Read the latest updates on the Hajj pilgrimage here.
Saudi women are playing a bigger role in the logistics behind Hajj this year, with new jobs within the General Cars Syndicate in Makkah.
The syndicate was set up more than 90 years ago and is responsible for arranging transport for pilgrims around the different sites of Hajj in Makkah and Madinah. Saudi women are now working in customer service and media representation roles within the organisation.
“When I arrived I saw that most of the immigration officers were women and they were all very confident and good at what they do. They were all covered and following the rules of Islam and I loved seeing that,” said Rushda Babukhan, an Indian pilgrim in Makkah.
Women's participation in the workforce has increased since the launch of the kingdom's Vision 2030 programme. This year, more Saudi female nurses than male nurses — 827 women out of 1,383 nurses — are working during Hajj.
“We are very grateful to the government for supporting us and giving us these opportunities,” said Dr Mona, a family doctor who will be working alongside the nurses sent to Makkah.
“It is an honour to serve pilgrims during Hajj. Even though we will barely have any rest or time off, I am looking forward to working here as it is my first time to be working during Hajj.”
Last year, for the first time in the country's history, Saudi female soldiers were seen working as part of the security services that monitor pilgrims during Hajj.
Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 aims to empower women and offer them equal roles in the job market, as well as society, through easing restrictions and giving them more rights to work, travel and drive without a male guardian's permission.
Earlier this month, the General Authority for Statistics said the total rate of unemployment in Saudi Arabia dropped to 6 per cent in the first three months of the year from 6.9 per cent during the same period in 2021.
Last year, the Hajj ministry officially allowed women of all ages to make the pilgrimage without a male guardian or relative, allowing them to travel in groups.
Last week, the General Union of Automobiles said it was ready to launch transportation services for this year's Hajj season, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
“The buses and transportation is planned perfectly for pilgrims, minimising any waiting time for Hajj pilgrims who are out in the sun," Samira Khan, an Indian pilgrim, told The National. "Especially for people who are on wheelchairs, we find the staff to be very helpful and help them first. The buses are air-conditioned and there is a designated spot outside the Haram for pilgrims to board for Mina and set places for specific groups from the Holy Sites.
“There are no old buses. In fact, people in the past had to suffer in the heat for hours on the bus. Now the transfer between sites and cities is so easy and comfortable."
The transport services offer prompt assistance to pilgrims travelling between the Holy Sites and the Grand Mosque during the Hajj pilgrimage.
The association has support centres between Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and the Holy Sites, for dealing with bus failures and there is a wireless communication network for pilgrims all along.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
Read more from Johann Chacko
HAJJAN
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ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
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SPECS
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Kandahar%20
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Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
