Greece swears in first female president

LOUISA GOULIAMAKI / AFP

Katerina Sakellaropoulou has been sworn in as the first female president of Greece.

The 63-year-old former judge has been appointed to a five-year term.

She took a religious oath at a ceremony, which was scaled down due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The event was confined to a limited number of lawmakers and other officials as Greece has cancelled public gatherings and closed schools and theatres to tackle the spread of the virus.

Sakellaropoulou was elected by parliament in January by 261 out of 300 lawmakers.

She has set out her priorities as tackling the economic crisis, climate change and mass migration.

More from International News

  • India inspects spice makers over alleged contamination

    India is inspecting facilities of spice makers MDH and Everest for compliance with quality standards after sales of some of their products were halted in Hong Kong and Singapore for allegedly containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.

  • Israeli media predict offensive in Gaza's Rafah soon

    Israel is poised to send troops into Rafah, the Gazan city it sees as the last bastion of Hamas, Israeli media reported on Wednesday, saying preparations were under way to evacuate war-displaced Palestinian civilians who have been sheltering there.

  • Russia detains ally of Defence Minister Shoigu for corruption

    A Russian court on Wednesday ordered one of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's deputies be kept in custody on suspicion of taking bribes, the highest-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.

  • Trump meets with Japan's former prime minister Aso

    Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, a senior figure in the country's ruling party, met with Donald Trump on Tuesday, becoming the latest US ally seeking to establish ties with the Republican presidential candidate.

Blogs