Modi is 'jumla raja', his rule 'chaupat raj': Rahul Gandhi

As Hajj season begins soon, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced that anybody wanting to enter Makkah with a visit visa of any type will not be allowed to starting from today (May 23).

The Ministry of Interior issued the advisory, which is applicable to travellers from Thursday, May 23 to Friday, June 21. These dates correspond to 15 of Dhu al-Qadah, 1445 to 15 of Dhul Hijjah in the Hijri calendar.

For those wishing to perform Hajj in the Holy city of Makkah, only a Haj permit will allow them to do so. Any other form of visit visa is not considered a permit during this time.

Earlier, Saudi's Fatwa Council had also banned performing Hajj without a permit, in order to ensure safety and security of pilgrims. Saudi residents are also required to show permits to enter Makkah since May 4.

Visitors have been urged not to visit the city during this period or stay there without a Hajj permit during this time. Those who violate this will have strict action taken against them.

Earlier, pilgrims were also given a 'mandatory' advisory to always carry their identification cards throughout the 'Hajj period'.

Authorities in the country have already begun implementing security and organisational plans ahead of Hajj, which aims to preserve the safety of guests so that they can perform their rituals in a secure manner.

On Wednesday, after evening prayers, the Kaaba's 'Kiswa' was raised to welcome the new season.

In a humanitarian move, Spain has refused entry to a ship carrying arms from India’s Chennai to Israel to dock at one of its ports, its Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has said.

The Denmark-flagged cargo ship Marianne Danica sailed from Chennai on April 8 when people in Gaza were observing Ramadan fasting, and was headed to the port of Haifa in Israel, according to maritime tracking portals and Spanish media.

Spain has been extremely critical of the rising civilian casualties due to the Israeli offensive in Gaza and, along with Belgium, has suspended arms exports licenses to Tel Aviv. 

Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal, at the weekly press conference, only said that they have seen the report of the ship and will revert with more information.

Meanwhile, a source said, “Investigation will reveal if the items on board were cleared for export and if the end user is the same as reported by The Guardian because there are items that are not banned for exports.”

Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Thursday on the issue, Mr. Albares had said, “This is the first time we have done this because it is the first time we have detected a ship carrying a shipment of arms to Israel that wants to call at a Spanish port.”

“This will be a consistent policy with any ship carrying arms to Israel that wants to call at Spanish ports. The Foreign Ministry will systematically reject such stopovers for one obvious reason: the Middle East does not need more weapons, it needs more peace,” he stated.

The ship was carrying 27 tonnes of explosives according to local reports. It was to make a port call at Cartegena in Spain.
In February, Mr. Albares said that they had suspended arms export licences to Israel since October 7, which he said made them “realise” the importance of a “fair and lasting solution” to the Palestinian cause.

The incident comes amid an ongoing row between Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s party and his coalition partners over another ship, Borkum, that was due to dock at Cartegena port on Friday over allegations that it was carrying arms meant for Israel. However, the Spanish government has said that the arms it is ferrying are meant for the Czech Republic.

Belgium had suspended two arms export licences to Israel.

“We welcome the decision of the Spanish government to deny the transit authorisation of the vessel Marianne Danica, in accordance with Tratado (treaty) on Arms Trade and Spanish law,” Amnesty International Spain said on social media platform ‘X’.

The timing also coincides with the Israeli ground offensive inside Rafah. According to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) at least 6,30,000 Palestinians have been forced out of Rafah since the launch of the incursion on May 7.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre on Monday said the state government will settle Rs 80 lakh unpaid hotel bill of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stay, who arrived in Mysuru in April last year to commemorate 50 years of Project Tiger, an event organised by the Union government's National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

He was speaking to reporters at his office about the non-payment of pending bills to Radisson Blu hotel. 

"The event to celebrate the 50 years of Project Tiger was organised by the NTCA at a time when Karnataka was under the model code of conduct in view of the Assembly elections. The state government did not take part in the event. The state, however, will foot the hotel bill," he said.

The celebration had cost a whopping Rs 6.33 crore but the NTCA had paid only Rs 3 crore. "The hotel wrote to the Forest Departments as the local officials helped NTCA in coordinating the programme. By paying the bill, we will put an end to the confusion," he said.