Over 2 million Muslim pilgrims converge at Mount Arafat for daylong worship as Hajj reaches its peak

Agencies
June 15, 2024

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Mount Arafat, June 15: Following the footsteps of prophets beneath a burning sun, Muslims from around the world congregated Saturday at a sacred hill in Saudi Arabia for intense, daylong worship and reflection.

The ritual at Mount Arafat, known as the hill of mercy, is considered the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage. It is often the most memorable for pilgrims, who stand shoulder to shoulder, feet to feet, asking God for mercy, blessings, prosperity and good health. The mount is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Makkah.

It’s believed that Prophet Muhammad delivered his final speech, known as the Farewell Sermon, at the sacred mount 1,435 years ago. In the sermon, the prophet called for equality and unity among Muslims.

“It’s indescribable,” Ahmed Tukeyia, an Egyptian pilgrim, said on his arrival Friday evening at a tent camp at the foot of Mount Arafat.

Hajj is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth. The rituals officially started Friday when pilgrims moved from Makkah’s Grand Mosque to Mina, a desert plain just outside the city.

Saudi authorities expect the number of pilgrims this year to exceed 2 million, approaching pre-coronavirus pandemic levels.

The pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. All Muslims are required to make the five-day Hajj at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to make the demanding pilgrimage.

The rituals largely commemorate the Qur’an’s accounts of Prophet Ibrahim, his son Prophet Ismail and Ismail’s mother Hajjar — or Abraham and Ismael as they are named in the Bible.

The time of year when the Hajj takes place varies, given that it is set for five days in the second week of Dhu Al-Hijjah, the last month in the Islamic lunar calendar.

Most of the Hajj rituals are held outdoors with little if any shade. When it falls in the summer months, temperatures can soar to over 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). The Health Ministry has cautioned that temperatures at the holy sites could reach 48 C (118 F). It urged pilgrims to use umbrellas and drink more water to stay hydrated.

After Saturday’s worship in Arafat, pilgrims will travel a few kilometers (miles) to a site known as Muzdalifa to collect pebbles that they will use in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil back in Mina.

Pilgrims then return to Mina for three days, coinciding with the festive Eid Al-Adha holiday, when financially able Muslims around the world slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to poor people. Afterward, they return to Makkah for a final circumambulation, known as Farewell Tawaf.

Once the Hajj is over, men are expected to shave their heads, and women to snip a lock of hair in a sign of renewal. Most of the pilgrims then leave Makkah for the city of Medina, some 340 kilometers (210 miles) away, to pray in Prophet Muhammad’s tomb, the Sacred Chamber. The tomb is part of the prophet’s mosque, which is one of the three holiest sites in Islam, along with the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

In recent years, Saudi authorities have made significant efforts to improve access and avoid deadly accidents. Tens of thousands of security personnel were deployed across the city, especially around the holy sites, to control the crowds, and the government built a high-speed rail link to ferry people between holy sites in the city, which has been jammed with traffic during the Hajj season. Pilgrims enter through special electronic gates.

Saudi authorities have also expanded and renovated the Grand Mosque where cranes are seen around some of its seven minarets as construction was underway in the holy site.

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News Network
May 10,2025

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New Delhi, May 10: In a detailed joint briefing today, India’s defence and foreign ministries dismantled Pakistan’s claims of major strikes on Indian infrastructure and exposed Islamabad’s alleged attempts to escalate conflict along the border. Here's a clear breakdown of 12 crucial points made by Indian military officials:

1. Pakistan’s Claims Are False
The Indian government called Pakistan’s statements about destroying airbases, power grids, and cyber systems “completely false” and “state-sponsored propaganda.”

2. No Damage to Indian Airbases
Indian officials categorically denied Pakistani claims of hitting Sirsa, Suratgarh, and the S-400 radar base in Udhampur.

3. Pakistan Used Multiple Attack Platforms
Pakistan employed UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles), loitering munitions, long-range missiles, and fighter aircraft to target military and civilian sites.

4. Civilian Infrastructure Targeted
Pakistan struck schools and a Medicare centre near Indian Air Force bases in Srinagar, Awantipora, and Udhampur.

5. Over 26 Locations Attacked
India reported air intrusions and harassment attacks across 26+ locations from Srinagar to Naliya, along the Line of Control (LoC) and international border.

6. Limited Damage at IAF Bases
Minor damage occurred at four IAF stations: Udhampur, Patan, Adampur, and Bhuj — but all operations remain unaffected.

7. Heavy Cross-Border Shelling
Sectors like Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, and Akhnoor saw intense artillery, mortar, and small arms fire — all met with strong Indian retaliation.

8. Pakistan Moving Troops to Forward Areas – Signals Possible Escalation
The Indian Army observed significant Pakistani troop mobilisation toward forward posts along the LoC. This movement, described as “indicative of offensive intent,” suggests that Pakistan may be preparing for a wider military escalation. The Indian armed forces are on high operational alert, closely monitoring the situation and ready to respond to any provocation.

9. India’s Response: Swift, Measured, Targeted
In retaliation, India struck only military assets — radar stations, command centres, and storage sites — using precision air-launched weapons.

10. No Damage to Critical Indian Defences
Pakistan’s claims of destroying India’s S-400 systems, BrahMos base, and Chandigarh ammo depot were debunked with timestamped visual evidence.

11. Pakistan Trying to Spread Communal Discord
Indian officials accused Pakistan of fabricating stories to stoke communal unrest in India — calling such efforts "doomed to fail."

12. India Committed to Responsible Conduct
India reiterated its commitment to non-escalation — “provided Pakistan reciprocates.” Officials stressed that India’s military operations have been calibrated and proportionate.

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Agencies
May 9,2025

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The Ministry of Defence has urged media outlets, digital platforms, and individuals to refrain from live coverage or real-time reporting of defence operations and troop movements.

Citing the risks to operational success and personnel safety, the Ministry highlighted past incidents — including the Kargil War, the 26/11 attacks, and the Kandahar hijacking — where premature information disclosure had severe consequences.

"Under Clause 6(1)(p) of the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021, only authorised officials are permitted to release updates during anti-terror operations," the Ministry stressed. It called for responsible reporting and greater sensitivity towards national security concerns.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a high-level review of the country’s security situation on Friday (May 9, 2025) at South Block in New Delhi, following the foiled large-scale drone strike launched by Pakistan on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by senior military leadership, including Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, and Defence Secretary RK Singh.

The security review comes in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, in which Indian Armed Forces struck nine terror infrastructures across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday, prompting Pakistan’s attempted retaliation.

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News Network
May 8,2025

US President Donald Trump says he is willing to reach an agreement with Iran that allows Washington to “blow up” Tehran’s nuclear energy facilities.

“It’s that simple,” he said during an exchange with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, on Wednesday.

“I would much prefer a strong, verified deal where we actually blow them up…,” Trump said, referring to Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Deal’s outcome: Either ‘Nice aggression’ or ‘vicious aggression’

The 78-year-old former president added that there were only two possible outcomes, namely “blowing them up nicely or blow them up viciously.”

This is not the first time, Trump and other American officials have urged “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear energy program. The US president had last made the insistence during comments on the NBC's "Meet the Press" program.

Observers said such statements underline the US administration's continued aggressive approach towards the Islamic Republic and its nuclear energy program.

The adversarial standing comes while Washington and Tehran have been engaging in indirect talks since March. The talks’ initiation marked drawn-out absence of such engagement between the two sides that had been caused by Washington’s illegal and unilateral withdrawal from a historic nuclear deal between Tehran and others in 2018.

Most recently, Trump’s regional envoy Steve Witkoff said, “The president wants to see this solved diplomatically if possible, so we’re doing everything we can to get it going."

Trump’s remarks, though, diagonally contradict Witkoff’s statement about the president’s alleged interest in a diplomatic solution.

Trump also said potential American aggression against Iran’s nuclear sites had to result in “de-nuking them.”

The US and its allies have for long been trying to accuse the Islamic Republic of pursuing “nuclear weapons,” despite the country’s repeated avowal not to either pursue, develop, or stockpile such weaponry as per moral and religious imperatives.

Tehran’s peaceful nuclear policy has been verified unexceptionally by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which has never found any indication of such pursuit, as it has put the country's nuclear activities under the most extensive investigative processes compared to any other member of the United Nations nuclear agency.

The Western narrative, though, has been used extensively to try to justify escalating sanctions, military threats, and covert operations targeting Iran and its nuclear infrastructure.

Nevertheless, the Islamic Republic has invariably vowed to deal effectively with attempts on the part of the US, its allied states, or proxies at engaging in military adventurism against the country.

The assertion was last reiterated by Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's permanent ambassador to the United Nations, who underscored on Monday that the country would unquestionably defend its sovereignty against any threat or use of force.

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