Once a year, large numbers of Muslim pilgrims converging on Saudi Arabia unite in religious rituals and acts of worship as they perform the Hajj, one of the pillars of Islam. They fulfill a religious obligation, immersing themselves in what can be a spiritual experience of a lifetime for them and a chance to seek God's forgiveness and the erasure of past sins.

Here's a look at the pilgrimage and its significance to Muslims.

Saudi Arabia stopped more than 269,000 people without permits for the annual Hajj pilgrimage from entering Mecca, officials said Sunday, as authorities crack down on illegal journeys into the city.

The government blames overcrowding at the Hajj on unauthorized participants. It also says they made up large numbers of those who died in last year's searing summer heat.

For the fourth French Open in a row, tournament director Amélie Mauresmo was asked about a lack of women's matches during the tournament's night sessions — there was one in 2022, one in 2023, zero in 2024 and, as of Friday, zero in 2025.

And for the fourth French Open in a row, Mauresmo dismissed the issue, saying at a news conference Friday, when she also was pressed about placing women's matches in the noon slot at Court Philippe-Chatrier, when attendance tends to be sparse: "The funny thing is that it's the same questions, year after year."

In Japan, bobtail cats are considered good luck and Nagasaki is the place to find them.

They are known as "omagari neko (bent-tail cats)" or "kagi neko (hook cats)" and have their own society of admirers and even a dedicated Shinto shrine.

Pope Leo XIV visited the papal summer palace south of Rome on Thursday as questions swirled whether he will use it himself to escape the heat or follow in Pope Francis' footsteps and keep the hilltop estate as a museum and environmental center.

Leo paid a visit to the Borgo Laudato Si, an educational sustainability project that grew out of Francis' 2015 environmental encyclical "Praised Be," the Vatican said. The center is located in the gardens of the Vatican's Castel Gandolfo property on Lake Alban in the hills south of Rome.

Artificial intelligence will encourage more people to create music in the future and is not a threat to the industry, the founder and CEO of streaming giant Spotify said.

Artists using machine-learning tools to produce music have given rise to concerns about whether AI-generated music -- even entirely fake artists -- could one day replace human artists.

They lined up to see her, silent and wonderstruck: Inside an open silver casket was Saint Teresa of Ávila, more than 440 years after her death.

Catholic worshippers have been flocking to Alba de Tormes, a town ringed by rolling pastures in western Spain where the remains of the Spanish saint, mystic and 16th-century religious reformer were on display this month.

The Roman basilica of the Augustinians — Pope Leo XIV's religious order — preserves an iconic painting of the Virgin Mary by Caravaggio, the blockbuster artist who revolutionized the use of light and darkness in Western art.

A new exhibit of works by the Baroque painter is now on view in Rome until July 6, allowing for an updated look at his connection with spirituality.

In Beddawi Camp, North Lebanon, Ghazal walks into her new classroom with a big smile. "It’s bright. We have a nice playground," says the 5th grader. "I’m happy to be here every day."

The 10-year-old’s joy is shared by hundreds of children in the camp benefiting from improved schools, as well as thousands of refugees across Palestine Refugee Camps who now have safer infrastructure and better access to clean water.

Salman Rushdie said Monday he was "pleased" with the maximum 25-year jail sentence handed to a man who tried to kill him with a knife at a New York cultural center in 2022.

"I was pleased that he got the maximum available, and hopefully he uses it to reflect upon his deeds," Rushdie told BBC radio in an interview.