Saudi Arabia to launch app for Mecca pilgrims amid virus
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Monday released new details on how it plans to gradually allow Muslims back to Islam's holiest site in Mecca to perform the smaller, year-round pilgrimage, which has been suspended for the past seven months due to the coronavirus.
Hajj Minister Muhammad Benten said the kingdom will launch an online application that allows citizens, residents of Saudi Arabia and visitors to apply and reserve a specific time and date in which they can perform the pilgrimage, known as umrah, to avoid crowding and maintain social-distancing guidelines.
The minister, who spoke during a virtual seminar, did not say when the pilgrimage would be permitted to resume nor how many people would be allowed to perform it at the same time.
The kingdom held a dramatically downsized, symbolic hajj pilgrimage in July due to concerns that it could easily have become a global super-spreader event for the virus. Pilgrims were selected after applying through an online portal and all were residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia. Rather than the more than 2 million pilgrims the kingdom hosts for the annual event, as little as 1,000 took part after being tested for the virus and quarantined.
Saudi Arabia on Monday began easing some restrictions on international flights for the first time in six months.
The kingdom allowed Gulf Arab nationals and foreign residents of Saudi Arabia abroad to enter the country, provided they are not infected with the coronavirus. The kingdom also allowed for some residents of Saudi Arabia, such as Saudi students with scholarships abroad and foreign embassy staff, to exit and enter the kingdom.
Despite taking early and sweeping measures to contain the virus, Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 330,000 cases, including more than 4,500 deaths.
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BY Ragahavendra and his wife have assets worth Rs 73.71 crore
Bengaluru, Apr 18: Veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa's son and MP B Y Ragahavendra has declared in his election affidavit that he and his wife have assets worth over Rs 73.71 crore.
The BJP candidate filed his nomination from the Shimoga Lok Sabha segment on Thursday, and has declared movable assets worth Rs 31.09 crore in his name, and Rs 2.95 crore in the name of his wife Tejaswini.
The three-time MP has immovable assets, including agricultural and non-agricultural land as well as commercial and residential buildings, worth Rs 24.76 crore in his name and Rs 14.90 crore in his wife's name.
The couple has total liabilities of Rs 13.61 crore.
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A Bachelor of Business Management (BBM) graduate, the 50-year-old has two criminal cases pending against him.
According to his affidavit, Raghavendra owns an Ambassador car worth Rs one lakh, a Toyota Fortuner worth Rs 41.32 lakh, and a tractor worth Rs 2.45 lakh.
While Raghavendra has declared that gold, diamonds, silver and precious stones in his possession are worth Rs 98.83 lakh, those in the name of his wife are valued at Rs 1.13 crore.
