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

Shaun Wane stepped down as England rugby league head coach with immediate effect on Wednesday.

Iran warned the United States on Wednesday that it was capable of responding to any attack, as Washington appeared to be pulling personnel out of a base that Iran targeted in a strike last year.

Oil prices rose further Wednesday on the political instability in major crude producer Iran and the possibility of a US intervention, which also helped push safe-haven gold to a new record high while weighing on the dollar.

On the eve of the first regular season NBA game in Germany, European basketball pioneer Detlef Schrempf is "proud" of the role he played in making the league a worldwide phenomenon.

Denmark and Greenland's top diplomats held high-stakes talks at the White House on Wednesday, with President Donald Trump warning it was "vital" for the United States to take control of the Arctic island.

Daryl Mitchell struck an unbeaten 131 to lead New Zealand to a series-levelling seven-wicket win over India in the second one-day international on Wednesday.

Syria's army told civilians to stay away from Kurdish military positions east of second city Aleppo on Wednesday, after it moved reinforcements to the area following deadly clashes last week.

Tottenham signed England midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid in a deal worth a reported £34.7 million ($46.6 million) on Wednesday.

The Russian captain of a cargo ship that hit an anchored oil tanker in the North Sea had tried to change course to avoid a collision, his trial heard Wednesday.

A Dutch court held hearings Wednesday to weigh whether to order an investigation into Nexperia, a Chinese-owned chip company at the centre of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology.

Germany's vice chancellor warned Wednesday that Europe's ties with the United States were "disintegrating" as they endure a "historic period of upheaval" under President Donald Trump's administration.

Ukraine's former head of digital transformation Mykhailo Fedorov takes the role of defence minister Wednesday with several crises in his in-tray.

Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni was acquitted Wednesday of aggravated fraud over charity endorsement deals in a case that has led to greater regulation of the sector in Italy.

Britain's interior minister Shabana Mahmood said on Wednesday she had lost confidence in the police chief who oversaw the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from attending a Birmingham match last year.

Low-cost airline Ryanair on Wednesday announced it is mulling a cut to flights in Belgium, especially at its major European hub of Charleroi Airport, because of Belgian authorities' "stupid" taxes.

Burkina Faso sacked their coach Brama Traore and all of his staff on Wednesday following their exit of the African Cup of Nations at the hands of bitter rivals Ivory Coast.

African manufacturers on Wednesday welcomed US lawmakers' approval for renewing their duty-free access but called for urgency in finalising the deal.

When fire breaks out in the low-gravity, high-stakes conditions inside spacecraft or space stations, it behaves very differently than back here on Earth.

The recent death of the 21-month-old son of Nigerian best-selling author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has brought healthcare standards in Africa's most populous country under fresh scrutiny, prompting calls for reforms.

French authorities have banned 10 British far-right activists for actions in France intended to stop migrants crossing to England on small boats, the interior ministry said Wednesday.

The planet logged its third hottest year on record in 2025, extending a run of unprecedented heat, with no relief expected in 2026, global climate monitors said Wednesday.

Hydrogen-powered airplanes, touted by some as a way to slash carbon emissions from flying, are unlikely to prove a viable technology anytime soon, the head of French engine maker Safran said Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday the US needs to take control of Greenland, with NATO's support, just hours before crunch talks about the Arctic island with top Danish, Greenlandic and US officials.

Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias, who is accused of sexual crimes by two former employees, is one of the most successful Latin artists of all time in a career spanning decades.

Hundreds of angry civil servants marched through Ankara Wednesday demanding a realistic pay rise as they battle poverty amid the soaring prices and double-digit inflation.

UK prosecutors launched a High Court challenge Wednesday to appeal a judge's decision to throw out a charge of supporting terrorism against an Irish-language singer from the punk-rap group Kneecap.

An under-fire UK police chief on Wednesday blamed the use of AI for erroneous evidence given to MPs over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from a match against Aston Villa.

Oil prices rose further Wednesday on the political instability in major crude producer Iran, helping safe-haven gold to a new record high and weighing on the dollar.

France has banned 10 British far-right activists for actions in France intended to stop migrants crossing to England on small boats, the interior ministry said Wednesday.

London's High Court on Wednesday began hearing a lawsuit brought against the singer Sting by his former Police bandmates claiming some $2 million in unpaid streaming royalties.

A crane at a China-backed high-speed rail project in Thailand collapsed onto a passenger train on Wednesday and caused it to derail, killing at least 32 people, authorities said.

Amateur Jordan Smith sensationally upset a star-studded field to collect a Aus$1 million (US$670,000) prize Wednesday by winning the pressure-packed "One Point Slam" ahead of the Australian Open.

Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni on Wednesday was awaiting a verdict in a trial in which the Instagram star is accused of fraud over charity endorsement deals.

France began charging non-EU visitors to the Louvre Museum 45 percent more than Europeans on Wednesday, in a controversial bid to raise money for renovations at the beleaguered Paris landmark.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi intends to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election soon after the annual parliamentary session begins next week, the secretary-general of her ruling party and the co-head of her junior coalition partner said Wednesday.

A Dutch court held hearings Wednesday to weigh whether to order an investigation into Nexperia, a Chinese-owned chip company at the centre of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology.

Scientists on Wednesday sealed ancient chunks of glacial ice in a first-of-its-kind sanctuary in Antarctica in the hope of preserving these fast-disappearing records of Earth's past climate for centuries to come.

Ted Huffman, the New Yorker handed the reins of France's prestigious Aix-en-Provence Festival, wants to attract a younger audience as well as people like him, who come from outside the sometimes intimidating music scene.

Austria's Sebastian Ofner suffered a brutal exit from Australian Open qualifying on Wednesday when he celebrated too early thinking he had won, before collapsing and crashing out.