Mecca

Portrait for @ericof
by @ericof
2020-06-23T12:00:01+00:00
Lifestyle • Religion
Covid-19: Saudi Arabia has banned international pilgrims for Hajj this year
The Kaaba in Mecca’s Grand Mosque
The Kaaba in Mecca’s Grand Mosque Credit: Tahir mq (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0)

Saudi Arabia authorities announced on Monday strong restrictions to the Islamic pilgrimage, or Hajj this year. Only citizens who are already resident in the country will be allowed to journey to Mecca.

The Saudi ministry of hajj said the decision was aimed at preserving global public health because of the risks associated with large gatherings.

Portrait for @ericof
by @ericof
2020-06-08T17:00:01+00:00
Law
Spanish Supreme Court prosecutors to investigate Juan Carlos over kickback scheme
King Emeritus Juan Carlos I
King Emeritus Juan Carlos I Credit: א (Aleph) (Creative Commons Attribution 2.5)

Spanish Supreme Court prosecutor has opened an investigation into King Emeritus Juan Carlos in connection with a high-speed train contract between Medina and Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

In a statement released today, the public prosecutor said: "This investigation focuses, precisely, on establishing or discarding the criminal relevance of deeds that happened after June 2014, when the King Emeritus was no longer protected by inviolability,".