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Worshippers have returned to Mecca after Saudi authorities partially resumed the year-round umrah pilgrimage after seven-month coronavirus hiatus.  Millions of Muslims from around the world usually descend on Saudi Arabia for the umrah and haj Islamic pilgrimages. The two share common rites, but the haj, held once a year, is the main lengthier ritual that is a once-in-a-lifetime duty for Muslims. The umrah, the pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time, was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia hosted a drastically reduced haj in late July for the first time in modern history, with a few thousand domestic pilgrims instead of the usual sea of some three million Muslims Worshippers have returned to Mecca after Saudi authorities partially resumed the year-round umrah pilgrimage on Sunday At midnight, small groups of registered pilgrims wearing face masks were pictured preparing to enter the Grand Mosque while socially distancing But Saudi Arabia partially li

The hopes of the nation rested on her when she was the flagship of the British fleet sailing to rescue the Falklands from Argentina. But now the veteran aircraft carrier HMS Hermes has reached her final destination – the breakers’ yard. Construction of the ship began when the Second World War was still raging, and she launched in the year the Queen was crowned. Hermes had been on the verge of retirement when she was suddenly called in to service, coming under Exocet missile attacks as she headed the Task Force to the South Atlantic in 1982. Farewell: Veteran aircraft carrier HMS Hermes heading to the breakers’ yard in Alang, Gujarat, to be broken up for scrap It was from her deck on May 1 that year that BBC newsman Brian Hanrahan memorably told the relieved public of an early Sea Harrier air attack on the Argentine invaders: ‘I’m not allowed to say how many planes joined the raid, but I counted them all out – and I counted them all back.’ Four years after the conflict, Hermes was sold

Furry friends have been caught on camera enjoying affectionate cuddles, including two adorable meerkats in Botswana. One heart-warming photograph appears to show one meerkat flashing a toothy grin at the camera while it enjoys a hug from its loving friend. But the cute pair from the sandy Kalahari Desert in Botswana are not the only animals to enjoy a snuggle, as another snap shows two baby baboons sharing a tight embrace in Chobe National Park, South Africa. And one cuddly squirrel and its best friend were caught taking a break from feasting on dandelions in the Czech Republic to cling on to each other in a tight embrace.  A meerkat appears to smile at the camera as it enjoys a loving cuddle from its furry friend in the sandy Kalahari Desert in Botswana   A loving pair of squirrels take a break from feasting on dandelions to show their affection for one another by holding on to each other in an adorable cuddle Two baby baboons are spotted by Michelle van der Walt, 45, enjoying a tight

Francis John Fane Marmion Dymoke is the 34th Lord of the Manor of Scrivelsby in Lincolnshire, where his family has resided since 1066, when an ancestor was given thousands of acres by William the Conqueror as a thank-you for services rendered at the Battle of Hastings. Today, he holds the feudal office of ‘Queen’s Champion’, a role that, theoretically, requires him to fight a duel to the death with anyone who challenges Her Majesty’s right to the throne and, in practice, gives him an important flag-bearing role at any Royal coronation. Yet this noble pedigree was sadly lost on the herd of roughly 30 cows that Francis and his wife Gail encountered in June, when they walked their labrador, Truffles, and spaniel, Stan, along picturesque footpaths near Louth. The animals began walking and then running towards the couple, seemingly angered by their pets. ‘I know from experience that if a cow charges at you, you drop the lead and let your dog run off,’ Francis later recalled. ‘The cow is mea

New South Wales on Monday recorded its tenth day in a row without a single case of COVID-19 community transmission. One case has been diagnosed in a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine, but Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the state's residents could not afford to let their guard down.  'Until there’s a vaccine and a treatment, we need to treat everybody as if they potentially have this virus,' he told Sunrise. 'Complacency could turn this thing upside down very quickly.'  Pictured: Revellers at Bondi Beach on Monday. New South Wales has recorded its tenth day in a row without a single case of COVID-19 community transmission Passengers at Sydney International Airport on September 24. 'Complacency could turn this thing upside down very quickly,' Health Minister Brad Hazzard said Health officials have also raised concerns about the low testing numbers for the virus in NSW - with just 4,789 tests being carried out over the last 24-hour reporting pe

Coronavirus does not appear to spread through surfaces such as door handles or light switches, research has suggested. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine at the University of California, said ‘the surface issue has essentially gone away’. She added that any virus left on surfaces was not usually strong enough to make people ill. A new study from the University of California suggests that the coronavirus doesn't spread through surfaces such as door handles This suggests that measures such as hand-washing and not touching your face are less important than social distancing and mask-wearing in preventing the spread of the virus. It also means that constantly spraying surfaces with antibacterial spray – as many have taken to doing during the pandemic – may be unnecessary.  Professor Gandhi told the US science website Nautilus: ‘It’s not through surfaces. ‘There was a lot of fear at the beginning of the pandemic about fomite transmission.  This suggests that measures such as hand-w

The army has been deployed in France and rescue teams are hunting for survivors in Italy after torrential rain and winds from Storm Alex left two dead and 20 missing.  Breil-sur-Roya, a French village close to the Italian border, was a scene of devastation with houses buried in mud and turned-over cars stuck in the riverbed. In northwestern Italy the 'historic' flooding destroyed a section of a bridge over the Sesia river.  French Prime Minister Jean Castex has deployed the army as 20 people on his side of the border remain unaccounted for after the flash floods washed away houses and triggered landslides. A pile of vehicles on a street in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France, on Sunday after extensive flooding caused widespread damage in the Alpes-Maritimes departement A partially submerged hatchback in mud and debris in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France on Sunday People arrive at Nice airport after being rescued by the 'Armee de Terre' from floods in the south of F