Hajj

Extreme heat kills hundreds, millions more sweltering worldwide as summer begins

Deadly heatwaves are scorching cities on four continents as the Northern Hemisphere marks the first day of summer, a sign that climate change may again help to fuel record-breaking heat that could surpass last summer as the warmest in 2,000 years.

Record temperatures in recent days are suspected to have caused hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths across Asia and Europe.

Death toll tops 1,000 after Hajj marked by extreme heat

The death toll from this year's hajj has exceeded 1,000, an AFP tally said on Thursday, more than half of them unregistered worshippers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia.

The new deaths reported Thursday included 58 from Egypt, according to an Arab diplomat who provided a breakdown showing that of 658 total dead from that country, 630 were unregistered.

Diplomats say at least 550 pilgrims died during hajj

Diplomats has said at least 550 pilgrims died during the hajj, underscoring the grueling nature of the pilgrimage which again unfolded in scorching temperatures this year.

At least 323 of those who died were Egyptians, most of them succumbing to heat-related illnesses, two Arab diplomats coordinating their countries' responses told AFP.

Hajj pilgrims 'stone the devil' as Muslims mark Eid al-Adha

Muslim pilgrims arrive to perform the symbolic 'stoning of the devil' ritual as part of the hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca, on June 16, 2024

Pilgrims on Sunday performed the last major ritual of the hajj, the "stoning of the devil", in western Saudi Arabia as Muslims around the globe celebrated the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Million-plus begin hajj pilgrimage under shadow of Gaza war

More than a million Muslim pilgrims were in Mecca Friday for the start of a hajj pilgrimage held against the grim backdrop of the Gaza war and in exhausting summer heat.

Crowds of robed worshippers will circle the Kaaba, with many expressing sadness eight months into the Israel-Hamas war.

Saudi clears Mecca of over 300,000 unregistered pilgrims

Saudi Arabia has said that security forces had cleared hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca ahead of the Hajj which begins this week.

Crowd management is a major concern during the annual pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam which drew more than 1.8 million Muslims last year, according to official figures.

As temperatures climb, pilgrims ascend Mount Arafat for hajj climax

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims crowded Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat on Tuesday, the climax of a potentially record-breaking hajj pilgrimage held in fierce summer heat.

As dawn broke, groups of worshippers recited Koran verses on the rocky rise, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his final sermon.

Mufti calls for equality of Muslim community in Slovenia

Ljubljana – Mufti Nevzet Porić said that authorities should eliminate discrimination between religious communities so that “the Islamic community will be treated as an equal community in the Republic of Slovenia” as he addressed Muslim believers during an Eid al-Adha service at Ljubljana’s mosque on Saturday morning.

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