MEA adds flights to Jeddah and Riyadh

MEA will begin a 14th flight on Saturday mornings to and from Jeddah, and another 14th flight on Saturday mornings to and from Riyadh.

This gives MEA passengers the option of two flights per day to each city, one in the morning and the other in the evening. 

Departure Beirut	Arrival Jeddah	Departure Jeddah	Arrival Beirut
8:55	12:25	13:25	14:55
Departure Beirut	Arrival Riyadh	Departure Riyadh	Arrival Beirut
9:25	12:40	13:40	15:15

India's MEA, Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs update on Makkah situation

The Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, India said on 12 September that 19 Indian Hajj pilgrims are reported to be injured, none critically.

A further two Indians have passed away, one from West Bengal and the other from Kerala.

Doctors, paramedics and Arabic interpreters are deployed in all Government hospitals to monitor the cases of Indian pilgrims admitted in the hospitals, the MEA said. The Consul General and the Deputy Consul General have visited the pilgrims admitted in the hospitals, and met with the Saudi Assistant Health Minister Dr Hamad Mohammed to ensure proper medical facilities to the pilgrims.

Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs published a list of 23 pilgrims affected by the accident, at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, King Faisal Al- Shisha Hospital and King Abdul Aziz (Al-Zahir) Hospital, all in Makkah. Of these, the injuries of 17 were listed with little information on the remaining six.

The Hajj will continue as scheduled.

Interested?

View the affected pilgrims' details

posted from Bloggeroid

Ministry of External Affairs, India outlines steps to ensure well-being of Hajj pilgrims

India's Ministry of External Affairs and the Haj Committee of India have announced that Hajj 2015 commenced on 16 August 2015 and is proceeding smoothly. A total number of 136,020 pilgrims are expected to take part in Haj 2015, of which 100,020 will be participating through the Haj Committee of India and remaining 36,000 via private tour operators.

The organisations have also reported 21 deaths as of 3 September, of which 20 have been due to natural causes and one due to a road accident. Nineteen of the deaths were attributed to cardiac arrest and one due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with respiratory failure. Four in ten of the deceased pilgrims are above 60 years of age.

The Ministry of External Affairs remains committed to the welfare and well-being of Haj pilgrims and is doing its utmost to ensure their well-being. The Ministry of External Affairs and Consulate General of India have taken several steps to provide good medical facilities free of charge for Hajj pilgrims, including a 40-bed hospital in Makkah, a 40-bed hospital in Azizia and a 10-bed hospital in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. There are also 13 branch dispensaries in Makkah and five branch dispensaries in Madinah which are all located close to the pilgrims’ accommodation and open round-the-clock. The Ministry of External Affairs has also dispatched medicines and medical equipment worth Rs. 2 crores for use in these hospitals and dispensaries, which is provided free of cost to Hajj pilgrims. The Government has already deployed 134 doctors and 145 paramedics to provide specialised medical care. Steps are also taken to facilitate treatment in case of emergencies and also to arrange evacuation to India, if necessary. 

Deaths due to natural causes are a normal occurrence during the Hajj pilgrimage. During the Hajj pilgrimage from 2009 to 2012 there were 250 to 300 deaths annually due to natural causes. The numbers declined to 177 deaths at Hajj 2013 and 152 deaths for Hajj 2014 due to better treatment for pilgrims in the high risk group and also a 20% reduction in the overall quota for India. The fact that a very large number of pilgrims are above 60 and 70 years of age and are already facing several medical problems is the main reason for these deaths.

Virgin Mobile Middle East gets Islamic financing from BLME

BLME, Europe's largest Islamic bank, concluded a US$15 million senior secured facility for Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa (VMMEA), the regional mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) group rolling out Virgin Mobile across the Middle East & Africa region, on June 2.

VMMEA will use the facility, which is part of a murabaha agreement, to fuel the company's growth in the GCC region and further cement its position as a MVNO. The cross-border agreement covers operations across a number of jurisdictions, including Oman, Jordan, KSA, Malaysia and South Africa, with future roll-outs planned in a number of other countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Massoud Janekeh, Head of Islamic Capital Markets of BLME, said: "The telecommunications sector is witnessing significant growth in the Middle East, as a result of increased infrastructure investment and development, particularly in the Gulf states. This is increasingly being supplemented by the emergence of MVNO offerings, which VMMEA has pioneered. BLME's involvement in this transaction highlights the continuous need for Islamic financing products as well as our capability to execute transactions across a number of jurisdictions."

Waleed Al Omar, Head of Investor Relations added: "Through transactions such as this, BLME is consolidating its position as a bridge between the UK and the MENA region. BLME already has strong links to the region with its largest Shareholders being Boubyan Bank, Public Institute for Social Security in Kuwait and AREF."

Mikkel Vinter, CEO of VMMEA, commented: "We continue to develop our business and invest in growth opportunities and the funding from BLME is an enabler for future accelerated growth."