Elena Becatoros
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elenabec.bsky.social
Elena Becatoros
@elenabec.bsky.social
190 followers 190 following 29 posts
Associated Press Bureau Chief, southeast Europe. Based in Athens, traveling far and wide. Afghanistan, Ukraine, Middle East.
Scuba diver, caver, lapsed runner. Reachable at ebecatoros@ap.org
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elenabec.bsky.social
AP, AFP, BBC News and Reuters issue joint statement about their journalists in #Gaza:

"Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in warzones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them."

www.ap.org/the-definiti...
Joint statement on Gaza from AFP, AP, BBC, Reuters | The Associated Press
The Associated Press, AFP, BBC News and Reuters on Thursday issued this joint statement about journalists in Gaza:  We are desperately concerned for
www.ap.org
July 24, 2025 at 1:25 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
Banned from education beyond primary school, girls and women in Afghanistan are turning to madrassas - religious schools - instead.

#afghanistan #education #religion #madrassa #women

apnews.com/article/afgh...
With no access to education beyond the 6th grade, girls in Afghanistan turn to religious schools
For six hours every day after school, Nahideh works in a cemetery, collecting water from a nearby shrine to sell to mourners visiting loved ones’ graves.
apnews.com
July 24, 2025 at 11:59 AM
elenabec.bsky.social
Outdoor workers swelter as heat bakes southern Europe.

By @dgatopoulos.bsky.social

apnews.com/article/heat...
Outdoor workers demand protection as cruel heat bakes southern Europe
The cruel heat is back as southern Europe slips deeper into summer. In homes and offices, air conditioning is sweet relief.
apnews.com
July 24, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Reposted by Elena Becatoros
tonyveco.bsky.social
🔴 ⚠️ ♨️ 🛰️ 🔥 The ongoing #heatwave in the Mediterranean has already hit S,reaching over 44°C in Sicily and is moving eastward.⬇️ Latest 14hrs from meteosat-12 MTGI1 + MSG fire detection on July 22, with new wildfires in Italy, Albania and #Greece #climateemergency @volcaholic1.bsky.social
July 23, 2025 at 12:08 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
What to know as the U.S. inserts itself into Israel's war against Iran

#Iran #Israel #UnitedStates

apnews.com/article/isra...
What to know about the conflict between Israel and Iran, and the US intervention
The United States has inserted itself into Israel’s war against Iran, bombing three of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites overnight. U.S.
apnews.com
June 22, 2025 at 10:17 AM
elenabec.bsky.social
Clinging to a cliff in northern Greece, this monastery welcomes monks from around the world. No women allowed.

apnews.com/article/orth...
On Greece's Mount Athos, a cliffside monastery transcends country-based branches of Orthodoxy
The medieval monastery clings almost impossibly to sheer cliffs high above the shimmering turquoise of the Aegean Sea.
apnews.com
May 14, 2025 at 3:03 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
Four centuries later, Easter's date remains divisive. Some Orthodox and Catholic leaders want that to change.

#Easter #Orthodox #Catholic #religion #Greece

By @dgatopoulos.bsky.social

apnews.com/article/gree...
Four centuries later, Easter's date remains divisive. Some church leaders want that to change
Eastern and Western churches will celebrate Easter on the same day this year, while marking 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea unified Christian doctrine.
apnews.com
April 19, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by Elena Becatoros
dgatopoulos.bsky.social
Water cannon trucks have become a regular sighting at public protests in Athens.

#Greece
Our story on today's general strike, By @elenabec.bsky.social
apnews.com/article/gree...
April 9, 2025 at 9:43 AM
elenabec.bsky.social
Migrant boat capsizing near Greek island leaves at least 7 dead, including two children.

#Greece #migration

apnews.com/article/migr...
At least 7 dead after boat carrying migrants capsizes near Greek island of Lesbos
A boat carrying migrants from Turkey to a nearby Greek island capsized, leaving at least seven people dead, including two children, while 23 people have been rescued.
apnews.com
April 3, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Elena Becatoros
dgatopoulos.bsky.social
Thanks to conservation efforts, the Mediterranean monk seal is making a remarkable comeback – nearly half of the 800 global population thrive in Greek waters.

#Greece / HT @elenabec.bsky.social & Thanassis Stavrakis
apnews.com/article/medi...
The cute whiskers are back on. Rare Mediterranean monk seals are cared for in a Greek rehab center
A Greek charity has been treating dozens of orphaned, sick and injured Mediterranean monk seals, rare marine mammals whose population had dwindled so dramatically that the species at one point faced e...
apnews.com
March 11, 2025 at 11:06 AM
elenabec.bsky.social
Riot police clash with protesters as hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets of cities across Greece on the second anniversary of the country’s worst rail disaster.

By @dgatopoulos.bsky.social

apnews.com/article/gree...
Violent protests in Greece on rail crash anniversary as frustration at system failures boils over
Riot police have fired volleys of tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons at protesters hurling gasoline bombs and smashed-up paving stones in Athens.
apnews.com
February 28, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Reposted by Elena Becatoros
dgatopoulos.bsky.social
Head of Tempe rail inquiry tells AP that key safety measures to mitigate human error have still not been installed.

w/ Lefteris Pitarakis / #Greece #Τεμπη
apnews.com/article/gree...
Greek rail disaster report cites errors and major systemic failures
An independent investigative committee in Greece has released a long-awaited investigation into the country's deadliest train crash.
apnews.com
February 27, 2025 at 1:03 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
apnews.com/article/isra...
Israeli police raid Palestinian bookshop in east Jerusalem, claiming incitement to violence
Israeli police have raided a long-established Palestinian-owned bookstore in east Jerusalem, detaining the owners and confiscating books about the decades-long conflict.
apnews.com
February 10, 2025 at 4:45 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
State of emergency declared on Greek island of Santorini as hundreds of earthquakes continue to strike the area.

By @dgatopoulos.bsky.social, recently returned from the quake zone.

#Greece #santorini #santorinivolcano #earthquake

apnews.com/article/gree...
Surge in earthquake activity prompts state of emergency on Greek island of Santorini
Greece has declared a state of emergency on Santorini after hundreds of undersea earthquakes shook the resort island for nearly a week.
apnews.com
February 6, 2025 at 3:27 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
apnews.com/article/gree...

By @dgatopoulos.bsky.social on #Santorini
As quakes rattle Greek islands, a few brave tourists enjoy having Santorini to themselves
More Greek islands closed schools Tuesday as hundreds of earthquakes ratted the Aegean Sea, while a handful of hardy tourists enjoyed having Santorini’s stunning views to themselves.
apnews.com
February 4, 2025 at 2:10 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
apnews.com/article/sant...
Multiple earthquakes are rattling Greece's volcanic island of Santorini. Here's what we know
Repeated earthquakes are rattling Greece’s volcanic island of Santorini. Scientists say the quakes aren't related to a slight increase in volcanic activity that has also been registered recently.
apnews.com
February 4, 2025 at 12:52 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
Repeated earthquakes near Greece's volcanic island of Santorini prompt authorities to shut down schools, dispatch rescue crews, warn people to avoid indoor gatherings and ask hotels and residents to drain swimming pools.

#Greece #Santorini #volcano #earthquake

apnews.com/article/eart...
Multiple tremors near Greek island of Santorini shut schools and put residents on edge
A series of earthquakes near the Greek island of Santorini have led authorities to shut down schools, dispatch rescue teams with sniffer dogs and sent instructions to residents including a request to ...
apnews.com
February 2, 2025 at 8:59 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
apnews.com/article/anci...
The oldest evidence for lead pollution comes from ancient Greece
Researchers have found the oldest known evidence of lead pollution dating to around 5,200 years ago in ancient Greece.
apnews.com
January 30, 2025 at 8:35 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
Soaring over borders and divisions, this ruthless predator is being used as an ecological alternative to pest control in farming - and bringing Arab and Israeli scientists together: The barn owl.

By @dgatopoulos.bsky.social

#MiddleEast #Israel #Arab #conservation

apnews.com/article/owls...
An unlikely symbol of cooperation, the barn owl brings Arab and Israeli scientists together
A cross-border conservation project centered on barn owls is fostering cooperation between Israeli and Arab scientists, offering a rare example of coexistence in the conflict-ridden Middle East.
apnews.com
January 29, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Reposted by Elena Becatoros
theguardian.com
‘We were raided regularly’: with Assad gone, banned books return to Syria’s shelves
‘We were raided regularly’: with Assad gone, banned books return to Syria’s shelves
Under the deposed dictator, books had to pass detailed scrutiny by government censors To print a book in the days of the Bashar al-Assad regime, one first had to think of the censors. Was the book political in nature? Off to the ministry of information.…
www.theguardian.com
January 27, 2025 at 6:35 AM
elenabec.bsky.social
2,000-year-old marble statue of a woman found in garbage bag in northern Greece.

#Greece #archaeology

apnews.com/article/gree...
A 2,000-year-old statue is found abandoned in a garbage bag in Greece
Police in Greece say a marble statue of a woman believed to be more than 2,000 years old has been found abandoned in a garbage bag and handed to archaeologists.
apnews.com
January 22, 2025 at 2:47 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
EU migration commissioner in Athens for talks on migration pact, returns policy

apnews.com/article/eu-m...
EU's migration commissioner in Athens for talks on migration pact, returns policy
Magnus Brunner, the European Union’s new commissioner for migration and internal affairs, is in Athens to discuss the bloc's migration policies with Greece, which has long been one of the major entry ...
apnews.com
January 16, 2025 at 3:06 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
Suitcase snatchers: 2 women arrested for allegedly stealing other passengers' luggage at Athens airport's baggage claim.

#Greece #airport #travel

apnews.com/article/gree...
Greece police arrest 2 women for allegedly stealing luggage from Athens airport's baggage claim area
Greek police say they have arrested two women for allegedly stealing other passengers’ luggage from the baggage claim area in Athens’ international airport.
apnews.com
January 16, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Reposted by Elena Becatoros
apnews.com
BREAKING: The Qatari prime minister says Israel and Hamas agree to a ceasefire deal to pause the war in Gaza and release some hostages.

Follow AP for live coverage. apnews.com/live/israel-...
January 15, 2025 at 7:01 PM
elenabec.bsky.social
Outcry in #Greece after police release a drunk driver later involved in a crash that killed a 22-year-old.

“Panagiotis won’t be the last victim,” the 22-year-old's father said before his son’s funeral. “Because the mentality hasn’t changed, and it will never change.”

apnews.com/article/gree...
Greece sees an outcry after police release a drunk driver later involved in a deadly crash
Greece’s minister in charge of police says “all necessary sanctions” will be brought against officers on the island of Crete who failed to detain a driver found driving drunk and without a license who...
apnews.com
January 13, 2025 at 3:32 PM