• Robots serving Zamzam water bottles at the Grand Mosque in Makkah on Saturday. SPA
    Robots serving Zamzam water bottles at the Grand Mosque in Makkah on Saturday. SPA
  • Robots serving Zamzam water bottles at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. SPA
    Robots serving Zamzam water bottles at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. SPA
  • A handout picture provided by Saudi Ministry of Media on August 2, 2020 shows Muslim pilgrims circumambulating around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the centre of the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, while mask-clad and along specific pre-ordained rings as measures due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, on the final day of the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage. - Massive crowds in previous years triggered deadly stampedes during the ritual, but this year only up to 10,000 Muslims are taking part after millions of international pilgrims were barred because of the covid-19 pandemic crisis. (Photo by - / Saudi Ministry of Media / AFP) / === RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / SAUDI MINISTRY OF MEDIA" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ===
    A handout picture provided by Saudi Ministry of Media on August 2, 2020 shows Muslim pilgrims circumambulating around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the centre of the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, while mask-clad and along specific pre-ordained rings as measures due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, on the final day of the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage. - Massive crowds in previous years triggered deadly stampedes during the ritual, but this year only up to 10,000 Muslims are taking part after millions of international pilgrims were barred because of the covid-19 pandemic crisis. (Photo by - / Saudi Ministry of Media / AFP) / === RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / SAUDI MINISTRY OF MEDIA" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ===
  • Pilgrims walk around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah. AFP
    Pilgrims walk around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah. AFP
  • Pilgrims walk around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah. AFP
    Pilgrims walk around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah. AFP
  • Pilgrims walk around the Kaaba, the holiest shrine in the Grand Mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah, during Hajj. AFP
    Pilgrims walk around the Kaaba, the holiest shrine in the Grand Mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah, during Hajj. AFP
  • Workers performing Eid Al Adha prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah during Hajj last year. AFP
    Workers performing Eid Al Adha prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah during Hajj last year. AFP
  • A pilgrim, clad in a mask as a coronavirus precaution, prays after throwing pebbles as part of Al Aqabah - stoning of the devil - at the Jamarat Bridge during last year's Hajj at Mina, near Makkah in Saudi Arabia. AFP
    A pilgrim, clad in a mask as a coronavirus precaution, prays after throwing pebbles as part of Al Aqabah - stoning of the devil - at the Jamarat Bridge during last year's Hajj at Mina, near Makkah in Saudi Arabia. AFP
  • Pilgrims, in masks and keeping a safe distance from each other as a coronavirus measure, throw pebbles as part of Al Aqabah at Jamarat Bridge during last year's Hajj in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah. AFP
    Pilgrims, in masks and keeping a safe distance from each other as a coronavirus measure, throw pebbles as part of Al Aqabah at Jamarat Bridge during last year's Hajj in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah. AFP
  • Pilgrims in masks throw pebbles as part of Al Aqabah at Jamarat Bridge during last year's Hajj in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah. AFP
    Pilgrims in masks throw pebbles as part of Al Aqabah at Jamarat Bridge during last year's Hajj in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah. AFP
  • Pilgrims circle the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque at Makkah. AFP
    Pilgrims circle the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque at Makkah. AFP

Coronavirus: Kuwait and Bahrain praise Saudi Arabia’s decision to restrict Hajj


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Kuwait and Bahrain have welcomed Saudi Arabia’s move to limit this year’s holy pilgrimage of Hajj to citizens and residents.

The kingdom announced on Friday that pilgrim numbers will be limited to 60,000 due to the recent spread of the so-called Delta variant of Covid-19, also known as the Indian variant.

Saudi Arabia said only residents and citizens will be permitted to perform Hajj.

“Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry applauds Saudi Arabia’s huge and appreciated efforts in the service of Hajj and Umrah to ensure their safety,” Kuwait’s local news agency Kuna said.

“The ministry commends Riyadh’s support towards scientific endeavours aimed at tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The pilgrimage is expected to start on July 17.

The latest restrictions were set by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in light of new mutations of the virus.

Only people between the ages of 18 and 65 who have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior and are free of chronic diseases will be allowed to perform Hajj this year, the ministry said.

Prior to the outbreak, millions of Muslims were expected to perform the pilgrimage.

In 2019, nearly 2.5 million pilgrims visited Makkah to perform Hajj, but last year the kingdom limited that number to about 1,000 residents.

Bahrain’s Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Sheikh Khaled Al Khalifa, praised Riyadh’s efforts in ensuring pilgrims can perform Hajj in a “safe and reassuring environment”.

“The Kingdom of Bahrain affirms its continuous support towards Saudi Arabia in all the decisions and measures it takes to ensure the safety, security and health of pilgrims,” he said.

On June 7, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa announced an extension of its harsh lockdown measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, which will be re-assessed on June 25.

The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) said Riyadh's decision demonstrates its commitment to combating the pandemic.

“It is an extension of the kingdom’s success in organising the Hajj ritual last season in accordance with all the precautionary and preventive measures which has effectively contributed to reducing the negative effects of the pandemic and preventing its spread,” said the OIC Secretary General Yousef bin Ahmed Al Othaimeen.

Mr Al Othaimeen praised the kingdom’s “care towards the health and safety of its pilgrims”.

Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 460,000 coronavirus infections, including 7,536 deaths.

The Health Ministry says it has administered more than 15 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine among its population of more than 34 million.

Company profile

Name: Thndr

Started: October 2020

Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: FinTech

Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000

Funding stage: series A; $20 million

Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC,  Rabacap and MSA Capital

The biog

Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.

Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books

Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella

Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
57%20Seconds
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%C2%A0profile
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Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence