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Indonesia allowing nickel industry abuses to go unchecked: report
The Indonesian government is allowing environmental damage including deforestation and violations against Indigenous people to go unchecked around a multi-billion dollar industrial park on a once-pristine eastern island, a report said Thursday.Indonesia is both the world’s largest nickel producer, and home to the biggest-known reserves, and a 2020 export ban has spurred a domestic industrial …
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‘Italian genius’ Inzaghi to coach Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal
Former Inter boss Simone Inzaghi was revealed as the new coach of Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal on Thursday, days before they take part in the new-look Club World Cup.The Italian, who led Inter to a heavy defeat in Saturday’s Champions League final, had earlier played down rumours of a two-year deal worth 50 million euros.”I am Simone Inzaghi and today begins my story with Al Hilal,” he said in a slickly produced video posted on X, in which he sips Arabian coffee and pins an Al Hilal lapel badge on his suit.Inzaghi, 49, becomes just the latest high-profile footballing acquisition for oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which will host the World Cup in 2034.”The Italian genius is here,” Al Hilal posted. “Welcome, Simone Inzaghi.”Inzaghi joins the likes of Ruben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic at Al Hilal, which let injury-hit Neymar go in January after just seven appearances since his arrival in August 2023.A source with knowledge of the negotiations last week told AFP that the “first option” for Cristiano Ronaldo, who has signalled he is leaving rival club Al Nassr, could be a move to Al Hilal. Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes this week said he rejected Al Hilal’s reported $135 million offer because he wanted to “continue to play at the highest level”.Inzaghi’s Inter slumped 5-0 to Qatar-funded Paris Saint-Germain in Saturday’s Champions League final. His departure was confirmed on Tuesday.The former forward guided Inter to one Serie A title and two Italian Cups since joining in 2021. He took them to two Champions League finals in three seasons but lost both.On track to repeat the treble heroics of 2010 just a few weeks ago, Inter ended the season trophyless after falling away in each competition. Inter, PSG, Real Madrid and Manchester City are also among the 32 teams at the expanded Club World Cup, which starts on June 15.
Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in hajj apex
Muslim pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat on Thursday during the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, as Saudi officials called on participants to refrain from being outside during the hottest hours of the day.Thousands of pilgrims began to gather before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.While some arrived early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning, carrying colourful umbrellas, many pilgrims will remain for hours of prayers and Koran recitals until the evening in the most arduous portion of the hajj.After sunset they will head to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and the sprawling tent city of Mina, where they will gather pebbles so they can perform the symbolic “stoning of the devil”.”This is something that I used to see every year on the TV screen during hajj and I always thought: ‘I wish I could be here’,” said 33-year-old Ali from Pakistan, one of 1.5 million pilgrims who had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage.”I’ve been trying to get here… for the past 3 years,” he added as he gazed at the mount. “I feel very blessed.”Hundreds of pilgrims dressed in white dotted the mount itself, with many more at its foot praying or taking pictures.Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday, when the desert sun is at its harshest.Fans spraying mist and providing cool air were dispersed at the foot of the mount.Temperatures this year have already exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) as one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, kicked off earlier this weekOfficials have beefed up heat mitigation efforts aiming to avoid a repeat of last year’s hajj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8C.”I came here early to (avoid) the sun and later I will pray inside my tent,” said 54-year-old Adel Ismail, from Syria.To make this year’s pilgrimage safer, authorities have expanded infrastructure, deployed thousands of extra personnel and relied on an arsenal of high-tech tools to help better manage crowds.Authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024.Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands more medics will be on standby, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, the hajj minister has told AFP.Through tears of joy, Iman Abdel Khaleq said she had wanted to perform the hajj for 10 years and was overwhelmed with emotion as she arrived at Arafat.”It’s a big dream for me that I had almost given hope up of realising,” the woman in her fifties told AFP from the foot of the mount.Authorities said a majority of the deaths in 2024 were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to amenities like air-conditioned tents and buses.This year, they have also cracked down on unregistered pilgrims looking to sneak into Mecca, relying on frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts.Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by a lottery.But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the hajj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught.Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year from the hajj, and the lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year.