Unveiling Hidden Facts

While most Muslims fly, drive or sail from across the world to perform the hajj in Makkah, a Pakistani man made the trip in a far more traditional manner; travelling on foot from Pakistan to Islam’s holiest city in Saudi Arabia. Kharlzada Kasrat Rai, 37, began his trip from Karachi on June 7, travelling 6,387 kilometers (3,968 miles) through Iran, Iraq and Jordan on foot. (Photo courtesy: Facebook) He arrived in Makkah on Oct. 1 to a hero’s welcome. Kasrat Rai was received by Saudi government officials and a representative of the holy Ka’aba’s imam in addition to members of Makkah’s Pakistani community and supporters from various Muslim countries.The two-time holder of the World Record for Peace Walks told Al Arabiya News that the aim behind his almost three-month journey was to deliver a “message of peace” to the world and to “condemn terrorism at all levels. “I want peace in the world, equality, and a union of the Muslim Ummah like the European Union,” he said. In 2007, he walked 1,9

After a delayed start, a former British policeman aiming to swim across the Atlantic finally set off Sunday from Senegal, bound for Brazil more than 1,900 miles (3,000km) away. “Here we go,” said 38-year-old Ben Hooper, as he tugged on his goggles and said goodbye to loved ones and supporters on the beach of a hotel in Hann Bay, in the east of Dakar. “To the whole world thank you very much for your support,” he said, before striding into the waves at the start of the record-breaking attempt, expected to take nearly five months.The father and former police officer from Gloucestershire was supposed to leave Africa’s western coast from Dakar, Senegal at the start of November but delayed his departure due to a problem with the support vessel. He postponed it again several times, until actually setting off on Sunday. He has been preparing for over three years for the immense journey that will see him swim up to 10 hours a day across the Atlantic. “It has been a long time coming,” he said.Ho

There is a popular misconception that the White House was first painted white to cover the scorch marks left by British soldierswho burned the house on August 24, 1814. In fact, the White House first received a lime-based whitewash in 1798 to protect its sandstone exterior from moisture and cracking during winter freezes. The term “White House” was occasionally used in newspapers and periodicals throughout the nineteenth century, but most journalists, citizens, and visitors referred to it as either the “President’s House” or the “Executive Mansion.” On October 17, 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary George B. Cortelyou sent a letter to Secretary of State John Hay. At Roosevelt’s direction, Cortelyou asked Secretary Hay and his staff to change “the headings, or date lines, of all official papers and documents requiring his [Roosevelt’s] signature, from ‘Executive Mansion’ to ‘White House.’” Similar directives were sent to other cabinet secretaries, and Roosevelt changed the p

Two presidents and three first ladies have died at the White House. President William Henry Harrison died on April 4, 1841, just one month after his Inauguration.  Historians have long believed that Harrison died from pneumonia, but recent scholarship has suggested that he succumbed to enteric or typhoid fever.  also died at the White House on July 9, 1850, after suffering a stomach illness that was likely cholera or some other gastrointestinal illness. Three first ladies have died at the White House.  died on September 10, 1842 following a stroke.  died of tuberculosis on October 25, 1892. On August 6, 1914,  passed away after battling Bright’s Disease. Although Harrison and Taylor are the only two presidents to die at the White House,  (cardiovascular event/heart attack) and  (cerebral hemorrhage) also died in office. There were also four presidents who died by assassination—Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. In total, seven presidents have laid i

Ukraine will never forgive the Russian troops responsible for alleged atrocities in Bucha, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said, as the town near Kyiv marked the anniversary of its recapture after 33 days of occupation in 2022. The leaders of Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia travelled to Ukraine on Friday to take part in commemorative events, the Croatian government said. Turkey’s parliament has approved a bill to allow Finland to join Nato, clearing the way for Helsinki to join the western defence alliance. The Turkish parliament was the last among the 30 members of the alliance to ratify Finland’s membership, after Hungary’s legislature approved a similar bill this week. Sweden’s Nato bid faces objections from Ankara over claims it is harbouring what it considers members of terrorist groups. Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian president, has said he has intensified talks with Russia about deploying tactical nuclear weapons in his country, alleging there were plans to invade Belarus from neigh

A former White House official died as a result of severe turbulence on a private business jet that was diverted Friday to Connecticut, according to authorities and the deceased woman's public resume. A Bombardier CL30 jet departing from Dillant-Hopkins Airport in Keene, New Hampshire, heading to Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia was diverted to the Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks around 4 p.m. Friday after "encountering severe turbulence," the Federal Aviation Administration wrote in a statement to CNN. That turbulence "resulted in fatal injuries" to one passenger, the National Transportation Safety Board wrote on Twitter. Three passengers and two crew members were onboard the private jet, the NTSB wrote in a statement to CNN. The conditions of the other people are not known. The person who died was Dana Hyde, Connecticut State Police said. She served for eight years in the Obama administration and was previously an official at the State Depa