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GMA Network
5 days ago
- Climate
- GMA Network
With AI and more shade, Saudi set for a searing hajj
File photo of mist dispensers that refresh Muslim pilgrims at the base of Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage on June 2024. Photo by Fadel Senna/ AFP/File photo RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - With artificial intelligence, more shade and misting machines, Saudi authorities are preparing to welcome more than a million hajj pilgrims amid punishing summer heat that has a deadly history in the holy city of Mecca. Saudi Arabia's hajj minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah told AFP on Thursday that efforts to mitigate the searing desert heat remained a top focus among authorities and organisers ahead of this year's pilgrimage. "One of the big challenges that we always face is the increasing temperature across the different years and this is an issue that we give top priority," he told AFP during an exclusive interview in Riyadh. The issue is all the more pressing as officials work to prevent a repeat of last year's hajj, which saw more than 1,300 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.24 degrees Fahrenheit). This year, Rabiah said authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials and doubled their efforts to mitigate heat-related risks. Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands more medics will be on hand, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed for the duration of the hajj, he added. Such efforts build on the work of previous years that have seen renovations to areas around the Grand Mosque and asphalt areas covered with a special layer to help reduce surface temperatures. "These new changes will definitely ensure the safety and the better experience of pilgrims when they perform their hajj," said Rabiah. He said this week that more than a million people from across the globe had already arrived in Saudi Arabia for the hajj, with more still pouring in. In 2024, 1.8 million pilgrims gathered in Mecca during the pilgrimage. Permit crackdown The latest artificial intelligence software will help monitor the deluge of information and footage, including video from a new fleet of drones, from across Mecca. "We use advanced AI technologies to do this monitoring and get fast feedback," the minister said. Crowd management has proved perilous in the past, notably in 2015 when a stampede caused about 2,300 deaths. Along with expanding infrastructure and deploying more personnel, Saudi officials have been cracking down to prevent pilgrims without the right paperwork from entering Mecca. Officials say more than 80 percent of the deaths during last year's hajj were among pilgrims who lacked official permits, which prevented them from accessing services including air-conditioned tents. Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota system and distributed to individuals by lottery. But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs spur many to attempt the hajj without a permit -- though they risk arrest and deportation if caught. To head off a flood of illicit pilgrims entering Mecca, authorities have launched raids, mounted a widespread media campaign and increased fines for those found violating the rules, which includes a potential 10-year ban from the kingdom. "Therefore, having a permit is very crucial, very important for the safety of all," said Rabiah. "We count on all Muslims to come only with permits and also we count on all countries to support us to ensure that only those with permits come to hajj." This year's pilgrimage will begin on June 4 and take place over at least four days, mostly outdoors. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken at least once by all Muslims who are able to do so. For the past several years the mainly outdoor rituals have fallen during the sweltering Saudi summer. "The hajj pilgrimage is a sacred journey that the leadership of the kingdom and the whole people of the kingdom take it seriously," the minister told AFP. "They see it as a duty to work hard to ensure the spiritual fulfilment and safety of pilgrims." — Agence France-Presse
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Chris Brown granted R120 million bail amid serious assault allegations
American R&B singer Chris Brown, was on May 21, 2025 released on bail in an assault case on condition he pay a R120 million guarantee to a UK court. Picture: Fadel Senna / AFP American R&B singer Chris Brown, was on May 21, 2025 released on bail in an assault case on condition he pay a R120 million guarantee to a UK court. Picture: Fadel Senna / AFP American R&B singer Chris Brown was granted bail on Wednesday in connection with an assault case, but only after agreeing to pay a guarantee of R120 million to a UK court. As part of his bail conditions, the 36-year-old artist is permitted to continue with his international tour, which kicks off on June 8 in Amsterdam. However, he is required to return to the UK for a series of performances starting June 15. If he fails to do so, the R120 million will be forfeited. The "Under the Influence' hitmaker was detained in the UK after being accused of an unprovoked assault on music producer Abe Diaw at Tape nightclub in London in 2023. Last weekend, Manchester Magistrates' Court denied Brown bail, with the presiding judge citing the grave nature of the allegations. Prosecutors have described the incident as particularly violent, claiming that Brown struck Diaw with a bottle and continued to assault him while he lay injured on the ground.
Scotsman
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Why SNP must oppose new oil and gas licences, not join ranks of 'climate delayers'
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... When politicians call for slower climate action, they rarely mention what we'll miss out on. Fewer children with asthma. Lower energy bills. Cleaner rivers. Thriving wildlife. Jobs for the long-term. Surely, that's the future we should all be fighting for? Tomorrow marks six years since Scotland declared a climate emergency. But instead of rolling up their sleeves to reduce emissions fairly in ways that benefit us all, some politicians seem more interested in questioning climate action than delivering it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Some veer toward denial, others into the cosier sounding camp of climate delay. But left unchallenged, both risk real damage, weakening the urgency and depth of action we need. Oxfam staff are witnessing the problems caused by increasingly extreme weather in many parts of the world (Picture: Fadel Senna) | AFP via Getty Images Wildfires, storms, droughts and cyclones Meanwhile, the impact of our heating world grows ever stronger. Wildfires have been raging across Scotland, from Galloway to Ullapool. Storms like Storm Éowyn — described as "once in a generation" — have brought significant destruction. These extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense. Shutting our eyes to the reality won't change it. And it's not just here. Across the globe, droughts in East and Southern Africa are threatening millions with starvation, cyclones are devastating homes in Southern Asia, and rising sea levels are swallowing coastlines in the Pacific. As my Oxfam colleagues see every day, the climate crisis isn't a future threat; it's here, and it's accelerating. Yet we've seen that change is possible, not least through the transformation to renewables in Scotland's electricity system and inspiring community-led initiatives. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But we cannot stay silent while climate action delayers stall progress, jeopardising lives. This isn't about politics – it's about survival, justice, and our shared future. Poorest will suffer most Scientists have spent decades shouting from the rooftops: act now, or we'll pay the price. That bill is already being paid, and it's not being split evenly. When disaster strikes, it's not the wealthiest who suffer most, it's people in poverty who are least protected and often hardest hit. And yet, some politicians have the gas-lighting gall to claim we can't deliver action at the speed that science demands because it'll make people poorer or is simply unaffordable. They claim that slowing down is the sensible thing to do. Let's be clear: there is nothing sensible about more extreme weather, higher costs, and greater inequality. Backtracking on climate action isn't pragmatism. It's dangerous. And it'll cost those with the least the most. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Concerns about costs are real: families shouldn't be left unsupported to pay for a heat pump or electric car they can't afford. But that's not a reason to slow the transition; it's a reason to do it fairly, ensuring people get the support they need. New jobs to replace those lost Fair climate action protects those with the least. Cheaper, greener public transport cuts costs and carbon. Yes, some jobs will go, they already are. But the shift to clean energy is already creating secure, well-paid jobs in Scotland. The truth is: the transition is happening. The only question is whether we make it fair or leave people and places behind while big polluters get off scot-free. When Scotland set ambitious climate targets, all parties backed them. Why? Because the science was undeniable. It still is. We can't afford for that cross-party consensus to crumble now just because a few politicians think there are easy votes in rolling back progress. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As the Royal Scottish Geographical Society's compelling new report makes clear, if we delay climate action, we – and our children and grandchildren – will pay for it later, with interest. Polluters' eye-watering profits A fair, well-funded green transition is the solution, not the problem. But to fund clean energy, public transport, and green jobs, we need investment, including significant public resources. On average, the richer you are, the more you pollute, so the fair solution is to tax wealth and the biggest polluters – particularly the very wealthiest. Right now, some of the richest companies on the planet are making eye-watering profits while pumping out carbon and passing the costs onto the rest of us. Oil and gas giants have been making billions while communities drown and burn. It doesn't have to be this way. A fairer tax system could raise the money we need to enable all of us to insulate our homes and switch to clean heating, helping families to lower their energy bills for good while, yes, delivering energy security. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It can improve buses and trains. It could make sure that the shift to net zero isn't paid for by those with the least but is funded by those who've gained the most from the industries driving the crisis. That's the real choice: protect profits or protect people. Keep subsidising pollution, or choose to invest in a safer, fairer future – one that benefits us all. Tax private jets A modest UK Government tax of just 2 per cent on the richest millionaires and billionaires could raise up to £24 billion annually. But the Scottish Government is far from powerless. They could land a fair tax on pollution-spewing private jets – something the First Minister says he backs but hasn't yet implemented. And they could also use devolved tax powers to reward businesses that reduce their environmental impact. Crucially, Scottish ministers can also stand up and be counted by confirming their proposed presumption against new oil and gas licences. Let's be clear: no one is talking about turning the taps off overnight, but we shouldn't be turning new ones on either. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With a Scottish election on the horizon, we need consistent climate leadership. There is no moral, scientific or economic justification to delay the fair climate action that most people believe will be good for Scotland. So, to those suggesting we slow down or give up: no, we won't. Because the stakes are too high. We won't – we can't – accept more delays, distractions, or dilly-dallying. We need action now.
