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4:10 AM

Crowds gather on a pilgrimage at the Kaaba, the birthplace of Prophet Mohammed, Mecca, July 1889. Devastating cholera outbreaks several times throughout the 19th century resulted in the suspension of pilgrimages, including Hajj in 1837 and 1846 [Hulton Archive/Getty Images]

Crowds gather on a pilgrimage at the Kaaba, the birthplace of Prophet Mohammed, Mecca, July 1889. Devastating cholera outbreaks several times throughout the 19th century resulted in the suspension of pilgrimages, including Hajj in 1837 and 1846 [Hulton Archive/Getty Images]


Coronavirus affects Ramadan on an unprecedented scale, but it's not the primary time Muslim traditions have had to adapt.The coronavirus pandemic has forced drastic changes across the planet - many of us face unemployment, travel plans are canceled and public places are empty as some work from home, practice social distancing, and self-isolate.
As most countries enforced restrictions on movement to curb the spread of the novel virus, at one point it had been estimated 3 billion people were under some sort of lockdown.
More:How will the coronavirus pandemic change Ramadan for Muslims?Tarawih amid coronavirus: Scholars involve home Ramadan prayersCoronavirus: Canada faith groups find ways to securely serveReligious groups have adjusted to the new realities, including Muslims.
The coronavirus pandemic will see the world's Muslim population - about 2 billion people - observe the holy month of Ramadan in new ways, refraining from social gatherings to interrupt fasts, abandoning communal prayers, and even providing charity at a distance.In most Muslim-majority nations, mosques have closed and Friday prayers, which gather up to thousands of worshippers at a time, are suspended.
Umrah - a mini-pilgrimage that takes place year-round at the Masjid al-Haram, or the Grand Mosque, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia was suspended indefinitely.
Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that Taraweeh, special Ramadan prayers at the Grand Mosque and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet Muhammad's mosque, in Medina, will happen, but with no public attendance.
Only mosque staff is expected to perform the nightly prayers, as recently reported.
These far-reaching steps are unusual within the 1400-year history of Islam, with no verifiable evidence to suggest mass gatherings are suspended on this scale during Ramadan.
But there are times when mass religious gatherings were partially or fully halted within the Muslim world.
"The closing of mosques or canceling mass gatherings ... went on repeatedly for various reasons," Mutaz Al-Khatib, professor at the research facility for Islamic Legislation and Ethics at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha, Qatar, told Al Jazeera, explaining that wars, natural disasters like floods, and epidemics have previously halted religious events.
Here are some examples through history when Muslims have changed traditions amid critical circumstances.
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8:37 AM


Demolition Man 2 is in development, Sylvester Stallone says. Set in a future where all violent crime has been eliminated, 1993’s original Marco Brambilla sci-fi film proved to be a perfect vehicle for Stallone, who at the time had seen his star wane after a series of disastrous movies.
Pairing Stallone with rising action star Wesley Snipes and relative unknown Sandra Bullock in the satiric Demolition Man indeed proved a winning formula, as the film grossed $159 million at the box office on a reported budget of $57 million. Now, nearly 30 years after its release, the film is widely regarded as a classic of action-comedy with its outrageous premise featuring Stallone and Snipes as cryogenically frozen artifacts of a more violent age who are reawakened into a world where violence is almost unknown (and even swearing is a fineable offense). Indeed, the film works almost as well as a commentary on ‘80s/’90s action tropes as it does as a straight-forward sci-fi action vehicle.
With the original film maintaining a special place in the hearts of ‘90s action fans, not to mention Stallone boosters, the actor says there has been talk of a follow-up. Speaking to fans in an Instagram Live session, Stallone answered a question about whether there’s a chance of a Demolition Man sequel happening and he replied (via ComicBook.com) "I think there is. We're working on it right now with Warner Bros. and it's looking fantastic. So that should come out, that's going to happen."
Stallone, of course, didn’t give any details about how far into development Demolition Man 2 maybe, so he maybe being a bit overly optimistic about its prospects for coming to fruition. However, if ever there was a time for a sequel to a well-remembered action film of Demolition Man’s period, now would be it. Hollywood indeed has recently been churning out such nostalgia-heavy delayed sequels, with follow-ups to Top Gun, Space Jam, Ghostbusters, Bill and Ted, Avatar, Indiana Jones, and Jackass all headed for screens.
What an actual Demolition Man sequel would look like is anyone’s guess, but there’s definitely a rich vein of material there to be mined, given the world-building that was already done in the first movie. Of course, any sequel would have to address the biggest question from the first movie: how exactly do the three seashells work? Taco Bell certainly would also have to be on-board for heavy product placement (assuming the new movie’s deeper dive into the future still had room for cheap Mexican food). There’s no question that an on-screen reunion for the team of Stallone, Snipes, and Bullock would be well-appreciated, though of course, the death of Snipes’ character in the original movie would have to be addressed (cloning would be an obvious way out of that particular hole).
With any luck, Stallone isn’t simply engaging in wishful thinking when he talks of Demolition Man 2 being something that is “going to happen." It, of course, is very hard to know what announced or rumored projects have a realistic shot at coming to fruition given all the uncertainty gripping the entertainment industry as the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold.
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8:32 AM


Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar also said he would like to coach Kolkata Knight Riders for whom he played in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League.

Shoiab Akhtar said Indian fans enjoyed his performance during the 1998 tour (AFP Photo)
Shoiab Akhtar said Indian fans enjoyed his performance during the 1998 tour (AFP Photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Shoaib Akhtar said he would like to coach Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL
  • Akhtar also recalled his early rivalry with Sachin Tendulkar
  • Akhtar said Indian fans loved his performances during the 1998 tour
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said he is open to the idea of becoming the bowling coach of Team India if an offer comes his way in the future.
Shoaib Akhtar, in his latest interview on social networking app 'Hello', said he has always been willing to share his knowledge with the younger generation and that he will work towards producing more aggressive fast bowlers who are not afraid of engaging with the opposition batsmen.
When asked if he would accept a bowling coach role for India if it came his way, Akhtar said: "I will definitely. My job is to spread knowledge. What I have learned is (ILM) knowledge and I will spread it. I will produce more aggressive, fast, and more talkative bowlers than the current ones who will tell-off the batsmen in a way that you will enjoy a lot."
Shoaib Akhtar also said he would like to 'coach Kolkata Knight Riders' if an opportunity comes his way. Notably, Akhtar as part of KKR during the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Pakistan fast bowler played 3 matches and picked up 5 wickets, which includes a 4-wicket haul.
People enjoyed my performance in India: Akhtar recalls 1998 series
Meanwhile, Akhtar also recalled his early meeting with Sachin Tendulkar, during Pakistan's tour of India in 1998. Akhtar said he did not know how popular Tendulkar was and that time but that the Indian crowds enjoyed his performance on the tour.

"I had seen him but didn't know how big a name he was in India. In Chennai, I got to know that he was known as a god in India. Mind you, he is a very good friend of mine. In 1998, when I bowled as fast as I could, the Indian public celebrated with me. I have a big fan following in India," Akhtar said.
Only recently, Akhtar had spoken about his rivalry with Tendulkar, saying that Indians often remember the six the latter hit in the 2003 World Cup match between India and Pakistan.
"Sachin has been a very, very close friend of mine. He's a tremendous guy, very humble. He's been the greatest batsman, but I might have dismissed him 12-13 times (8) in matches," Akhtar had said.
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8:28 AM
A nurse works on a computer while treating patients with coronavirus in the intensive care unit at a hospital on May 1, 2020, in Leonardtown, Maryland. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
  • The recent coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
  • Known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus has resulted in more than 3.5 million infections and 247,000 deaths.
  • The SARS-CoV-2 infection causes a respiratory illness called COVID-19.
  • COVID-19 has now been reported on every continent except Antarctica.
  • Keep up to date with the latest research and information about COVID-19 here.
05/04/2020 15:30 GMT — The first drug to treat COVID-19 gets emergency approval from the FDA
The FDA issued emergency authorization for the use of the antiviral drug redeliver to treat “severe” forms of COVID-19.
According to the FDA, patients with “severe disease” are those with “low blood oxygen levels or needing oxygen therapy or more intensive breathing support, such as a mechanical ventilator.”
Penny Ward, Visiting Professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King’s College London, U.K., comments on the development, along with other experts.
She explains, “The FDA approved this product on the basis [of its] proven in vitro antiviral effect against SARS-CoV-2, animal data documenting in vivo efficacy against COVID-19 infection, and a clinical trial conducted by the National Institutes of Health in which receipt of remdesivir decreased the time taken to recover from COVID-19 and reduced mortality by ~30%.”
05/04/2020 14:00 GMT — COVID-19 still a ‘public health emergency of international concern,’ Emergency Committee tells WHO
The WHO director-general convened the third meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday, April 30.
The committee unanimously agreed that COVID-19 still represents a “public health emergency of international concern” and issued a list of guidelines for the WHO and other parties and states.
The recommendations for the WHO included working with “fragile states and vulnerable countries” that need additional support and liaising with key organizations to find the animal origin of the virus and identify the route of transmission to humans.
The committee also recommended that the WHO focus on supporting countries in an effort to manage the “unintended consequences of public health measures” such as the spike in gender-based violence and child neglect.
Furthermore, the committee advised the WHO to support governments in continuing to provide essential health services throughout the COVID-19 response period, which is likely to extend. These services include but are not limited to, vaccination, reproductive health care, mental health services, and care for vulnerable populations, such as older adults and children.
Finally, the committee asked the WHO to clarify testing strategies and help countries increase their testing capacities and update their travel and trade recommendations.
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8:22 AM
Sign in J Crew shop windowImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionJ Crew's stores are closed because of coronavirus
Fashion firm J Crew has filed for bankruptcy protection, making it the first big US retailer to fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the terms of the filing, its main creditors are set to take control of the group in exchange for canceling debts of $1.65bn (£1.3bn).
They are also providing about $400m of fresh financing to keep J Crew's operations afloat.
Its 500 stores have been closed by the pandemic and some will not reopen.
However, the firm has not yet disclosed how many outlets will disappear.
Control of the group will now pass into the hands of Anchorage Capital Group, GSO Capital Partners, and Davidson Kempner Capital Management, which hold large amounts of its debt.
Twins wearing J Crew jumpersImage copyright CREW
As well as J Crew, the group also owns denim clothing specialist Madewell, which it had planned to spin off as a separate entity before the outbreak of the virus.
J Crew chief executive Jan Singer described the move as a "comprehensive financial restructuring" aimed at allowing the business "to thrive for years to come".
"Throughout this process, we will continue to provide our customers with the exceptional merchandise and service they expect from us, and we will continue all day-to-day operations, albeit under these extraordinary Covid-19-related circumstances," she added.

'A millstone'

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, said J Crew was profitable at the operating level, but its "crippling" long-term debt "sits on the company's balance sheet like a millstone around its neck".
He said that although the restructuring would give the firm breathing space, it had to address the perception of many shoppers that its clothes were "both boring and bad value for money".
He added: "This process gives the company a chance to survive. However, that survival is not just dependent on reduced debt; it requires a reinvention of the J Crew brand."
Even before the advent of coronavirus, big retailers were suffering in the US, with the rise of online shopping and the decline of shopping malls taking their toll.
Department store chains including Sears and JC Penney - long seen as bellwethers of US retail - have been struggling to survive in recent years, with clothing sales falling particularly sharply.
Sears had 700 stores across the US when it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018. Although it survived, it now has fewer than 200 outlets.
JC Penney has been ailing for some time. It used to have more than 1,000 locations but now has about 850.
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8:20 AM
Iran to reopen mosques in low-risk coronavirus areas
TEHRAN (AA): Iran will reopen mosques in districts that saw a decline in the number of coronavirus infections as of Monday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said.
Addressing a virus task force meeting on Sunday, Rouhani said mosques will be reopened in 132 towns and cities labeled “white” or “low-risk” areas, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
“Today, we decided to reopen mosques and Friday prayers congregations as of tomorrow in 132 towns and cities which are regarded as ‘white’ areas, or ‘low-risk’ areas as some put it,” he said.
Rouhani, however, called on Iranians to continue following social distancing rules.
“Let me put it this way. Two acts are being done at mosques: an obligatory act and a religiously rewarding act. When worshippers maintain their distances, they are doing an obligatory action,” he said.
“When they are saying their prayers at the mosque, they are doing a religiously rewarding action. In terms of priority, maintaining one’s social distance is more important than attending mass prayers at the mosque, which is a religiously rewarding act.”
With 6,156 deaths, Iran is one of the Mideast countries hardest hit by a coronavirus, which was first detected in the city of Qom on Feb. 19, and then spread throughout the country.
The government did not impose a total lockdown as seen in many other countries, but did close educational institutions and banned cultural, religious, and sports gatherings.
Authorities, meanwhile, have in phases since April 11 allowed the reopening of businesses closed as part of measures to contain the spread of the virus.
COVID-19 cases have been reported in 187 countries and regions since it emerged in Wuhan, China last December, with the US and Europe the hardest-hit areas.
The pandemic has killed more than 244,000 people, with total infections at almost 3.45 million, while just over a million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

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