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Saudi Arabia: Qatar Not Allowing Riyadh for Lifting Hajj Pilgrims

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Saudi Arabia: Qatar Not Allowing Riyadh for Lifting Hajj Pilgrims

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Experts believe crisis far from over

Saudi Arabia, which led three other countries in severing ties with Qatar in early June this year, is now complaining Doha of not allowing its plane to lift Qatari pilgrims for performing Hajj. King Salman has recently offered free transportation of Qatari citizens by their official carrier Saudi Airlines.

According to Saudi Press Agency, Saleh al-Jasser, the Director General of the airline, said on Sunday that their aircraft have not been given permission to land in Doha to pick up pilgrims. He further elaborated saying, “Qatari authorities have not allowed the aircraft to land as it did not have the right paperwork, although the paperwork was filed days ago.”

Earlier on Wednesday King Salman had ordered the dispatch of a Saudi Arabia Airlines plane to fly Qatari pilgrims to Jeddah at his own expense. Riyadh had also announced re-opening of its land borders with Qatar to allow pilgrims’ access to Mecca. However, not a single convoy has registered movement on the immigration point till date. The Hajj will be performed between August 30 and September 4 this year. All pilgrims should be present in the kingdom during this time.

Aljazeera reports that Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has denied Saudi claim of refusing permission to Saudi Airlines to fly Qatari Hajj pilgrims. Qatari News Agency says that Saudi Airlines was advised to coordinate the request with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs through the Qatari Hajj Delegation. The two offices function under Doha government’s supervision. CAA says that their response was in accordance with the procedures followed in the past.

However, Qatar hailed the Saudi move, but stressed that it was politically motivated and voiced concern about the safety of its citizens in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj pilgrimage.

Since the blockade Doha has not fulfilled any of  the13 demands put forwarded by Saudi led quartet. They included severing ties with Iran, closing Turkish army base in its territory and shutting down Aljazeera news network. Qatar has not only denied supporting terrorism, instead Qatar Special Envoy Mutlaq Majed al-Qahtani, in an opinion piece recently published in Wall Street Journal has  recalled  that fifteen of the 19 hijackers in 9/11 attacks were Saudis. He has also alleged that thousands of Saudi citizens have taken up arms to join Islamic State (IS) and other radical groups.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the UAE had severed their diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar on June 5. They advised their citizens to return from Qatar and also asked Qataris to leave from their respective countries within 48 hours.

The four boycotting countries also closed their airspace for Qatar Airways. Since then the airline has stopped using their airspace by rerouting their flights through alternative paths including Iranian skies.

In a bid to relax the Saudi led siege, Qatar has recently announced to allow citizens of 80 countries, including India, to travel to their country without obtaining prior visa.

It would be interesting to note that a little known Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Thani of Qatar was recently welcomed in Riyadh by Crown Prince Mohammd bin Salman and then jetted off to Morocco, where Saudi King Salman hosted him at his vacation spot in Tangir. However Qatari government said that he was on a personal visit while some media outlets, considered to be close to Riyadh, portrayed it as a triumphant diplomatic effort.

According to Saudi owned Al-Arabia news network, the Sheikh is a scion of a ruling branch that was in power for decades until 1972. His brother Ahmad was deposed by Sheikh’s Tamim’s grandfather. The little known Sheikh has written on his twitter handle, “The king has honored me by accepting my mediation on behalf of my people in Qatar.” He has become social media celebrity attracting 250,000 followers within three days.

The visit of the Qatari prince was followed by Riyadh’s announcement of opening borders with Qatar and offered to dispatch planes at its own expanses.

Meanwhile, Al-Bayan, a Dubai based daily, quoted political analyst Abdulkhaleq Abdulla saying that promoting Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Thani is probably part of a plan to add pressure on Qatari ruler Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who has refused to capitulate to the quartet’s 13 conditions for ending the feud.

Abdulkhaleq Abdullah further said, “Saudi Arabia has many pressure tools that it hasn’t used until now and this is one of them.” He denied that Saudi led alliance is currently pursuing a policy to change the Qatari leadership. Yet should Saudi Arabia decide that is needed, it can mobilize a support network within Qatari society and the ruling family “to spur a palace coup,” he said.

Meanwhile Andreas Krieg, a lecturer at King’s College in London has said that sheikh is a London based businessman with commercial interests in the Gulf, but lacks public support that will help propel him to power. His emergence serves as a way of telling Qatari leaders and global powers that the crisis is far from over.

So far several mediation efforts have failed in resolving Qatar crisis. Kuwait’s emir has tried for mediation while US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and foreign ministers of France and Germany have also visited the region.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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World Earth Day 2024: Google Doodle showcases aerial view of planet’s natural beauty

Google celebrated Earth Day 2024 with a special doodle featuring an aerial view of our planet’s biodiversity.

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Google shared a doodle today to celebrate World Earth Day 2024, which showcased aerial photos of the planet’s biodiversity and natural beauty. Google reminded us of the importance of protecting planet earth for future generations with the help of this doodle.

The Google letters depict specific locations across the globe where people, communities, and governments work every day to help protect the planet’s natural beauty, biodiversity, and resources, according to the explanation of the annual Earth Day 2024 doodle on their website.

It said, these examples remind us that there’s much more to do to address the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, but also offer the promise of hope and optimism.

The islands of Turks and Caicos are represented by the letter “G.” The islands’ conservation efforts are concentrated on protecting important regions for biodiversity and addressing persistent environmental problems.

The largest reef in the southern Gulf of Mexico and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, Scorpion Reef National Park, is represented by the letter “O” in the Mexican flag.

The letter “O” features Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park, which was designated as a national park in 2008 following decades of advocacy. The ecology within and surrounding the biggest glacier in Europe is safeguarded by this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The letter “G” has the Jau National Park in Brazil on it. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the biggest forest reserves in South America.

The Great Green Wall of Nigeria is represented by the letter “L,”  and the Pilbara Islands Nature Reserves of Australia are represented by the letter “E.”

Meanwhile, Earth Day is a worldwide event that promotes protection of the environment every year. April 22 serves as a reminder of the importance of conservation efforts and sustainable practices to guarantee a healthier world and a brighter future.

The occasion inspires people across the world to come together and take action to protect the environment, strengthening our bonds with nature and promoting good change.

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Bigg Boss 14 contestant Rahul Vaidya struggles walking in knee deep water, compares Dubai rains with Mumbai floods

Singer and TV personality Rahul Vaidya was recently stranded in the Dubai rains.

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Rahul Vaidya, who was in Dubai ahead of his show which was scheduled to take place today, left the country due to heavy rains and reached Kolkata. The artist shared on social media his encounters in the UAE city, including challenges like walking through knee-deep water. Rahul provided an update regarding the heavy rainfall in Dubai on his Instagram profile.

The Bigg Boss 14 contestant revealed that he was in Kolkata and prepared to do an evening performance. Recalling the terrifying period he went through, Vaidya said there was a lot of confusion and panic in Dubai. The situation was similar to that when heavy floods hit Mumbai in 2005.

Vaiday also posted seval other images and videos of cars that were underwater and flooded roadways. The Bigg Boss 14 contestant, who shared his ordeal, claimed that even though it had just rained for two hours, the situation was dire.

In one of the video, which went viral he can be seen struggling in walking in knee-deep water. He can be also seen holding his sneakers in one hand and with other hand he was seen managing other things.

This is the result of the two hours of rain that it had, he can be heard saying in the video. Vidya also said he dosen’t believe Dubai is accustomed to a lot of rain. Everything had stopped working, he remarked.

After taking part in the first season of the singing reality show Indian Idol, Rahul Vaidya gained widespread recognition. In addition to Bigg Boss, he took part in Khatron Ke Khiladi 11.

Meanwhile, heavy rains that triggered flooding in the UAE and Bahrain, which left 18 people dead in Oman on Sunday and Monday, have paralyzed the financial hub of the Middle East, Dubai.

A lot of incoming flights were diverted from Dubai’s international airport because of the rain. At 7:26 p.m., the busiest airport in the world for foreign visitors stopped accepting new arrivals; a gradual resumption was announced for more than two hours later.

Images of planes navigating flooded tarmacs are making the rounds on social media.

According to pictures shared on social media, the flagship malls Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates both experienced heavy floods, while at least one Dubai Metro station had water up to the ankles.

There were several road collapses, severe flooding in residential areas, and numerous reports of leaks from windows, doors, and roofs.

Due to the unfavourable weather, schools around the United Arab Emirates were forced to close, and as more storms are predicted, the closures are anticipated to last until Wednesday. The government of Dubai allowed its staff to work remotely till this Wednesday.

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Dubai sky turns green during storm in UAE, video goes viral

The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain.

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1 person was killed in UAE as it witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday, stranding commuters, flooding roads, disrupting trains and flights and resulting in water leakage from mall ceilings. The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain. It is being said that the rainfall was the highest documented since the start of data collection in 1949.

The heavy rainfall in UAE came days after a similar situation in neighbouring Oman, where 13 people were killed in flash floods. Many parts of Oman saw torrential rains, which caused students to be trapped in buses and swept away motorists and trapped people in their homes.

Videos from Dubai circulating on social media showed widespread waterlogging on roads in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other important cities. This left daily commuters in cars and other vehicles struggling to get back home. Dubai metro station too was seen flooded and closed.

One such video circulating on social media shows the aerial view of the city of Dubai from the top of a building. In the video the stormy winds are seen blowing over the city of Dubai. As the storm intensifies the Dubai sky turns green and ultimately gets covered by heavy rainfall. The video has gone viral on social media with more than 1.1 million views.

Another video showed water leakage from the ceilings of shopping malls, flooding the floors and destroying goods. A video which was shot in the famous Mall of the Emirates, showed pieces of ceiling falling as the rainwater gushed inside. Videos from many outlets of the Deira City Centre mall chain showed escalators being rendered unusable. Majid Al Futtaim, the company which owns the Mall of Emirates, said that the shopping complexes have been kept open and the customers are being sent away from the flooded areas. 

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