Author: Editorial Team

VIENNA — A 21-year-old Austrian man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for planning an attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna during the US singer’s Eras tour in August 2024. The man, named only as Beran A in line with Austrian privacy laws, was also found guilty of a string of other terrorism-related offenses. Beran A, whose last name has not been made public in accordance with Austrian privacy rules, was arrested on August 7, 2024, after a tip-off from the CIA just before the first of three sold-out Taylor Swift concerts was due to take…

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday declined to halt an executive order President Donald Trump signed in March creating a federal voter list and limiting mail voting, clearing the way for potential sweeping changes in how American elections are run shortly before this year’s midterm vote. US District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, rejected the request by Democrats and civil rights groups that had argued Trump’s order would likely be found unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules. The decision allows the Trump administration to continue pursuing…

Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif Al Alsheikh stressed the importance of adhering to the approach of moderation and balance in religious discourse, rejecting violence and extremism, and promoting the values of tolerance and compassion in accordance with the Holy Quran and the Sunnah, emphasizing the need to apply this approach in both word and deed.  This came during his meeting today at the ministry headquarters in Mina with a number of muftis, scholars, presidents of universities, and heads of Islamic associations and centers from Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, Brazil, and the Netherlands, who are hosted under…

ROME — Anti-mafia investigators in Italy have seized cash, companies and other assets worth more than €200 million ($232 million)in an operation they say targeted the network of notorious late Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro. Messina Denaro was arrested in 2023 after spending 30 years on the run for his role in the Sicilian Cosa Nostra mafia’s war against the state between the 1980s and 1990s, which included the killing of top prosecutor Giovanni Falcone. Nicknamed “U Siccu” (the skinny one), Messina Denaro died of cancer a few months after his arrest, leaving prosecutors with the task of tracking…

PARIS — Portugal has set a new hottest day in May with 40.3C recorded in the central town of Mora, as countries in western Europe grapple with sweltering-hot weather. The temperature recorded on Wednesday bests Portugal’s previous record of 40C set in May 2001. The extreme temperatures come as a UN-backed report warns Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, heating more than twice as fast as the global average. Large parts of western and central Europe are in the grip of an extraordinary heatwave phase, with many places registering temperatures 10 to 15 degrees Celsius higher than normal. Several European…

Oftentimes one may find themselves too shy to even admit they want to give something like acting a go, because of all the preconceived notions that cling to the art form. But say you fight those inner voices and arrive at a place of simple wanting: to try acting the way you might try dancing, or singing, or any other art that lets your body and voice hold what your everyday life can’t always express. You make it to that workshop. You stand in front of strangers, you let your vulnerability show, you feel something shift inside you. Then, the…

The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, represented by the Holy Makkah Municipality, carried out more than 29,000 health and food safety inspections during the 1447 AH Hajj season, including visits to catering kitchens and food establishments across Makkah and the holy sites, alongside testing over 5,000 food samples through mobile and fixed laboratories to ensure food safety for pilgrims.  The ministry said inspections covered central markets, storage sites, and catering facilities, supported by field campaigns aimed at strengthening food safety compliance. Operations relied on five mobile laboratories, 10 on-site testing devices, and nearly 40 inspection vehicles, enabling rapid verification and…

BEIRUT — Israel has issued evacuation orders for large parts of southern Lebanon, declaring the areas “combat zones” ahead of fresh strikes against Hezbollah. Israel’s military has told residents across a swathe of southern Lebanon to leave and head north of the Zahrani River, as Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces were escalating their offensive against Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a post on social media that all areas south of the Zahrani River, which runs about 40km north of the de facto Israel-Lebanon border, were considered combat zones. It is the largest evacuation order since the ceasefire…

The Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque has activated the ‘Answering the Inquirers’ service inside the Grand Mosque around the clock as part of its awareness and enrichment plan for the 1447 AH Hajj season, with the aim of enabling pilgrims to perform their rituals with ease and tranquility and facilitating access to fatwas and religious guidance through direct and digital channels.  The service is provided through field locations distributed across the corridors and courtyards of the Grand Mosque, supervised by a number of participating scholars involved in guidance and counseling activities to answer…

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has threatened to use military force against Oman if it collaborates with Iran to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow them up,” Trump said during a cabinet meeting, responding to a reporter’s question about the strait. Quickly after making the threat, Trump said he didn’t believe the United States would have to take such an action. “They understand that. They’ll be fine,” he said. Iran has discussed partnering with Oman in a system charging fees for vessels passing through the Strait…