愛污传媒

World

    • Muslim pilgrims flock to Mecca for first post-pandemic hajj

    A Muslim pilgrim walks in front of a welcoming banner upon his arrival at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, July 1, 2022. The pilgrimage to Mecca is required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make it. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) A Muslim pilgrim walks in front of a welcoming banner upon his arrival at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, July 1, 2022. The pilgrimage to Mecca is required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make it. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
    Share

    Thousands of pilgrims started arriving in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Friday, among some one million Muslims expected to attend the 2022 hajj pilgrimage season after two years of major disruption caused by the COVID pandemic.

    Wrapped in white robes, with some carrying umbrellas against the burning desert sun, hundreds performed the first ritual of the hajj, which involves walking in a circle around the Kaaba, the sacred building at the center of Mecca's Grand Mosque.

    "Praise be God... It's impossible to describe my feelings right now," said Ahmed Sayed Mahmoud, an Egyptian pilgrim. "Being in the Grand Mosque and in the land of the two holy mosques makes me very happy."

    Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, allowed back foreign travelers this year to perform the hajj. Only a few thousand Saudi citizens and residents attended the annual pilgrimage in the last two years as COVID-19 wreaked havoc across the global economy and curtailed travel.

    However authorities have said only one million people can join the 2022 season, less than half of pre-pandemic levels, and access is restricted to pilgrims aged 18 to 65 who have been fully vaccinated or immunized against the virus and do not suffer from chronic diseases.

    SECURITY

    Security officers mixed with pilgrims inside the mosque. A web of surveillance cameras oversaw its surroundings and checkpoints controlled access to the city to help ensure an incident-free hajj, which has been marred in the past by deadly stampedes, fires and riots.

    Over the years, the kingdom has spent billions of dollars on making one of the world's biggest religious gatherings more secure. hajj, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it, is a major source of income for the government from worshippers鈥 lodging, transport, fees and gifts.

    In 2019, the last year before the pandemic struck, some 2.6 million people performed the hajj, while around 19 million took part in the umrah, another form of pilgrimage to Mecca which - unlike the hajj - can be carried out at any time of the year.

    An economic reform plan of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aims to increase umrah and hajj capacity to 30 million pilgrims annually and to generate 50 billion riyals (US$13.32 billion) of revenues by 2030.

    (Writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Gareth Jones)

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

    Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

    The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.

    Canada

    • The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.

    • Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

    • The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB) has uploaded dozens of dashboard camera videos from the 1970s to their YouTube channel.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    • The final count of ballots in the 2024 B.C. election begins Saturday, with more than 66,000 mail-in and absentee votes potentially yet to be counted across the province's 93 electoral districts.

    • There were tense moments at a ferry terminal outside Victoria, B.C., on Friday after the lion鈥檚 share of standby spots on an early sailing were claimed by 鈥渁ssured loading鈥 passengers 鈥 leaving regular customers who had been waiting for hours out of luck.

    • Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

    • Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

    • A man has been hospitalized after being shot in Mississauga.

    • Mr. Steam got its online business listing back.

    • Argentine star Lionel Messi was on the bench to start Inter Miami CF's game in Toronto on Saturday.

    • The Blue Line will be closed between McKnight-Westwinds and Whitehorn stations starting at 6 a.m. Saturday.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say a 16-year-old person has been charged with second degree murder after a 15-year-old was found dead at a home in Perth, Ont. Friday afternoon.

    • A former CTV Ottawa broadcaster is headlining an art gallery with landscape paintings this weekend.

    • Ottawa Fire Services says a driver has been safely extricated from a vehicle that landed in a ditch following a three-vehicle collision in the city's south Friday afternoon.

    • Montreal police (SPVM) are investigating an alleged case of voyeurism on the metro involving an 18-year-old woman, with video footage of the incident now circulating on social media

    • In the wake of the Bedford school controversy, opposition parties called on the government to defund private religious schools, a proposal that Quebec鈥檚 main private school association says would end up costing the government and parents more.

    • Quebec's social services minister says he's outraged by reports that educators at a detention centre for youth in Montreal had sexual relations with minor detainees 鈥 and that one of the employees allegedly had a baby with a teenage resident.

    • Stuart Skinner made 27 saves for his fifth career shutout and Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm each had a goal and an assist as the Edmonton Oilers snapped a two-game losing skid with a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

    • Argentine star Lionel Messi was on the bench to start Inter Miami CF's game in Toronto on Saturday.

    • A former Alberta teacher has been sentenced to four years for sexually abusing a student.

    • The GoFundMe page for the family of an employee found dead at a Halifax Walmart last weekend has paused donations after almost $200,000 was raised in roughly 24 hours.

    • Halifax police have arrested a fourth person in a homicide case involving a 16-year-old boy who went missing two years ago.

    • For the first time in 20 years, Skate Canada International competition is back in Halifax.

    • The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.

    • Winnipeg police are looking for a suspect after a woman's dorm room was broken into at the U of M and she was assaulted.

    • Repairs to the historic 110-year-old rail bridge at The Forks could come with a multi-million dollar price tag.

    • Saturday will mark the end of the CFL regular season, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will have their eyes on Winnipeg鈥檚 matchup versus Montreal to know if they have a chance of clinching the West Division.

    • With mere days until votes are counted up 鈥 the provincial party leaders have entered the final phase of campaigning and are looking to appeal to undecided voters for support.

    • With an attempt to address the shortage of housing available in the community, the City of Yorkton has started a housing incentive program where new builders will receive a 50 per cent rebate on residential lots, and a full tax exemption for five years.

    • Fire crews responded to a fire at a Waterloo waste management site Friday evening.

    • Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, the man who stabbed three people in a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo, says he 鈥榓cted dumb鈥.

    • All the evidence has now been called at the trial of Erick Buhr, who has pleaded not guilty to second degree murder in the death of his grandmother, Viola Erb.

    • Saskatoon fire crews responded to a major house fire on the 400 block of 24th Street West on Friday evening.

    • A Saskatchewan woman is worried her child might die before receiving life-saving surgery and tests as he sits on the province's surgical waitlist.

    • The Saskatchewan RCMP is releasing the names of two suspects arrested on Thursday for a violent vehicle theft that triggered a widespread police search.

    • Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

    • The Town of Cochrane plans to roll out its $10-lot program in a month or two.

    • Provincial police say there is an active investigation going on in the Town of Huntsville.

    • Cornelius Woelke and his two boys, who were badly burned in a fire in Springfield, Ont., are continuing their recovery in hospital.

    • In case you missed it, 愛污传媒 London has gathered all of the top local stories from this week into one video for your convenience.

    • Provincial police say there is an active investigation going on in the Town of Huntsville.

    • Several students have been banned from being spectators at school sporting events, and others suspended from school, after verbal and physical exchanges at a high school soccer game.

    • A 15-year veteran officer with the South Simcoe Police Service has been charged with discreditable conduct following an allegation of sexual assault.

    • A U.S. citizen was arrested by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Gorder Howe International Bridge on Oct. 18 for an active warrant for possession of synthetic drugs.

    • The Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) has announced they鈥檝e completed the installation of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) at all Board-owned and operated sites. This includes every elementary and secondary school.

    • In case you missed it, 愛污传媒 Windsor has compiled all of the top local stories from this week into one video.

    • The final count of ballots in the 2024 B.C. election begins Saturday, with more than 66,000 mail-in and absentee votes potentially yet to be counted across the province's 93 electoral districts.

    • There were tense moments at a ferry terminal outside Victoria, B.C., on Friday after the lion鈥檚 share of standby spots on an early sailing were claimed by 鈥渁ssured loading鈥 passengers 鈥 leaving regular customers who had been waiting for hours out of luck.

    • Hulitan Early Years Centre is a brand new, 48-seat childhood learning centre in Colwood. It was built to support Indigenous children throughout the capital region.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • The Hurricanes will be happy to be back home in Lethbridge Saturday night after losing their third in a row on the road Friday night, a 4-1 decision to the Broncos in Swift Current.

    • About 15,000 students are enrolled at Lethbridge鈥檚 post-secondary schools, and now the city is working with those schools to try to find ways to get them s to stick around a while.

    • With Halloween less than a week away, organizations in Lethbridge are preparing to get in on the trick-or-treating fun.

    • The union that represents hospital workers across the province is used a symbol from Greek mythology Friday in Espanola to drive home its campaign about the perils of privatization in health care.

    • CTV's Coats for Kids is nearing the end of its donation window, with the need as strong as it鈥檚 ever been.

    • The Anishinabek Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the circumstances around a death in Fort William First Nation.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒