More than 6 million Umrah pilgrims expected this year

February 16, 2013

Umrah_pilgrims

Jeddah, Feb 16: Over six million Umrah pilgrims are expected in Saudi Arabia this year, one million more than last year, said Minister of Haj Bandar bin Mohammed Al-Hajjar, in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency yesterday.

“The number of Umrah pilgrims is expected to cross the one million mark in the month of Ramadan alone. An average of 400,000 pilgrims are arriving every month this season,” said Al-Hajjar.

The current Umrah season began on Dec. 14 last year and will last until the end of Ramadan in the first week of August.

The ministry has issued more than 1.3 million Umrah visas so far; while 775,000 pilgrims have already arrived in the Kingdom, Al-Hajjar said.

There has been a 10 to 20 percent annual increase in the number of pilgrims over the past few years, he said.

The minister said the most Umrah visas were issued in Egypt, Pakistan and Algeria, based on reports from Saudi missions in more than 70 countries.

Umrah applications are processed with the help of an integrated digital system, he said.

“The ministry, with the help of the digitized system and field inspectors, is monitoring all services offered to pilgrims to ensure they get speedy and excellent services specified in their packages,” Al-Hajjar said.

The ministry is also supervising and inspecting locations where companies in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah provide Umrah services. The ministry also accepts complaints from pilgrims if they have any, he said.

The minister stressed the need for Umrah companies to stick to the agreements they sign with their clients. The ministry’s inspection teams will report defaulting companies and take action against them, he warned.

The minister dismissed reports that the expansion of the mataf, the area to circumambulate around the Kaaba, would reduce the number of pilgrims this year.

The minister said the massive multi-billion riyal expansions underway in Makkah and Madinah are to ensure maximum comfort and safety for pilgrims and visitors.

The ministry is coordinating efforts with other departments and agencies to conduct studies and generate new ideas to offer better services.

“The ministry is keen to minimize the practice of pilgrims squatting in the courtyards of the two holy mosques and nearby areas this year,” the minister said.

He added that the ministry is working with the Interior and Foreign ministries to end the practice of some pilgrims not leaving the country after their pilgrimage.

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News Network
June 26,2020

Dubai, Jun 26: As summers in Dubai bloom in its full glory, the most savoured summer fruit - Mongo - is getting the most special treatment in the city as it gets delivered to customers via an emperor like ride of a Lamborghini.

As per a video report by Gulf News, the Pakistan Supermarket in Dubai is delivering the king of fruits to the doorsteps of its customers in a green coloured Lamborghini to match the level of its supremacy among fruits.

"The king should travel like a king," says the managing director of the store, Mohammad Jehanzeb who delivers the pulpy fruit by himself and also takes the customers on a short ride in the luxury car.

In order to avail the offer rolled out on the Facebook page of the famous supermarket, customers are required to make a minimum order of Dh100, reports the Gulf News.

"The idea is to put a smile on people's faces and make them feel special," says Jehanzeb who has put a smile on the face of dozens of Dubai residents amidst the throes of a pandemic with his 'Mangoes in Lamborghini' campaign.

The delicacy this year has gone viral with videos of delighted mango lovers taking a joy ride in the supercar doing rounds over the internet.

"The joy ride was essentially meant for kids who have been sequestered at homes because of the coronavirus but adults are equally thrilled at the prospect of getting behind the wheels of my Lamborghini Huracan. I am happy to oblige them too," says Jehanzeb.

"Each order takes about an hour. We do about 7-8 home deliveries a day but are hoping to ramp up the numbers to 12," he adds.

Arshad Khan who hails from the Indian city of nawabs - Lucknow- ordered the 'nawabi' varieties - Sindhri and Anwar Ratol - and said that his children were exhilarated after hearing the roar of the Lamborghini outside their Falcon City villa.

"For someone who hails from Lucknow -- the land of the famous dussheri and landga mangoes -- I was a bit skeptical about the taste of Pakistani mangoes. I ordered them for the sheer experience of seeing them come to my place in a luxury supercar," Gulf News quoted Khan as saying.

"It was quite exhilarating and I must confess that the mangoes were as delicious as the ones back home," he added.

Mango fruit has been a delicacy in the 16th-century Hindustan sub-continent. It holds a fascinating narrative in Babur Nama which is an autobiography of the Mughal emperor Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur.

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Agencies
August 8,2020

Beirut, Aug 7: A devastating explosion that destroyed much of Beirut might have been the result of a missile attack or bomb, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said, as the death toll from the blast rose to 154.

More than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate had been sitting in a port warehouse for six years, but there have been conflicting accounts about why Lebanese authorities decided to empty the shipment of explosive material. The vessel carrying the flammable cargo was heading from Georgia to Mozambique when it stopped in the Lebanese port to load up on iron, according to the ship’s captain.

By Friday, 19 suspects had been arrested and Lebanon’s former director general of customs Chafic Merhy had been questioned by military police.

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Agencies
June 22,2020

Riyadh, Jun 22: The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MMRA) in Saudi Arabia has announced the continuation of the ban on providing Shisha (hubble-bubble), and the closure of children's play areas in restaurants as a precautionary measure for protecting the health of citizens and residents from the novel coronavirus COVID-19 infection.

The new stage, in which the Kingdom is beginning to coexist with the virus, focuses on the concept of "social distancing" that has emerged since the start of the coronavirus crisis throughout the world,

It stipulates leaving at least 2 meters between one person and the other in public places to prevent the transmission of infection, in addition to covering the mouth and nose by wearing a facemask.

It also specifies complying with the preventive protocols in workplaces, stores, shops, mosques and tourist attractions, with human gatherings not to exceed 50 people, as a maximum.

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