News archive of June 2024

North Macedonia's Socialist SDSM party elected Venko Filipce as its new leader on Sunday.

Some 9,052 party members voted for Filipce, who will become the new opposition leader. He currently sits as an MP.

Firefighters were tested on a double front in Attica today, as two major fires broke out within hours of each other in Keratea and Stamata. The battle was difficult, since on the one hand the fire fronts were in residential areas that had to be evacuated, while the weather conditions were extreme and favoured the fires.

A victory for Marine Le Pen’s party, as expected, is indicated by the first exit polls from the parliamentary elections in France.

Estimates give Le Pen’s National Rally 33%, while the New People’s Union, the coalition of the Center and the Left, is at 28.5%.

In third place, at a distance, is the party of President Emmanuel Macron with 22%.

The current mayor of Athens and an MP and former Culture Minister announced Sunday they will challenge current PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis in an October contest.

Mayor of Athens Haris Doukas, 44, and MP Pavlos Geroulanos, 58, announced their candidacies for the socialist party's leadership at a Central Political Committee meeting Sunday.

Every year, as the first day of July dawns, Bulgarians gather along the seashore to welcome the sunrise in a tradition known as July Morning. Despite its name sounding foreign, this holiday is a uniquely Bulgarian celebration, part of the country's recent history, particularly influenced by the hippie movement of the 1980s.

Athletes are counting down the days to the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. However, there are some who are counting not just the days but also the seconds, as even those have value. One such person is Lambis Konstantinidis, the director of planning and coordination for both events. A title that comes with thousands of responsibilities and obligations.

A musician plays a santour during a revival of the Klidonas ritual at the park of Akadimia Platonos (Plato's Academy) in central Athens, in a photo released on Saturday. Involving music, singing, dancing and leaping over fires, the ancient custom, which has both pagan and Christian roots, was celebrated Tuesday to mark the Summer solstice and the birth of Saint John the Baptist.

A fire broke out shortly after 4 PM on Sunday (June 30) in Stamata, Dionysos, in a forested area.

The fire is near homes, and aerial units, ground forces, and earth-moving machines have rushed to the scene, with strong winds complicating the firefighting efforts.

Two large wildfires were blazing in Attica Sunday afternoon. The earliest, south of the town of Keratea, has already burned through homes and cars, but no casualties had been reported as of 5.20 p.m. local.

Strong winds are helping spread the fires. In Keratea, the blaze, which started at around 1 p.m. is headed south and could get close to the town of Lavrio,

With a difference of three votes, Daniil of Vidin has been elected as the new Bulgarian patriarch, marking him as the fourth patriarch since the restoration of the autocephaly of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. He secured the position after a runoff against Gregory, following the death of Patriarch Neophyte on March 13 due to a serious illness.