The Short List: A tragedy near Mecca; pope powers on to New York; Vladimir Putin gives Elton John a ring

Luke Skywalker · Sep 24, 2015

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Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims make their way to cast stones at a pillar symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called "Jamarat," the last rite of the annual hajj, on the first day of Eid al-Adha, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 24, 2015.(Photo: Mosa'ab Elshamy, AP)

Devastating tragedy hits the hajj —*again
They were only 3 miles from the holy city of Mecca when tragedy struck Thursday in Mina, Saudi Arabia. A stampede broke out, killing more than 700 people and injuring more than 800. It's not the first time the annual hajj pilgrimage has been marred by a fatal incident, and as 2 million pilgrims participate*each year, it's unlikely to be the last. What's the hajj? It's an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. All adult Muslims who are capable of making the journey — physically and financially — must complete it at least once. When is it? The date of the hajj is determined by the Islamic calendar, which is a lunar year. This year's hajj began Tuesday and ends Saturday. Why do people die? It depends. Saudi Arabia's health minister blamed Thursday's tragedy on "undisciplined pilgrims" who hadn't followed instructions. But it’s not just the risk of stampedes that make completing the hajj dangerous. In the past, hundreds have been killed in fires and violent unrest. And just this year, the World Health Organization warned that the hajj could spread the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus. What's next? Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, spokesman for Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry, says King Salman has ordered a committee investigation into the incident.

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More than 450 people were killed and over 700 injured in a stampede Thursday during the annual hajj pilgrimage just outside Mecca, Saudi officials said. The civil defense directorate said teams were leading pilgrims to safety and that rescue operati USA TODAY

Pope Francis kissed*babies, addressed*Congress*and zipped*around Washington in awesome rides. Next up:*New York
While Pope Francis spoke Thursday to a joint session of a Congress, a historic first, we also learned more about one of the children he kissed during his enchanting popemobile ride Wednesday through Washington.*Sophie Cruz, 5, had a crayon-scrawled letter and a message for the pope: "I would like to ask you to speaking with the president and Congress in legalizing my parents because every day I am scared they will take them away from me." Meanwhile, back at the Capitol,*the pontiff had a message of his own on immigration: "Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the second World War," he told Congress. (Here's the full text of his speech, a powerful read.) After leaving the Capitol, and tootling again through D.C. in his papal Fiat, Francis headed to New York, where two NYPD policemen, Officer Pope and Officer Francis (among others, of course), were ready to greet him. Here's his full schedule for the next several days.

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Watch 5-year-old Sophie Cruz's father lift her over a barrier to run to Pope Francis in what's become the most memorable moment of the pontiff's visit. She delivers a message pleading with him to ask Congress to legalize her immigrant parents. Josheph Reblando

Just hours before Pope Francis lands in New York City, two New York City police department officers named “Pope” and “Francis” tweeted that the city is ready for the pope. The NYPD 19th Precinct tweeted a photo of their badges with a special message to the pope.*(Photo: NYPD, Photo by Officer Pope)

Not the kind of record we want to see broken
The amount of land burned by wildfires in the U.S. this year has*surpassed 9 million acres, according to data released Thursday.*That's roughly equivalent to the size of New Jersey and Connecticut combined.*This is only the fourth time on record the country has reached the 9 million-acre mark, the*National Interagency Fire Center says. More shocking:*All of the record-setting years for acres burned have occurred just since 2000. The worst year was in 2006, when*9.8 million acres burned. In 2007 and 2012, 9.3 million acres were burned. If an additional*800,000 acres are burned this year, an all-time record would be set. We're hoping that doesn't happen.
Kinder, gentler*Putin: Reachin' out and takin'*names since 2015
Hold the phone! Russian President Vladimir Putin*called Elton John on Thursday — for real!*The former KGB officer — who doesn't exactly have a reputation for being a big*human rights champion —*agreed to meet with the pop legend on LGBT issues in Russia. Putin's gesture comes a week after the musician posted on Instagram, thanking Putin for calling him to discuss gay rights. That call turned out to be a fake. To recap:*John has*publicly criticized Russia for its anti-gay laws*and Putin in particular for comments suggesting that gays prey on children. Never one to let barriers stand in the way of understanding, Putin reached out. Still riding his wave of magnanimity, Putin will meet President Obama*on Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Relations between the U.S. and Russia have been frosty over Russia's activities in Ukraine*and Syria. But we're sure that the*call to Elton John —*the real one —*also showed the Russian leader's softer side, like the one we see in this video.*Can we get a hug, Vlad?
Speaking of Russia: There's a new twist in a century-old royal murder case
The truth is often stranger than Russian fiction: The well-traveled bones of Czar Nicholas II and his wife are being exhumed and their 1918 murder case reopened. This is complicated, so let's start at the beginning.*Nicholas II, his wife and their five children were gunned down where they were being held by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution. In 1991, the remains of the czar, his wife*and three of their children were uncovered and DNA testing confirmed their identity. (They were laid to rest in 1998 in St. Petersburg and canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.) So what happened to the two other children? That's the mystery. Rumors had persisted that they escaped, though the legend seemed to be put to rest when, in 2007, bone fragments were found in a nearby grave. And although forensic experts confirmed that the fragments*did belong to the children, the church wants to be super sure before it buries them alongside the rest of the royal family, hence the new investigation. Nearly a century later, this case could finally be closed.
Hey!*Give 'The Short List' audio version a listen!

This 1914 file photo shows Russian Czar Nicholas II (C-L) with his wife Tsarina Alexandra (Top, right) his four daughters and son. Eighty years after Russia's last Tsar and his family were executed, their much-disputed bones were to be placed in small wooden coffins 15 July and readied for a state burial alongside their royal ancestors. R*(Photo: AFP)

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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.
Contributing:*Jane Onyanga-Omara, John Bacon, Aamer Madhani, Susan Miller, Christine Rushton, Paul Singer, Maria Puente, David Jackson, Oren Dorell, Doyle Rice, USA TODAY;*Garrett W. Haake, WUSA-TV;*Mary Bowerman, USA TODAY Network; Anna Arutunyan, Special for USA TODAY; the Associated Press.*
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The Short List: A tragedy near Mecca; pope powers on to New York; Vladimir Putin gives Elton John a ring

Luke Skywalker

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