A car bomb blast in the capital city of the Afghan province of Logarn killed at least 17 people and injured dozens more, according to local Afghan officials who spoke to VOA.They said the suicide bomber targeted a security force’s convoy in the provincial capital of Pul-e-Alam.Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid swiftly denied involvement, saying their fighters had nothing to do with the attack, which came just hours before the three-day Taliban Eid ceasefire went into effect.The festivities started Friday and the Afghan government ordered security forces to cease operations against the insurgents. After Friday morning special Eid prayers, President Ashraf Ghani announced in a televised speech that his government is working to release the remaining up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners in response to the release of all 1,000 Afghan security forces from insurgent custody under a prisoner swap stipulated in the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement.Ghani said, however, he is not authorized to let the prisoners go on his own. He said a special jirga meeting, or council of lawmakers, will be convened to decide the fate of the remaining prisoners so the intra-Afghan talks can begin.The Taliban freed all 1,000 of their detainees on the eve of the Eid but linked its participation in intra-Afghan peace talks to the release of all its 5,000 prisoners from Afghan jails.Also Friday, Afghan authorities alleged cross-border fire from the Pakistani Army killed at least nine civilians and injured 50 others in the southern border town of Spin Boldak.The Afghan army chief said in a statement that he has ordered his forces to prepare for a retaliation, raising tensions.Pakistani officials said that thousands of Afghans attempted to illegally cross into Pakistan from the border entry point in the area, prompting security forces to open fire to stop them.  
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Argentinian authorities are battling the country’s largest locust invasion this year, in the northern province of Formosa.The plague of locusts is said to be double the size of two other swarms.Officials fear the locusts, known for destroying crops, will jeopardize the food supplies for livestock.Hector Emilio Medina, the director of Argentina’s National Locusts Control Program, told the Associated Press the locusts are very difficult to control.Medina also warned a new locust cloud was just spotted in the Bolivian region of Macharetí.The alert comes as Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay are appealing to their neighbors, Brazil and Uruguay, to seek financial help to upgrade the regional detection systems. 
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Президент України Володимир Зеленський підписав законопроєкт №3658, який дозволяє знизити тариф на сонячну та вітрову електростанцію, повідомив прем’єр-міністр Денис Шмигаль 31 липня.

«Цей закон дасть змогу зменшити тариф для сонячних електростанцій на 15%, а для вітрових електростанцій — на 7,5%.На практиці це означатиме, що держава та всі українці заощадять майже 7 мільярдів гривень щорічно. До 2030 року меморандум дасть можливість зменшити об’єм виплат «зеленій генерації» приблизно на 2 мільярди євро», – повідомив він.

На сайті Верховної Ради також з’явилося повідомлення про підпис президента під цим документом.

21 липня Верховна Рада ухвалила в другому читанні та в цілому законопроєкт № 3658, який передбачає зниження «зеленого» тарифу.
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Україна успішно розрахувалася за новими 12-річними єврооблігаціями, повідомляє Міністерство фінансів 30 липня.

«30 липня Україна оголосила про успішне проведення розрахунків за новими облігаціями зовнішніх державних позик (єврооблігаціями) на суму 2 000 000 000 доларів США, з відсотковою ставкою 7,253% та з погашенням у 2033 році (далі – «Облігації»), а також про завершення обміну єврооблігацій, номінованих в доларах США, з відсотковою ставкою 7,75% та погашенням в 2021 році і єврооблігацій, номінованих в доларах США, з відсотковою ставкою 7,75% та погашенням в 2022 році. Облігації знаходяться в лістингу на біржі Euronext Dublin», – йдеться в повідомленні.

Крім того, Україна завершила обмін доларових єврооблігацій з відсотковою ставкою 7,75% та погашенням в 2021 році, а також доларових єврооблігацій з відсотковою ставкою 7,75% та погашенням в 2022 році. За підсумками обміну єврооблігацій загальна сума цих цінних паперів сягає понад 1,98 мільярда доларів.

Читайте також: Хто очолив Нацбанк: найцікавіше про нового очільника НБУ Кирила Шевченка​

За даними Мінфіну, цією транзакцією Україна подовжила середній строк до погашення державного боргу.

«Ми плануємо продовжувати реалізацію нашої Середньострокової стратегії управління державним боргом, ключовим елементом якої є проактивний підхід до управління державним боргом», – йдеться в коментарі Урядовий уповноважений з питань управління державним боргом Юрія Буци.

За даними Мінфіну, найбільший попит на цінні папери був у інвесторів зі США, Сполученого Королівства та Євросоюзу, які придбали частину нового випуску та долучилися до обміну єврооблігацій. Їхні частки сягнули 48%, 38% та 13% відповідно. Загалом більше 200 інвесторів подали заявок на 7 мільярдів доларів.

28 липня Міністерство фінансів України повідомило, що розмістило облігації внутрішньої державної позики на понад 10 мільярдів 693 мільйони гривень.
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The resurgence of the coronavirus in many countries is “driven in part by younger people letting down their guard during the Northern Hemisphere summer,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday.Young adults, many without masks, are ignoring social distancing recommendations to pack bars, nightclubs, and beaches that have been reopened since authorities lifted coronavirus restrictions.“The majority of young people infected tend to have more mild disease. But that’s not always consistent,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist who called nightclubs “amplifiers of transmission.”Young people who show mild or no symptoms can spread the virus to more-vulnerable older people.In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro, who tested positive for the coronavirus on July 7 and then negative last Saturday, said that after 20 days indoors he had mold on his lungs. He is being treated with antibiotics. He had repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as “a little flu.”Brazil, as of Thursday evening, had 2.6 million confirmed cases and 91,263 deaths, according to the Muslims queue up to enter a disinfection chamber set up as a precaution against the new coronavirus outbreak, upon arrival for an Eid al-Adha prayer at Al Mashun Grand Mosque in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, July 31, 2020.“We are concerned that … we will see an increase in cases as we have seen in [other] countries” where restrictions have been eased too soon,” WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said.She said more than 20 African countries have recorded more new cases than in the previous weeks, with South Africa accounting for the most but increases also reported in Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Moeti said Uganda, Seychelles and Mauritius are doing well in controlling the virus.Cuba reported nine new cases Thursday, and 37 new cases earlier this week. Just 10 days ago, Cuba reported no new cases for the first time since the outbreak began in March. However, it has reported no deaths for more than two weeks.Cuba has so far been relatively successful in fighting COVID-19, but the island’s top epidemiologist, Francisco Duran, said Thursday that Cubans are getting careless.“People are holding different types of gatherings without taking into account distancing and often without even using a face mask,” he said. “Each small peak underscores a lack of discipline … prompting stricter measures.”Muslim women wearing face masks as precaution against the new coronavirus outbreak, take a selfie after an Eid al-Adha prayer at a mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 31, 2020.In Florida, Key West police arrested a couple who tested positive for COVID-19 for being in public in defiance of a quarantine order.Neighbors who videotaped the couple strolling and shopping gave the tapes to police.The couple’s arrest is among the first in the state for violating a quarantine.Florida, with 461,000 coronavirus cases and 6,600 deaths, is second only to California, which has 492,000 confirmed cases and 8,965 deaths, among U.S. states.National Geographic magazine is reporting that the first dog in the United States sickened by COVID-19 has died.Buddy, a 7-year-old German shepherd in New York became ill in April while his owner was recovering from the coronavirus.Buddy had the same symptoms as human patients, including difficulty breathing. He was euthanized earlier this month after he started vomiting and urinating blood and could no longer walk.Buddy’s doctors said he was also suffering from cancer. Doctors say humans with pre-existing conditions are more susceptible to COVID-19.The WHO says pet-to-people transmission of the coronavirus is unlikely.National Geographic says 12 dogs and 10 cats have tested positive for coronavirus in the U.S. 
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The European Union on Thursday imposed travel and financial sanctions on a department of Russia’s military intelligence service and on firms from North Korea and China over their suspected participation in major cyberattacks across the world.In its first-ever sanctions related to cybercrime, the EU targeted the department for special technologies of the Russian military intelligence service, known as Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, it said in a statement.The bloc accused the Russian service of having carried out two cyberattacks in June 2017, which hit several companies in Europe resulting in large financial losses. The service is also accused of two cyberattacks against Ukraine’s power grid in 2015 and 2016.Four individuals working for the Russian military intelligence service were also sanctioned for allegedly participating in an attempted cyberattack against the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Netherlands in April 2018.North Korean company Chosun Expo was also sanctioned on suspicion of having supported the Lazarus Group, which is deemed responsible for a series of major attacks worldwide, including an $81 million heist against Bangladesh Bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 2016, the world’s biggest cyber fraud.The company is also allegedly linked to an attack against Hollywood film studio Sony Pictures to prevent the release of a satirical movie about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2014.The U.S. Treasury last year imposed sanctions on the Lazarus Group and two other North Korean hacking groups for their alleged participation in the attacks on Sony Pictures and the central bank of Bangladesh, among others. It said North Korea’s main intelligence service was behind the hacking groups.North Korea has denied any involvement in cyberattacks. The EU sanctions also hit Chinese firm Haitai Technology Development, which is accused of having supported cyberattacks — known as Operation Cloud Hopper — aimed at stealing commercially sensitive data from multinationals across the world. Two Chinese individuals allegedly involved in the attacks were also sanctioned.Sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes. EU individuals, companies and other entities are forbidden from making funds available to those blacklisted.China’s diplomatic mission to the European Union said in a statement early on Friday that China “is a staunch defender of network security and one of the biggest victims of hacker attacks.”China wants global cyberspace security to be maintained through “dialogue and cooperation” and not by unilateral sanctions, the statement added.
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An outspoken former Chinese law professor has hired a legal team to defend him against charges of soliciting prostitution, saying he hopes to disprove the allegations that have damaged his client’s reputation, his lawyer told VOA.Tsinghua University law professor Xu Zhangrun was recently fired for “moral corruption” and publishing articles that undermine the Communist Party of China, according to the dismissal notice from his employer. Before that, he was detained for a week in early July on charges of soliciting prostitutes in the southwestern city of Chengdu last year.The outspoken liberal scholar, who just finished a 14-day quarantine at home, met with lawyers Mo Shaoping and Shang Baojun, as well as disbarred rights lawyer Pu Zhuqiang on Tuesday, and officially hired Mo and Shang to represent him in a case against the Chengdu police.According to Mo, Xu dismissed all accusations by the Chengdu police, adding that they did not provide evidence that he had solicited prostitutes, such as video footage, audio recordings or bank records.Mo said they planned to file an “administrative reconsideration” application to overturn the administrative ruling by the Chengdu police for soliciting prostitution.He noted there was a big hurdle in fighting the charges.“The Beijing police did not give him the administrative penalty statement issued by the Chengdu police over this alleged crime, and it would be difficult to submit the review application without it,” Mo told VOA.Shang, the other lawyer, said that at the end of Xu’s detention, the Beijing police would not let him go unless they could keep the document. At present, the only official document that Xu has is the dismissal letter issued by Tsinghua University.Chengdu police did not respond to VOA’s request for comments.Government oppression Chinese authorities have repeatedly targeted Xu for his essays critical of President Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party. Chinese activists and intellectuals sounded alarm at Xu’s detention and dismissal.Sociologist Guo Yuhua appears to be the only current Tsinghua professor still willing to speak out publicly for Xu. She told VOA that the fact Xu did not fight his dismissal does not mean he agrees with the university’s decision.“A call to a woman equals soliciting prostitutes? Where’s the evidence? As for the new guidelines by China’s Ministry of Education, does that go with our constitution?” she asked. “Tsinghua made the decision to expel him while he was still in detention. Why in such a rush?”Guo was referring to a regulation quoted in Xu’s dismissal notification, which read, “We have verified that Xu Zhangrun has published many essays since July 2018, and it is a serious violation of the ‘10 standards of professional conduct for teachers in tertiary institutes in the new era.’ ”China’s Ministry of Education issued a set of new guidelines in 2018, prohibiting teachers from engaging in any activity that undermines the authority of the Communist Party or violates the directions and policies of the party.“Teachers have to be patriotic and uphold academic integrity,” the guidelines said.Guo said Tsinghua’s decision to dismiss Xu has deviated from Tsinghua’s motto of “independent thoughts and free spirit,” damaging its reputation.Growing support Very few current faculty members and students at Tsinghua have publicly discussed Xu’s case.“It’s not surprising that people are self-censoring themselves in today’s tightly controlled environment,” Guo said.Yet nearly 600 Tsinghua alumni came to support the former law professor, raising more than $15,000 in donations for him.In an open letter to his former colleagues and students, Xu expressed appreciation for their backing and said totalitarianism is doomed to failure, and freedom will eventually come to China.He also declined the donation, saying that the money should be sent instead to those in greater need.VOA has tried to contact Xu without success. His WeChat account showed that the option to add him as a friend was not available. People familiar with the matter said his WeChat has been blocked.
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The U.S. Congress is trying to agree on funding to prevent those who’ve lost jobs because of COVID-19 from also losing their homes. Government aid has helped many renters in Virginia, but some face eviction as both state and federal moratoriums expired. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the story of one family at the brink of homelessness in Alexandria.   Camera: Veronica Balderas Iglesias  Produced by: Veronica Balderas Iglesias 
 
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NASA aims its new rover to an ancient Martian river delta searching for evidence of past life.  A French astronaut is scheduled to become the first European astronaut aboard a SpaceX capsule destined for the International Space Station. And Virgin Galactic unveils a new spaceship. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us the Week in Space.
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The United Nations World Food Program is appealing for an additional $250 million in emergency aid to help millions of Zimbabweans at risk of starvation.  The WFP says the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening an already severe hunger crisis in the southern African nation.Hopely farm about 20 kilometers north of Harare’s central business district is one of the poorest residential areas in Zimbabwe’s capital. People here largely depend on informal employment, which has dried up since the Zimbabwe government imposed a lockdown in late March to fight the coronavirus pandemic.The situation was made worse by the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed earlier this month, according to the World Food Program.One of those affected is 52-year-old Aleck Mugopa, who looks after his six children. Since the beginning of the lockdown, he said, there are times when the family has gone without a decent meal.He said it’s now really difficult, especially here in Harare, as we are not working. We have no source of livelihood. So my children are starving, he said.Aleck Mugopa says, July 30, 2020, since the beginning of the lockdown, there are times when the family has gone without a decent meal. (Columbus Mavhunga/VOA)Asked what the government is providing, he said, “There is nothing.”Asked what he wants from the government, Mugopa said, ““We just want food aid so that we can survive and when the lockdown is over, I can get back to vegetable vending.” At the moment, he said, police are chasing people from the fields so there is no way he can grow plants.Claire Nevill, the WFP spokeswoman in Zimbabwe, said people like Mugopa are the reason why the U.N. agency is asking for an additional $250 million to reach more than 8 million food insecure people — in both urban and rural areas – in this southern African nation, which was plagued by recurring droughts and a struggling economy even before the coronavirus pandemic came.“The already dire situation is set to worsen and if the international community does not step up, the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe is very real. COVID 19 is threatened to deepen and widen Zimbabwe’s climate and recession induced hunger crisis,” she said. “We know that in urban areas where lockdowns have triggered massive joblessness the number of food insecure people forecasts is set to rise as the social-economic consequences of the pandemic become more pronounced, in rural areas the number is set to increase as the stocks from the recent drought hit harvest are run down and now the return of now migrant workers and the absence of their remittances they provided are keenly felt.”Some informal traders in Harare say, July 27, 2020, poverty forces them continue to defy authorities’ plea to stay home or observe social distance.(Columbus Mavhunga/VOA)Minister of Social Welfare Paul Mavima told VOA that the government has assisted 260,000 urban dwellers like Mugopa, who were left without income because of the COVID-19 pandemic.“The total amount that the government of Zimbabwe has committed to this relief – which is a combination of COVID-19 and the drought that we have faced for the past two seasons — we are going to use something line $300 to 350 million for feeding the vulnerable in Zimbabwe.”He said President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government “was happy and appreciates” efforts by the WFP to help millions of food insecure Zimbabweans.The WFP’s Nevill said the lockdown, coupled with the drought, has made Zimbabwe’s food situation more precarious than ever before.“So severe is the country’s food crisis that for the first time ever is that one WFP lean season assistance programme has been immediately succeeded by another. The previous one ended in June and a month later, our lean season assistance program began on the first of July, three months earlier than it usually would,” said Nevill.She said the WFP cannot maintain the program long-term unless funding from the U.S., European Union and other donors comes in a timely fashion. 
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На українському міжбанківському валютному ринку поновилося знецінення гривні. Станом на 13:10, за даними Finance.ua, котирування зросли до рівня 27 гривень 71–73 копійки за долар, хоча відкрилися торги на рівні 27 гривень 62,5–64,5 копійки за долар.

Національний банк України опівдні встановив довідкове значення курсу 27 гривень 69 копійок за долар, це несуттєво (на десяті частки копійки) відрізняється від офіційного курсу на 30 липня.

«На торгах по долару попит на валюту поступово зростає. Відбуваються операції по лотах до 1 мільйона доларів», – відзначали експерти сайту «Мінфін» станом на 12:00.

У широкому коридорі 26,5–27 гривень за долар національна валюта перебувала понад два місяці – від кінця квітня до початку липня. Зроблена 1 липня заява ексголови НБУ Якова Смолія про відставку через політичний тиск на нього спричинила зростання котирувань до 27 гривень 20 копійок за долар і навіть вище.

Після призначення головою НБУ Кирила Шевченка девальвація національної валюти прискорилася. Впродовж кількох останніх сесій регулятор показав учасникам ринку нові орієнтири – НБУ продав минулого тижня понад 300 мільйонів доларів за курсом дещо нижче від 28 гривень за долар. Нижній параметр нового коридору міжбанківський ринок знаходить переважно без активної участі Нацбанку.
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Національний банк України встановив на 31 липня курс 27 гривень 69 копійок за долар, що не відрізняється від офіційних курсів на 29 і 30 липня.

На українському міжбанківському валютному ринку гривня дещо ослабла відносно долара США. Станом на 16:35, за даними Finance.ua, котирування зросли до рівня 27 гривень 68–71 копійка за долар, хоча відкрилися торги на рівні 27 гривень 62,5–64,5 копійки за долар.

У широкому коридорі 26,5–27 гривень за долар національна валюта перебувала понад два місяці – від кінця квітня до початку липня. Зроблена 1 липня заява ексголови НБУ Якова Смолія про відставку через політичний тиск на нього спричинила зростання котирувань до 27 гривень 20 копійок за долар і навіть вище.

Після призначення головою НБУ Кирила Шевченка девальвація національної валюти прискорилася. Впродовж кількох останніх сесій регулятор показав учасникам ринку нові орієнтири – НБУ продав минулого тижня понад 300 мільйонів доларів за курсом дещо нижче від 28 гривень за долар. Нижній параметр нового коридору міжбанківський ринок знаходить переважно без активної участі Нацбанку.
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A court in Moscow has sentenced former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed to nine years in prison after finding him guilty of assaulting two police officers, a charge that he refused to admit.Judge Dmitry Arnaut of Moscow’s Golovinsky District Court on July 30 also ordered Reed to pay 150,000 rubels ($2,000) to each police officer as compensation for moral damage.The 29-year old man, who is from Texas, traveled to Moscow in May 2019 to study Russian and spend time with his Russian girlfriend, Alina Tsybulnik.On August 15, several days before his trip back to Texas, Reed and his girlfriend attended a party organized by her colleagues. He claims to have no memory of what happened following the party, where he says he was encouraged to drink large quantities of vodka.In a car going home afterward, Reed said he felt unwell, asked the driver to stop, and got out. His girlfriend’s co-worker called police and left the site with another colleague, leaving Tsybulnik alone with Reed.Two police officers arrived at the scene and took Reed in to sober up, telling Tsybulnik to come back in a few hours and pick him up.Tsybulnik told RFE/RL that when she arrived at the police station later, Reed was being questioned, without a lawyer or interpreter present, by two men who introduced themselves as employees of the Federal Security Service (FSB).Tsybulnik was told that her boyfriend was accused of endangering the lives of the policemen who brought him in by yanking the driver’s arm and elbowing another officer who tried to intervene.However, the case against Reed has been marred by inconsistencies. Video evidence reviewed in court appeared to show no evidence that the police vehicle swerved as a result of Reed’s actions, as alleged by the police officers.Speaking before the judge, the officers themselves have claimed to have no memory of key moments in the journey, and have retracted parts of their statements on several occasions or failed to answer simple questions from Reed’s defense team.Reed is one of several American citizens to face trial in Russia in recent years on charges that their families, supporters, and in some cases the U.S. government have said appear trumped up.Last month, another former U.S. Marine, 50-year-old Paul Whelan, was sentenced by a court in Moscow to 16 years in prison for espionage which he, his supporters, and the U.S. government have questioned. 
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Masked pilgrims arrived Thursday at Mount Arafat, a desert hill near Islam’s holiest site, to pray and repent on the most important day of the hajj, the annual pilgrimage in Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The global coronavirus pandemic has cast a shadow over every aspect of this year’s pilgrimage, which last year drew 2.5 million Muslims from across the world to Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon nearly 1,400 years ago.
Only a very limited number of pilgrims were allowed to take part in the hajj amid numerous restrictions to limit the potential spread of the coronavirus. The Saudi government has not released a final figure on the number of hajj pilgrims this year, but has said anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 would be taking part. All of this year’s pilgrims are either residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia.
In past years, a sea of pilgrims dressed in white terrycloth garments would start to gather at Mount Arafat, or hill of mercy as it’s known, before dawn and remain there until nightfall, spending the day in deep contemplation and worship. It is common to see pilgrims with tears streaming down their faces, their hands raised in worship on the slopes of the rocky hill where the Prophet Muhammad called for equality and unity among Muslims.
The sliver of pilgrims performing the hajj this year arrived at Mount Arafat before noon by bus on Thursday. They are traveling in small groups of 20, following strict guidelines around social distancing, have undergone tests for the COVID-19 disease and were in quarantine before the hajj.
Kehinde Qasim Yusuf, an Australian biomedical engineer who teaches at a university in Medina, was among the few selected to take part in the hajj after submitting an application online. He normally travels during the summer back to Australia to see his children, but due to travel restrictions he remained in the kingdom and decided to make the most of his time by applying for the hajj.
“Honestly, I just applied and stayed optimistic. I feel so fortunate to be selected since there’s no guarantee,” Yusuf said as he arrived in the Arafat area.
Like other pilgrims who’ve spoken with The Associated Press, Yusuf said the pilgrimage has been “well-planned and well-organized” by the Saudi government, which has covered all expenses for travel, accommodation, meals and health care for pilgrims on this hajj.
Although he isn’t facing massive crowds and traffic along hajj routes, Yusuf said this year’s hajj isn’t without its own challenges of being in self-isolation and separated from loved ones.
“This year’s hajj also comes with huge sacrifice, as well, on the mental side,” he said.
Unlike in past years, pilgrims are not allowed to stand shoulder to shoulder with other Muslims from around the world, all considered equal in Islam before God, seeking mercy, blessings, good health, bounty and healing. Pilgrims are wearing wristbands provided by the Saudi Health Ministry that are connected to their phones and monitor their movements to ensure physical distancing.
International media were not allowed to cover the hajj from Mecca as was customary in past years. Instead, state-run Saudi TV has carried a live broadcast of some parts of the hajj, including Thursday’s arrival of pilgrims to Namira Mosque in Arafat where a sermon will be delivered.
After spending the day in prayer on Mount Arafat, pilgrims will head toward an area called Muzdalifa, about 5.5 miles (9 kilometers) west of Mount Arafat.
In Muzdalifa, pilgrims rest and traditionally pick up pebbles that will be used for a symbolic stoning of the devil and casting away of evil. This year, however, the pebbles have been prepackaged and sterilized.
The final ritual takes place over three to four days in Mina, an area about 12 miles (20 kilometers) east of Mecca. The final days of hajj coincide with Eid al-Adha, or the festival of sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims worldwide.
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