Saudi Arabia's government and private companies are working to serve pilgrims that began arriving in the kingdom from last week.
Self-driving buses and drones will be used at Hajj for the first time this year.
Authorities will use drone technology to examine and evaluate roads in the holy sites throughout Hajj season.
The Transport General Authority (TGA) launched a fleet of self-driving electric buses earlier this week to serve Hajj pilgrims. TGA aims to provide modern technologies for sustainable and environmentally-friendly transport this year, adding to an array of options, including trains and buses.
The self-driving buses use AI, cameras and surrounding sensors to operate without human intervention along selected routes. The buses seat 11 people and have a top speed of 30 kilometres per hour.
TGA aims to ensure smooth and comfortable transport for pilgrims to help them perform their rituals with ease.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched a smart card as part of its digital solutions package this year.
The cards, which contain their holders' ID number, nationality and residential camp address, aim to streamline the process for pilgrims and guide lost individuals.
Pilgrims can access the digital card on the Nusuk application, which holds all their information, including health records. They will also receive physical cards bearing QR codes.
In preparation for the Hajj season, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched two experimental transport simulations to help ensure pilgrims arrive at their destination safely.
Officials launched the Al-Mashaaer Al-Mugaddassah Metro Line for this year's Hajj, which will transport pilgrims between nine stations in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Railway authorities have employed over 7,500 workers for Hajj, who speak different languages including English, Urdu, Turkish, Indonesian and Arabic to help serve international pilgrims.
A return to pre-pandemic numbers was the big announcement as Hajj Expo 2023 was launched at Jeddah Superdome earlier this year.
The event brought together Hajj service providers, including hospitality experts, ministers, consuls general, artists, caterers, researchers, paramedics, innovators and entrepreneurs.
Tawfiq Al Rabiah, Minister of Hajj and Umrah, announced that the number of Hajj pilgrims would return to pre-Covid levels and that there would be no age restrictions.
Priority registration was also set for domestic pilgrims who have never performed Hajj before.
Last year, access was restricted to pilgrims aged 18 to 65 who were fully vaccinated or immunised against the coronavirus and did not suffer from chronic diseases. In 2020, numbers were limited to 1,000 pilgrims from within the kingdom, but last year, one million foreign pilgrims were welcomed.
Easing of regulations
The Saudi government will reduce the cost of medical insurance for pilgrims.
The price of Umrah health insurance will decrease from 235 to 88 riyals (from $62 to $23) and Hajj pilgrims' health insurance fee will go down from 109 to 29 riyals.
This year, Hajj package prices start from 3,984 riyals, a big decrease from 2021, when the first basic package started from 12,000 riyals.
Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Sudais, General President of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, said: “We are now working to facilitate the technical process in the Two Holy Mosques, and we want a train that serves people with special needs.”
The event was attended by Prince Khaled Al Faisal, Governor of Makkah, and other government officials.
The event hosted 200 exhibitions and was open to the public until January 12.
____________________________________
Hajj in numbers: five facts
- Hajj has been performed since the time of the Prophet Ibrahim.
- While Hajj is considered a huge gathering in the Muslim world, more than 400 million people may travel to celebrate Chinese New Year. The Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, the 50-day Hindu festival, can being together 220 million worshippers. During US Thanksgiving, 50 million people travel to spend the holiday with loved ones.
- Saudi Arabia is committed to be able to welcome six million pilgrims by the end of the decade as part of its Vision 2030. In 2019, the kingdom hosted at least 2.5 million pilgrims without incident.
- The Saudi Arabian Hajj tourism market is likely to be worth more than $350 billion by 2032.
Tech-driven pilgrimage
The ministry announced its plans to launch a smart card to enhance pilgrims’ experiences via electronic solutions. The Nusuk foundation will work with the General Authority of Awqaf to implement the smart-card system that will contain users’ personal, residential and health information linked to an electronic app.
The exhibition is also hosting the Hajj Hackathon Challenge, which aims to bring together creatives, tech innovators and business developers to come up with ideas and solutions that will help improve services for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced earlier this year that early registration of pilgrims within the kingdom would be available through the ministry's website and the Nusuk app. “We aim to improve the quality of services and enhance the experience of the pilgrims,” said Husam Adel, a local Umrah service provider.
“We are here to showcase the latest initiatives launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah,” said Mohammad Hanif, an official at the event.
“You can see the latest technology from new apps, AI is used across the holy sites in Makkah, Madinah, Mina and Arafat as well as the golf carts and ambulances in the exhibition.”
Private companies displayed new ideas at the exhibition.
“We have guests from around the world. We just spoke to groups from South-East Asia and Africa to tell them more about our online platforms and how we can make their journey easy and holy sites accessible to them through the new apps and companies in the kingdom,” said Awatif Mohammed, a Saudi marketing officer at the event.
A Saudi start-up is showing off its Tawkeel application that helps Muslims around the world to “delegate rituals” to be performed by others on their behalf.
“We offer Umrah Al Badal [by proxy] for people who have disabilities or can't travel due to financial reasons, or for someone close to them who has passed away,” a spokeswoman said.
The app enables users to track the person who is performing the rituals through the app. “They can ask them to recite certain prayers or track them on the app,” the spokeswoman said.
Each year the ministry takes into account every pilgrim's experience to measure the performance of Hajj service providers.
“We are trying to measure the level of guest satisfaction, as the pilgrims are the guests of God,” said Jumana Al Sabban, a customer service representative at the ministry.
“We find the companies that excel to give them an award. It could be special services, those who provide knowledge for Hajj and so on,” she said.
Tuwaiq Ambulance showed a vehicle that can carry up to 10 patients in the event of an emergency. Paramedics on board said oxygen, medicines and access to emergency devices were available on board the special unit in preparation for Hajj.
“Part of our focus is on transport infrastructure and to get roads ready, as we are working on completing ring-road projects,” said Saleh Al Rasheed, chief executive of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites.
“More than 25 kilometres of the total ring roads have been completed, and we will soon finish linking the First Ring Road with the Masar project and the Makkah reconstruction and development project.”
Hajj season is due to begin on June 26.
Governor of Digital Government Authority (DGA) Ahmed Al Suwaiyan said most government-related transactions have been digitised.
Mr Al Suwaiyan said that the DGA's priority is to merge 36 platforms in the Hajj sector through its Nusuk platform, which provides 121 services and integrates more than 50 government entities and 10,000 participants from the private sectors, among thousands of service providers.
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Kandahar%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ric%20Roman%20Waugh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EGerard%20Butler%2C%20Navid%20Negahban%2C%20Ali%20Fazal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%20and%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20power%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20700hp%20at%207%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20torque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20720Nm%20at%202%2C250rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330kph%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh1.14%20million%20(%24311%2C000)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
'Joker'
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Rating: Five out of five stars
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
Wallabies
Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Company%20profile
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Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 3
Gayle (23'), Perez (59', 63')
Chelsea 0
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs: 2018 Kia Picanto
Price: From Dh39,500
Engine: 1.2L inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Four-speed auto
Power: 86hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 122Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0L / 100km
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
RESULTS
Cagliari 5-2 Fiorentina
Udinese 0-0 SPAL
Sampdoria 0-0 Atalanta
Lazio 4-2 Lecce
Parma 2-0 Roma
Juventus 1-0 AC Milan
RESULTS
West Asia Premiership
Thursday
Jebel Ali Dragons 13-34 Dubai Exiles
Friday
Dubai Knights Eagles 16-27 Dubai Tigers
Poacher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERichie%20Mehta%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nimisha%20Sajayan%2C%20Roshan%20Mathew%2C%20Dibyendu%20Bhattacharya%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Health Valley
Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
PRISCILLA
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Sofia%20Coppola%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Cailee%20Spaeny%2C%20Jacob%20Elordi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
