Europe’s unprecedented heatwave shatters British records, drives wildfires

The Israeli ministry of military affairs says the number of disabled Israeli soldiers has surpassed the 70,000 mark for the first time, adding that 8,663 troops have also been injured since the start of the war on Gaza.

The report revealed by the rehabilitation division of the Israeli ministry said that 35% of those wounded since the start of the Gaza massacre are struggling with mental health conditions, while 21% sustained physical injuries.

The department is expecting for an influx of approximately 20,000 additional injured soldiers from the beginning of the ongoing conflict until the conclusion of 2024.

An expert analysis revealed that approximately 40% of the individuals who will be admitted by year-end may experience a range of psychological responses, such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, adaptation and communication difficulties, etc.

The Israeli medical association has reported that more than 1,000 new male and female veterans are under treatment in the department on a monthly basis, with about 20% of them dealing with mental reactions and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Out of the total number of disabled Israeli occupation forces, including soldiers from all Israeli wars, a significant portion of 9,539 soldiers are suffering from PTSD and mental reactions.

On June 7, 2024, an Israeli military soldier named Eliran Mizrahi took his own life, after he was called back to war while suffering from PTSD and two injuries.

A recent study by researchers said in March that over half a million of Israelis are at risk of developing PTSD in the aftermath of the Gaza genocide.

Despite facing huge sufferings, the Israeli military persists in its aggression against Gaza, disregarding the UN Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

The regime also defies the International Court of Justice's order to halt the invasion of Rafah and implement measures to prevent genocide amid the dire humanitarian conditions in the Strip.

Saudi Arabia said Sunday that more than 1,300 faithful died during the hajj pilgrimage which took place during intense heat and that most of them who died did not have official permits.

"Regrettably, the number of mortalities reached 1,301, with 83 percent being unauthorised to perform hajj and having walked long distances under direct sunlight, without adequate shelter or comfort," the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

An AFP tally last week, based on official statements and reports from diplomats involved in their countries' responses, put the count at more than 1,100.

The dead came from more than 10 countries stretching from the United States to Indonesia, and some governments are continuing to update their totals.

Arab diplomats told AFP last week that Egyptians accounted for 658 deaths -- 630 of them unregistered pilgrims. 

The diplomats said the cause of death in most cases was heat-related. 

Temperatures in Mecca this year climbed as high as 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Saudi Arabia's national meteorological centre. 

Riyadh had not publicly commented on the deaths or provided its own count until Sunday. 

On Friday, however, a senior Saudi official gave AFP a partial count of 577 deaths for the two busiest days of hajj: June 15, when pilgrims gathered for hours of prayers in the blazing sun on Mount Arafat, and June 16, when they participated in the "stoning of the devil" ritual in Mina.

The official also defended Riyadh's response, saying: "The state did not fail, but there was a misjudgement on the part of people who did not appreciate the risks."

'Heat stress'

The Saudi health minister, Fahd Al-Jalajel, on Sunday described management of the hajj this year as "successful", SPA reported. 

He said the health system "provided more than 465,000 specialised treatment services, including 141,000 services to those who didn't obtain official authorisation to perform hajj," according to SPA, which summarised an interview he gave to the state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya channel.

Jalajel did not specify how many deaths Saudi officials attributed to heat.

"The health system addressed numerous cases of heat stress this year, with some individuals still under care," SPA reported. 

"Among the deceased were several elderly and chronically ill individuals."

The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims with the means must complete at least once in their lives.

Saudi officials have said 1.8 million pilgrims took part this year, a similar number to last year, and that 1.6 million came from abroad.

For the past several years the mainly outdoor rituals have fallen during the sweltering Saudi summer.

The timing of the hajj moves forward about 11 days each year in the Gregorian calendar, meaning that next year it will take place earlier in June, potentially in cooler conditions.

A 2019 study by the journal Geophysical Research Letters said because of climate change, heat stress for hajj pilgrims will exceed the "extreme danger threshold" from 2047 to 2052 and 2079 to 2086, "with increasing frequency and intensity as the century progresses".

Off-the-books hajj

Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota system and distributed to individuals by lottery.

Even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs spur many to attempt the hajj without a permit, though they risk arrest and deportation if caught.

Saudi authorities said before the hajj that they had cleared hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca.

But the Saudi official who spoke to AFP on Friday said around 400,000 unregistered pilgrims took part, and that "almost all of them (were) from one nationality", an apparent reference to Egypt. 

On Saturday, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly ordered 16 tourism companies stripped of their licences and referred their managers to the public prosecutor over illegal pilgrimages to Mecca, Egypt's cabinet said.

It said the rise in the number of deaths of unregistered Egyptian pilgrims stemmed from some companies which "organised the hajj programmes using a personal visit visa, which prevents its holders from entering Mecca" via official channels.

Unregistered pilgrims in many cases did not have access to amenities meant to make the pilgrimage more bearable, including air-conditioned tents.

Unregistered Egyptian pilgrims told AFP last week that in some cases they struggled to access hospitals or hail ambulances for loved ones, some of whom ended up dying.

Mangaluru: Four members of a family died when the compound wall of a house collapsed on a neighbouring house at Kuthar Madani Nagara in Ullal police station limits on Wednesday morning.

The deceased have been as Yasir (45), his wife Mariamma (40) and their two daughters Raihana (19) and Rifaana (16) passed away in the incident. The compound wall belongs to Aboobakkar.

A large number of people gathered at the spot while bodies are being recovered from the debris.

The wall of the house collapsed in the bedroom where Yasir and his family were sleeping. Following the rain, a compound wall and two areca nut trees have fallen on Yasir's house.

Yasir was a worker in the fisheries harbour at Bunder, while his children - Rihana and Rifan - were students.

Yasir had purchased the house six years ago and had given the house for lease. He had shifted to the house only six months ago. In fact, a compound wall had collapsed on the house two years ago too, but no casualties were reported.

After a three-hour operation, all the four bodies were recovered from the debris with the help of local residents and personnel from fire and emergency services.

Yasir’s eldest daughter Rasheena is married and had returned to her husband’s house in Kerala on Tuesday, after celebrating Bakrid.

Meanwhile, Dakshina Kannada has been experiencing bountiful showers since Tuesday night.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert in the district till June 27. According to the forecast, a wet spell is likely to continue over Coastal Karnataka and adjoining parts of Malnad and interior Karnataka districts with widespread light to moderate rains.

Heavy to very heavy rains may also occur at isolated areas until June 27.