Haj pilgrimage: Saudi Arabia lifts restrictions on number, age limit, after three years
Riyadh: After imposition of restrictions for three years to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, Saudi Arabia will not limit the number of pilgrims for this year's Haj, Tawfiq Al Rabiah, Minister of Haj and Umrah, has said.
Addressing reporters in Riyadh on Monday, Al Rabiah said that the age limit too will not be imposed on the pilgrims, whose number will return to what it was prior to the pandemic outbreak, reports Khaleej Times.
The pilgrimage, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and which all able-bodied Muslims with the means are required to perform at least once, is scheduled for June.
About 2.5 million people took part in the rituals in 2019, but in the next two years, the number of pilgrims was cut down drastically due to Covid-19.
Nearly 900,000 pilgrims – including about 780,000 pilgrims from abroad – were welcomed to Makkah and Madinah in 2022.
The rules were set down last year that the pilgrims had to be under 65 years of age, necessarily have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and also present a negative test against the pandemic.
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Minor girl kidnapped and raped; main accused and two cafe owners held
Latur (PTI): A minor girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by an 18-year-old man in Latur, leading to the arrest of the main accused and owners of two cafes where the crime occurred on December 4, police said on Saturday.
Police traced the girl within hours of registering the complaint. The accused, identified as Rihan Gulab Shaikh, was arrested based on the girl's complaint. Two others are owners of two cafes where the crime occurred, police said.
Police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), POCSO Act, and the Prevention of Atrocities Act, an official said.
