Hajj pilgrimage kicks off in Mecca's Grand Mosque

More than a million pilgrims joined Islam's most important rite under a beating sun on Wednesday in Mecca's Grand Mosque, as the hajj kicked off with the Saudi hosts scrambling to avoid last year's 1,000-plus deaths in sweltering heat. Authorities have ratcheted up heat protection measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when 1,301 people died as temperatures hit 51.8C.