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

Life expectancy for Americans dropped in 2021 for the second straight year -- the biggest two-year decline in a century -- notably due to the Covid-19 pandemic, US health officials announced Wednesday.

The Venice Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday with Adam Driver starring in a topical opening film about a deadly health crisis, misinformation and prescription drugs.

Ben Stokes will lead an unchanged 14-man England squad into next week's third and deciding Test against South Africa at the Oval after it was released on Wednesday.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Scott Parker's sacking after just four Premier League games was "unbelievable" and Bournemouth's owner Maxim Demin's behaviour showed "how important the right owners are."

The UN rights chief will release a long-awaited report on alleged violations in China's Xinjiang region before leaving office later Wednesday, despite strong pressure from Beijing not to publish.

The eurozone inflation rate hit a new record in August, official data showed on Wednesday, increasing pressure on the European Central Bank to hike rates to tame Ukraine war-fuelled prices.

The Taliban celebrated Wednesday the first anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan with victory chants and a military parade showcasing equipment left behind by foreign forces.

Mikhail Gorbachev struggled to make up his mind about Vladimir Putin.

The death of Mikhail Gorbachev triggered an outpouring of tributes from Western leaders on Wednesday but reaction was muted in Russia, where many blamed the last Soviet leader for the loss of the country's status as a global superpower.

Nearly 150 cats bound for slaughterhouses have been rescued by police in eastern China, an international animal welfare organisation said.

A months-long political crisis in Iraq showed little sign of abating Wednesday despite a fresh push for negotiations after nearly 24 hours of deadly violence between rival Shiite factions ended.

Russian energy giant Gazprom suspended gas deliveries to Germany on a major pipeline on Wednesday, the latest in a series of supply halts that have fuelled an energy crisis in Europe.

A top member of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party has resigned following a string of corruption allegations levelled through social media by a fugitive crime boss.

Shares in Chinese electric carmaker BYD plunged on Wednesday after its largest backer, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, reduced its stake amid speculation of a potential exit.

Skipper Mohammad Nabi said Afghanistan is ready for the big guns after they became the first team to qualify for the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup following victories over Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Army helicopters flew sorties over cut-off areas in Pakistan's mountainous north Wednesday and rescue parties fanned out across waterlogged plains in the south as misery mounted for millions trapped by the worst floods in the country's history.

The breakaway LIV series can do for golf what the IPL did for cricket, India's top player Anirban Lahiri has said after joining the lucrative Saudi-backed tour.

Documents at former US president Donald Trump's Florida home were "likely concealed" to obstruct an FBI probe into his potential mishandling of classified materials, the Justice Department said in a court filing Tuesday.

Most Asian markets resumed their downward trend Wednesday, with traders fearing the Federal Reserve's determination to beat inflation with higher interest rates will tip the world's top economy into recession.

At a charity clinic in a southern Pakistani village, dozens of people affected by relentless rains and floods crowd around the door waiting to talk to a volunteer doctor.

Japan's defence ministry requested a $40 billion budget on Wednesday, pointing to the war in Ukraine and warning that the world faces its "toughest challenges" since World War II.

Alexander Zverev was named as the headline act and top seed on Wednesday for September's Korea Open, where the world number two will make his return to the ATP Tour after a serious ankle injury.

It was midnight when Yasmin and her family were ordered to urgently evacuate their room at the Honeymoon Hotel, perched above the picturesque ice-blue waters of the Swat river.

Japan's prime minister on Wednesday said members of his ruling party will have to cut ties with the Unification Church, which has faced renewed scrutiny following ex-premier Shinzo Abe's assassination.

The Venice Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday with Adam Driver starring in opening film "White Noise" -- one of several Netflix entries competing for the top prize Golden Lion as the streaming giant seeks to burnish its arthouse credentials.

A team led by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency set off from Kyiv on Wednesday for a Russian-held nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine that has sparked global concern.

Naomi Osaka's hopes of a third US Open title were dashed in the first round Tuesday as the Japanese star slumped to a straight sets loss against Danielle Collins.

China's factory activity shrank in August for the second month in a row, official data showed Wednesday, as the sector was hit by strict zero-Covid restrictions and extreme heat.

Emma Raducanu became only the third defending champion to exit the US Open in the first round on Tuesday while four-time winner Rafael Nadal overcame an early scare against a player ranked 198 in the world.

A Cambodian psychiatrist treating victims of the Khmer Rouge and a French environmentalist cleaning up Indonesian rivers were among the winners Wednesday of the 2022 Ramon Magsaysay Award -- considered Asia's Nobel Prize.

A Mexican woman whose links to drug traffickers earned her the nickname "Queen of the Pacific" is demanding compensation from Netflix for an award-winning show that she says is based on her life.

In the heart of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians with learning disabilities are front and centre at a new boutique hotel welcoming guests from across the globe.