Saudi Arabia plans to accommodate nearly three million worshippers at the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah during Ramadan.
Dr Abdulrahman Al Sudais, president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, announced the launch of the largest operational plan for the holy month yet.
It focuses on the worshippers’ journey, from their arrival in the outer courtyards of the Two Holy Mosques to circling the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque and walking between the hills of Safa and Marwa, as well as directions to prayer areas and spaces for itikaf, or reflection.
Mr Al Sudais said that maintenance of the Kaaba's sound systems has been completed, and equipment for live broadcasts of the call to prayer is ready.
Ismail bin Abed Al Awaidi, assistant director general for digital awareness and director of Awareness Centres, said educational services and Ramadan programmes were also ready.
Last week, Mr Al Sudais published a list of the imams who will lead the Taraweeh, night prayers that take place during Ramadan.
Dr Al Anoud Al Abboud, adviser and assistant president for Women's Development Affairs at the Grand Mosque, said services have been prepared for female pilgrims during Ramadan.
She said that the agency is responsible for the cleanliness, safety and comfort of prayer areas, the provision of Zamzam water and development plans for women's services at the Grand Mosque.
Amjad Al Hazmi, under secretary of the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Covering of the Holy Kaaba, said the kiswah will be inspected on a daily basis and maintenance carried out by Saudi specialists if required.
Umrah during Ramadan
Communal iftar tables and performing itikaf, when pilgrims spend long hours at mosques, will resume for the whole month. The charity-sponsored iftar tables were banned for two years during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pilgrims can take dry food to break their fasts but free iftar spreads are available.
Only those with a valid permit issued through the government’s Eatmarna app (now called Nusuk) will be allowed to perform Umrah.
Ramadan will start on Thursday, Saudi Arabia's state media has announced, after observers were unable to spot the new moon on Tuesday, the sighting committee reported, meaning the holy month will not commence until March 23.
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The five pillars of Islam
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
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World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
Tour de France
When: July 7-29
UAE Team Emirates:
Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
