Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has approved the reopening of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
The mosque will begin reopening on Sunday, allowing only 40 per cent capacity at first in the courtyards and extension.
The old building and holy site will not be opened yet, as the lifting of restrictions will be carried out in stages.
The mosque has taken a variety of precautions to keep worshippers safe, including the removal of carpets to allow for easier cleaning, requiring visitors to wear masks and enabling parking payments to be made electronically.
The decision to allow worshippers back to the mosque is part of a wider policy of relaxing restrictions across the kingdom, including the opening of mosques. The city of Makkah, however, remains locked down.
In preparation for Sunday's reopening, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Sheikh inspected a number of mosques to ensure hygiene and safety measures were being taken.
“Throughout our inspection trips, we found our mosques to have completed preparations and are in the best condition,” Dr Al Sheikh said.
He also stressed the importance of providing notices in several languages in all mosques to encourage adherence to guidance to prevent the spread of coronavirus, SPA reported.
Umrah trips to Makkah and Madinah remain halted.
Saudi Arabia also altered restrictions on gatherings and workplaces to allow larger meet-ups on Saturday, but instituted heavy fines for rule-breakers.
All areas of Saudi Arabia except Makkah have begun a three-stage lifting of the nationwide stay-at-home order imposed in late March to contain the kingdom’s coronavirus outbreak.
Gatherings of up to 50 people will be allowed in homes and farms, and for social events such as mourning and parties, a statement released by the Ministry of the Interior confirmed.
Earlier this month, the kingdom banned gatherings of more than five people to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
As restaurants and businesses prepare to reopen following a government announcement on Friday, new penalties have been set for those flouting the rules.
Businesses that allow entry to customers not wearing masks or which don’t provide appropriate handwashing or sterilising facilities risk being fined up to 10,000 riyals.
Play areas and fitting rooms in shops must remain closed.
People who refuse to wear masks or to adhere to social distancing guidelines will be fined 1,000 riyals, the statement said.
All penalties will double for repeat offenders.
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Gallery: Coronavirus around the region
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
MO
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
BABYLON
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Damien%20Chazelle%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Brad%20Pitt%2C%20Margot%20Robbie%2C%20Jean%20Smart%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.
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
