Hajj authorities in Saudi Arabia have said preparations for this year's pilgrimage are complete.
Prince Khalid bin Faisal, Governor of Makkah province, handed over the new Kiswah to the Guardian of the Kaaba, Sheikh Saleh Al Shaiba, before the replacement ceremony.
The Kiswah is a piece of cloth draped over the Kaaba, the shrine at the centre of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, and is changed annually on the day of Arafat, which this year will fall on July 19.
Prince Khalid will inspect the holy sites of Hajj on Monday.
The authorities have conducted maintenance checks on all electronic equipment, including the central clock system, CCTV equipment, fire alarms and microphones, as well as all control and monitoring systems in the Grand Mosque.
The authorities said the kingdom was ready to receive pilgrims and two auxiliary agencies would be available to provide help to those participating in the event.
Hajj starts on July 18 and Eid Al Adha will be celebrated on July 20.
This year Hajj was limited to 60,000 vaccinated people living in the kingdom to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The authorities have introduced Hajj smart cards and electronic bracelets to help guide pilgrims, who will also be provided with meals.
Hajj authorities will apply social distancing measures and health protocols this year.
Officials have shared the location of housing camps in Mina with those attending Hajj this year.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said more than 1,700 buses had been equipped to transport pilgrims thanks to 68 transport companies.
More than 1,700 buses have been equipped to transport pilgrims thanks to 68 transport companies
Ministry of Hajj and Umrah
Pilgrims will be received on July 17 to 18 through four centres in Makkah. Buses will be managed according to specific timetables and tracked using GPS.
The Saudi Red Crescent Authority has completed preparations for receiving pilgrims on July 18.
The authority said it would use “cutting edge technology” to provide efficient ambulance services during Hajj. A fleet comprising 144 ambulances, 22 motorcycles, 10 golf carts and two disaster-management vehicles will be available.
The authority said 549 medical staff, including emergency medical specialists and doctors, would work at 51 ambulance centres in Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat.
More than 300 volunteers have also been trained to deal with emergencies. Sixty-six per cent of the team are men and 34 per cent are women, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Ambulance services will be available throughout holy sites. Volunteers will help provide pilgrims with critical health information regarding the pandemic.
The authority's president, Dr Jalal Al Owaisi, said it put its "entire capabilities and efforts in action to serve pilgrims in this Hajj season to provide the best ambulatory services".
It has been preparing for Hajj since the end of last year’s pilgrimage and monitored “every positive and negative result that occurred in previous seasons” to ensure Hajj is celebrated safely this year.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said a fine of 10,000 riyals ($2,666) will be issued to anyone who tried to enter the Grand Mosque or holy sites in Mina, Muzdalifah and Mount Arafat without a permit during the pilgrimage.
On Sunday, Brig Gen Sami Al Shuwairekh, spokesman for the Hajj Security Forces Command, said three people were arrested for breaching Hajj rules and received fines of 10,000 riyals.
Twenty people were fined after being arrested on Friday.
Security personnel will patrol all roads leading to the central area around the Grand Mosque to ensure people follow the rules.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- 600-seat auditorium
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
