An apartment group

A limited number of pilgrims returned to Islam's holiest site on Sunday after Saudi Arabia partially lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place since March. The Saudi government started allowing a maximum of 6,000 people a day to enter Mecca's Grand Mosque to performumrah — a pilgrimage to Islam's two holiest sites that can be taken at any time of year. "In an atmosphere of faith and with assured hearts... the first batch of pilgrims begin the pilgrimage in accordance with the precautionary measures laid out," the hajj ministry said on Twitter. Read more: Saudi Arabia: Hajj cancellation spells frustration and empty pockets Coronavirus prevention measures Only Saudi citizens and residents will be permitted to enter the mosque during the first phase of reopening. During the second stage from October 18, the number of umrah pilgrims will be increased to 15,000 per day. Muslims from abroad will be permitted in the third stage from November 1, when … [Read more...] about Pilgrims return to Mecca for limited umrah as Saudi eases coronavirus restrictions

SAY it quietly for now, but it looks like good times might just be here again. I’m not only referring to the fact that we can finally go down to the pub again. * Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest updates Though that’s no small thing. There are other signs that suggest life might be about to get back to normal. Or even better. The vaccine rollout in the UK has been an unbelievable success, with Britain leading almost every country in the world in vaccinating the public. The number of deaths caused by Covid-19 is the lowest since last year. And as the economy begins to get going again there are green shoots in our country, small for now, but growing. Figures released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics show that output in our country grew 0.4 per cent in February compared with the month before. Trade is used to adapting Although there was a drop in exports in January when new Brexit border controls came into effect, a month later … [Read more...] about As pubs, shops and salons open – forget business as usual, make it better than usual

THEY are one of Britain’s best-loved groups – and now it has emerged the name Madness sums up the band members’ chaotic lives before they found fame in the early Eighties. Thanks to a string of hits, including Baggy Trousers and One Step Beyond, the Nutty Boys were saved from a life of crime. Frontman Suggs had been arrested for affray in his teens and admitted they could have been jailbirds if they had not become chart-toppers. The singer — real name Graham McPherson ­— originally chose Suggs as a graffiti nickname which he daubed all over North London. Now 60, he reveals in a new ­documentary: “Being in the band was like an extension of being in a gang — apart from the fact it wasn’t just us smashing up phone boxes and kicking traffic cones down the road together. “It was at a crossroads. A lot of those people we knew at that time did get into serious crime. “We were all a little bit involved in that sort of thing and graffiti was the first thing. Music was a … [Read more...] about Madness reveal their wild pasts and how the band saved them from a life of crime

"I was totally relieved and really wanted to get out of my apartment," saber fencer Max Hartung told DW. The 31-year-old was finally able to leave after completing 10 days of quarantine and testing negative for COVID-19. Hartung had been forced into quarantine after four of his teammates tested positive for COVID-19 following the Fencing World Cup in Budapest in March. "I felt a bit like I was locked in a cage," he said. The fencers became infected even though the organizers had implemented what they had thought to be an effective hygiene plan. "We placed our trust in the organizers," Hartung said. "Even more disappointing was the fact that the even the additional protective measures we had taken were not effective." Tense mood It's not just the Fencing World Cup that has seen mass infections. At the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, 50 of the 7000 participants tested positive. Max Hartung doesn't believe the Olympics will be fair One … [Read more...] about 100 days until Tokyo Olympics: An unfair Games looms