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Saudi Arabia To Allow 60,000 Vaccinated Residents To Perform Hajj

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Saudi Arabia announced Saturday it will allow 60,000 vaccinated residents to perform hajj (File)
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Riyadh:
Saudi Arabia announced Saturday it will allow 60,000 vaccinated residents of the kingdom to perform the annual hajj, state media reported.
The hajj ministry said this year's pilgrimage would be "open for nationals and residents of the kingdom, limited to 60,000 pilgrims", according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
The pilgrimage, scheduled to be held at the end of July, would be limited to those who have been vaccinated and are below 65 years of age with no chronic illnesses, it said.
It will be the second year in a row that the kingdom hosts a downscaled hajj amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The hajj -- a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime -- typically packs millions of pilgrims into congested religious sites and could be a major source of contagion.
Only up to 10,000 Muslims took part in last year, a far cry from the 2.5 million who participated in the five-day annual pilgrimage in 2019.
In a relaxation of coronavirus curbs last October, Saudi Arabia opened the Grand Mosque for prayers for the first time in seven months and partially resumed the all-year-round umrah pilgrimage.
The limit on umrah pilgrims is 20,000 a day, with a total of 60,000 worshippers allowed to perform daily prayers at the mosque.
The umrah usually attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year. Authorities said the umrah would be allowed to return to full capacity once the threat of the pandemic has abated.
The revered Black Stone in the Kaaba -- which is customary but not mandatory to touch during the pilgrimage -- remains out of reach.
'Highest precautions'
"In light of what the whole world is witnessing with the coronavirus pandemic... and the emergence of new variants, the relevant authorities have continued to monitor the global health situation," the hajj ministry said Saturday.
"Considering the large crowds that perform hajj, spending long periods of time in multiple and specific places... required the highest levels of health precautions," it added in the statement carried by SPA.
A scaled-down hajj represents a major loss of revenue for the kingdom, already reeling from the twin shocks of the virus-induced slowdown and a plunge in oil prices.
The hajj and the year-round umrah pilgrimages together rake in some $12 billion (10.3 billion euros) annually.
Last year, the foreign press were barred from the hajj, usually a huge global media event.
Saudi Arabia has so far recorded more than 460,000 coronavirus infections, including 7,536 deaths.
The health ministry says it has administered more than 15 million coronavirus vaccine doses, in a country with a population of over 34 million.
Hosting the hajj is a matter of prestige for Saudi rulers, for whom the custodianship of Islam's holiest sites is their most powerful source of political legitimacy.
But a series of deadly disasters over the years, including a 2015 stampede that killed up to 2,300 worshippers, has prompted criticism of the kingdom's management of the pilgrimage.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/saudi-arabia-to-allow-60-000-vaccinated-residents-to-perform-hajj-report-2462376">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/saudi-arabia-to-allow-60-000-vaccinated-residents-to-perform-hajj-report-2462376</a>

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Saudi Arabia announced Saturday it will allow 60,000 vaccinated residents to perform hajj (File) Riyadh: Saudi Arabia announced Saturda...

Chinese Researchers Find Batch Of New Coronaviruses In Bats: Report

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The samples were collected between May 2019, November 2020 (Representational)
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Washington:
Amid renewed calls to probe into the origins of COVID-19, Chinese researchers said they had found a batch of new coronaviruses in bats.
The newly found viruses in the bats include one that may be the second-closest yet (genetically) to the COVID-19 virus, CNN reported.
The researchers say that their discoveries in southwestern China show just how many coronaviruses are there in bats and how many have the potential to spread to people.
In a report published in the journal Cell, the Chinese researchers from Shandong University said, "In total, we assembled 24 novel coronavirus genomes from different bat species, including four SARS-CoV-2 like coronaviruses."
The samples were collected from small, forest-dwelling bats between May 2019 and November 2020. The researchers say that they tested urine and feces as well as taking swabs from the bats' mouths.
According to the Chinese researchers, one of the viruses was very similar, genetically to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that's causing the ongoing pandemic. "It would be the closest strain to SARS-CoV-2 except for genetic differences on the spike protein, the knob-like structure that the virus uses when attaching to cells," they said.
"Together with the SARS-CoV-2 related virus collected from Thailand in June 2020, these results clearly demonstrate that viruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2 continue to circulate in bat populations, and in some regions might occur at a relatively high frequency," they wrote.
This discovery of new coronaviruses in bats comes amid growing calls for a timely, transparent and evidence-based independent process for the next phase of the WHO-convened COVID-19 origins study.
Recently, the calls to investigate further the origins of COVID-19 have intensified.
The origin of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has remained a mystery even after over 1.5 years the first case of infection was reported in the Wuhan city of China.
Now, scientists and countries calling for further investigations to figure out whether the virus originated naturally or leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
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The samples were collected between May 2019, November 2020 (Representational) Washington: Amid renewed calls to probe into the origins ...

This World Day Against Child Labour, Focus On Ending The Social Evil

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The theme will be observed throughout the "Week of Action" that began on June 10. (Representational)
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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on lives and livelihoods around the world. The subsequent socio-economic fallouts of the pandemic have had a tremendous impact on the lives of millions of children who are victims of child labour, in particular, the United Nations has observed.  As nations across the globe observe the World Against Child Labour Day on June 12, a <a href="https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_800090/lang--en/index.htm">report</a> published by the International Labour Organization (ILO) of the UN states, "The number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide — an increase of 8.4 million children in the last four years," attributing the rise to the pandemic.  Addressing the need to put an end to the evil practice, the theme for the year is "Act Now: End Child Labour".
The theme will be observed throughout the "Week of Action" that began on June 10.  Explaining the significance of the day, the ILO report said, "Child labour reinforces intergenerational poverty, threatens national economies and undercuts rights guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child."  Additionally, 2021 is also the "International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour".
The report found that the number of children between five and 17 exposed to hazardous work has risen by 6.5 million to 79 million since 2016. Putting the overwhelming numbers of child labour victims into context,  ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said, "The new estimates are a wake-up call. We cannot stand by while a new generation of children is put at risk.” 
On the occasion, António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN said on Twitter, "Child labour should have no place in today's world. Sadly, it remains a reality for 160 million children. Saturday's #EndChildLabour Day is a reminder that it's up to all of us to protect children from exploitation. "
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Child labour should have no place in today's world.
Sadly, it remains a reality for 160 million children.
Saturday's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EndChildLabour?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EndChildLabour</a> Day is a reminder that it's up to all of us to protect children from exploitation. <a href="https://t.co/V2AOp4howq">https://t.co/V2AOp4howq</a><a href="https://t.co/NbjxwnPaIm">pic.twitter.com/NbjxwnPaIm</a>
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) <a href="https://twitter.com/antonioguterres/status/1403586108349423616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Closer home, Union Minister Smriti Irani wrote, "Every child has a right to education and a happy childhood. On World Day Against Child Labour, let us reaffirm our commitment towards combatting child labour. It is with people's participation that we can ensure our children get a childhood they deserve."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Every child has a right to education and a happy childhood. On World Day Against Child Labour, let us reaffirm our commitment towards combatting child labour. It is with people's participation that we can ensure our children get a childhood they deserve. <a href="https://t.co/KDLTjmqs2B">pic.twitter.com/KDLTjmqs2B</a>
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) <a href="https://twitter.com/smritiirani/status/1403599119696998405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on Twitter, "On #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour, we take a pledge to nurture the dreams of every young child and bring an end to forced labour..."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
On <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldDayAgainstChildLabour?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldDayAgainstChildLabour</a>, we take a pledge to nurture the dreams of every young child and bring an end to forced labour. We have to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of every child of this nation. <a href="https://t.co/rgYrisv2WG">pic.twitter.com/rgYrisv2WG</a>
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) <a href="https://twitter.com/himantabiswa/status/1403542281362182144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, said, "On #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour, our effort should be to end child labour in all its forms. During the corona pandemic, it has become more important to take care of children, especially from deprived sections so that no child is engaged in labour."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
On <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldDayAgainstChildLabour?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldDayAgainstChildLabour</a>, our effort should be to end child labour in all its forms. During the corona pandemic, it has become more important to take care of children especially from deprived sections so that no child is engaged in labour.
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashokgehlot51/status/1403553501679034368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
 Celebrated sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik shared a photo of a special creation to mark the day.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
On <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldDayAgainstChildLabour?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldDayAgainstChildLabour</a>, let us spread awareness to STOP <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChildLabour?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChildLabour</a>. One of My SandArt at Puri beach . <a href="https://t.co/1r3PuXiorb">pic.twitter.com/1r3PuXiorb</a>
— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) <a href="https://twitter.com/sudarsansand/status/1403581551699402752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana also shared his views on the day on his Instagram account. Sharing a photo, he wrote, " The #COVID19 pandemic has affected children's lives in unimaginable ways, exposing the most vulnerable to many risks including child labour. Call 1098 if you see a child in distress. Protect them from violence and abuse and from dropping out of school."
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQAlPm5Js6a/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"></blockquote>
Education, investment in child protection systems and adequate social protection for all, including universal child benefits are considered some of the ways to tackle and eradicate the social evil.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/world-against-child-labour-day-2021-marked-by-the-theme-act-now-end-child-labour-2462357">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/world-against-child-labour-day-2021-marked-by-the-theme-act-now-end-child-labour-2462357</a>

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The theme will be observed throughout the "Week of Action" that began on June 10. (Representational) The COVID-19 pandemic has...

Indian-Origin Journalist Wins Pulitzer Prize For Exposing China's Detention Camps For Muslims

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Megha Rajagopalan's Xinjiang series won the Pulitzer Prize in the International Reporting category
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New York:
Megha Rajagopalan, an Indian-origin journalist, along with two contributors has won the Pulitzer Prize for innovative investigative reports that exposed a vast infrastructure of prisons and mass internment camps secretly built by China for detaining hundreds of thousands of Muslims in its restive Xinjiang region.
Ms Rajagopalan from BuzzFeed News is among two Indian-origin journalists who won the US's top journalism award on Friday.
Tampa Bay Times'' Neil Bedi won for local reporting. Neil Bedi along with Kathleen McGrory has been awarded the prize for the series exposing a Sheriff's Office initiative that used computer modelling to identify people believed to be future crime suspects. About 1,000 people were monitored under the programme, including children.
Neil Bedi is an investigative reporter for the Tampa Bay Times.
"What Kathleen and Neil unearthed in Pasco County has had a profound impact on the community," said Mark Katches, Times executive editor. "This is what the best investigative journalism can do and why it is so essential."
Ms Rajagopalan's Xinjiang series won the Pulitzer Prize in the International Reporting category.
In 2017, not long after China began to detain thousands of Muslims in Xinjiang, Rajagopalan was the first to visit an internment camp - at a time when China denied that such places existed, BuzzFeed News said.
"In response, the government tried to silence her, revoking her visa and ejecting her from the country," BuzzFeed News wrote in its entry for the prize.
"It would go on to cut off access to the entire region for most Westerners and stymie journalists. The release of basic facts about detainees slowed to a trickle."
Working from London, and refusing to be silenced, Ms Rajagopalan partnered with two contributors, Alison Killing, a licensed architect who specialises in forensic analysis of architecture and satellite images of buildings, and Christo Buschek, a programmer who builds tools tailored for data journalists.
"The blazing Xinjiang stories shine desperately needed light on one of the worst human rights abuses of our time," said Mark Schoofs, editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed News.
Minutes after she won, Ms Rajagopalan told BuzzFeed News she wasn't even watching the ceremony live because she wasn't expecting to win. She only found out when Mr Schoofs called to congratulate her on the victory.
"I'm in complete shock, I did not expect this," Ms Rajagopalan said over the phone from London.
She said she was deeply grateful to the teams of people who worked with her on this including her collaborators, Killing and Buschek, her editor Alex Campbell, BuzzFeed News'' public relations team, and the organisations that funded their work, including the Pulitzer Center.
Ms Rajagopalan also acknowledged the courage of the sources who spoke to them despite the risk and threat of retaliation against them and their families.
"I'm so grateful they stood up and were willing to talk to us," she said. "It takes so much unbelievable courage to do that."
The three of them set out to analyse thousands of satellite images of the Xinjiang region, an area bigger than Alaska, to try to answer a simple question: Where were Chinese officials detaining as many as 1 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities?
For months, the trio compared censored Chinese images with uncensored mapping software. They began with an enormous dataset of 50,000 locations.
Buschek built a custom tool to sort through those images. Then, "the team had to go through thousands of images one by one, verifying many of the sites against other available evidence," BuzzFeed News wrote in its prize entry.
They ultimately identified more than 260 structures that appeared to be fortified detention camps. Some of the sites were capable of holding more than 10,000 people and many contained factories where prisoners were forced into labour.
The groundbreaking technological reporting was also accompanied by extensive old-fashioned "shoe leather" journalism.
Barred from China, Ms Rajagopalan instead travelled to its neighbour Kazakhstan, where many Chinese Muslims have sought refuge.
There, Ms Rajagopalan located more than two dozen people who had been prisoners in the Xinjiang camps, winning their trust and convincing them to share their nightmarish accounts with the world.
Pulitzer prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories. In twenty of the categories, each winner receives a certificate and a USD 15,000 cash award. The winner in the public service category is awarded a gold medal. 
 
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
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Megha Rajagopalan's Xinjiang series won the Pulitzer Prize in the International Reporting category New York: Megha Rajagopalan, an ...

"Real Enemies" Want Hong Kong To Be Pawn In Geopolitics", Says China

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Hong Kong residents have accused China of making attempts to curtail its freedoms.
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The main representative of the Chinese government in Hong Kong said on Saturday people trying to turn the city into a "pawn in geopolitics" were the "real enemies" and Beijing was the true defender of the city's special status.
Luo Huining, director of China's Hong Kong Liaison Office, told a forum that the financial hub, a former British colony handed over to China in 1997, remained one of the world's most competitive economies, the South China Morning Post reported.
"Those trying to turn Hong Kong into a pawn in geopolitics, a tool in curbing China, as well as a bridgehead for infiltrating the mainland, are destroying the foundation of one country, two systems," Luo said, referring to the formula agreed when Britain handed the city back aimed at preserving its freedoms and role as a financial hub.
"They are the real enemies of Hong Kong's prosperity and stability," he said, without identifying any people or groups.
Luo said the ruling Communist Party was "the creator, leader, implementer and defender of one country, two systems".
Despite such assurances, many Hong Kong residents have over recent years become worried about what they see as attempts by Beijing to curtail its freedoms.
China denies that.
The Liaison Office did not answer calls outside normal business hours to confirm the contents of the speech and it did not immediately respond to faxed questions.
Unease among many Hong Kong residents grew in 2014 when pro-democracy protesters took to the streets to demand universal suffrage. Demonstrations snowballed again in 2019, sparked by opposition to judicial reform that many people saw as a threat to their way of life.
Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the city last June stifling the pro-democracy movement and raising new concerns about the city's prospects.
The law's supporters say it has restored order and improved prospects for the city's economy, which Luo said was among the world's most competitive despite fears it would deteriorate under Chinese rule.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/real-enemies-want-hong-kong-to-be-pawn-in-geopolitics-says-china-2462247">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/real-enemies-want-hong-kong-to-be-pawn-in-geopolitics-says-china-2462247</a>