Greece churches in Vrontados take part in annual 'rocket war'

Two churches in the Greek town of Vrontados were lit up on Saturday night, as they fired streams of rockets at each other as part of an Orthodox Easter tradition.

Throughout the annual 'rocket war', Easter mass continues inside the churches on the island of Chios.

The spectacle dates back to the 1800s - when Greece was ruled by the Ottoman empire - but now rockets are used instead of cannons.

Parts of the local area are boarded up with metal barriers, to try and protect them from fire damage.

Number of wildfires 22% higher since start of 2024

Greece experienced 3,543 wildfires between January 1 and May 1, a rise of 22% compared to last year’s 2,907 blazes, according to the Fire Service, which is bracing for a very difficult season.

Hospital boss at centre of deaths probe rakes in tens of thousands advising on safety
Dame Marianne Griffiths stood down from her role as chief executive of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in 2022

The former boss of a hospital at the centre of a police probe over patient deaths has been earning tens of thousands a month advising other NHS trusts.
Dame Marianne Griffiths stood down from her role as chief executive of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in 2022.

Sussex Police subsequently launched an investigation into more than 100 cases of alleged negligence in the general and neurosurgery departments during her tenure, 40 of which are believed to have involved patient deaths.

Whistleblowers have since claimed that Dame Marianne ignored safety warnings, with one claiming in a letter to her that “charges of serious misconduct include covering up the death of a patient, the creation of an unsafe environment for patients”.

Despite the brewing scandal, numerous NHS organisations have since paid significant sums to a company co-owned by the former nurse and her husband, John Dixon.