Saudi workers change the Kiswah (the cloth that covers the Kaaba) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016. Workers change the Kiswah once a year when pilgrims leave for the plains of Mount Arafat during the Hajj. (Hussein Malla/Associated Press)RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia has launched a Farsi-language satellite television channel broadcasting the hajj as Iranians abstain from the pilgrimage amid a dispute between the two regional rivals. The Saudi Minister of Culture and Information Adel al-Toraifi tells Saudi media that the channel is also being broadcast by radio to Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as via mobile phone applications and the internet. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: Washington Post September 11, 2016 11:03 UTC