AP, Makkah
Saudi Arabia has deployed 100,000 security personnel to oversee the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage that begins on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry spokesman said, underscoring both the massive arrangements needed to secure one of the largest pilgrimages in the world and the multitude of threats the hajj faces.
“We always concentrate on hajj considering that a threat might exist,” Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said. “We’ve been targeted by terrorism for years now and we know that we are a target for terrorist groups.”
China launches new type of carrier rocket
AFP, Shanghai
China on Sunday launched a new, smaller type of rocket from its “Long March” family which will be primarily used for carrying satellites aloft, state media reported, as the country races ahead with an ambitious space programme.
The Long March-6, a newly developed carrier rocket which uses liquid propellant, took off from a launch base in the northern province of Shanxi on Sunday morning carrying 20 “micro” satellites, the official Xinhua news agency said.
UN nuclear chief arrives in Iran
AP, Tehran, Iran
Iran’s state TV is reporting U.N. nuclear chief Yukiya Amano has arrived in Tehran to “clarify past and current issues” of the country’s nuclear program.
Television footage showed Amano and his team arriving in Tehran airport. It is Amano’s second visit in three months.
Novelist Jackie Collins dies at 77
AFP, Los Angeles
British novelist Jackie Collins, the best-selling author of romance novels, has died of breast cancer in California, her family said Saturday. She was 77.
“She lived a wonderfully full life and was adored by her family, friends and the millions of readers who she has been entertaining for over 4 decades,” her family said in a statement, adding that she had fought breast cancer for over six years.
Sierra Leone faces setback in Ebola fight
Al Jazeera , Sierra Leone
Two recent deaths prompt renewed emphasis on increasing awareness of the virus in the West African nation.
More than 1,500 people have been quarantined in Sierra Leone to stop the spread of the Ebola virus. The West African country recently began a 42-day countdown to being Ebola-free.
Nepal adopts first full democratic charter
Reuters, Kathmandu
Nepal adopts its first full democratic charter on Sunday, a historic step for a nation that has witnessed war, a palace massacre and devastating earthquakes since a campaign to create a modern state began more than 65 years ago.
Here are some facts about the constitution: The constitution defines Nepal as a secular country, despite widespread protests for it to be declared a Hindu state.
