Read the latest updates on the Hajj pilgrimage here
Saudi Arabia's Makkah Route, a government programme to help Hajj pilgrims from seven countries with visa, customs and passport issues, is up and running.
It has been expanded to Turkey and Ivory Coast this year, the Ministry of Interior announced.
The initiative, launched in 2019, will now serve pilgrims in seven countries including Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco and Bangladesh.
What is the Makkah Route initiative?
The Makkah Route initiative was launched in several countries in 2018 when the Saudi authorities began to put measures in place to ease travel procedures for pilgrims from abroad.
The service was introduced first in Malaysia and Indonesia, two of the countries with the largest proportion of Hajj pilgrims every year.
What does the service offer?
The service includes the issuance of visas, customs and passport procedures, dealing with health requirements, as well as sorting luggage according to transportation and housing arrangements in Saudi Arabia. All services are handled from the Hajj pilgrims’ point of departure in their home country or country of residence.
These pre-departure services will not only ease the arrival of pilgrims in the kingdom, but will also allow them to go directly to their accommodation in Makkah and Madinah without having to deal with time-consuming procedures.
Luggage is taken directly to the pilgrims’ accommodation.
Which ministries and agencies are involved?
Several government agencies in Saudi Arabia are involved in providing the pre-departure and arrival services for pilgrims.
These include the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, the Pilgrim Experience Programme, the General Directorate of Passports and the Elm Company.
Which countries are involved in the Makkah Route this year?
Pakistan, Turkey, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco and Bangladesh.
How many foreign pilgrims have arrived so far?
Since the beginning of the pre-Hajj season, the Saudi authorities said Madinah recorded the arrival of about 19,000 pilgrims.
The number of arrivals on Wednesday reached 7,494. The countries that have sent the highest number of pilgrims so far are Indonesia with 8,276, India with 4,364, Pakistan with 3,315, Malaysia with 1,708 and Turkey with 1,071.
Are the procedures different for Hajj pilgrims coming from the West?
Saudi Arabia confirmed it has opened a separate online registration system for pilgrims arriving from the US, Europe and Australia for this year's pilgrimage.
Pilgrims will have to register directly at www.motawif.com.sa where they can access different travel packages and information.
How many foreign pilgrims are expected to attend and what are the travel requirements amid Covid-19?
For the past two years, pilgrims from abroad were barred from attending Hajj because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year, as travel restrictions and anti-Covid measures are slowly lifted across the world, Saudi Arabia said it will welcome up to a million pilgrims from abroad.
All Hajj pilgrims this year must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and be under 65 years of age. They must also present a negative PCR test conducted within 72 hours of their departure flight.
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
FIXTURES
UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
LAST-16 FIXTURES
Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: UAE v Kyrgyzstan at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
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