Haj deaths show challenge of shielding pilgrims from scorching climate
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Hundreds of the pilgrims who died in fierce heat at this year’s haj were not officially registered with the Saudi authorities, with the result that many had no access to vital services like air-conditioned buses and cool-off tents. The deaths highlight a looming challenge for organisers as climate change takes hold […]
Death toll at Haj pilgrimage rises to 1,300 amid scorching temperatures
Updated: 9:25am (AEST) Cairo, Egypt AP More than 1,300 people died during this year’s Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced extreme high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom, Saudi authorities announced Sunday. Saudi Health Minister Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel said that 83 per cent of the 1,301 fatalities were unauthorised pilgrims […]
Egypt forms crisis unit on haj deaths as toll rises
Cairo, Egypt Reuters Egypt formed a crisis unit on Thursday to investigate the deaths of Egyptians taking part in the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca during extreme heat, after medical and security sources said at least 530 Egyptians had died and 31 were missing. In recent days hundreds of people from different countries have died […]
Fourteen Jordanians die during haj in Saudi Arabia, some succumb to heat
Cairo, Egypt Reuters Fourteen Jordanians have been reported dead during the annual Muslim haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, some of them due to heat stroke, while 17 others were reported missing, the Jordanian foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday. At least six of the fatalities were heat related, the ministry said on Saturday, […]
Pakistani court grants bail to Christian in blasphemy case
Lahore, Pakistan AP A Pakistani court on Monday granted bail to a Christian man convicted in 2018 while still a teenager of insulting Islam by posting a picture of Islam’s holiest site on social media, a defence lawyer said. The court order in the eastern city of Lahore came more than four years after Nabeel […]