Saudi Arabia reopens borders for vaccinated umrah pilgrims after 18 months

News Network
August 8, 2021

Riyadh, Aug 8: Saudi Arabia will begin accepting vaccinated foreign pilgrims seeking to visit the Islamic holy city of Makkah, state media reported Sunday, around 18 months after a border closure prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Authorities in the ministry responsible for coordinating foreign pilgrims will from Monday begin "gradually receiving Umrah requests from various countries of the world," the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The umrah is a pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time -- distinct from the hajj, which takes place once annually -- and usually draws millions from around the globe each year.

The Covid-19 pandemic hugely disrupted both pilgrimages, which are usually key revenue earners for the kingdom -- in normal times, they together rake in around $12 billion (10.3 billion euros) annually.

Before Sunday's announcement, only immunised pilgrims resident in Saudi Arabia were eligible for umrah permits, though the hajj has taken place in a scaled down form since the pandemic began.

Any foreign pilgrims must be immunised with a Saudi-recognised vaccine and agree to undergo quarantine, the SPA report said, citing Saudi deputy minister Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat.

Riyadh has spent billions trying to build a tourism industry from scratch, as part of efforts to diversify its oil-reliant economy.

The once-reclusive kingdom began issuing tourist visas for the first time in 2019 as part of an ambitious push to revamp its global image and draw visitors.

Between September 2019 and March 2020, it issued 400,000 of them -- only for the pandemic to crush that momentum as borders were closed.

The government has accelerated a nationwide vaccination drive as it moves to revive tourism and other pandemic-hit sectors, such as sport competitions and entertainment extravaganzas.

Vaccination is mandatory for anyone seeking to enter government and private establishments, including education institutions and entertainment venues, as well as to use public transport.

Saudi Arabia has registered nearly 532,000 coronavirus cases and more than 8,300 deaths.

Comments

Sanjeev Mhamane
 - 
Sunday, 22 Aug 2021

Sir my visa is abudhbai but ica approvel showing red log time .how can get green singl i have only 20 days balance because 6 months completed

AJIJUR RAHAMAN
 - 
Thursday, 19 Aug 2021

Please oploud may certificate in tawakkalna immune

AJIJUR RAHAMAN
 - 
Thursday, 19 Aug 2021

Please oploud my covid 19 certificate

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News Network
October 18,2024

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Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been martyred in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza's Rafah city, a senior Hamas official confirmed.

Khalil Hayya, head of Hamas in Gaza, delivered a statement on Friday, a day after reports of Sinwar's martyrdom. 

"We mourn the great national leader, the Mujahid Martyr Brother Yahya Al-Sinwar (Abu Ibrahim), Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Commander of Al-Aqsa Storm Operation," he said.

He remembered Sinwar as "one of the noblest and bravest men, a man who dedicated his life to Palestine and gave his soul for the sake of Allah on the path to its liberation."

"He rose as a heroic martyr, advancing and never retreating, wielding his weapon, engaging and confronting the occupation army at the frontlines. He moved between all combat positions, steadfast and stationed on the honored land of Gaza, defending the land of Palestine and its holy sites, inspiring the spirit of endurance, patience, steadfastness, and resistance."

Referring to the history of Sinwar's struggle against the Israeli regime, Hayya noted that the fallen leader "attained the highest rank and the noblest medal, ascending as a witness and a martyr, content with the jihad and sacrifice he offered."

Naming a host of other resistance leaders assassinated by the Israeli regime in the past years, the Hamas official noted that "these sacrifices will continue to illuminate our path and drive us to more resilience and steadfastness."

"Hamas remains committed to the promise of its founding leaders and martyrs until the aspirations of our people are fully realized: the complete liberation and return, and the establishment of the Palestinian state on the entire national soil with Al-Quds as its capital, by Allah’s will," he said, adding, "This will become a curse upon the invading occupiers who are strangers to this land."

He underlined that the martyrdom of leaders "only strengthens Hamas and our resistance, making us more determined and steadfast in following their path, honoring their blood and sacrifices."

He highlighted that Israeli captives held in Gaza "will not return except with the cessation of aggression on Gaza, its withdrawal, and the release of our heroic prisoners from the occupation’s jails."

The charismatic leader of the Palestinian resistance movement had escaped many assassination attempts before and after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Oct. 7, 2023.

Sinwar, 62, played an instrumental role in coordinating and supervising the landmark operation that jolted the Zionist regime. 

Before becoming the Hamas leader in Gaza in 2017, Sinwar spent 22 years in an Israeli prison. He was released as part of a prisoner swap in 2011.

“Hamas will never abandon the path of resistance… Our resistance will continue until the liberation of all of Palestine,” he declared during a speech in Gaza in late October 2017.

Sinwar had been chosen as the overall Hamas leader after Israel assassinated Ismail Haniyeh in July.

Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, where he was to attend the inauguration ceremony of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

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News Network
October 22,2024

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Bengaluru, Oct 22: Heavy rainfall has once again turned Bengaluru’s streets into rivers, with large-scale waterlogging paralyzing India’s IT capital. As residents brace for more storms, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts a day filled with thunderstorms, predicting minimum temperatures around 21°C.

"Bengaluru is expected to see a cloudy sky today, with light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorms impacting both urban and rural regions," stated the IMD. The maximum temperature is likely to reach 29°C, while the minimum will hover at 21°C.

Waterlogged streets have significantly slowed down traffic, with major bottlenecks reported along Sarjapura Road near the Wipro and RBD Layout junctions, according to police reports.

The flooding has sparked fresh criticism from opposition parties, who have seized the opportunity to target the Congress-led state government’s handling of the city's infrastructure.

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News Network
October 26,2024

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Udupi, Oct 26: In a heartbreaking incident in Beejadi village near Kundapur in Udupi district, two young men were swept away by a powerful wave while swimming in the sea on Saturday morning. 

Santosh, 21, was pulled from the water by local fishermen and residents, but tragically, he succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital. Ajay, who was also caught in the wave, remains missing, according to Kundapur police.

The duo, along with friends Shreyas and Mokshith, had been staying at the Sahana Sun Caste Resort to attend a wedding. Ignoring warnings from locals about the dangers of entering the sea, the group ventured into the water. Around 9:30 a.m., a large wave suddenly engulfed them, sweeping Ajay and Santosh into deeper waters.

Police reported that Ajay hailed from Hangalli village near Kundapur, while Santosh was from Dasarahalli near Bengaluru. Expert divers have been dispatched to the scene in hopes of locating Ajay’s body.

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