AnewZ Morning Brief - 16 September, 2025
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 16th of September, covering the latest developments you need t...
Greece’s parliamentary speaker Konstantinos Tasoulas was elected as new president of the Hellenic Republic in the fourth round of voting.
A 66-year-old Tasoulas secured 160 votes, surpassing the required 151. According to media reports, all 156 MPs from the ruling New Democracy party supported his candidacy, alongside former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and three independent MPs.
Tasoulas, a lawyer and long-time politician, will take over from Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Greece’s first female president, when her term ends on March 13, 2025.
Born in Ioannina, Greece, he studied at the Athens Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and earned a law degree in 1981. He worked as a lawyer in Athens and London, as well as took positions as prime ministry’s special secretary and mayor of Kifissia before being elected as a speaker of parliament.
Tasoulas’ appointment faced significant opposition, particularly from left-wing parties PASOK and SYRIZA. Critics argue that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis broke the long-standing tradition of selecting a nonpartisan president, instead choosing a sitting MP from his own party.
PASOK spokesperson Kostas Tsoukalas criticised the move, stating:
“Mr Mitsotakis is making a purely partisan choice by selecting a sitting MP from the New Democracy party for the highest office. He acted unilaterally, breaking political traditions and exposing his deep political insecurity.”
Public anger was also fuelled by the 2023 Tempi train disaster, which killed 57 people. Protesters accuse Tasoulas of failing to ensure a parliamentary investigation into potential political responsibility. Just last week, protesters marched through Athens, shouting “Murderers! Murderers!”
Despite the backlash, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, cited by Greek Reporter, defended his nominee, praising his experience and leadership. He said:
“Neither the different backgrounds of a president and a prime minister guarantee institutional balance, nor does their political alignment inherently create risks for the state.”
Mitsotakis emphasised that Tasoulas had been elected as parliamentary speaker with record-breaking support, stating:
“His unifying spirit and virtues have been demonstrated by the impeccable manner in which he has, until now, directed the work of the Parliament in a very difficult party landscape.”
With this election, Konstantinos Tasoulas becomes the 9th President of the Hellenic Republic and is expected to be sworn in on March 13
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 16th of September, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A massive attack on Ukraine's south eastern city of Zaporizhzhia has killed a 41-year-old man and injured 13 people on Tuesday according to officials. The regional governor said that the strikes triggered a large number of fires.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he did not rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders "wherever they are", as the heads of Arab and Islamic states held a summit to back Qatar after Israel's attack last week in the Gulf state.
Google said on Tuesday it would make £5 billion pounds ($6.80 billion) in new investments into Britain ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit to the country, which is expected to feature a flurry of business deals and partnerships.
U.S President Donald Trump said on Monday he would file a $15-billion lawsuit for defamation and libel against the New York Times, days after the newspaper released articles on his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
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