It reiterated that pilgrims require a Haj visa and it can be obtained through recognised official channels
Andy Ridley said the ‘I Will If You Will’ campaign, launched in 2012 in 13 countries, is expected to expand its geographic reach almost fourfold this year, strengthening the group’s impact beyond an annual lights-out event.
‘Last year we rolled out ‘I Will If You Will’ to 13 countries and territories so it’s basically a pilot project to see if it would work,’ Ridley told journalists in Singapore.
‘It worked. So this year, instead of 13, it will be at least 50, we already have at least 50 countries confirmed.’
Last year the campaign spurred a 120,000-strong petition in Russia that galvanised parliament to pass a law protecting the seas from oil pollution.
Former Botswana president Festus Mogae also pledged to plant one million indigenous trees in four years.
The countries involved last year included Singapore, Sweden, Hong Kong and the United States. This year’s participating countries include Australia, Britain and South Korea, with celebrities expected to make pledges.
Singapore-based Earth Hour’s headline campaign is an annual lights-out activity to underscore energy conservation. It was observed in 7,000 cities and towns in 152 countries and territories last year, the group said.
This year’s Earth Hour is scheduled for March 23 at 8:30 pm in participating locations.
Ridley, speaking at the global launch of Earth Hour 2013, said the Asia-Pacific region gives the movement its strongest support.
‘Asia-Pacific, as a region, is by far the strongest, and Latin America is probably the second,’ he said.
‘Many campaigns are based out of Europe and based out of the US, Earth Hour is not and maybe that’s a really good strength for us.’
It reiterated that pilgrims require a Haj visa and it can be obtained through recognised official channels
The 18-year-old was taken to hospital in a serious condition
The brothers, who say they are innocent, are accused of having formed an organised criminal network in early 2021 in Romania, as well as in the US and Britain
The left-handed batter scored 3369 runs in 136 one-day internationals and 2893 in 140 Twenty20 internationals — both Pakistan records
Food supplies were distributed to 80 households
On January 31, a heart was airlifted from Delhi to Chennai, paving the way for Ayesha Rashid's life-saving surgery
The online retailer, which is headquartered in Singapore, has said it has around 108 million monthly active users in the 27-nation EU
The baby girl named Rouh, meaning Soul, suffered respiratory problems and a weak immune system, a doctor at the Emirati Hospital in Rafah said