Thousands of face-masked pilgrims performing Islam's annual hajj pilgrimage gathered on Mount Arafat on Monday to atone for their sins, expressing hopes for peace and an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saudi police detained a man, who appeared to be holding a weapon, after he attempted to approach the platform where the imam was delivering the Friday sermon at the Great Mosque of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the official account of Mecca and Medina holy sites reported

Prime Minister Imran Khan will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including the foreign minister and other members of the cabinet.

The Ministry of Social Action and Childhood in the Republic of Guinea, in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held a workshop on inclusion and empowerment of persons with disability in the Guinean capital, Conakry, on 17 – 18 March 2021

The reports say that the vaccination has also been declared mandatory for the health workers for the pilgrims coming to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj this year.