VIENNA: Austrian oil, gas and chemicals group OMV has fired an executive over allegations of spying for Russia and a Russian diplomat has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Vienna as a result of the affair, news magazine Profil reported.
Profil magazine said the OMV employee allegedly attracted attention through meetings with a Russian diplomat suspected by Western intelligence services of being an agent of Russia’s domestic intelligence service FSB.
The magazine said that Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence had been monitoring the OMV executive, who was not identified, for several months.
OMV told Reuters it had terminated the employee’s contract with immediate effect and the company was cooperating fully with the relevant authorities.
“For data protection reasons, we cannot comment on further details regarding individual employment relationships,” an OMV spokesman said.
The Austrian Foreign Ministry told Reuters it was aware of the allegations and the pending criminal proceedings against a Russian diplomat.
The chargé d’affaires of the Russian embassy in Vienna has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry, and asked to waive the diplomat’s immunity.
“Otherwise, he would have been considered persona non grata and would have to leave Austria,” the Ministry told Reuters.
The Russian Foreign Ministry could not be reached for comment.
Austrian energy executive fired over alleged Russian spying links — magazine report says
https://arab.news/y3cmk
Austrian energy executive fired over alleged Russian spying links — magazine report says
- The OMV employee allegedly attracted attention through meetings with a Russian diplomat
- OMV told Reuters it had terminated the employee’s contract with immediate effect
Indonesia’s new state mosque to hold first Eid prayers this year
- Mosque is located in Nusantara Capital City on Borneo island, a $32bn project set for 2045 completion
- Famous sculptor Nyoman Nuarta designed mosque, other government structures in new capital
JAKARTA: The state mosque in Indonesia’s planned new capital city, Nusantara, will hold its inaugural Eid Al-Fitr prayer this year, as the $62 million facility opens for its first run of Ramadan programs.
The Indonesian government has plans to relocate the capital to Borneo island to replace the overcrowded and sinking Jakarta on Java island, with the $32 billion megaproject scheduled for completion in 2045.
With a capacity of about 60,000 people, the mosque in East Kalimantan opened to the public last month, at the beginning of Ramadan.
“This mosque symbolizes that we are building the Nusantara Capital City with careful attention to spiritual, social and environmental aspects,” Troy Pantouw, spokesperson for the Nusantara Capital City Authority — the agency overseeing the new capital city — told Arab News on Saturday.
“We will hold Eid Al-Fitr prayers here and we are hoping that it would mark a historic momentum of unity here at Nusantara Capital City.”
Locally known as Masjid Negara, construction of the state mosque began in 2024. Its design was spearheaded by Balinese sculptor Nyoman Nuarta at the request of former President Joko Widodo.
Nuarta is one of Indonesia’s most famous visual artists and creator of the country’s tallest statue, Garuda Wisnu Kencana, located in Bali.
The 72-year-old is also the designer behind other main structures in Nusantara, including the new state palace.
This Ramadan marked many firsts for Masjid Negara, including its first taraweeh on Feb. 18, which was attended by thousands of worshippers in East Kalimantan.
In the same complex where the state mosque is located, the government has plans to build Christian churches, and Buddhist, Hindu and Confucian temples.
Indonesia, home to the world’s largest population of Muslims, officially recognizes Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism as religions.
“A church is now being built in the complex, and in the future there will also be houses of worship belonging to other religions. This reflects Nusantara’s values of harmony and respect,” Pantouw said.
“From the start, this area was designed to represent inter-religious harmony. We want the Nusantara Capital City to stand as a concrete example of how physical developments can be parallel to efforts to build tolerance in society.”
