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

Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday cancelled a mandate for all vehicles sold in Canada to be electric by 2035, while announcing major investments to support the auto industry's EV transition.

Not even the bitter cold could stifle Ivan Roman's joy when he received news of his child from the Ukrainian army at noon on Thursday: "Congratulations. Your son has been released," the message read, two years after Russia captured the young soldier.

Bad Bunny on Thursday pledged to bring Puerto Rican culture to his historic and highly anticipated Super Bowl half-time show that has triggered fury among right-wing US critics.

Venezuelan MPs on Thursday started examining an amnesty bill which will cover "treason" and other charges used to lock up dissidents, but not "serious violations" committed over 27 years of socialist rule, a draft showed.

In an ironic twist, lower air pollution during Covid lockdowns fuelled an unprecedented surge in the powerful greenhouse gas methane in the early 2020s, a study said Thursday.

Anti-doping chiefs at the Winter Olympics said on Thursday they they would investigate bizarre claims that Olympic ski jumpers are injecting hyaluronic acid into their penises to get a competitive advantage.

England are sweating on the fitness of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso ahead of their Six Nations opener at home to Wales after the wing failed to finish training on Thursday.

The EU executive on Thursday expressed support for Spain after Telegram founder Pavel Durov slammed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez over his plan to ban social media for children.

Novo Nordisk said Thursday it would take legal action against a US chain offering a copycat of the new pill version of its Wegovy weight-loss drug.

Marco Odermatt has established himself as the leader of a strong Swiss men's ski team that will bid to bag a handful of medals at the Winter Olympics.

Canadian snowboard star Mark McMorris is still targeting the slopestyle event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics despite a nasty crash that ruled him out of the big air competition.

A deadly storm that triggered floods and thousands of evacuations in the Iberian Peninsula threw Portugal's presidential run-off into confusion on Thursday as the far-right candidate requested the vote be postponed.

Ukrainian flag bearer Vladyslav Heraskevych said Thursday he was "proud" to represent his country at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and show that war-battered Ukraine is still standing.

Authorities have evacuated more than 140,000 people from their homes since heavy rainfall flooded several provinces in northern Morocco last week, the interior ministry said Thursday.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank said Thursday that Cristian Romero's outspoken social media comments about the club's transfer policy had been "dealt with internally" as he refused to confirm if the Spurs skipper had been disciplined.

Giannis Antetokounmpo remained with the Milwaukee Bucks as the NBA trade deadline neared on Thursday with two suitors making other deals in the hours before the clock runs out.

Michael Carrick said his Manchester United players must "understand the history" of the Munich air disaster as the club prepare to mark the 68th anniversary of the tragedy.

First, the jihadists sent a letter saying they were coming to the village to preach, said Nigerian chief Umar Bio Salihu.

Iran and the United States were preparing for talks on Friday in Oman, with Washington looking to see if there is any prospect of diplomatic progress on the Iranian nuclear programme and other issues while refusing to rule out military action.

Preparations for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics ratcheted up Thursday on the eve of the opening ceremony while the start of the ice hockey was hit by an outbreak of norovirus.

British-Australian miner Rio Tinto said Thursday that it was dropping talks to merge with smaller Swiss resources giant Glencore, a deal that would have created the world's largest mining firm.

The World Economic Forum, which organises the Davos summit, said Thursday that it would conduct an independent review into its chief executive's interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The European Central Bank warned Thursday a stronger euro could push inflation down too far after recent gains in the single currency, but sought to downplay any immediate threat to the eurozone economy.

Famine is spreading in Sudan's western Darfur region, UN-backed experts warned on Thursday, as a grinding war between the army and paramilitary forces has left millions hungry, displaced and cut off from aid.

Power was restored Thursday to eastern Cuba after an electricity grid failure plunged three provinces and part of a fourth into darkness the previous evening, authorities said.

Russia and the United States have agreed to resume high-level military contacts at two-day Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, in a major step of rapprochement between the world's top nuclear powers.

Greece's culture ministry on Thursday unveiled a new portal to handle bookings to visit more than 100 archaeological sites and museums including the world-renowned Acropolis.

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior said he will have to continue to assess Cole Palmer's fitness "game-by-game" after an injury disrupted season for the England international.

Stocks fell across the board Thursday, pulled down again by growing worries that hefty AI investments by tech heavyweights may not pay dividends as soon as hoped.

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee gave strong backing to the Los Angeles 2028 Games leadership on Thursday, following calls for LA28 Chairman Casey Wasserman to resign after his name appeared in the Epstein files.

Germany forward Serge Gnabry has extended his contract at Bayern Munich by two years until 2028, the club announced Thursday.

England Test captain Ben Stokes has suffered a severe facial injury after being struck by a cricket ball.

Captain Michele Lamaro and backs Juan Ignacio Brex and Paolo Garbisi will earn their 50th caps for Italy against Scotland in the Azzurri's Six Nations opener after being named in coach Gonzalo Quesada's starting XV on Thursday.

Just a month before the Formula One season gets rolling again in Australia, McLaren's Oscar Piastri said he got a "fair shot" at the 2025 title and there were no hard feelings about his titanic tussle with teammate Lando Norris.

The European Central Bank held interest rates steady for its fifth straight meeting Thursday, saying the eurozone economy remained "resilient" despite mounting worries about the impact of a stronger euro.

Spanish rescuers on Thursday desperately searched for a woman missing after a new storm hit the Iberian peninsula while Portugal warned of a heightened flood risk after several months' worth of rain fell in a few hours.

The European Union is close to concluding a long-sought trade agreement with Australia, as US President Donald Trump's tariffs accelerate Europe's push to seal deals with other global partners.

The German Cup final is to remain at Berlin's Olympic Stadium until at least 2030 after an extension was agreed with state authorities, the German FA (DFB) announced on Thursday.

Iran and the United States are holding talks on Friday in Oman, with Tehran pushing to focus squarely on its nuclear programme, while Washington's demands go beyond that.