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

A strengthening El Nino that could shatter all-time records is "adding fuel to a planet already on fire" and pushing the world into "uncharted territory," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Friday.

Asian stock markets rallied Friday, led by a record surge of almost 18 percent for Seoul as technology firms performed a blistering recovery from an extended sell-off.

Hundreds of firefighters were on Friday battling strong winds to quench a wildfire in southwestern Turkey as high winds stoked a new blaze, complicating efforts to bring the fires under control, a minister said.

Eddie Howe has stepped down as Newcastle manager to "recharge and take a break" following a five-year spell at St James' Park, the club confirmed on Friday.

As the smoke from France's worst wildfire in over 75 years rose over the Bassin d'Arcachon, a pair of nearby firefighters tucked into a plate of oysters plucked from the bay west of Bordeaux.

New Zealand's first full-scale rugby tour of South Africa in 30 years will have significant benefits for them, head coach Dave Rennie said in Cape Town on Friday.

England cricket chief Rob Key has left the door open for a dramatic international comeback by former Test captain Ben Stokes, who announced his shock retirement in late June.

All three US Federal Reserve policymakers who dissented from the central bank's decision to keep interest rates steady earlier this week said Friday that rate hikes were needed now in order to avoid entrenched inflation.

New wildfires fed by strong winds broke out in Greece Friday, giving firefighters little respite and forcing Civil Protection officials to order the partial evacuation of part of a suburb west of Athens.

Star fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was included on Friday in the 26-man South Africa squad for a one-off Test in Argentina on August 8 after recovering from ankle surgery.

Shops remained closed, bread was in short supply and Ceuta's annual fiestas have been cancelled as Spain's North African enclave struggled to cope after thousands of migrants poured in from neighbouring Morocco.

Scorching summer temperatures have disrupted life for millions of Europeans but for winegrowers in Italy and France, who are harvesting their grapes unusually early, the hot weather offers pros as well as cons.

Chelsea were fined £10 million ($13.4 million) and given a suspended two-window transfer ban on Friday after an appeal hearing into sanctions imposed for multiple breaches of Football Association rules.

Alarm is growing among German shipping and industry about low rainfall sapping major waterways, with one stretch of the Rhine briefly dipping to its previous record low on Friday.

As a wildfire closed in, residents of the town of El Tiemblo grabbed shovels and rakes to defend an elder -- "El Abuelo," a centuries-old chestnut tree, one of Spain's most treasured.

An English court on Friday threw out a challenge against planning permission for a Chinese "mega" embassy in central London, but residents seeking to block the contentious project vowed to fight on.

Since returning to power, President Donald Trump's administration has approved five new pesticides that many scientists and environmental advocates say are PFAS "forever chemicals" -- a class of highly toxic substances being gradually phased out globally.

New York's attorney general sued betting platform Kalshi on Friday, accusing it of running an illegal gambling operation in a case that could shed a spotlight on the lightly regulated and controversial world of prediction markets.

Santi Denia, who guided his native Spain to 2024 Olympic gold, has been appointed head coach of the Czech Republic, the national federation (FACR) announced on Friday.

Commerzbank CEO Bettina Orlopp has called for the opening of talks with UniCredit regarding the German bank's future, deeming a "constructive dialogue" necessary after the Italian group secured nearly half of the voting rights.

The European Union on Friday scrambled to contain one of the largest migrant crises faced by the block in recent years, after tens of thousands of people poured into Spain's enclave in north Africa in just days.

When Fatima Zahra heard the rumour of a rare border opening between Morocco and Spain, she joined thousands in rushing to attempt a perilous journey into the Ceuta enclave by land or sea.

US petroleum giants ExxonMobil and Chevron released blowout profits Friday, reflecting a major lift in business conditions from the Middle East war that easily offset negative effects at both companies.

Fornaro Legal announced the publication of new guidance designed to help business owners maintain accurate ownership records and governance documentation as their companies expand. The guidance outlines practical considerations for businesses preparing for investment, ownership transitions, strategic partnerships, or future acquisition opportunities.

Search teams in Pakistan found four bodies after an avalanche on one of the world's highest mountains, with six people still missing from an expedition led by renowned British-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja, police said on Friday.

Hamas said on Friday it agreed to a deal to end the war with Israel that included provisions addressing its weapons and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

A top British court on Friday threw out a challenge against planning permission for a Chinese "mega" embassy in central London, but residents seeking to block the contentious project vowed to fight on.

Hundreds of firefighters were battling strong winds to quench a wildfire in southwestern Turkey as other wind-fuelled blazes along its Mediterranean coast were brought under control.

Global stock markets rallied Friday, led by a record surge of almost 18 percent for Seoul as technology firms performed a blistering recovery from an extended sell-off.

A Japanese probe flew 400 metres (1,312 feet) from a near-Earth asteroid this month, marking the closest approach ever recorded in such a mission, the space agency has said.

South African singer-songwriter Tyla has removed a scheduled show in Nigeria as tensions over anti-immigrant violence hamper relations between the two countries.

Ukraine has hit the warehouses of Russia's largest online retailer Wildberries around a dozen times since mid-July, killing at least eight people and knocking out a large chunk of the company's storage capacity.

BP has launched moves to sell its North Sea business, the British oil and gas giant announced Friday, as new Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces pressure to ease drilling restrictions in the area.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) joined UEFA and CONCACAF in condemning world football's governing body FIFA's proposed private investment plan, saying on Friday they were alarmed it had reached the point a "World Cup boycott has entered public discourse".

A Russian TV commentator ordered to leave France after accusations of parroting pro-Kremlin propaganda on Friday slammed what she called "censorship" and "political pressure".

A trial over one of the worst war crimes in the 1990s Kosovo conflict opened on Friday in Pristina, with 21 Serb officials to be tried in absentia over killings that had prompted NATO intervention.

Italian defender Franco Baresi, the captain of AC Milan in the 1980s and 1990s when they won three European Cups and six Italian league titles, has died at the age of 66, the club announced on Friday.

Search teams found four bodies near the site of an avalanche in northern Pakistan that left 10 people missing from a climbing expedition led by renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, police said on Friday.

Greek firefighters faced another day of battling flames in high-risk conditions for new ignitions on Friday as France and Spain hoped for reprieve from massive infernos that blackened swathes of terrain.