Month: July 2020

To prevent contagion of coronavirus the Saudi government this year decided to begin the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca with mask-clad Saudi residents only. Every year more than 2 million Muslims from every part of the world perform Hajj. However, due to the pandemic, the Saudi government cut short the annual participation of people to 10,000 Saudi residents for a five-day pilgrimage. “There are no security related concerns in this pilgrimage, but downsizing is to protect pilgrims from danger of pandemic”, said Saudi Arabia’s director of public security Khalid bin Qarar Al-Harbi. A worshiper has to undergo a coronavirus test before arriving at Mecca and quarantine themselves after they complete Hajj. There will be frequent temperature checks and a short quarantine...

United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) on Wednesday reported that approximately half of all the cases of violence faced by African migrants crossing to the Mediterranean coast are committed by law enforcers. “In 47% of the cases, the victims reported the perpetrators of violence are law enforcement authorities, whereas, in the past, we believe that it was mainly smugglers and traffickers,” UNHCR special envoy for the central Mediterranean, Vincent Cochetel, said during a news conference in Geneva. According to the UNHCR report, 1,750 people had died trying to get to the sea in 2018 and 2019, but Cochetel stated that the real figures were expected to be higher. “That is just the visible tip of the iceberg. There are many families looking for their loved ones along the routes, and th...