Author: Editorial Team

RIYADH — The Saudi Ministry of Interior emphasized that expatriates, who overstay their visas, will face a maximum jail term of six months, a fine of SR50,000, in addition to their deportation.The ministry urged all individuals to comply with the regulations governing the 2026 Hajj season and to cooperate with the relevant authorities to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims. Violators will be subject to legal penalties.The ministry also called for reporting violations by dialing 911 in the regions of Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, and 999 in the rest of the Kingdom. Source: Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) underscored the importance of enhancing military integration, including the rapid deployment of a unified early warning system against ballistic missile threats during their consultative summit held in Jeddah on Tuesday. They strongly condemned Iranian attacks targeting member states and rejected any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz. The summit, chaired by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, was convened following an invitation by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, according to GCC Secretary General Jassim Mohammed Albudaiwi. Albudaiwi said GCC leaders discussed escalating regional developments,…

UAE residents can expect fair to partly cloudy conditions on Wednesday (April 29), according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). The weather department noted that there will be a slight increase in temperatures on Wednesday, with some parts of the country seeing mercury reaching up to 44ºC. In Dubai and Dubai, temperatures will reach up to 39ºC. Residents can also expect windy conditions on April 29, as light to moderate southeasterly becoming northwesterly winds are expected to blow across the country. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. These winds will be freshening…

WASHINGTON, 27th April, 2026 (WAM) — Microsoft (MSFT) on Monday announced an amended long-term agreement with OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) that will see the company no longer have exclusive access to the AI startup’s intellectual property and AI models, while also altering its revenue-sharing deal with OpenAI. The news comes ahead of Microsoft’s earnings report on Wednesday, and just six months after the two companies formalised an agreement that allowed OpenAI to transform into a for-profit business. Under the terms of that deal, Microsoft was given exclusive access to OpenAI’s IP and models until the company achieved artificial general intelligence (AGI), or…

Meta Platforms recently entered into a partnership to the use solar energy collected in space to power its AI data centres. This announcement aligns with the company’s plans to develop new solutions to support rising demands for the technology. Meta stated it has struck a deal with Overview Energy for up to 1 gigawatt of space solar energy to support data centre operations, making it one of the first technology companies to secure capacity reservation. Overview is developing and testing its underlying technology, with plans to conduct an initial orbital demonstration in 2028. Meta expects it will have access to…

JEDDAH — Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan received on Tuesday a phone call from Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres. During the call, they discussed a number of regional and international developments of common interest. Areas of cooperation between the two sides were also figured in their conversation. Source: Saudi Gazette

The UAE’s decision on Tuesday to exit Opec and Opec+ is likely to have a beneficial impact on its ties with India, bringing the two countries closer, especially on the oil and gas front, analysts said. Narendra Taneja, chairman, Independent Energy Policy Institute, told NDTV Profit on Tuesday evening that the UAE is looking for more autonomy and focus on supplying oil to countries like India, which is closer to it in bilateral ties. “The UAE and India have deep relations and this will only improve now,” he said. The UAE’s move to quit the two bodies has been speculated…

ABU DHABI, 28th April, 2026 (WAM) — EDGE Group will participate as an Enablement Partner at Make It in the Emirates (MIITE) 2026, spotlighting its landmark achievements in supply chain localisation, smart manufacturing, talent development, and technological advancements. The Group’s participation underscores its pivotal role in advancing the UAE’s industrial defence sovereignty and its full alignment with Operation 300bn and the MIITE initiative. Hamad Al Marar, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE, said, “Building a sovereign defence industry is a long-term commitment, and EDGE has honoured every part of it. Our ironclad focus over the years ensured that we were…

MAKKAH — Hajj Security Forces arrested a Pakistani resident for violating Hajj regulations by transporting five residents of the same nationality and attempting to enter Makkah and remain there without a Hajj permit. They were referred to the Public Prosecution after taking the necessary legal measures. The General Directorate of Public Security urged all people to comply with Hajj regulations and guidelines for the 2026 Hajj season and to cooperate with relevant authorities to ensure the security and safety of pilgrims. It affirmed that violators will be penalized.The directorate called for reporting violators by calling 911 in Makkah, Riyadh, and…

BEIJING, 28th April, 2026 (WAM) — China’s first one-million-cubic-metre-level salt cavern hydrogen storage demonstration project has been officially put into operation in Pingdingshan, central Henan Province, marking a new phase of industrialization for the country’s hydrogen energy chain, Xinhua reported. “Salt cavern hydrogen storage is a key technology to break the bottleneck of large-scale hydrogen storage and transportation, and to support the construction of a new energy system,” said Yang Chunhe, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, at the commissioning ceremony of the project. The project was conducted based on the high-quality salt rock resources of a gas…