World
Residents evacuated from Athens suburb as wildfire season hits Greece
Over 70 firefighters and 13 planes and helicopters worked to control the blaze, which closed traffic along a main highway connecting Athens to its airport.
Greece is bracing itself for what is expected to be a long wildfire season spurred by an unprecedentedly hot June, according to the country’s national meteorological service.
Firefighters were called to put out a blaze that erupted in the southern suburb of Athens, Vari, which started in an uninhabited area covered by olive trees and shrubs.
Additionally, authorities issued text message evacuation alerts to the two nearby settlements of Lambrika and Kitsi.
Although no injuries were reported, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said the blaze spread quickly due to strong winds.
“We have a new fire breaking out every 10 minutes,” Vathrakogiannis said in a televised message, adding that the situation remained “difficult”.
Over 70 firefighters and 13 planes and helicopters worked to control the blaze, which closed traffic along a main highway connecting Athens to its airport.
Images on local television showed a storage facility alight with flames searing across fields of olive trees.
Residents on the Cycladean island of Naxos were also issued evacuation alerts, while those living in the village of Moutsouna were told to leave their homes as a precaution.
Scores of wildfires tackled but risks remain
The Greek fire service announced it had tackled 41 wildfires in total between Monday and Tuesday evening.
According to the National Meteorological Service, winds in Greece are predicted to be as strong as 74 kilometres per hour as temperatures climb above 40C.
Greece’s Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias warned against accidentally triggering wildfires, which can spread rapidly due to wind.
Commenting on the arrest of a 30-year-old agricultural worker who caused a fire in the city of Nigrita, Kilkias said on X that “even the smallest fire can rapidly turn into a fiery front.”
The European Commission recorded last year’s wildfire season as one of the worst in this century, with fires leading to at least 20 deaths in Greece.
Video editor • Abby Chitty
World
Who is Europe's top investor in space in 2023?
Luxembourg remains Europe’s top investor in space in a year when defence spending on space exceeded civil space budgets for the first time since the 1990s.
Global public investment in space hit a record high of €106 billion in 2023, an 11% increase compared to 2022.
In Europe, the total funding was €11.9 billion, showing a modest 1% rise in its share of global space investment.
According to the European Space Agency, defence spending on space exceeded civil space budgets last year for the first time since the 1990s. Defence expenditures in space are projected to grow faster than civil spending, making up 53% of the budget in 2024.
The US continues to dominate global space investment, accounting for 64% of the total budget, while China holds a strong second place, growing its share from an estimated 2% in 2000 to 12% in 2023 through long-term programmes in both civil and defence.
Europe ranks third, contributing 11% of the global space budget in 2023.
What share of their GDP do EU countries spend on public space budgets?
Luxembourg remains Europe’s leading investor in space, dedicating 0.135% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the sector.
Globally, the country ranks third behind the US (0.262%) and Russia (0.169%).
In Europe, Luxembourg is followed by France, which invests 0.167% of its GDP, Italy at 0.103%, and Belgium at 0.095%.
On the other hand, private investment in space has continued to decline in 2023, dropping by 32% compared to 2022.
Europe also saw a 14% decrease in 2023 compared to the year before, with private space ventures receiving just below €980 million.
Although the US accounts for most of the global decline in 2023, its space sector continues to attract the largest share of investments at 60%, followed by Europe with 16% and China with 9%.
What was the state of space activity in 2023?
There were 221 orbital launches in 2023, an 18% increase compared to 2022.
Yet, a total of 212 launches were successful.
The US carried out more than half of the launches, with 96 of them conducted by SpaceX.
China accounted for 30% with 67 launches, a 5% increase from 2022, and Russia completed 19 launches.
The European launch service provider conducted three launches in 2023, including Europe’s first mission to Jupiter, which aimed to explore whether the planet’s three moons — Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede — could support life in their oceans.
Video editor • Mert Can Yilmaz
World
Armed men fire on Haiti hospital reopening, killing at least 2
World
US citizen imprisoned in Russia given new 15-year sentence in wake of espionage conviction
A Russian-born U.S. citizen who was already behind bars in Russia on a bribery conviction has been handed a second sentence for espionage.
Eugene Spector was sentenced to a new 15-year term for his espionage conviction, according to Russian news agencies. Spector was born and raised in Leningrad, Russia, but later moved to the U.S. and became a citizen.
A Moscow court brought espionage charges against Spector in August of last year, although details surrounding the case were not made publicly available.
RUSSIA ARRESTS US CITIZEN ON ESPIONAGE CHARGES: REPORT
The U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports of a U.S. citizen in Russia being sentenced and that it was monitoring the situation.
Spector, a former executive at a medical equipment company in Russia, was sentenced in September 2022 to three and a half years in prison for enabling bribes to an aide of former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.
WALL STREET JOURNAL’S EVAN GERSHKOVICH REVEALS SHADOWY KREMLIN FIGURE BEHIND IMPRISONMENT IN RUSSIA
The aide, Anastasia Alekseyeva, was sentenced to 12 years in April for accepting bribes of two expensive overseas vacation trips.
Dvorkovich was a deputy prime minister under former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in 2012 to 2018. Dvorkovich is currently head of the international chess federation FIDE.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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