Saudi Arabia will begin receiving requests for umrah pilgrimage from abroad for vaccinated worshipers starting August 9. The move comes 18 months after a border closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite temperatures exceeding 48 degrees Celsius, Bedouins from the al-Shammari tribe in the Al Nufud Al Kabir desert, in the northen part of Saudi Arabia, continue to live the traditional desert lifestyle, residing in tents and raising camels, keeping to the same routines to cope with the heat for generations.

Once allies, Saudi Arabia and the Taliban have been divided by war, betrayal, and 9/11. As Afghanistan changes and Middle East relations shift, the two won't rekindle ties, but another nation is looking closely at Kabul.

As the war in Yemen continues, lawyers have called on the International Criminal Court to open an investigation into the Saudi-led coalition, accusing it of war crimes and crimes against humanity. We speak to British barrister Toby Cadman, co-founder of Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers. He tells us why he filed the request at the ICC.

Michael Fawcett has stepped aside to allow a probe into allegations that he offered to help secure a knighthood and British citizenship for a wealthy Saudi businessman.

This week on The Observers, we start with the story of Ethiopian migrants who have been kept in Saudi Arabian prisons for months in poor conditions, with dirty surroundings and little to eat or drink. We spoke to Arafat Jibril Bakrii, a human rights activist who has been helping migrants to share photos and videos of their living conditions.

Icy relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are thawing — and may lead to renewed bilateral ties. Realistically, diplomatic offices might open soon but it is unlikely that the countries will become close allies.

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060, says Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, days before the COP26 global climate summit. In March, Saudi Arabia unveiled a sweeping campaign to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions, including a plan to plant billions of trees in the coming decades.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Thursday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Thursday.⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣

The Lebanese ambassador has been asked to leave Saudi territory within 48 hours. The move comes after Lebanon's information minister criticized the Saudi-led war against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, said talks with Iran would continue and that an additional round of negotiations between the regional rivals was expected soon.

Saudi Arabia is offering residents and tourists a unique safari experience in the desert of its capital Riyadh, at a site now home to 700 animals native to Africa. Lions and tigers are just a few of the animals that were flown in from outside the kingdom to the 175,000 square metres stretch of land that is now a safari park, where visitors seated in a vehicle can see them, some for the very first time.