On Friday evening there is a party atmosphere at the final rally of the election campaign of Nea Dimokratia, the largest right-wing party in Greece. Horns, flares, national flags and, most importantly, smiles abound. Party leader and outgoing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, 55, has been warning for several weeks that the ballot boxes are still empty and must be filled this Sunday. Imagine that nobody trusts. In a census of 10.4 million inhabitants, a total of 9.9 million Greeks were called to vote. Voting began this Sunday at 7 a.m., an hour less in mainland Spain, and is scheduled to end at 7 p.m. These are the second general elections the country has held in five weeks.

The New Democracy won the general election on May 21 with 40.79% of the vote, the largest difference since 1974 to the second party, the left-wing Syriza under Alexis Tsipras. Nobody expected such a tremendous victory, but this result was not enough to reign alone for four more years. So instead of forming a coalition government, Mitsotakis called new elections. This time the elections will be governed by the electoral law passed by New Democracy in 2020, which provides a bonus of up to 50 seats for the party with the most votes. The Conservative leader sees getting half plus one of the 300 MPs in Parliament within reach. It’s just a step away. That’s why he calls his followers to Syntagma Square in Athens this Friday: “We need strength to finish what we started.”

Gone are the days when Tsipras ruled (2015-2019), when the troika (European Commission, European Central Bank and IMF) imposed strict authority policies on him. Now Mitsotakis is emerging as the clear favourite.

Political science professor at the University of Macedonia, Nikos Marantzidis, claims via email from Thessaloniki that there are three types of rights in Greece. “First, the traditional, conservative, Christian-Democratic, slightly anti-Western,” strongest in rural areas. Second, the neoliberal, cosmopolitan, pro-American, market-worshipping right wing that represents the middle and upper classes, namely that of Mitsotakis. Finally, a racist and deeply anti-Western far right, epitomized by the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, has now disintegrated as a criminal organization.

Different formations fight to conquer a space to the right of the New Democracy. And they do it with a strong dose of nationalism and religion, which are very present in the country. In public schools, the day begins with a communal prayer in the courtyard before class. That’s what Niki wants, a new ultra-conservative party that was about to enter parliament last May with 2.92% of the vote. The electoral law sets the cut at 3%.

Niki presents a program that combines Christian fundamentalism, anti-immigration, anti-communism and pro-Putin positions. At their head is the theologian Dimitris Natsios, who at the end of his election campaign surrounded himself with several ultra-Orthodox priests. But the majority of the Orthodox hierarchy does not agree with the presence of priests at rallies and has expressly distanced itself from the new party.

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Professor Marantzidis explains that Mitsotakis’ success lies in “convincing the left’s inability to govern coherently and effectively”. The professor believes that “by presenting himself as a technocratic prime minister who runs the country like a manager”, Mitsotakis manages to influence a broader right-wing constituency than the traditional one.

Does this mean that Greece has clearly become a right-wing country? A highly-trusted Mitsotakis employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, states that a “yes” answer to this question would not be appropriate. He explains that Mitsotakis has taken the lead on issues not traditionally seen as center-right, such as “the green agenda and the rights of the most vulnerable”. It also highlights that it has bolstered national pride through its “economic achievements after a ruinous decade” and the signing of several international agreements. These include the establishment of maritime borders with Italy and Egypt and defense agreements with France and the United States.

Regarding one of the government’s most serious crises, the train accident in the municipality of Tempe, which killed 57 people on February 28, the Mitsotakis adviser points out: “The causes that caused this tragedy come from afar, although the Main causes.” The minister accepted his share of the responsibility. But when it comes to solving the problems of our rail network, the Greeks know that whatever the ideological reasons, Mitsotakis is the most capable man in Greece.”

The key to a possible victory

Mitsotakis goes to the polls this Sunday with a promise to complete the work to modernize the country without giving up his anti-immigration resolve. When several participants at the rally were asked what the keys to a possible victory for Mitsotakis were, they all agreed: “stability and economic growth.” Dimitris, a bank manager who prefers to use his first name only, gives several reasons: foreign policy and “tough stance on illegal immigration”. He assures that “with Syriza there were refugee camps with 20,000 migrants on some small islands” and Mitsotakis “solved the problem”.

MP Konstantinos Kyranakis, 36, adds a key in perfect English: “The prime minister has kept his promises.” Several acquaintances have asked him to pose with them in a photo. They wear pastel-colored shirts with three open buttons and designer sneakers or slippers.

Anna Ligouri is an entrepreneur who runs a computer company with 200 employees. He assures that his workers “take a deep breath knowing Mitsotakis will win.” Elpidoforos Papanikolopulos, also a 41-year-old bank manager, believes that “Mitsotakis has occupied the entire center and changed not only the political scene but also the mentality of this country.” That’s why the left are voting for him.” Where does this strategy lead to the extreme right wing of the party, embodied by former ministers Adonis Georgiadis or Thanos Plevris? Papanikolopulos shrugs and replies sarcastically, “And what else can you do but accept it?”

Several priests take part in the rally at the end of the election campaign of the Niki party (ultra-conservative) on Thursday 22 June 2023 in Athens. Yorgos Karahalis (AP)

The Greek economy grew by 8.4% in 2021 and by 5.9% in 2022, well above the European Union average. National debt in relation to gross domestic product fell by 35 points within two years; It stood at 206% during the pandemic and currently accounts for 171% of GDP, according to the Efe agency.

Mitsotakis put the economy at the center of his campaign message. Theodoros Skylakakis was one of the most responsible in this field. On the list for Parliament, he is number two for New Democracy. He served as deputy minister for fiscal policy, a position that does not exist in Spain and that would sit between the minister and the foreign minister. Skylakakis defines the government’s economic policy as follows: “We are fiscally conservative, we meet fiscal targets, while economic stimulus is very liberal and social policy is quite social democratic.”

There are also those who believe that in Greece Mitsotakis was the major beneficiary of what is known as the “Juncker Curse”, paraphrasing the austerity phrase of former European Commission President, Luxembourg conservative Jean-Claude Juncker: “We know what to do, but we don’t know how we’ll be re-elected afterwards.” The defenders of this thesis argue that Tsipras implemented the demands made by the troika… and Mitsotakis has been reaping the rewards since 2019.

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Hikers on Saturday found human remains in a mountainous area in Southern California where British actor Julian Sands disappeared five months ago, authorities said.

The body was discovered around 10 a.m. in the wilderness near Mount Baldy.

It was taken to the coroner’s office for identification next week, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.

Sands, an avid hiker and climber, was reported missing Jan. 13 after making his way to the more than 10,000-foot peak east of Los Angeles. In winter, the region was hit by violent storms.

On Friday, his family released their first statement since Sands’ disappearance.

“We continue to carry Julian in our hearts and fondly remember him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of nature and the arts, and an original and collaborative artist,” the statement said.

Sands, known for his roles in Oscar-nominated films including 1985’s ‘A Room With a View,’ was reported missing by his family on January 13 after he was lost while hiking in the Mount Baldy area of ​​California San Gabriel Mountains was gone.

Julian Sands sits on a peak of the Weisshorn in the Swiss Alps in September 2022

Search parties have worked tirelessly to locate the famous actor. Their most recent search mission included over 80 search and rescue officers, deputies and staff. During the mission, two helicopters, teams of drones and aerial search equipment were deployed to search some of the more remote areas around Mount Baldy, but the missing actor could not be found

Sands, a 65-year-old British-born actor best known for his role in the 1985 film A Room With a View, is married to journalist Evgenia Citkowitz and has three adult children.

Sands, 65, was reported missing by his family after disappearing into the dangerous mountain range

Since Sands’ disappearance on January 13, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has conducted eight searches.

Her latest search mission on June 17 involved more than 80 volunteers, staff and deputies, but found no trace.

Towering over Los Angeles, Mount Baldy is approximately 10,064 feet tall.

The mountain has been described by seasoned hikers as one of the deadliest mountains in the United States and holds one of the worst records for deaths and injuries in the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported.

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, there have been more than 100 searches for missing hikers on Mount Baldy since 2020, with six deaths confirmed.

A map of the area where Julian Sands, 65, was reported missing

The region is home to some of the most popular hiking trails in Los Angeles, California

His family reported him missing at 7:30 p.m. on January 13 and rescuers recovered a snow-covered car, which was towed away

Sands’ first major production was 1984’s The Killing Fields, the acclaimed historical drama about Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge (pictured alongside John Malkovich).

Pictured: Sands and Helena Bonham Carter on the set of the award-winning 1985 film A Room With A View

Sands and his wife, US journalist Evgenia Citkowitz, married in 1990 and have two children together

Sands was born in Yorkshire, northern England, in 1958 to mother Brenda, who raised him and his four brothers alone after their divorce.

He received a private education at Lord Wandsworth College, a boarding school in the Hampshire countryside, before taking the plunge into acting.

Sands landed small roles first, starring opposite Anthony Hopkins in the 1983 TV movie A Married Man and appearing in Privates on Parade, which was about a military entertainment group in Malaysia in the late 1940s.

His first major production was 1984’s The Killing Fields, the acclaimed historical drama about Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge.

Sands played journalist Jon Swain in the triple Oscar-winning film.

But the following year it was his turn with the adaptation of the classic EM Forster novel, A Room With a View, which made Sands a star.

He portrays the philosophical and freethinking George Emerson and falls in love with a Florentine pensioner in the historical drama starring Helena Bonham Carter’s character Lucy Honeychurch.

The couple’s lips locked in a field of poppies in what is considered one of the most romantic on-screen kisses of all time.

Beijing and parts of northern China are seeing record temperatures and authorities are urging people to limit their time outdoors. The Nanjiao Observatory in south Beijing on Saturday recorded temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time for a third straight day, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Temperatures in nearby Hebei province and the port city of Tianjin have also soared to over 104 degrees in recent days, prompting authorities to issue “red” alerts amid extreme weather conditions. In China’s four-tier weather alert system, the red alert indicates the most severe conditions, according to the AP.

On Thursday, Beijing experienced the second warmest day since records began, with temperatures of up to 106 degrees. It was also the highest temperature ever recorded in China’s capital in June. The record high of 107 degrees in Beijing since modern records began was reached on July 24, 1999. Chinese meteorologists say the current heat wave was caused by warm air masses associated with high pressure ridges in the atmosphere, compounded by thin cloud cover and long daylight hours around the summer solstice.

Other countries in Asia have been experiencing deadly heatwaves in recent weeks, which scientists say are being made worse by rising global temperatures caused in part by burning fossil fuels. In China, the heatwave coincided with a three-day holiday, the Dragon Boat Festival, which features rice dumplings and racing boats powered by paddler teams. Beijing weather authorities urged residents to refrain from outdoor physical activity for long periods of time and take measures to protect themselves from the sun. Temperatures in the capital are expected to drop to a relatively balmy 93 degrees on Monday before rising again later next week.

(Read more China stories.)

During his election campaign, President Erdogan increased hate speech against sexual and gender minorities. During an unauthorized pride march in Istanbul on Sunday June 25, three women tell franceinfo about their struggles and their fears.

Eda is 21 years old and has big hazel eyes that cast worried looks around. She is a lesbian and does not yet know if she will take part in the Pride parade in Istanbul on Sunday 25 June. What worries him isn’t so much the police in charge of banning the gathering as the reactions of strangers on the street at a time when homophobia has never been more encouraged at the highest level of the state.

>>> “We want to live a normal life”: From Argentina to Taiwan, seven LGBTQIA+ people share their daily struggles

“I’m getting more and more worried,” says Eda. As an LGBT+ woman, I don’t feel safe anywhere. As soon as I set foot outside, I feel like my life is in danger. It’s like fighting a daily battle for my right to live, my right to exist. But that’s all I’m asking for: the right to exist. And we are denied that.”

LGBT+, a “poison” for Erdogan

Although homosexuality is not forbidden in Turkey, a country with a large Muslim majority, the situation of sexual minorities there is becoming increasingly precarious and the official discourse against them is increasingly violent. During his recent election campaign, President Erdogan called them “evil” and likened them to a “plague” and a “poison” for the Turkish family.

Ilayda, a volunteer at an association that defends LGBT+ rights, confirms that fear is growing, including when it comes to denouncing violence. “Everyone who comes to us feels those concerns,” she explains. They ask us: “What if the police officer who takes my complaint is homophobic? And if the judge is homophobic? And if the court-appointed attorney is homophobic. What if I contact an attorney and he refuses to defend me because of my sexual identity or orientation?’ Even among people who have not experienced violence, these concerns are becoming more common.”

Solidarity Artists

In the last elections, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan formed an alliance with two small Islamist parties whose main demand is a total ban on LGBT+ associations. For Ezgi, a transgender woman, such a measure would only increase people’s isolation from the queer community: “Because I’m transgender, they don’t give me a job, they don’t rent me an apartment.”

“Without the solidarity of my community, I would be out on the streets. A real estate agent said to me again the other day: ‘I have apartments’, but not for you!’”

Ezgi, transgender woman

at franceinfo

Turkish artists who show their solidarity are also excluded. The city hall of Bursa, one of Turkey’s largest cities, recently canceled a concert by singer Melike Sahin. She dedicated an award to women and LGBT+ people.