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

David faces Goliath in the Champions League on Wednesday as Villarreal travel to Anfield to meet Liverpool, aiming to derail the Reds' bid for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to fly to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, mending a rift between the Suni powers caused by the murder of Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate in 2018.

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday defended Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, who was at the centre of a doping scandal at the Beijing Winter Olympics, saying she could not have won gold "dishonestly".

Russia is self-destructing with its war in Ukraine, according to film and theatre director Kirill Serebrennikov, who said domestic support for the invasion was the result of "many years of terrible propaganda."

Rafael Nadal is to return to competitive action at next week's Madrid Open, a month out from the French Open which the Spanish legend has won 13 times.

Americans' outlook for the world's largest economy improved slightly in April, despite ongoing concerns about inflation and the war in Ukraine, a survey released Tuesday said.

Sales of new homes fell in the United States last month, government data said Tuesday, as high prices continued to crimp demand.

Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian players from this year's Championships to avoid "being used to benefit the propaganda machine of the Russian regime", tournament chiefs said on Tuesday.

Following multiple injuries from a mass-crash during the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race, world champion Julian Alaphilippe will be kept under prolonged observation in a Belgian hospital, his Quick Step cycling team said Tuesday.

Former men's tennis world number one Roger Federer, plagued by recurring knee problems for the last two years, will play singles at the ATP Basel indoor tournament in October, organisers said.

Jurgen Klopp has dismissed the idea that Liverpool have a dream Champions League semi-final draw as they prepare to face Villarreal in the next stage of their quest for an unprecedented quadruple.

European equities staged a relief rally Tuesday, one day after tanking on fears over the Covid outbreak in China and rising interest rates in the United States.

A woman suicide bomber from a Pakistan separatist group killed four people, including three Chinese nationals, in an attack on a minibus carrying staff from a Beijing cultural programme at Karachi University on Tuesday.

Orders for big-ticket manufactured items picked up steam again last month, as businesses reported more demand for a variety of goods, according to US government data released Tuesday.

France's Sister Andre, believed to have become the oldest person alive this week at the age of 118, said Tuesday she would now like to beat the record of oldest person ever and that work and caring for others had long kept her spry.

British pop superstar Ed Sheeran will headline the finale of four days of public celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth II's record-breaking 70-year reign, organisers said on Tuesday.

Villarreal captain Dani Parejo said on Tuesday his team are convinced they can spring another surprise and beat Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals.

A woman suicide bomber from a Pakistan separatist group killed four people, including three Chinese nationals, in an attack on a minibus carrying staff from the Confucius Institute at Karachi University on Tuesday.

Despite massive bombardment and with Russian troops just a stone's throw away, morale remains high in a Ukrainian town that draws inspiration from the memory of a local anarchist hero.

Wimbledon was left with "no viable alternative" to banning Russian and Belarusian players from this year's Championships, tournament chiefs at the All England Club said on Tuesday.

Ex-Soviet Moldova on Tuesday convened its security council after a series of blasts in the Russian-backed separatist Transnistria region raised fears of a spillover from the war in Ukraine.

Pope Francis was forced to clear his diary for the second time in less than a week on Tuesday due to recurring knee pain, the Vatican said.

Japan unveiled a $48.6-billion economic package on Tuesday that includes handouts for low-income families to help cushion the impact of rising prices and energy costs on households.

Nearly 5.3 million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia launched its invasion two months ago, the UN said Tuesday, warning that three million more were expected to follow this year.

President Joe Biden's administration said Tuesday it is doubling the number of outlets where at-risk Americans can obtain free Covid-19 therapeutic pills.

Russian rapper Noize MC bounds onto the brightly lit stage in Warsaw to the screams of hundreds of adoring fans at his anti-war concert.

HSBC profits slid in the first quarter, the Asia-focused bank announced Tuesday after it was hit by bad debts as Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent inflation rocketing further.

The executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, said Tuesday he will step down after three decades which have seen the New York-based NGO become a thorn in the side of authoritarian regimes and rights abusers across the world.

European equities staged a relief rally Tuesday, one day after tanking on fears over the Covid outbreak in China and rising interest rates in the United States.

The United Nations warned Tuesday that more than eight million Ukrainians could flee as refugees this year and doubled its aid appeal for those stuck inside the war-ravaged country.

Relatives of a mentally disabled Malaysian man set to be hanged in Singapore sobbed in court Tuesday and held his hand, as a desperate final bid to halt his execution failed.

Top US officials hosted emergency talks with allies in Germany on Tuesday on supplying Kyiv with more weapons to fend off Russia's assault, as the UN's chief headed to Moscow in a bid to avert further escalation of the conflict.