Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 5 May 2026, 2:24 AM (Saudi time)
Hajj 2026 deploys unprecedented technology: mandatory Nusuk smart cards, GPS-enabled health-monitoring wristbands, AI crowd management, and a 51-million-user app with 130+ digital services.
Indonesia launches Hajj 2026 with 391 pilgrims in the first batch, deploying 548 flights to transport its 221,000-strong quota - the largest of any country. Average waiting time stands at 26.4 years.
33 stranded Bangladeshi Umrah pilgrims returned home after ministerial intervention, highlighting the importance of choosing licensed travel operators and maintaining proper documentation.
Amal by Malaysia Airlines launches 110-flight Hajj 2026 operation with A330-300 aircraft, transporting 15,620 pilgrims via 67 domestic feeder flights and offering a new courier service for returning pilgrims.
Hajj 2026 Day of Arafah is expected on May 26, with Eid Al Adha on May 27, based on astronomical calculations. Final dates depend on official Saudi moon sighting around May 17.
Saudi Arabia enforces fines up to SAR 100,000 for Hajj facilitators and SAR 20,000 for unauthorised pilgrims, plus deportation and 10-year entry bans, targeting informal networks enabling illegal participation.
Why do Muslims make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca? Sahan Journal
Standing where Prophet Muhammad gave his final sermon, 2 million Muslims perform Hajj NPR
2 million begin Hajj as pilgrimage returns to full capacity for first time since pandemic PBS
What is it like living in Mecca? For residents, Islam’s holiest sites are simply home AP News
Journey to Mecca: Scenes from the Haj pilgrimage Reuters
‘Largest Hajj pilgrimage in history’ begins in Saudi Arabia Al Jazeera