More than a million pilgrims poured into the holy city of Makkah ahead of the annual Haj, with authorities vowing to hold a safer pilgrimage amid searing desert heat and a massive crackdown on illegal visitors. Officials have beefed up heat mitigation measures, hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s Haj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius. Temperatures were forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius this week as one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings starts on Wednesday. The Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means to do so. As of Friday, more than 1.3 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the multi-day pilgrimage, according to officials. This year, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024. Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), th...
As millions of Muslim pilgrims gather in Saudi Arabia to perform Haj every year, thousands of volunteers help the pilgrims navigate their journey with ease and comfort. According to the Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah, over 7,000 volunteers work across Makkah and other holy places to facilitate the pilgrims. They are the “unseen anchors” whose efforts, often behind the scenes, ensure that the pilgrims do not face hardships. “You may not know their names. You may not remember their faces. But if you have ever performed Haj, you have felt their kindness — a bottle of cold water pressed into your hand, a voice gently guiding you when you felt lost,” the ministry said. Haj, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, is performed each year by millions of Muslims worldwide. Pakistan receives one of the highest Haj quotas from Saudi Arabia. The statement said that the volunteers sacrifice their own Eid celebrations, sleep and comfort so that they can help out the pilgrims in many ways, narrating the stories of multipl...
Screenshots of news stories doctored to look like articles on DAWN.com have been circulating on social media since at least March, with certain images posted in the form of sponsored ads on social media platforms leading to dubious links. DAWN has taken up the matter of the impersonated images with the relevant authorities. All news stories by DAWN will appear on its website or can be checked on its official social media accounts: Instagram: @dawn.today Facebook: Dawn.com X: @dawn_com Doctored images The earliest known such image spotted this year was of former caretaker foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani with the following headline in upper case: “THE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST JALIL ABBAS JILANI HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED!” Immediately, the image presents stark differences when compared with articles on DAWN.com. The doctored image’s headline is centred, whereas DAWN’s headlines are left-aligned Viewed on a desktop, the headline is followed by the author byline, dateline and social media plugins before the picture, wher...