Security officers on Thursday fined 52 people 10,000 Saudi riyals ($2,666) each for breaching Hajj regulations that ban entry to the Grand Mosque and pilgrimage sites without a valid permit.
The Hajj Security Forces Command spokesman, Brigadier General Sami Al Shuwairekh, said they were caught violating Hajj instructions.
Millions usually take part in the pilgrimage, but this year just 60,000 pilgrims who are already in the kingdom are being allowed to participate, in an effort to ensure social distancing and prevent Covid-19 infections. Only those who applied and were granted a permit can visit the Grand Mosque or the holy sites for Hajj this year. It is expected to begin on July 18.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said on Sunday that the fine will be doubled if the offence is repeated.
People have attempted to sneak into the Grand Mosque ahead of Hajj to get around the permit system and the costs of taking part in the pilgrimage.
To ensure safety, cleaners will sterilise the floors and yards of the Grand Mosque 10 times a day.
All arrangements are being made to combat the coronavirus, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said.
Pilgrims are organised into groups and will not be allowed to board buses to the Grand Mosque without the team leader.
Pick up and drop off points have been allocated for pilgrims who will be travelling between the holy sites for Hajj rites while the faithful will still camp and stay at approved locations.
The ministry will allocate a specific schedule for each camp for the ritual stoning, one of the undertakings of the pilgrimage.
Saudi Arabia’s Interior Minister approved the general emergency plan for this year’s Hajj earlier this week. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs is launching a set of awareness programs and has approved the plan for this year's Hajj.
Workshops have been taking place to ensure pilgrims' safety for Hajj season. There have been training courses with Saudi Red Crescent to ensure all Hajj and Umrah ministry employees are equipped to work on delivering a successful Hajj season.
On Wednesday, Hajj and Umrah authorities reviewed executive plans to receive pilgrims from within the kingdom at King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah.
The specs
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Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
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Persuasion
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The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
