Month: July 2024

Greek prime minister warns of dangerous summer for wildfires

Athens — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday the country faced a dangerous summer for wildfires, with a prolonged drought and unusually strong winds contributing to tinderbox conditions. Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country, but hotter, drier and windier weather that scientists link to the effects of climate change has increased their frequency and intensity. This weekend, dozens of fires broke out across Greece, including two close to the capital, Athens. “It is a summer which is expected to be particularly dangerous … the most difficult times are still ahead of us,” Mitsotakis said as he addressed his …

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French parties in final push for votes ahead of crunch poll

Paris — France’s political forces were on Friday making final bids for votes in crunch legislative elections that could see the far right take control of the government in a historic first. Official campaigning will end at midnight followed by a day off on Saturday, during which time political activity is forbidden ahead of voting on Sunday. Another week of campaigning will then lead up to the decisive second round on July 7. The far-right National Rally (RN) is tipped to win the election, potentially giving the party the post of prime minister for the first time in its history in …

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Bulgaria’s Orthodox Church elects new patriarch with pro-Russian views

Sofia, Bulgaria — Bulgaria’s Orthodox Church elected Daniil, a 52-year-old metropolitan considered to be pro-Russian, as its new leader Sunday in a vote that reflected the divisions in the church and wider society since Russia invaded Ukraine more than two years ago. Growing divisions between pro-Russian and anti-Russian factions within the senior clergy began after some of them attempted to warm relations with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople in 2019. Russian and most other Orthodox patriarchs refused to accept the designation that formalized a split with the Russian church. Unlike his late …

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