Saudi king hosts 200 from Christchurch shootings for Hajj
Wellington, Jul 26: Aya Al-Umari said she feels like her brother will be accompanying her and will constantly be in her prayers when she travels to Mecca next month to take part in the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Al-Umari is one of 200 relatives and survivors from the Christchurch mosque shootings who are traveling to Saudi Arabia as guests of King Salman. The king is paying for all travel and accommodation costs, a bill likely to run to over USD 1 million.
The Saudi ambassador to New Zealand, Abdulrahman Al Suhaibani, on Friday said farewell to the pilgrims at the Al Noor mosque, one of two mosques where a gunman killed 51 people in March.
Al-Umari said the ambassador handed out special clothes for the men to wear during the pilgrimage and told the women they would be given kits when they arrived in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Umari's 35-year-old brother Hussein was among those killed.
She said it's an honour that King Salman is sponsoring the trips, a fact reinforced in her visa documents stating that she's travelling as a guest of the custodian of the two holy mosques.
"It came at such a perfect time and it helps with the grief as well," Al-Umari said.
"It's such a humbling thing to be given. I always had, personally, as a goal before I get married, to Hajj. Now it's been given to us on a plate. I feel it's a blessing from Hussein that is looking after me and my family."
She said she was initially nervous about the trip, and won't know many of the others going because so many of her friends were killed during the March massacre.
"It's a tough journey to do, Hajj," she said. "There are quite a number of factors. There's lots of walking, and the weather it's quite hot. But these are all surface things, and the holiness of the whole pilgrimage will overtake the toughness of the journey."
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform it once in their lifetime.
During the five-day pilgrimage, millions of Muslims circle Islam's most sacred site, the cube-shaped Kaaba, and take part in rituals intended to bring about greater humility and unity.
Al-Umari said she travelled with her brother and parents to Mecca as a child for the umrah, or what she describes as the mini-Hajj.
Lateef Alabi, the imam of the Linwood mosque where worshippers were also killed during the March attacks, said it would be his third trip to Mecca but his first time for the Hajj.
He said he was delighted with how first the New Zealand government and now the Saudi king were doing what they could to help the Muslim community of Christchurch heal.
"It's putting good in the place of bad," he said. "Over time, people will get over the pain. But it will take years, and they will never see their family members again."
Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian white supremacist, has pleaded not guilty to terrorism, murder and attempted murder charges following the March attacks. He remains in jail ahead of his trial, which has been scheduled for next May.
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Iran unrest hits basmati rice exports, prices fall sharply as payment delays mount: Industry body
New Delhi (PTI): Civil unrest in Iran has started impacting India's basmati rice exports to the country, leading to a sharp fall in domestic prices, as exporters face payment delays and mounting uncertainties, an industry body said on Tuesday.
The Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF) urged exporters to reassess risks on Iranian contracts and adopt secured payment mechanisms, warning against over-leveraging inventories meant for the Iranian market.
India exported USD 468.10 million worth of basmati rice to Iran during April-November of 2025-26 fiscal, totalling 5.99 lakh tonnes, trade data showed.
Iran is India's top basmati rice export destination, but the current financial year has seen growing stress on order flows, payment cycles, and shipment schedules due to the prevailing instability.
The impact is now clearly visible in domestic mandis. Over the past week alone, prices of key basmati varieties have registered a steep decline, reflecting buyer hesitation, delayed contracts and heightened risk perception among exporters.
The domestic price of basmati rice variety 1121 has come down to Rs 80 per kg from Rs 85 per kg last week, while varieties 1509 and 1718 declined to Rs 65 per kg from Rs 70 per kg.
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"Iran has historically been a pillar market for Indian basmati. However, the current internal turmoil has disrupted trade channels, slowed payments and dented buyer confidence," IREF National President Prem Garg said in a statement.
He said exporters must exercise heightened caution, particularly with respect to credit exposure and shipment timelines.
Importers have conveyed their inability to honour existing commitments and remit payments to India, creating uncertainty for exporters, the federation said.
IREF has issued an advisory and appealed to stakeholders to diversify into alternative markets across West Asia, Africa and Europe to cushion any prolonged slowdown in Iran-bound shipments.
"We are not sounding an alarm, but urging prudence. In periods of geopolitical and internal instability, trade is often the first casualty. A calibrated approach is essential to protect both exporters and farmers," Garg noted.
US Tariff Concerns
The federation also addressed concerns over the recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, indicating that countries continuing trade with Iran may face a 25 per cent tariff.
IREF clarified that Indian rice exports to the US are already subject to a 50 per cent tariff, up from 10 per cent earlier.
Despite this, Indian rice exports to the US have remained resilient. India exported 2,40,518 tonnes of Basmati and non-Basmati rice to the US during April-November 2025-26, compared to 2,35,554 tonnes in the entire 2024-25 fiscal.
The US is the 10th largest market for Indian rice globally and the fourth largest for Basmat rice.
"There is limited clarity on whether the proposed 25 per cent tariff would be levied over and above the existing 50 per cent duty," the federation noted, adding that it does not foresee a significant decline in exports even if tariffs rise further, given the unique position of Indian Basmati in global markets.
However, IREF expressed greater concern over developments in Iran, where disruptions in local markets have affected trade settlements. Importers have conveyed their inability to honour commitments and remit payments to India, creating heightened uncertainty.
While similar crises have occurred in the past, the trajectory of the current situation remains unclear and is expected to cause further disturbances in prices, liquidity, and trade sentiment in the weeks ahead, the federation added.
