Salman

More than a million Muslim pilgrims were in Mecca Friday for the start of a hajj pilgrimage held against the grim backdrop of the Gaza war and in exhausting summer heat.

Crowds of robed worshippers will circle the Kaaba, with many expressing sadness eight months into the Israel-Hamas war.

A collapse at a chrome mine located in southwestern Türkiye has claimed the lives of two individuals - a mine worker and a mining engineer.

The victims, identified as Kadir Özer and Rıfat Salman, lost their lives as a result of yet another collapse in the mine owned by Elmaslar Mining in Denizli province, which employs approximately 100 workers in two shifts.

Turkish directors Kazım Öz and Semir Aslanyürek's film "Elif Ana" (Mother Elif) has become the winner of the special jury prize and the special organizing committee award at the 32nd International Golden Knight Film Festival in Grozny, Russia.

Day 447 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Two Saudi officials told The Associated Press the Saudi energy minister informed the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, of the kingdom's commitment to the group's current roadmap of cautious monthly  increases. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to brief journalists.

Austrian energy drink giant Red Bull lost its trademark cancellation lawsuit against a local company producing soda in the Mediterranean province of Antalya.

In the last hearing of the case held in an Ankara court, Red Bull's case was dismissed on the grounds that there was no similarity between the two trademarks.

G20 nations emphasized the need for global access to coronavirus vaccines at a Saudi-hosted virtual summit on Nov. 21 dominated by efforts to tackle the pandemic and the worst global recession in decades.

An international fund under the auspices of the G-20 should be initiated to ensure an adequate and coordinated global action against the coronavirus, the Turkish foreign minister has said, a day before G-20 leaders are set to hold a videoconference to discuss what can be done in the fight against the fatal pandemic.

Continuing a series of trips aimed at drumming up investor interest, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met Saudi Arabia's King Salman in Riyadh on Monday, ahead of a visit to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

The two sides agreed the meeting represented "a springboard for expanding collaboration" in areas including trade, investment, tourism and defense. 

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Saudi Arabia's King Salman discussed regional issues and bilateral relations during a working lunch in Riyadh on Monday.

According to government sources, the two sides voiced concern over developments in the wider region and noted common views on a series of issues of regional interest.