Athens News - News from Athens, the political, economic and cultural centre of Greece, the European Union and the whole world

A huge blast at a Qatar gas hub killed 13 people and injured 66 others, the state's energy minister said on Monday, providing an update on one of the deadliest ever accidents at a Gulf energy facility.

The number of people exposed to dangerous heat stress worldwide has risen sharply over the last half century propelled by climate change, according to a study released on Monday as Europe sweltered through a punishing heatwave.

England captain Maro Itoje has been rested for the forthcoming Tests against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina, with Jamie George taking over as stand-in skipper.

An interstellar comet that blazed past the Sun last year could be nearly three times older than our Solar System and is unlike anything ever before seen in our cosmic backyard, astronomers said Monday.

Antoine Semenyo knows better than most what to expect from England at the World Cup, as the Ghana forward seeks to lead the Black Stars to a surprise win over the country of his birth.

Manchester United have secured the majority of the land needed to build their proposed new 100,000-capacity stadium.

Two children were found dead in a car in France on Monday as the country experienced the hottest day yet in its latest heatwave, with temperatures forecast to reach 43C.

The United States temporarily suspended sanctions on Iranian oil on Monday after Vice President JD Vance said Iran would let UN nuclear inspectors return to the country, following talks in Switzerland.

Two children were found dead in a car in France on Monday as much of Europe sweltered through an intense heatwave, with national authorities issuing danger warnings and taking special measures to reduce the impact of the high temperatures.

Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson will face no further action over the nightclub incident that prompted their exile from missing last week's second Test against New Zealand.

Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was handed a four-year suspension on Monday for refusing an anti-doping test.

Claude Le Roy, 78, has been appointed the new coach of the Republic of Congo, the federation announced on Monday with a brief to take the team, which did not qualify for the World Cup, to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Giovanni Malago, who headed the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, became the man charged with revitalising Italian football on Monday after being elected head of the country's football federation (FIGC).

Defender Nico Schlotterbeck is out of the World Cup after injuring a left-ankle ligament, the German Football association (DFB) announced on Monday.

If Iranian funds are ever unfrozen under a deal to end the Middle East war, Washington can make sure that the money does not finance terrorism, US Vice President JD Vance insisted Monday.

US President JD Vance declared Monday that a "very good foundation" had been laid for negotiations towards a final deal with Iran, after a marathon session of direct talks at a mountain-top resort Switzerland.

Belgian media on Monday lambasted the Red Devils' lacklustre scoreless World Cup draw against Iran, with the team's ageing stars drawing scorn from newspapers.

Oil prices fell Monday on optimism over talks by the US and Iran after mediators flagged a "roadmap" to a final agreement, while major stock markets traded mixed.

UK leader Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday following months of pressure, kickstarting a process that will see Britain get its seventh prime minister in a decade.

France and Germany announced Monday a deal for the joint governance of arms maker KNDS, paving the way for a blockbuster share offering as they seek to reinvigorate faltering European defence cooperation.

Here are the latest developments on Europe's heatwave:

France was set on Monday to experience the hottest day yet in its latest heatwave after a sweltering night, with a peak of 43C expected in the southwest.

UK leader Keir Starmer swept to power in 2024, handing his centre-left Labour party a landslide victory over the Conservatives.

Carrying their boards past tents and bombed-out buildings, a group of Gazan surfers headed for the sea, seeking solace in the waves despite the risk of Israeli attacks.

MEXC, a pioneer in 0-fee digital asset trading, will list Arcium (ARX) in the Innovation Zone, opening trading for ARX/USDT and ARX/USDC pairs on June 22, 2026, at 12:00 and 12:20 (UTC). To celebrate the listing, MEXC has launched an Airdrop+ event, offering users the opportunity to share 70,000 USDT in rewards.

British no-frills airline EasyJet has rejected three informal takeover proposals from a US private equity firm, the latest totalling nearly £5 billion ($6.6 billion), the two sides revealed Monday.

Thirteen people died by drowning in searing temperatures in France over the weekend, with the heatwave set to intensify from Monday across much of Europe, forcing warnings and special measures.

Iran's senior envoys left talks in Switzerland on Monday after a marathon negotiating session with the United States, state media reported, as mediators claimed progress towards a definitive US-Iran deal.

UK leader Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday following months of pressure, kickstarting a process that will see Britain get its seventh prime minister in a decade.

Lights off. Doors closed. Coffee lovers across South Korea were left craving their fix on Monday as more than 2,000 Starbucks shops shut for staff training after a marketing fiasco.

Rightist leaders from across the Americas congratulated Colombia's hard-right president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella on Sunday after he defeated his leftist rival in a razor-tight vote.

Two students opened fire Monday inside a school in the central Philippines, a rare campus shooting that killed three teens and wounded seven others, police said.

Erastus Mundia left Kenya on a work programme his government had arranged with Russia. He died on the battlefield in Ukraine, and his family holds Labour Minister Alfred Mutua responsible.

Oil prices fell on Monday on optimism over US-Iran talks, with mediators flagging a "roadmap" to a final agreement, while equities were mixed.

France braced for the hottest day yet in its latest heatwave on Monday, with temperatures that could climb up to 43C in the west of the country and hundreds of schools closed.

Embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer could set out plans to step down as soon as Monday, UK media has reported, the same day his likely successor is expected to be sworn in as a member of parliament.

England's much-vaunted attack clicked impressively in their opening World Cup win over Croatia, but defensive fears linger as they attempt to seal a place in the knockouts on Tuesday.

German-born Anton Segner remembers rising early to watch the All Blacks' haka before the 2011 Rugby World Cup final against France -- now he is set to make his New Zealand debut against the French next month.

Along Mali's National Route 6, a major thoroughfare connecting the capital to the country's centre, the army has reshaped the landscape: the vegetation from the surrounding forest has been cleared in anticipation of jihadist ambushes.