Saudi Arabia considers limiting haj pilgrims amid COVID-19 fears

Saudi Arabia could drastically limit numbers at the annual haj pilgrimage to prevent a further outbreak of coronavirus after cases in the country topped 100,000, sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Some 2.5 million pilgrims visit the holiest sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina for the week-long haj, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it. Official data show haj and the lesser, year-round umrah pilgrimage earn the kingdom about $12 billion a year.

Saudi Arabia asked Muslims in March to put haj plans on hold and suspended umrah until further notice.

Two sources familiar with the matter said authorities are now considering allowing "only symbolic numbers" this year, with restrictions including a ban on older pilgrims and additional health checks.

With strict procedures, authorities think it may be possible to allow in up to 20% of each country's regular quota of pilgrims, another source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Some officials are still pushing for a cancellation of the haj, expected to start in late July, the three sources said.

The government media office and a spokesman for the haj and umrah ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Limiting or cancelling haj will further pressure government finances hit by the plunge in oil prices and the pandemic. Analysts predict a severe economic contraction this year.

The kingdom halted international passenger flights in March, and on Friday it reimposed a curfew in Jeddah, where haj flights land, after a spike in infections in the city.

In 2019, around 19 million pilgrims attended umrah while haj drew 2.6 million. An economic reform plan of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aims to increase umrah and haj capacity to 30 million pilgrims annually and generate 50 billion riyals ($13.32 billion) of revenues by 2030.

(This story corrects penultimate paragraph to say curfew was reimposed in Jeddah on Friday, not Sunday, and to say international flights were suspended in March, not on Sunday.)

Source: Reuters

Colin Powell calls Trump a liar, says he skirts the Constitution, will vote Biden

After a week in which President Donald Trump threatened to use military force against protesters, Colin Powell and other retired military leaders blasted the commander-in-chief for taking steps they say will harm the relationship between the military and U.S. citizens.

Powell, who served as Secretary of State under former President George W. Bush and was previously chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CNN's "State of the Union" that Trump is "drifting" away from the Constitution and said he's a habitual liar.

"We have a Constitution. We have to follow that Constitution. And the president's drifted away from it," Powell said, offering praise for military leaders who have spoken out against the president in recent days.

Powell, who did not vote for Trump in 2016, said he would vote for Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, this fall.

Trump responded to Powell on Twitter, calling him "a real stiff who was very responsible for getting us into the disastrous Middle East Wars" and that Powell "just announced he will be voting for another stiff, Sleepy Joe Biden."

Biden welcomed Powell's backing.

"This isn’t about politics," Biden tweeted, Sunday afternoon. "This is about the future of our country. Grateful for your support, Secretary Powell."

Echoing Trump's former Defense Secretary James Mattis, Powell said he agreed that Trump is the first president in his lifetime who is not trying to unite the country. Powell said the protests have shown him the country is at "a turning point."

"The Republican party, the president thought they were immune, they can say anything they wanted," Powell said. "And even more troubling, the Congress would just sit there and not in any way resist what the president is doing."

"The one word I have to use with respect to what he's been doing for the last several years is the word I would never have used before, never would have used with any of the four presidents I worked for, he lies," Powell added. "He lies about things. And he gets away with it because people will not hold him accountable."

source: NBC news

Ooni loses grandmother at 103

The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has lost his grandmother, Madam Comfort Olasoji.

She died in the early hours of Sunday

A statement by Director, Media & Public Affairs, Ooni’s Palace, Comrade Moses Olafare, confirmed that the grandmother gave up the ghost at her residence in Ile-Ife on at the age of 103 years.

The Nation

FG reveals identities of convicted rapists

The Federal Government has revealed the identities of convicted sex offenders in the country.

It published the names and photos of convicted sex offenders through the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

The names and photos of the rapists were published via the agency’s Twitter handle on Sunday.

Of the ten names published, six offenders were convicted in 2019 while four others were convicted in 2020.

A further breakdown of the published names showed that the offenders are from Ekiti, Abuja, Kano and Lagos states.

While two of the offenders were convicted for incest, others were punished for rape.

Among those named is a former supervisor at Chrisland School, Adegboyega Adenekan, 47, who was jailed 60 years for defiling a two-year-old child.

Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro has threatened to pull the country out of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“The U.S. has already withdrawn. Either the WHO works without any ideological prejudices or we are out,” he said.

Bolsanaro speaking to CNN Brasil on Friday night, cited the decision by WHO to resume the testing of hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 patients after weeks of suspension.

“We do not need any people from outside to give us tips about health here.

Daily Post

Biafra: Nnamdi Kanu is drowning, creating confusion – Ralph Uwazuruike

Ralph Uwazuruike, leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has dismissed a claim by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People, IPOB, that he collected oil blocks from the Nigerian government.

Uwazuruike, who is also leader of the Biafra Independent Movement, BIM, said the allegation by Kanu was baseless and malicious which should be dismissed by the general public.

He described Kanu as a drowning man who knew nothing about the struggle for Biafra.

He lamented that the IPOB leader prefers traveling around the world, creating confusion and panic.

He stated that the IPOB leader should be grateful that he got Biafra into the membership of the unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, UNPO, in the Hague, rather than making false claims.

Daily Post

S.Africans reluctant to return to places of worship despite lockdown easing

White plastic chairs are sprayed down with sanitiser and a smartly dressed cleaner says a prayer while dusting before a first service in her church in more than nine weeks.

President Cyril Ramaphosa gave places of worship across South Africa the greenlight to reopen from June 1 provided they could satisfy appropriate COVID-19 self-regulation measures.

But few have done so to date, with many worshippers hesitant to return for fear of catching the coronavirus.

"Our first service was today... we didn't have as many of our congregation members as usual," Pastor Sylvain Malindhva of Peniel ministries told AFP.

"The fear is there... a lot of people are still hesitating to come to the churches."

In Johannesburg's crowded business district, some small evangelical churches have opened up for services under strict government regulations including the wearing of masks and social distancing.

"God gave us also wisdom and intelligence. We can't just say because we are praying we are not going to observe those preventative measures," Malindhva said.

But many religious locals are opting to stay away.

RTL Today