Saudi Supreme Court urges sighting of Shawwal crescent on Saturday

Arab News
June 23, 2017

Riyadh, Jun 23: With the call of the Supreme Court to sight the Shawwal crescent on Saturday, mosques are making arrangements to accommodate congregations for Eid Al-Fitr prayers.Shawwal

In an announcement on Thursday, the Supreme Court said that whoever sees the Shawwal crescent moon by the naked eye or binoculars should report to the nearest court and register his testimony, or to the nearest center to facilitate communicating with the court. According to astronomical projections, there is a chance of seeing the moon on the 29 of Ramadan, which falls on Saturday.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs announced that Eid Al-Fitr prayers will be conducted in mosques, which will be announced by the government.

In Riyadh, there are some 650 mosques designated for that purpose. Arrangements will also be made to conduct Eid prayers in 33 open spaces, including Sulaimaniyah, Deira and Manfuha, with special places allocated for women.

The Department of Mosques at the ministry has instructed prayer leaders (imams) and those responsible for the maintenance of Eid mosques to ensure that all preparations, including adequate supplies of power and water, are made.

Contracting companies that maintain mosques in the city have been asked to clean the entire worshipping area of the Eid mosques and lay carpets for worshippers.

Emergency plans have been put in place for the use of the nearest big mosque in case of rain on the open grounds.

Jeddah municipality has made arrangements in some 280 locations across the city and suburbs. There are 225 Eid mosques and 55 temporary yards in the city for the Eid prayers. Around 1,000 cleaning personnel will be assigned to these sites to ensure adequate supplies of power and water.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

Muscat, Jan 11: Oman's Culture and Heritage Minister, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, took oath as country's Sultan on Saturday following the demise of Qaboos bin Said al-Said, the country's government confirmed on Saturday.

Sputnik quoted a report by sultanate's Al-Roya newspaper as saying that the new Sultan " affirmed the continuation of the country's modernisation and development in various fields."

The development comes after Qaboos bin Said, who had served as the ruler of Oman since 1970, died Friday at the age of 79.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had condoled Qaboos's demise and remembered him as the "beacon of peace for India and the world". 

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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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Agencies
August 4,2020

Beirut, Aug 4: A massive explosion has shaken the Lebanese capital of Beirut, with a very high number of casualties expected.

A warehouse at the Beirut Port caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a huge explosion, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Several smaller explosions were heard before the bigger one occurred.

Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s General Security, said that “highly explosive materials” confiscated earlier had been stored at the site.

Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the bigger explosion, with a colossal shock wave seen traveling fast across several hundreds of meters and shrouding the area in thick smoke.

The blast left enormous material damage to the surrounding buildings and structures. But it was not immediately known how big an area was affected.

There was also no immediate casualty count. Graphic amateur video from the scene showed bodies strewn on the ground, with their clothes blown off.

The NNA said rescue operations were underway. Ambulances were seen heading toward the scene in central Beirut.

Lebanese LBC television channel quoted Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hasan as saying that the blast had caused a “very high number of injuries” and “extensive damage.”

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said an unspecified number of firefighters dispatched to extinguish the initial fire had been killed in the explosion.

“As they were putting out the fire, the explosion took place and we’ve [lost them],” he said, breaking down on live TV.

The explosion comes at a time when the Arab country is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, and amid rising tensions with Israel.

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