Riyadh, May 26: As millions of pilgrims assemble at Saudi Arabia’s Arafat on Tuesday for the core ritual of Haj, all Indian pilgrims had reached the holy site comfortably and in a timely manner to take part in the prayers.

Extending his wishes to all those performing Haj, Indian Ambassador to the Saudi Arabia, Suhel Ajaz Khan, said, “Today is the day of Arafat. It is the most important day of the core Haj, where the entire pilgrimage moves from the tent city of Mina to Arafat and spends the day here in Arafat in prayer before they move to their next destination of Muzdalifah after the sunset.”

“All Indian pilgrims have moved from Mina to Arafat in a timely manner, in a very comfortable manner, and they are all now accommodated in their tents in Arafat. We had moved pilgrims by both the buses and the trains. Almost fifty per cent of our pilgrims use the trains, and the rest of them use the buses to move. And everyone is now in Arafat and dedicating themselves to the prayers,” he added.

According to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, Ambassador Khan, Indian Consul General of Jeddah, Fahad Suri, and the entire Indian Haj mission are present in Arafat and serving the Indian pilgrims.

Union Minister for Parliamentary and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, conveyed his heartfelt greetings and prayers, expressing hope that the sacred journey would reinforce the values of compassion, harmony and unity.

“On the very solemn occasion of Haj pilgrims assembling at the sacred plains of Arafat for the core rituals of Hajj 2026, I convey my heartfelt greetings & prayers to all the Hajis. May this sacred journey further strengthen the values of compassion, harmony & unity among all humanity,” Rijiju posted on X.

On Sunday, Ambassador Khan met Rahim Khan, Karnataka’s Minister for Municipal Administration and Haj in Mecca, briefing him on the preparedness ahead of the Haj period. Consul General Fahad Suri was also present in the meeting.

Earlier on Saturday, Khan visited Mecca and met with a number of pilgrims, listening to their concerns and feedback on the various Haj arrangements.

“He reviewed preparations with the consul general, coordinators, and other staff and visited branch offices and clinics where he interacted with the medical teams. He also assessed readiness for the core Haj period and the movement of pilgrims to the tent city of Mina,” the Indian Embassy in Riyadh posted on X.

Over 1.5 million people have arrived in Mecca for the annual Haj pilgrimage, which this year takes place amid hopes for an end to the war in West Asia.

Washington, May 21: US President Donald Trump has said that his administration is “in the final stages” of peace talks with Iran and is willing to wait a few days for the “right answer.”

“We’re in the final stages of Iran,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll see what happens.”

“We’ll either have a deal, or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty. But hopefully that won’t happen,” he added.

The president claimed he is in “no hurry” to finalise a peace agreement with Iran, suggesting that he would not consider making a “limited deal” only focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, reports Xinhua news agency.

“We’re going to give this one shot,” Trump said of a potential deal, ruling out the idea of a partial compromise.

“I’m in no hurry. You never think, ‘Oh, the midterms, I’m in a hurry.’ I’m in no hurry,” Trump said.

The president added that he had a “very good” phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier on Wednesday. Turkey is seen as one of the key mediators during US-Iran negotiations.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps on Wednesday warned that if the US and Israeli aggression against the country is repeated, the war will extend beyond the West Asia region.

On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi warned in a post on X that returning to war with Iran will have many more surprises for the United States, citing a recent report by the US Congress that acknowledged the loss of dozens of aircraft.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and US bases and assets in the Middle East.

A ceasefire was reached between the warring parties on April 8, followed by one round of peace talks in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on April 11 and 12, which failed to yield an agreement.

US and Israeli officials have escalated threats of repeating military attacks against Iran over the past few days. Trump on Tuesday claimed Iran’s leaders were “begging” to make a deal, warning that a new US attack could take place in the coming days if no agreement is reached.

Rome, May 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a light-hearted and unique gift — a “Melody” toffee packet– to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, bringing back the widely popular “#Melodi” moment that has often gone viral on social media.

The informal exchange, marked by laughter between the two leaders, was later shared by the Italian PM on Instagram, where she also spoke about the gesture and the gift received from the Indian Prime Minister.

Sharing the video of the moment, Meloni said, “Prime Minister Modi brought us a gift — a very, very good toffee — Melody,” as both leaders were seen sharing a laugh during the interaction.

She further added in her caption, “Thank you for the gift.”

The “Melodi” phenomenon — a portmanteau combining the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Giorgia Meloni — has become a recurring viral trend online, reflecting the visible personal rapport and friendly exchanges between the two leaders during various international engagements.

The term has frequently been used by social media users to highlight their light-hearted interactions at global platforms, often turning into viral moments that generate memes, discussions and widespread online engagement, while also symbolising a perceived strengthening of India-Italy relations.

Earlier in the day, visuals and pictures from a special dinner hosted near the iconic Colosseum in Rome also attracted significant attention online. The two leaders were seen sharing a casual moment, including a smiling selfie and a relaxed interaction that quickly spread across social media platforms.

They were also seen standing on a balcony enjoying the sunset over the historic city of Rome, adding to the series of informal and friendly exchanges that have characterised their public appearances.

The viral ‘Melodi’ trend originally gained momentum after Meloni posted a selfie on X during the COP28 summit in Dubai, where she captioned it, “Good friends at COP28, #Melodi”. Till then, Melodi was just a meme hashtag used by Internet users.

Since then, the duo has frequently drawn attention for their warm greetings, handshakes and cordial interactions at multiple international events, including their widely shared selfie at the G20 Summit held in New Delhi.