Greece

India’s Modi visits Greece, the first visit to the country by an Indian prime minister in 40 years

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The prime ministers of India and Greece pledged to boost their countries’ trade, business and defense ties Friday during a visit to Athens by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi’s visit is the first to Greece by an Indian prime minister in 40 years since Indira Gandhi visited the country in September 1983.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the two countries enjoyed relations stretching back to antiquity.

Firefighters in Greece discover another body, bringing this week’s death toll from wildfires to 21

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Authorities battling a major wildfire in northeastern Greece that has been described as the European Union’s largest single recorded fire recovered another body, the fire department said Friday, bringing the total death toll from wildfires in Greece this week to 21.

The fire department said firefighters recovered the body of a man from the Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park, which lies near the border with Turkey, on Thursday.

Flames devour forests and homes as wildfires that have left 20 dead in Greece burn out of control

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Advancing flames devoured forests and homes as dozens of wildfires raged across Greece on Wednesday, leaving 20 people dead over the past three days, while major blazes also burned in northwestern Turkey near the Greek border and on Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands.

Ukrainian president meets European leaders in Greece

ATHENS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid a visit to Greece on Monday, where he met with European leaders, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported.

During his visit, Zelensky met separately with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

He also joined an informal meeting of European leaders on enlargement of the European Union (EU) here in Athens.

With hundreds lost in the migrant shipwreck near Greece, identifying the dead is painfully slow

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Nearly two months after a dilapidated fishing trawler crammed with people heading from Libya to Italy sank in the central Mediterranean, killing hundreds, relatives are still frantically searching for their loved ones among the missing and the dead.

Many questions remain about Greek authorities’ response and exactly how and why the boat, carrying an estimated 500-750 people mostly from Pakistan, Syria and Egypt, capsized and sank in the early hours of June 14 in what became one of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean.

Greece: Heat and wildfires put southern Europe’s vital tourism earnings at risk

RHODES, Greece (AP) — Tourists at a seaside hotel on the Greek island of Rhodes snatched up pails of pool water and damp towels as flames approached, rushing to help staffers and locals extinguish one of the wildfires threatening Mediterranean locales during recent heat waves.

The quick team effort meant that “by the time the fire brigade came, most of the fire actually was dealt with,” said Elena Korosteleva from Britain, who was vacationing at the Lindos Memories hotel.

Greece: Exclusion zone set up around Greek military base after wildfires trigger powerful explosions

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Authorities are maintaining an exclusion zone around an air force base in central Greece where wildfires have triggered powerful explosions at an ammunition depot.

The blasts late Thursday at the 111th Combat Wing base facilities — among the largest in the country — shattered windows in nearby towns and prompted an evacuation of more than 2,000 people, while fighter jets nearby were moved to another base.

A civilian traffic ban and evacuation order remained in effect in a 3-kilometer (2-mile) radius of the blast site.

3 dead as wildfires rage across Greece

ATHENS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Three people have died in wildfires that continued to rage across Greece on Wednesday.

A woman was found dead in a trailer near Volos where a major wildfire broke out on Wednesday, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported. Her husband was seriously injured.

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old shepherd was found dead a few kilometers away, according to the report. He had rushed with his brother to move their animals to safety.

Greece: Heatwaves rage in Mediterranean as Greece, Algeria battle wildfires

ATHENS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Large areas of the Mediterranean have sweltered under an intense summer heatwave in recent weeks and Greece, Algeria and other affected areas are battling wildfires together.

Hundreds of firefighters, helped by counterparts from Türkiye and Slovakia, have been battling blazes that have raged on the islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Evia since Wednesday amid hot, windy conditions, while emergency planes have been flying out tourists.

FIRE-FIGHTING PLANE CRASH

Plane fighting wildfires in Greece crashes with two aboard

RHODES, Greece, July 25 (Reuters) - A plane fighting wildfires in Greece crashed on Tuesday and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned of tough days ahead with blazes destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands of tourists from the island of Rhodes.

State broadcaster ERT showed footage of the plane dropping water over a fire and then crashing into a hillside and bursting into flames.

The Greek air force said there were two airmen aboard the amphibious Canadair CL-215 plane when it crashed over the island of Evia, east of Athens.

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