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Asian arrivals helping set new Umrah record

March 23, 2013

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Jeddah, Mar 23: A large number of Umrah pilgrims arriving from Asian countries this week are about to set a new record.

The Ministry of Haj has indicated that more than 6 million pilgrims are likely to come for Umrah this year, up from 5.5 million last year.

The season opened on Dec. 14 last year, and will close on Aug. 22.

Airlines operating flights to Jeddah are reportedly fully booked for Umrah pilgrims and as a result expatriates in the Kingdom are finding it difficult to get seats. Almost all airlines have raised airfares to Jeddah by nearly 25 percent, according to figures posted by various airlines.

Despite recent efforts by the government to streamline the procedure at airports, some Umrah operators are not following procedures. This year, the ministry announced a new system for foreign travel agents to provide contract details of pilgrims. Pilgrims, however, are arriving without stickers containing that information on their passports.

Pilgrims are also complaining that upon arrival they are clueless about their Umrah companies or tour operators. “This is continuing to result in chaos, ” said one pilgrim as he arrived at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

The ministry insists that Umrah companies provide proper accommodations and transport for pilgrims. Over 200 Umrah companies were closed down for violating regulations.

The post-Umrah tourism packages are currently only for pilgrims from the US, Europe, Malaysia and Singapore and a few other countries.

Meanwhile, costs of Umrah packages are rising in Pakistan, India and Turkey.

Hotels in Makkah have a capacity of 1.4 million pilgrims a month.

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News Network
March 16,2020

Cairo, Mar 16: Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman said G20 summit will work to combat coronavirus and coordinate efforts to ease its economic burdens, state news agency SPA said on Sunday.

In a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Salman discussed international efforts to fight the flu-like disease, saying the next G20 summit, which will be hosted by the Kingdom, will work on finding medical solutions, SPA added.

The G20 Summit is an annual gathering of representatives of the world's largest economies.

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Agencies
May 14,2020

Dubai, May 14: As many as 242 beggars of different nationalities have been nabbed by the Dubai Police since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

Among those arrested, 143 were men, 21 were women and 78 were hawkers, said the police. "An anti-begging campaign was launched, especially to find beggar hotspots, to combat the negative phenomenon," said Colonel Ali Salem Al Shamsi, director of the anti-infiltrators department at the Dubai Police.

"Strict warnings have been issued to beggars to refrain from exploiting the sentiments of people during Ramadan," he added.

Col Al Shamsi also called on the public to stop helping them with money. "The public must direct those in dire straits through proper channels in order to get support from charitable institutions."

Col Al Shamsi also urged residents to report begging activities by calling 901 or through the Dubai Police app's 'Police Eye' feature.

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News Network
May 25,2020

May 25: A total of 241 Indians including 136 people who were jailed in Kuwait would return to the country soon, a senior minister said on Sunday.

The other 105 people were stranded in Bangladesh, Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath said.

"Altogether 136 people from Tripura and Assam, who are at present in jail in Kuwait for violating that country's laws, would be deported. They will reach Guwahati between May 27 and June 4 in a special flight," Nath told reporters.

He said the matter has been officially informed by the Kuwaiti government, but the reason for their imprisonment is not known.

"We had requested the Kuwaiti authorities to drop the Tripura residents here. However, they informed us that the flight would land in a single airport," the minister added.

Nath said 105 residents of Tripura, who are stranded in different places of Bangladesh will return to the state through the Agartala-Akhaura integrated check post on May 28.

"They would be taken to institutional quarantine and swabs of all the passengers would be collected for COVID-19 test," Nath said.

If the report of their samples tests negative, they would be allowed to leave the facility and remain under 14 days of home quarantine. And those who test positive would be hospitalized, he said.

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