Swedish Ambassador to North Korea Practices Yoga on Streets

Swedish Ambassador Joachim Bergstrom practices yoga next to the Taedong River in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo taken in early July, 2020. Joachim Bergstrom/Handout via REUTERS
Swedish Ambassador Joachim Bergstrom practices yoga next to the Taedong River in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo taken in early July, 2020. Joachim Bergstrom/Handout via REUTERS
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Swedish Ambassador to North Korea Practices Yoga on Streets

Swedish Ambassador Joachim Bergstrom practices yoga next to the Taedong River in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo taken in early July, 2020. Joachim Bergstrom/Handout via REUTERS
Swedish Ambassador Joachim Bergstrom practices yoga next to the Taedong River in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo taken in early July, 2020. Joachim Bergstrom/Handout via REUTERS

Barefoot and blonde, Swedish Ambassador Joachim Bergstrom makes an unlikely sight in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, as he practices yoga poses near some of its most iconic landmarks. One of the few Western diplomats who has not evacuated from North Korea amid coronavirus restrictions, Bergstrom has relied on yoga to endure the deepening sense of isolation.

Bergstrom, who has been in North Korea as an ambassador since September 2019, came prepared to use the exercise regimen as a way to stay healthy and unwind in a country where foreigners and residents are under constant restraints. But the sense of isolation deepened when the coronavirus began to spread in neighboring China in January, prompting North Korea to shut its borders, cancel most flights and train service, and send foreign residents into more than a month of quarantine, Reuters reported.

North Korea says it has zero confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but has taken significant measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Bergstrom has stayed on, and teaches occasional yoga classes to a dwindling number of international diplomats and aid workers. Foreigners were allowed out of their compounds at the beginning of March, but still face restrictions on travel and movement around the city.

Occasionally, Bergstrom says, he rides his bicycle and practices yoga in parks or other public spots, often prompting smiles and stares from residents, who he says are curious and friendly.

He has posted photos on social media of him striking yoga poses in front of some of Pyongyang's landmarks, including the Juche Tower, the unfinished Ryugyong Hotel, and the Arch of Triumph. Above all, yoga has given him something to rely on during uncertain times that include power cuts, water shortages, limited communication, and now, coronavirus lockdown.

"A physical practice totally independent of all these factors is an amazing thing in a place like this. No matter what happens around me, I can do my thing," Bergstrom said.



Hundreds Evacuated as Greece Wildfire Rages on Crete

Firefighters stand next to rising flames as a wildfire burns near Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis
Firefighters stand next to rising flames as a wildfire burns near Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis
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Hundreds Evacuated as Greece Wildfire Rages on Crete

Firefighters stand next to rising flames as a wildfire burns near Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis
Firefighters stand next to rising flames as a wildfire burns near Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis

A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds on the southern Greek island of Crete has forced the evacuation of locals and tourists, officials said on Thursday.

Greece is sweltering in a heatwave that is searing much of southern Europe, said AFP.

The country has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to summer wildfires, which are fueled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change.

Local media said around 1,500 people had to be evacuated because of the blaze, which broke out on Wednesday evening.

"Evacuations took place in numerous hotels and tourists were safely transferred to a closed gymnasium in the municipality of Ierapetra," vice-prefect Yannis Androulakis told TV channel Mega, referring to the holiday town in the southeast.

He said the authorities acted because water bomber planes could not reach the affected areas overnight.

"At the moment, there are three active fronts," Androulakis said. "Because of the strong winds, the fire has progressed quite rapidly."

Around 270 firefighters, 10 helicopters and drones have been deployed to tackle the blaze, said Vassilios Vathrakoyannis, a spokesman for the fire service.

They include reinforcements sent in from the capital, Athens.

"There are still a number of different fronts. The fire is burning scrubland and crops," he said.

"The winds are very strong -- up to nine on the Beaufort scale."

- Uneven, arid terrain -

Crete, Greece's largest island, has an arid, uneven landscape criss-crossed by gullies, making it difficult for firefighters to tackle the blaze.

The fire has damaged both houses and crops in fruit and vegetable greenhouses, local media said.

Like the rest of Crete, Ierapetra –- a seaside resort with a population of 23,000 -- takes in thousands of tourists in the summer.

Vathrakoyannis said the authorities would assess the extent of the damage once the fire had been brought under control.

He stressed the risk of fires was "considerable" in July, the hottest month of the year in Greece.

Until now, Greece had been more or less spared the heatwave that has gripped other parts of southern Europe.

The country recorded its hottest ever summer last year when 45,000 hectares were torched, according to WWF Greece and the Athens National Observatory.

In terms of surface area destroyed, 2023 was the worst on record.

Nearly 175,000 hectares were obliterated and 20 people died during a series of prolonged heatwaves when temperatures rose in places to 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit).