Large blast in Greek capital damages offices, stores

Greece has recovered a Picasso painting personally donated by the Spanish master to the Greek people, almost a decade after it was stolen alongside two other artworks in an audacious heist at the National Gallery. "Head of a Woman", gifted by Pablo Picasso to Greece in 1949, was recovered in Keratea, a rural area some 45 kilometres (28 miles) southeast of Athens, officials told a news conference.

A wildfire rages through the village of Afidnes, north of Athens - a blaze that firefighters had hoped to control but which regained strength after already destroying large areas of pine forest. Dozens of blazes have torn through Greece this week in the country's worst heatwave for over three decades.

Greek islanders are taking refuge on a chartered ship and on the beach after fleeing their homes from wildfires on the Greek island of Evia, sparked by a record heatwave. The blazes have destroyed homes and reduced thousands of hectares of land to ash on Greece's second-largest island just northeast of the capital Athens.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says the country is facing a "natural disaster of unprecedented proportions" as wildfires wipe out hundreds of homes and force thousands to flee. He apologises to Greeks for possible "weaknesses" in the state's response, and says "those who lost homes and property will be compensated".

There’s a sense of optimism that the Greek town of Evia, in the crosshairs of a wildfire, could be saved. The arrival of firefighting aircraft has helped in efforts to battle the blaze.

A timelapse video shows the sky above the island of Evia turning into a red haze during sunset due to the wildfires that have been raving the Greek island.

In her family's garden in Drosopigi, where much has been destroyed by the wildfires, Eleni Haniosakis finds it hard to hide her dismay as she looks at the charred hillside tumbling down to the Greek capital some 20 kilometres away. Eleni and her mother were among hundreds forced to abandon their homes that week, unsure of whether they would see them again, as Greece battled some 600 blazes fuelled by bone-dry conditions during one of the worst heatwaves in decades.

Lego said it has "seen a giant leap" in 2021, as the iconic toy block manufacturer generated more than double its usual revenue in the first half of the year.

The Murat 729, carrying 400 mostly Afghan migrants and refugees, sent a distress signal after its engines failed. Turkey failed to respond to a request to take back the vessel, despite a 2016 EU deal worth billions.

As Covid-19 infections rise around the EU and some member states impose new restrictions, FRANCE 24 speaks to Greece’s Tourism Minister about the continent’s next steps. We also discuss irregular migration on the European Union's external borders - including those of France and of Greece.

The prestigious campus of the Cité Universitaire Internationale in Paris is a gateway to the City of Lights for students from around the world. It's made up of a patchwork of international residences – including the Hellenic Foundation, a little slice of Greek history in the French capital. Our reporters take us on a guided tour.

A powerful explosion hit in Greek capital Athens damaging an office block and smashing nearby storefronts as one person reportedly injured. One person was injured and several buildings were extensively damaged by an explosion in central Athens that led to a fire early, officials and witnesses said.