Name: Downsized hajj begins amid Covid pandemic
Uploaded: 2020-07-30T07:44:14.fff+05:30
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Clad in white robes and wearing mask, Muslim pilgrims began the hajj on Wednesday. Devotees began circling the Islam's holiest site along socially distanced paths in th

Downsized hajj begins amid Covid pandemic

Clad in white robes and wearing mask, Muslim pilgrims began the hajj on Wednesday. Devotees began circling the Islam's holiest site along socially distanced paths in the smallest pilgrimage in modern history amid the coronavirus outbreak. The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings. But only up to 10,000 people already residing in Saudi Arabia will participate in this year's ritual, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

Clad in white robes and wearing mask, Muslim pilgrims began the hajj on Wednesday. Devotees began circling the Islam's holiest site along socially distanced paths in the smallest pilgrimage in modern history amid the coronavirus outbreak. The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings. But only up to 10,000 people already residing in Saudi Arabia will participate in this year's ritual, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

The number of people who have died worldwide in the Covid-19 pandemic has surpassed three million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The milestone figure was reach

The number of people who have died worldwide in the Covid-19 pandemic has surpassed three million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The milestone figure was reached the day after the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned the world was "approaching the highest rate of infection" so far. WHO chief warned on Friday that &lsquo;cases and deaths are continuing to increase at worrying rates&rsquo;, adding that the number of new cases per week has nearly doubled over the past two months. Last week an average of 12,000 deaths a day were reported around the world, according to news agency AFP. &nbsp;The US, India and Brazil, the countries with the most recorded infections have accounted for more than a million deaths between them, according to Johns Hopkins University.
&nbsp;

Queen Elizabeth II will bid a final farewell to her late husband, Prince Philip. on Saturday afternoon at a funeral restricted by coronavirus rules. The Queen will lea

Queen Elizabeth II will bid a final farewell to her late husband, Prince Philip. on Saturday afternoon at a funeral restricted by coronavirus rules.
The Queen will lead just 30 mourners, as they pay their respects to the man she once called her "strength and stay".
Also present will be his grandsons, Prince William and his younger brother, Harry, who jetted back last weekend from the United States, where he now lives with wife Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Edinburgh -- described by royals as "the grandfather of the nation" -- died on April 9, aged 99. His coffin will be borne to Windsor's historic St George's Chapel on a bespoke Land Rover hearse which he designed himself.

China has operationalised its new biosecurity law to fortify the legal cover for the establishment and safe operation of more bio labs in the country. The move comes am

China has operationalised its new biosecurity law to fortify the legal cover for the establishment and safe operation of more bio labs in the country. The move comes amidst questions whether the Covid-19 originated from such a laboratory in Wuhan.
The coronavirus emerged in China's central Wuhan city in December 2019.
Beijing has said that under the new Biosecurity Law, China will continue to build and approve more labs specialising in advanced pathogenic microbiology.
The US has alleged that the Covid-19 may have emanated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology lab, but China has strongly denied the charge.
A team of WHO experts, which probed the origin of the coronavirus, concluded last month that "all hypotheses" included the allegation that Covid-19 could have emanated from a bio lab "remained open".
&nbsp;

Raul Castro said Friday he is resigning as head of Cuba's Communist Party, ending an era of formal leadership by he and his brother Fidel Castro that began with the 195

Raul Castro said Friday he is resigning as head of Cuba's Communist Party, ending an era of formal leadership by he and his brother Fidel Castro that began with the 1959 revolution.
The 89-year-old Castro didn't say who he would endorse as his successor as first secretary of the Communist Party. His retirement means that for the first time in more than six decades Cubans won't have a Castro formally running the country.&nbsp;
conic leader Fidel Castro ruled Cuba since 1959 when he and his band of comrades led the revolution that drove dictator Fulgencio Batista from power.
Fidel handed over power to his younger brother Raul Castro in 2008 after falling ill. Raul succeeded him as head of the party in 2011. Fidel Castro died in 2016.

At least eight people, including four Sikhs, were killed and five others were left injured in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in the US state of Indiana, according

At least eight people, including four Sikhs, were killed and five others were left injured in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in the US state of Indiana, according to community leaders.
The gunman, identified as 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole of Indiana, died by suicide after the shooting on early Friday morning, taking the toll to nine.
About 90 per cent of the workers at this delivery service facility are said to be Indian-Americans, mostly from the local Sikh community.
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris expressed condolences over the tragic killings.
&nbsp;

A new study published in the medical journal Lancet has found "consistent, strong evidence" that the novel coronavirus is predominantly transmitted through the air

A new study published in the medical journal Lancet has found "consistent, strong evidence" that the novel coronavirus&nbsp;is predominantly transmitted through the air. A team of 6 experts from UK, USA and Canada found that 'evidence supporting airborne transmission is overwhelming, and evidence supporting large droplet transmission is almost non-existent'. They urged the WHO and other public health agencies to change their description of Covid&nbsp;transmission 'so that the focus of mitigation is put on reducing airborne transmission'.
They said while hand washing is an important measure, it should be given less emphasis than measures such as wearing mask at all times, even when indoors, air ventilation, reducing crowding as they are more effect for curbing air borne transmission.&nbsp;

PNB scam case: The UK government has cleared fugitive billionaire Nirav Modi’s extradition to India.

The UK government has cleared fugitive billionaire <a href="https://www.editorji.com/story/nirav-modi-extradition-a-timeline-of-his-arrest-in-2-billion-pnb-fraud-case-1614270800011" target="_blank">Nirav Modi&rsquo;s extradition</a> to India. The approval comes ahead of UK PM Boris Johnsson&rsquo;s visit to India.
In February, a UK court had cleared the first legal hurdle for his&nbsp;extradition&nbsp;and sent the case to the Home Secretary.
Nirav Modi however still has the option of legally challenging his extradition to India. The jeweller is wanted by Indian courts for fraud and money laundering in the ₹ 14,000-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan scam.
Also Read | <a href="https://www.editorji.com/story/arthur-road-jail-keeps-special-cell-ready-to-lodge-nirav-modi-1614325525895" target="_blank">Arthur Road jail keeps special cell ready to lodge Nirav Modi</a>

Pakistan blocked access to all social media on Friday, after days of anti-French protests across the country by Islamist gruops opposed to Prophet's cartoons. Govt off

Pakistan blocked access to all social media on Friday, after days of anti-French protests across the country by Islamist gruops opposed to Prophet's cartoons.
Govt officials said that Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites have been temporarily blocked on orders from the country&rsquo;s interior ministry.
On Thursday, the French embassy in Pakistan advised all of its nationals and companies to temporarily leave the country due to anti-France protests.

Hong Kong billionaire and media mogul Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to a year in prison over his role in huge anti-Beijing protests. The 73-year-old founder of Appl

Hong Kong billionaire&nbsp;and media mogul Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to a year in prison over his role in huge anti-Beijing protests. The 73-year-old founder of Apple Daily is a fierce critic of Beijing. Lai's media house supported the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in the wake of the new pro-China security law. Lai and several other activists were pronounced guilty of charges relating to organisation of large pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.
The verdict comes as the mainland is increasingly cracking down on Hong Kong's rights and freedoms.

A Canadian MP was left red-faced after appearing stark naked on a House of Commons Zoom conference call. 'William Amos, an MP from PM Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party, wa

A Canadian MP was left red-faced after appearing stark naked on a House of Commons Zoom conference call. ' William Amos, an MP from PM Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party, was caught covering his nether regions with a mobile phone when his laptop camera turned on during the virtual session.
"I made a really unfortunate mistake today &amp; obviously I'm embarrassed by it," the 46-year-old tweeted late Wednesday after the incident.
He explained that his laptop camera was accidentally left on as he changed into work clothes after the morning jog. "It was an honest mistake and it won't happen again," he added.

Multiple people were shot in the city of Indianapolis late Thursday, according to US media. It is unclear exactly how many people were shot and the severity of their in

Eight people were shot and killed in a late-night shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. The shooter has killed himself, police said.
Multiple other people were injured Thursday night when gunfire erupted at the facility near the Indianapolis International Airport, police said.
At least four were hospitalized, including one person with critical injures. Another two people were treated and released at the scene, officials said.
The shooter wasn't immediately identified, and police said investigators were still in the process of gathering information.

China’s Q1 GDP jumped a record 18.3% in the Jan-April quarter vs 6.2% in the previous quarter. The rise is the highest since 1992 at least as per

China&rsquo;s Q1 GDP&nbsp;&nbsp;jumped a record 18.3% in the Jan-April&nbsp;quarter vs 6.2% in the previous quarter. The rise is the highest since 1992 at least as per official data. The reading however was still a notch below the 19% markets were expecting.
The figures are inflated due to a very low base last year due the pandemic lockdown.In other economic data Industrial output rose 14.1% in March missing projection of 18%, while retail sales expanded 34.2% in March, beating expectations of a 28% gain
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Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people will “likely” need a booster dose of a Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated. C

Pfizer&nbsp;CEO Albert Bourla said people will &ldquo;likely&rdquo; need a booster dose of a&nbsp;Covid-19&nbsp;vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated.
CNBC reported Pfizer Chief&rsquo;s comments stating "&ldquo;A likely scenario is that there will be &nbsp;a need for a third dose, somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there, there will be an annual revaccination, but all of that needs to be confirmed.&nbsp;And again, the variants will play a key role,&rdquo;
Initial data has shown that vaccines from Moderna&nbsp;and Pfizer&nbsp;retain most of their effectiveness for at least six months.&nbsp;Researchers still don&rsquo;t know how long protection against the virus lasts once someone has been fully vaccinated.

China should lift all birth restrictions to tackle the problems of an ageing population and plan ahead to compete economically with a demographically young India and an

China should lift all birth restrictions to tackle the problems of an ageing population and plan ahead to compete economically with a demographically young India and an immigration-friendly US, a report by the central bank has said, Hindustan Times has reported.
China&rsquo;s birth rate has been falling for years. That&rsquo;s why the government eased the one-child policy, which was in place since the late 1970s, in 2016, allowing couples to have two children.
Primarily focused on how China should tackle the problem of its ageing population, the People&rsquo;s Bank of China report has compared the situation to India and the US, making the radical suggestion that the government allow three or more children per household.
&nbsp;

Pakistan has played on both sides of the field in Afghanistan, contributing to the Taliban's success, a senior US senator has reminded his colleagues. The stark indictm

Pakistan has played on both sides of the field in Afghanistan, contributing to the Taliban's success, a senior US senator has reminded his colleagues. The stark indictment of Islamabad came a day after Washington announced plans to withdraw all troops from the war-torn Afghanistan by September 11.
Chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed, on Thursday, said "a crucial factor contributing immensely to the Taliban's success" has been the inability of the US to "eliminate the sanctuary the Taliban was granted in Pakistan."

France on Thursday became the third country in Europe after the UK and Italy to reach the grim milestone of 100,000 Covid-19-related deaths as new infections and deaths

France on Thursday became the third country in Europe after the UK and Italy to reach the grim milestone of 100,000 Covid-19-related deaths as new infections and deaths surged due to virus variants.
The country of 67 million is the eighth nation in the world to reach the mark after a year of overwhelmed hospitals and on-and-off coronavirus lockdowns.
In a message solidarity to the French people, President Emmanuel Macron said that France will not forget those taken away by the virus.
France added 300 new deaths Thursday to the previous day's tally of 99,777, bringing the total to 100,077 deaths.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Thursday issued his final letter to shareholders before turning the helm over to AWS CEO Andy Jassy. Bezos in his later stated "It’s

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Thursday issued his final letter to shareholders before turning the helm over to AWS CEO Andy Jassy. Bezos&nbsp;in his letter&nbsp;stated "It&rsquo;s clear to me that we need a better&nbsp;vision&nbsp;for how we create value for employees.&rdquo; The statement on employee value comes at the back of&nbsp;of the Amazon union drive, which bought to light gruelling workplace conditions in the e-commerce giant's warehouses.&nbsp;

Wall Street had a terrific Thursday with Dow closing above the 34,000 mark and S&P 500 soaring to a record high as falling yields boosted bets on tech stocks.

Wall Street had a terrific Thursday with Dow closing above the 34,000 mark and S&amp;P 500 soaring to a record high as falling yields boosted bets on tech stocks.&nbsp;
Tech backed Nasdaq Composite closed&nbsp;above 14,000 for the first time since Feb. 16 as&nbsp;benchmark 10-year Treasury yield slipped below 1.6% for the first time since March 25.
Economic data continues to be supportive with&nbsp;U.S. jobless claims dropping to the lowest level since March 2020 and retail sales jumping 9.8%&nbsp;in March beating estimates.&nbsp;
The S&amp;P 500 has gained 1% this week, on pace for its fourth straight positive week.&nbsp;

The White House has announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats amid the announcing tough new sanctions on Russia.The move comes in response to Russia's interferenc

The White House has announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats amid the announcing tough new sanctions on Russia. The move comes in response to Russia's interference in last year's US Presidential elections, and cyber-security attacks on federal agencies in Washington.
These sanctions are being seen as retaliatory attacks on the Kremlin for last year's hack and according to the US govt, intend to send a clear retributive message to Russia to deter from any such attacks in the future.
In a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Biden said the US would "act firmly" in defence of its national interests. Biden also proposed a meeting with Putin "in a third country" that could allow the leaders to find areas to work together.

Cryptocraze back in headlines as Bitcoin climbed to an all-time high topping $64,000 as the largest cryptocurrency exchange debuted on Nasdaq with a $100

Cryptocraze&nbsp;back in headlines as&nbsp;Bitcoin climbed to an all-time high topping $64,000 as the largest cryptocurrency exchange debuted on Nasdaq&nbsp;with a $100 billion valuation.&nbsp; Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange in the United States, began trading at $381 per share, giving it a market cap of roughly $100 billion, but failed to sustain the gains.&nbsp; Bitcoin&nbsp;may have marked its comeback but watchers had their eye on Dodgecoin.&nbsp;&nbsp;The meme-cryptocurrency Elon Musk wouldn&rsquo;t stop tweeting about has reached an all-time high. Dodgecoin&nbsp;is now worth 10 cents.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Clad in white robes and wearing mask, Muslim pilgrims began the hajj on Wednesday. Only 10,000 pilgrims from within Saudi allowed this time amid Covid&nbsp;pandemic

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