are also complete, said Benten.

The minister had inspected the contract signed between the south Asia company and the pilgrims affairs office, as well as the contract signed between the company and the Qatar pilgrims affairs bureau.

In addition, he toured the civil institutions for non-Arab pilgrims from African countries and South Asia in order to present the operation plans for the 2017 Hajj season.

The presentation included several of the programs, goals, and execution, assessment and supervision mechanisms.

He also presented the food, transportation, awareness and accommodation services and efforts to improve them in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

At the end of his tour, Benten stressed the importance of providing quality services that reflect the hospitality of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques towards the pilgrims.

He highlighted the importance of Hajj organizers exerting efforts and bolstering cooperation to offer the best services and ensure the success of this year’s pilgrimage.

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Gulf

Bahrain Busts Cell for Collaborating with Iran

General view of capital Manama, Bahrain, October 30, 2022. (Reuters)
General view of capital Manama, Bahrain, October 30, 2022. (Reuters)
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Bahrain Busts Cell for Collaborating with Iran

General view of capital Manama, Bahrain, October 30, 2022. (Reuters)
General view of capital Manama, Bahrain, October 30, 2022. (Reuters)

Bahrain announced on Monday the arrest of a several individuals for collaborating with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The Public Prosecution said they were found to have been involved with Iranian intelligence and the IRGC.

They were tasked by foreign parties to monitor vital installations inside the kingdom and collecting detailed information about them that they relayed to the parties so that they can be targeted in attacks.

They were also tasked with taking photos of the site of the attacks.

The detainees indeed carried out these tasks, said the Public Prosecution following their interrogation.

On the ground, Bahrain’s defenses intercepted and downed two drones in the past 24 hours.

Bahrain has destroyed 188 rockets and 468 drones since the eruption of the US-Israel war on Iran.

World

Taiwan Opposition Leader Heads to China in What She Calls a ‘Journey for Peace’

FILE PHOTO: Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun speaks to the media ahead of her trip to China, in Taipei, Taiwan March 30, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun speaks to the media ahead of her trip to China, in Taipei, Taiwan March 30, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
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Taiwan Opposition Leader Heads to China in What She Calls a ‘Journey for Peace’

FILE PHOTO: Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun speaks to the media ahead of her trip to China, in Taipei, Taiwan March 30, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun speaks to the media ahead of her trip to China, in Taipei, Taiwan March 30, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo

Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun is heading to China on Tuesday at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, in what she calls a “journey for peace” as Beijing calls for the self-ruled island to come under its control.

The visit is the first by a Taiwanese opposition leader in a decade and comes ahead of a meeting in Beijing between Xi and US President Donald Trump scheduled to take place in May.

Before leaving Taipei, the chairwoman of the Kuomintang told reporters that Taiwan must spare no effort to prevent war and seize any opportunity to promote peace, The Associated Press said.

China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take it.

“The purpose of this visit to mainland China is precisely to show the world that it is not just Taiwan that unilaterally hopes for peace,” Cheng said.

“I believe that through this journey for peace, everyone is even more eager to see the sincerity and determination of the CPC Central Committee to use peaceful dialogue and exchange to resolve all possible differences between the two sides,” she added, referring to the initials of the Communist Party of China.

A few dozen supporters and detractors of Cheng showed up at Taipei’s airport, chanting and holding signs.

The Trump administration in December announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, angering Beijing.

Beijing prohibits all its diplomatic partners, including the US, from maintaining formal ties with Taipei. The US is the island’s strongest informal backer and arms provider, and the arms sale is expected to be discussed at the Xi-Trump summit.

In a call in February between Xi and Trump, the Chinese leader said that “Taiwan will never be allowed to separate from China,” according to a Chinese government statement about the conversation released at the time. “The US must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence,” it added.

Beijing also said that the “Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations.”

China has been sending warplanes and naval vessels toward Taiwan on a near-daily basis, and its military recently staged two major military exercises around the island. The most recent exercise was in December, after the US announcement of the arms sales, and involved the deployment of air, naval and missile units for a joint live-fire drill.

The US State Department said such activities “increase tensions unnecessarily” and called on Beijing to cease military pressure against Taiwan.

China does not engage with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, describing him as a separatist.

Cheng will be in China at a time when the opposition-controlled parliament has stalled attempts by Taiwan’s government to pass a $40 billion special defense budget.

World

Japanese National Detained in Iran in January Released on Bail

Japanese government spokesman Minoru Kihara (Reuters)
Japanese government spokesman Minoru Kihara (Reuters)
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Japanese National Detained in Iran in January Released on Bail

Japanese government spokesman Minoru Kihara (Reuters)
Japanese government spokesman Minoru Kihara (Reuters)

A Japanese national detained in Iran has been released on bail, Japan's top government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The individual was detained on January 20 and released on bail on Monday, and appears to have ‌no health issues, ‌Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru ‌Kihara ⁠told a press ⁠briefing without providing further details such as identity or charges, according to Reuters.

In February, Radio Free Europe reported that public broadcaster NHK's Tehran bureau chief ⁠Shinnosuke Kawashima had been arrested ‌in ‌Iran and transferred to a local ‌prison.

At the time, NHK ‌said "there is nothing we can answer at this stage" and that staff safety was a top ‌priority.

Japan's government later confirmed a Japanese national had been ⁠detained ⁠in Iran and that it had been in contact with the person's family and Iranian authorities.

Iran has been under fire since the US and Israel began hostilities against the Middle Eastern country on February 28.