Kuwait, Jul 12: A 60-year-old Jordanian man died while praying at a mosque in Kuwait and doctors said he had suffered from a massive heart attack.
The man was performing dawn prayers along with many other Muslims in the capital Kuwait City when he collapsed, newspapers said, adding that he was rushed to hospital but was already dead.
Makkah, Jul 31: Organising this year's scaled-down hajj required "double efforts" by Saudi authorities amid the coronavirus pandemic, King Salman said Friday after being discharged from hospital following gall bladder surgery.
Only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom are participating in this year's pilgrimage, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.
"Holding the ritual in the shadow of this pandemic... required reducing the numbers of pilgrims, but it obliged various official agencies to put in double efforts," 84-year-old King Salman said in a speech read out on state television by acting media minister Majid Al-Qasabi.
"The hajj this year was restricted to a very limited number of people from multiple nationalities, ensuring the ritual was completed despite the difficult circumstances," he said.
The speech came on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, a day after the king left hospital following a 10-day stay for surgery to remove his gall bladder.
The hajj, which began on Wednesday, is one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime.
Authorities implemented the "highest health precautions" during the rituals, the king said.
Pilgrims, who were all tested for the virus, are required to wear masks and observe social distancing.
For Friday's "stoning of the devil", the last major ritual of the hajj, Saudi authorities offered the pilgrims pebbles that were sanitised to protect against the pandemic.
In a sign that its strict measures were working, the health ministry reported no coronavirus cases in the holy sites on Wednesday or Thursday.
Dubai, May 7: Indians in the UAE have voiced scepticism about a "massive" operation announced by New Delhi to bring home some of the hundreds of thousands of nationals stranded by coronavirus restrictions.
"It is just propaganda," said Ishan, an Indian expatriate in Dubai, one of seven emirates in the UAE and long a magnet for foreign workers.
He was reacting to his government's announcement this week that it would deploy passenger jets and naval ships to bring home citizens stuck in a host of countries.
India's consulate in Dubai said it received about 200,000 requests from nationals seeking repatriation -- mostly workers who have lost their jobs in the pandemic.
One vessel was heading to the UAE, India's government said, while two flights were scheduled to depart the UAE for India on Thursday.
But the plans drew scorn from Ishan, who was a manager at a luxury services company before he was made redundant last month.
"It's like throwing a dog a bone," the 35-year-old complained on Wednesday, dismissing the Indian government's efforts as a drop in the ocean.
"Let's say they repatriate 400 people on the first day, and about 5,000 people in 10 days, what difference has it made?"
India banned all incoming commercial flights in late March as it imposed one of the world's strictest lockdowns to tackle the spread of coronavirus.
The UAE is home to a 3.3-million-strong Indian community, who make up around 30 per cent of the Gulf state's population.
To the anger of some Indian expatriates, the evacuees will have to pay for their passage home and spend two weeks in quarantine on arrival.
"We are upset over the failure of our government," Ishan said. "What about the people with no money? How are you helping them?"
The Indian consulate could not be reached for comment.
Ibrahim Khalil, head of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Center in Dubai, said the consulate had asked him to select 100 Indian nationals for repatriation.
"We are planning to pay for the tickets of those who cannot afford it," he said, adding that the elderly, pregnant and those suffering from illnesses were a priority.
But one Indian woman, eight months pregnant in the neighbouring emirate of Sharjah, was not one of the lucky ones chosen to go back home in one of Thursday's planned departures.
"We called them but nobody would pick up," the 26-year-old, who requested anonymity, told AFP.
She arrived in the UAE a few months ago to visit her husband, who lives in a shared apartment with another family to save money.
"We have no insurance here and the medical expenses are too costly," said the woman, who was anxious to leave to give birth at home.
"I just hope that I am chosen to go back to India. I don't know why I haven't been considered."
Jerusalem, May 17: The Chinese ambassador to Israel was found dead in his home north of Tel Aviv on Sunday, Israel's Foreign Ministry said.
No cause of death was given and Israeli police said it was investigating.
Du Wei, 58, was appointed envoy in February in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. He previously served as China's envoy to Ukraine.
He is survived by a wife and son, both of whom were not in Israel.
Israel enjoys good relations with China.
The ambassador's death comes just two days after he condemned comments by visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who denounced Chinese investments in Israel and accused China of hiding information about the coronavirus outbreak.
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