International Features

King Salman issues royal order to host 1,000 Palestinians to perform Hajj this year

RIYADH: Saudi King Salman has ordered on Monday the hosting of 1,000 Palestinian pilgrims to perform Hajj this year, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The statement said the King has ordered the “hosting of 1,000 male and female pilgrims from the families of killed or wounded Palestinians” amid the conflict with Israel.    The gesture is part of the Custodian of the Two …

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McDonald’s burgers linked to E. coli outbreak in the US

BBC – A McDonald’s sandwich has been making people sick in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). E. coli, a type of bacteria that can cause serious stomach problems, has been found in McDonald’s Quarter Pounder sandwiches, the CDC announced on Tuesday. So far, the CDC has recorded 49 cases of illness across 10 …

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Flooding kills more than 20 people in Morocco and Algeria

Women walk past floods caused by heavy rainfall in Tagounite, Zagora, southern Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP) Meteorologists had predicted that a rare deluge could strike North Africa’s Sahara Desert, where many areas receive less than an inch of rain a year RABAT, Morocco: Torrential downpours hit North Africa’s normally arid mountains and deserts over the weekend, causing flooding …

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Saudia plans air taxis for Hajj pilgrims

Although plans are initially underway for transporting pilgrims, Saudia has plans to use the aircraft for a number of destinations in the kingdom. Saudia plans to purchase 100 eVTOL aircraft for the air taxi service [Getty] Pilgrims visiting Mecca will soon be able to travel from Jeddah to the Muslim holy city by air taxi, Saudia, formally Saudi Arabian Airlines, has revealed. The Saudi …

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Denmark’s parliament adopts law banning Quran burnings

Those who break the law – which forbids publicly burning, tearing or defiling holy texts – risk a fine or up to two years in prison. Activists take part in a demonstration in Karachi on July 9, 2023, as they protest against the burning of the Quran outside a Stockholm mosque that outraged Muslims around the world [File: Rizwan Tabassum/AFP] …

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Mutanabbi Street slowly re-emerges, 20 years on from Iraq war By Abdulrahman Zeyad and Alannah Travers

The booksellers of Baghdad’s Mutanabbi Street have faced invasion and bombings, two decades on from the war in Iraq. A statue of Abu al-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi stands on the banks of the Tigris, gesturing towards the water to people walking down the street named after him [Abdulrahman Zeyad/Al Jazeera] Baghdad, Iraq – Haj Mohammed al-Khashali has outlived four sons and one grandson, …

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