Heineken Sells Russian Business for €1. Heineken bottle with night-time cityscape in the background. Credit: Gustavo Brazzalle / CC BY 2.0.
Heineken has sold its business in Russia for one euro. The company had announced its plan to leave Russia over a year ago as a result of the Ukraine invasion.
The Dutch company will be losing over €300 million by selling the Russian branch of the business to Arnest Group, a Russian company. Companies have constantly been pulling out of Russia since the beginning of the war.
Multinational Companies Pull Out of Russia
The more obvious food and beverage brands pulling out of Russia caused a shock to the population in the beginning of the war and pushed the Russian government to quickly try and create homegrown alternatives to services.
At the beginning of the war, companies like McDonald’s pulling out of the country made the news, but other major companies also pulled out, creating issues with the economy. Major banks, payment circuits, automobile industries, Internet giants and others have put pressure on the country. The fast-food international chain expected to lose over one billion dollars.
Since the beginning of the war, more than a thousand global companies have pulled out of business plans in Russia or heavily reduced operations in the country, says Yale University.
Heineken’s Issues With Pulling Out of Russia
This makes the famous Dutch beer company one of the latest companies to pull out of Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. This is despite having promised to do so at the very beginning.
Heineken had faced criticism by mainstream media for the pace of its exit after an early announcement.
CEO Dolf van den Brink has stressed that this is due to the company’s efforts to protect its Russian employees during the sale. The company will be guaranteeing employment of Heineken’s 1,800 local staff for three years.
“While it took much longer than we had hoped, this transaction secures the livelihoods of our employees and allows us to exit the country in a responsible manner,” he said on Friday.
Russia has been tightening requirements for foreign business exiting the country after the initial blow of sanctions last year. Part of the loss expected on Heineken’s behalf includes a commitment from Arnest Group to “repay the historical intercompany debt of the Russian business of approximately €100m.”
The Russian government requires that foreign companies pay fifty percent on their businesses upon an evaluation carried out by government-selected consultants. It also requests foreign companies contribute ten percent of their business’ sale price to the Russian budget.
Surely, the sale of Heineken, affecting its seven breweries in the country, will not greatly impact the Russian budget!
Statues of Greek philosophers at the British Museum. Credit: Christian Bortes, CC2/Wikipedia
The number of artifacts that have disappeared from the British Museum is estimated at 2,000, Chairman of Trustees George Osborne said, admitting the collection did not have a complete catalog.
The U.K.’s former chancellor described the missing pieces as “small items of jewelry, gems, bits of gold that were not on public display.”
He told BBC Radio last week it was still not clear exactly how many items had gone astray from the museum that houses the Parthenon Marbles stolen from Greece by Lord Elgin in the 19th century.
“I will give you an estimate of around 2,000. But I have to say that’s a very provisional figure,” Osborne said. “We have started to recover some of the stolen items, which is a silver lining to a dark cloud.”
Museum Director Hartwig Fischer resigned on August 25th, admitting the institution did not act “as it should have” on warnings that items had gone missing.
The central London Museum said last week it had dismissed a staff member and alerted the police after artifacts were found to be “missing, stolen or damaged.”
Greece calls for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the museum
The security questions raised by the missing objects “reinforces the permanent and just demand of our country for the definitive return,” Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni told the Greek newspaper To Vima recently, repeating her insistence for the Marbles to be returned home.
“The loss, theft, deterioration of objects from a museum’s collections is an extremely serious and particularly sad event,” Mendoni said.
“When this happens from within, beyond any moral and criminal responsibility, a major question arises regarding the credibility of the museum organization itself,” she added.
More than 100,000 Greek artifacts are stored in the British Museum
Apart from the Parthenon Marbles, another 100,000 Greek artifacts are stored underground in the vaults of the British Museum, the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (BCRPM) revealed recently.
The BCRPM says that using Freedom of Information provisions, it has been found that the British Museum holds 108,184 Greek artifacts of which only 6,493 are on display.
The discovery of this enormous cache of ancient Greek artifacts has prompted notable supporters to write to British Museum funders and sponsors, raising the repeated failure of the institution to engage in discussion about their reunification, BCRPM says.
“It’s shocking to think that over 100,000 Greek artifacts lie in British Museum vaults not even on display,” Janet Suzman, Chair, and Paul Cartledge, Vice-Chair of BCRPM, said in a press statement.
Archaeologists Discover Mysterious Ancient Greek Game Made of Bones. Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority
An Ancient Greek divination game from around 2,300 years ago, known as ‘astragaloi’ (meaning ‘ankles’) and made from bones, has recently been discovered by archeologists in the Maresha-Bet Guvrin National Park located in the Judean Foothills—also known as the Shephelah—in Israel.
The practice of astragalomancy—divination by throwing astragaloi—was a game of chance or divination played in antiquity by the Greeks and Romans with some examples from the Etruscans and Near Eastern civilizations.
In Ancient Greece, Astragalomancy was performed through the rolling of astragaloi and subsequent consultation of “dice oracles.”
Either five astragaloi (plural) were rolled at once or, otherwise, one astragalos (single) was rolled five consecutive times in order to obtain an oracle.
The gaming pieces were comprised of ankle or hock bones (hence the name of the game) from animals such as goats or sheep although imitations have previously been found in bronze or wood.
The discovery is significant in that it reveals previously unknown information about our present and possibly even our future.
Sculpture of a Roman girl playing astragaloi. credit: MatthiasKabel/Wikimedia Commons
Discovered bones have inscriptions of ancient Greek gods
A collection of astragaloi from the Hellenistic period during excavations was found by researchers from the University of Haifa—under the direction of Dr. Ian Stern—during excavations found in the ancient city of Maresha in the Maresha-Bet Guvrin National Park.
The pieces contain inscriptions of Greek gods and goddesses, such as Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty ; Eros, the god of love; and Hermes, the herald of the gods and the guide of souls towards the afterlife (Psychopomp).
Other pieces also included Hera, the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women in childbirth while Nike, the winged goddess of victory is also found on another game piece. Some pieces also contain inscriptions onto which “Robber,” “Stop,” and “You are burnt” are engraved.
Dr. Lee Perry-Gal, an Israel Antiquities Authority zooarchaeologist and research fellow at the University of Haifa said that “the large assemblage of astragaloi from Maresha is unique in quantity and quality, as well as in the many inscriptions.”
“The assemblage reveals that, as today, people in distress sought external help in divination and spells and in the world beyond,” she added. “With the help of magic, women and men struggled with an uncertain environment of health, childbirth, and death, and aimed to protect themselves.”
Eli Eskosido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, noted that “this fascinating research sheds light on the life and customs in the ancient world and reminds us that people are regular all over the world.”
“They dream and hope, and notwithstanding the harshness of daily life, they find time for playing and leisure,” he added.
Live worm discovered in patient’s brain. Credit: David Foltz / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
A live worm has been discovered in the brain of an Australian woman. The woman had been experiencing memory issues and sadness prior to medical professionals removing an eight centimeter-long worm, typically found in pythons.
Medical experts were astonished when Dr. Hari Priya Bandi, a neurosurgeon, extracted the parasitic roundworm from the patient’s brain. The worm was alive and squirming, which prompted Dr. Bandi to seek advice from her colleagues, including Dr. Sanjaya Senanayake, who is an infectious diseases physician at Canberra Hospital.
Details of the patient
The patient, a 64-year-old woman from the southeastern region of New South Wales, initially sought care at her local hospital in late January 2021. She had been grappling with abdominal pain, diarrhea, and a persistent dry cough for three weeks.
As her condition progressed into 2022, she additionally faced memory problems and depression. Due to these worrisome symptoms, she was referred to Canberra Hospital. Subsequent MRI scans of her brain exposed abnormalities that necessitated surgical intervention.
Dr. Senanayake said, “But the neurosurgeon certainly didn’t go in there thinking they would find a wriggling worm.” He further said, “Neurosurgeons regularly deal with infections in the brain, but this was a once-in-a-career finding. No one was expecting to find that.”
live worm found in Australian woman’s brain in world-first discovery. Woman complained of forgetfulness and depression before doctors pulled out an 8cm roundworm normally found in pythons. pic.twitter.com/fq1m4omUrD
— Hossain Zamir | حسين ضمير (@HossainZamir2) August 28, 2023
Rapid collaboration among experts
The astonishing discovery spurred a rapid collaboration among the hospital’s experts, all driven to ascertain the specific type of roundworm and determine any necessary follow-up treatment for the patient.
“We just went for the textbooks, looking up all the different types of roundworm that could cause neurological invasion and disease,” stated Senanayake. However, their initial efforts proved unproductive, prompting them to seek assistance from external specialists.
“Canberra is a small place, so we sent the worm, which was still alive, straight to the laboratory of a CSIRO scientist who is very experienced with parasites,” revealed Senanayake. “He just looked at it and said, ‘Oh my goodness, this is Ophidascaris robertsi.'”
How did the patient get infected?
The patient resides in close proximity to a lake area populated by carpet pythons. Even though she had no direct contact with the snakes, she frequently gathered native grasses such as Warrigal greens from the lake’s vicinity for use in her cooking routines, as highlighted by Senanayake.
The medical professionals and researchers engaged in her case propose a hypothesis: a python likely excreted the parasite through its feces, which then found its way into the grass. This chain of events suggests that the patient may have become infected by touching the native grass or through consumption of the greens.
Dr. Senanayake emphasized that the patient necessitated treatment to address the possibility of other larvae invading different body parts, including the liver.
However, due to the unprecedented nature of this parasite’s impact on humans, a cautious approach was imperative. Some treatments could potentially trigger inflammation during the larvae’s termination.
As inflammation could pose risks to vital organs such as the brain, counteractive medications were also administered to mitigate any potential adverse effects.
Recovery of the patient
The patient’s recovery is progressing well, with consistent monitoring, as outlined by Senanayake. Researchers are actively investigating whether an underlying medical condition, which rendered the patient immunocompromised, might have facilitated the larvae’s establishment.
The documentation of this exceptional case is slated for publication in the upcoming September issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
As highlighted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a substantial seventy-five percent of novel or emerging infectious diseases in humans originate from animals.
Senanayake underscored that this unprecedented case exposes the peril posed by diseases and infections making their way from animals to humans. This danger looms larger as human and animal habitats increasingly intersect.
“Of the emerging infections globally, about 75 percent are zoonotic, meaning there has been transmission from the animal world to the human world,” he added. “This includes coronaviruses.”
“This Ophidascaris infection does not transmit between people, so this patient’s case won’t cause a pandemic like Covid-19 or Ebola,” he explained. “However, the snake and parasite are found in other parts of the world, so it is likely that other cases will be recognized in coming years in other countries.”
Professor Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases physician who was not directly associated with the patient’s case, highlighted that certain instances of zoonotic diseases could go undiagnosed, particularly if they are rare and physicians lack the necessary knowledge.
“Sometimes, people die with the cause never being found,” he cautioned. Collignon advocated for prudence when interacting with animals and the environment.
He recommended thorough washing of foods and proper cooking techniques, along with the use of protective attire like long sleeves to minimize the risk of bites.
Korean Air has decided to weigh passengers before they fly. Credit: Christian Junker / Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Korean Air, the biggest airline in South Korea, has decided to weigh passengers and their carry-on items at the airport for safety reasons.
This step, revealed on the airline’s official website, aims to determine the average weight of passengers before their flights. This approach is quite similar to what Air New Zealand announced in June.
Passengers departing from two of the busiest airports in South Korea, both located in the capital city of Seoul, will be requested to stand on weighing scales.
At Gimpo Airport, those flying domestic routes might be weighed between August 28th and September 6th. Similarly, passengers leaving from Incheon International Airport might experience this from September 8th to the 19th.
Korean Air has clarified that travelers who are uncomfortable with sharing their weight can choose not to participate by informing the airport staff.
Korean Air to weigh passengers on domestic, international flights!
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation (MOLIT) in Korea has recommended that all national airlines weigh passengers along with their carry-on bags.
This update is part of their efforts to enhance the Aircraft Weight and Balance Management Standards. A spokesperson from the Ministry shared this information with The Independent.
Emphasizing the importance of flight safety, the spokesperson expressed that this is extremely important for ensuring safe flight operations. Korean Air is following this requirement diligently, as safety remains of utmost concern.
Is it reasonable to weigh airline passengers?
Vance Hilderman, the CEO of Afuzion, a company specializing in aviation safety, says the answer is a resounding “no.”
He specifically believes that weighing passengers, especially for safety reasons, isn’t a necessary measure. He pointed out that on smaller aircraft like Bombardier or Embraer jets, the weight difference caused by a few obese individuals might have only a minor impact.
However, for larger commercial planes such as Boeing 737s or larger, which are designed with a capacity of around 120 people or more in mind, this aspect is already factored into the aircraft’s design, reported CNBC.
It's better to weigh the plane than to weigh the passengers. Weight problems can become discrimination against obesity, depriving passengers of legal rights. pic.twitter.com/rbcxj2IWMt
Aviation software is capable of adapting to alterations in weight, air density, and other variables. This capability ensures that safety remains intact even when passenger characteristics are atypical.
According to Hilderman, if a flight consists mostly of businessmen, who typically have higher weights compared to the average traveler, the software can still manage without compromising safety.
All in all, any substantial increase in individual passenger weight would be overshadowed by the combined weight of fuel, cargo, and the aircraft itself. Vance Hilderman clarified this perspective, noting that the weight of fuel alone is around twenty times greater than the weight of a single passenger.
Elon Musk is getting sued by the US Department of Justice. Credit: Daniel Oberhaus / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
The Justice Department of the United States sued Elon Musk‘s company SpaceX on Thursday. The space company that produces rockets and satellites was accused of discriminating against refugees and asylum-seekers in the hiring process.
“The lawsuit alleges that, from at least September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX routinely discouraged asylees and refugees from applying and refused to hire or consider them, because of their citizenship status, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
The Justice Department revealed that, over the years, the company’s job postings and statements have claimed that, under federal regulations, SpaceX can only hire US citizens and residents with a green card.
Elon Musk Hits Back
As recently as June 2020, CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk posted on X, the social media website previously known as Twitter, that “U.S. law requires at least a green card to be hired at SpaceX, as rockets are advanced weapons technology,” something the Justice Department declares a “discriminatory public statement…” According to the Department, this is simply not valid.
The tycoon and SpaceX CEO did not immediately issue a response. Eventually, Elon Musk hit back on social media platform X:
SpaceX was told repeatedly that hiring anyone who was not a permanent resident of the United States would violate international arms trafficking law, which would be a criminal offense.
He claimed that, as a result of regulations on the dissemination of sensitive information, he couldn’t even hire Canadian citizens.
“This is yet another case of weaponization of the DOJ for political purposes,” he announced. He also added that “the weaponization of government agencies needs to stop. This fundamentally undermines public faith in the justice system.”
US Export Laws
American companies that work in sensitive markets and goods, such as rockets or spacecraft can be weaponized and are required to follow regulations clarifying specifically who may be hired and in what manner. These regulations include export control laws and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR.
According to export control laws, officially known as Export Administration Regulation (EAR), “license requirements may apply to some items. A certain commodity classification request may be submitted in order to obtain assistance in determining how an item is controlled.”
There are, in accordance with ITAR, constraints on the dissemination of critical information related to launch systems for rockets and missiles that American companies are working on. These constraints apply to the hiring of foreign employees, as access to sensitive information requires additional measures for heightened national security.
The tycoon has been at odds with the Biden administration since the purchase of Twitter in October 2022. He has also published information regarding alleged FBI conspiracies in regards to the control of the flow of information on social media. The recent reactivation of Donald Trump’s account on the platform has also surely not been beneficial for Musk’s companies.
Claudia Schiffer, the German supermodel, actress, and businesswoman shared a series of photos from her 53rd birthday, which she celebrated in Greece. Credit: Instagram / Claudia Schiffer @claudiaschiffer
Claudia Schiffer the German supermodel, actress, and businesswoman celebrated her 53rd birthday in Greece and shared a series of photos on her Instagram account.
In the pictures, she poses in a bright-colored bikini in a luxurious house overlooking the mountains, pine trees, and sea. A series of shots opens with a video showing a superstar holding a butterfly in her hand. Schiffer wrote it was her special friend who had come to wish her a happy birthday. The video makes a lot of sense to the former model, as she recently launched her own collection of fine ceramics and glassware featuring a butterfly logo.
In the second photo in the series, Schiffer stands near party balloons in the spacious hall of the house, without geotagging or mentioning a specific location. The third shot shows the actress against the backdrop of an idyllic Greek landscape with green mountains, tree-covered hills, and a rugged coastline with small charming bays. Finally, in the last shot of the series, a festive chocolate cake with white candles is captured.
Claudia Schiffer’s Birthday in Greece. Credit: Claudia Schiffer
The superstar also added a caption to her post, calling Greece a paradise. Many of the almost two million followers in the comments congratulated Schiffer on her birthday, noting her excellent physical condition and the beauty of the chosen place for holding a special day.
Greek Paradise of Claudia Schiffer
This is the second time this summer that Schiffer has chosen Greece for her vacation, which underscores her particular fondness for the place.
In June, she already visited the picturesque island of Spetses and posted two photos on her social networks. On her break, she was with her best friend and beautician Uta Huesch, with whom she posed for a picture on a floating taxi. Schiffer had noted in the caption of the post that there is “nothing like shopping with my best friend.”
Claudia Schiffer with her best friend and beautician Uta Huesch on vacation in Greece. Credit: Instagram / Claudia Schiffer @claudiaschiffer
Spetses is one of the more upscale islands of the Saronic group. In the summer of 2021, during the period of restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, it became the location for the filming of the movieGlass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
This Greek island has eschewed mass tourism and become the perfect getaway destination thanks to its unique architecture, cobbled streets, and fragrant gardens.
Favorite Vacation Destination
Greece has traditionally become a favorable vacation spot for numerous celebrities and prominent persons.
Earlier in August, the former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson once again embraced a sun-soaked escape in Greece with his wife and their three children. Johnson’s arrival at the port of Marmari, Evia in Central Greece aboard a ferry was captured by onlookers. Accompanied by his security team, Johnson enjoyed a family retreat in the charming village of Nea Styra.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was also photographed with his wife Carla Bruni while traveling in Greece. In August, they were spotted onboard a yacht during their vacation.
Aviation safety has become a hot topic in the US. Credit: Public Domain CC0
Concerns have been raised about aviation safety standards in the United States after a report was released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which revealed that there had been at least 46 close-call incidents last month concerning commercial airline flights.
Roughly one week following the release of the report, it was revealed that federal authorities initiated an investigation into nearly five thousand pilots who are under suspicion of altering their medical records.
In response to coverage by The New York Times, the FAA stated that “The US aviation system is the safest in the world, but one close call is one too many.” The FAA added that it had “virtually eliminated the risk of fatalities aboard US commercial airlines.”
Frequency of “close calls” raises questions about aviation safety
According to a report by The New York Times, incidents of near collisions involving commercial airlines have been occurring several times each week. These close calls involve all major US airlines and are taking place across various locations throughout the country. The New York Times conducted a review of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report detailing these occurrences.
The number of near misses has increased by over two-fold in the last ten years, as reported by The New York Times. Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether this rise is a result of worsening safety conditions or an uptick in voluntary reporting.
Within the database, the publication identified records from aviation officials who detailed their apprehensions about aviation safety subsequent to encountering a close call.
The FAA has said that it is “pursuing a goal of zero serious close calls,” but insists that air travel remains safe. The organization pointed to the low incidence of accidents over the past decade as evidence for this.
shortage of air traffic controllers
According to the report, human error, particularly by air traffic controllers played a significant role in many of the near misses. One air traffic controller commented, “Is it going to take people dying for something to move forward?” after a midair collision nearly occurred.
The shortage of air traffic controllers has garnered significant attention, particularly in light of extensive flight delays and cancellations, particularly following the pandemic-related lockdowns.
In response to this deficiency, the FAA has taken steps to address the situation by recruiting 1,500 new controllers for the year 2023. In March, the Transportation Department submitted a funding request of 117 million dollars for the purpose of hiring additional air traffic controllers.
FAA investigates pilots hiding health issues
At the same time, concerns have also been raised about a significant number of pilots working for commercial airlines who have allegedly concealed health issues that may impact their ability to fly.
The individuals being examined are pilots with military backgrounds who informed the FAA that they were in suitable health for flying. However, they neglected to adhere to legal obligations by not disclosing that they were simultaneously receiving veterans benefits due to disabilities that could render them ineligible for piloting.
Inconsistencies in their claims were identified by Veterans Affairs investigators over two years ago through a cross-referencing of federal databases. Despite this discovery, the FAA has withheld numerous aspects of the case from public knowledge.
Matthew Lehner, an FAA spokesman, recently revealed that the organization is investigating approximately 4,800 pilots “who might have submitted incorrect or false information as part of their medical applications.”
Team USA beat Greece at the FIBA Basketball World Cup on Monday. Credit: Tuomas Vitikainen / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
On Monday, Team USA cruised past Greece with a comfortable 109-81 victory at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Having beaten Greece, the US team will now advance to the second group phase of the tournament. On Wednesday, the US team is set to conclude their group stage matches as they face off against Jordan.
Similarly, Greece is scheduled to play against New Zealand on the same day. Following their close victory in overtime against Jordan on Monday, the outcome of the Greece vs. New Zealand match will be pivotal in deciding the second position in Group C. This game holds significance since the top two teams from the group will progress to the next phase of the tournament.
USA ease their way into 2-0 and advance to the second round 👌#FIBAWC x #WinForUSA
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 28, 2023
Greece vs. USA at the FIBA Basketball World Cup
In contrast to their victory over New Zealand on Saturday, where Paolo Banchero led with 25 points, the Americans did not rely on a single dominant player in this match. Austin Reaves took the lead with 15 points, yet all 12 members of the team contributed with at least four points each.
The triumph stemmed from cohesive team dynamics, coupled with impressive shooting accuracy from both beyond the arc (9-of-22) and, notably, the free-throw line (30-of-34). Adding to their prowess, a commanding 40-25 rebounding performance ensured Team USA’s control across nearly every facet of the game.
Greece’s lineup faced significant limitations, boasting solely one NBA player in Thanasis Antetokounmpo. Notably absent due to knee surgery was his more renowned brother, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who might have participated in the tournament otherwise. With Giannis sidelined, Greece lacked substantial firepower and failed to pose a significant challenge to Team USA.
Antetokounmpo expressed regrets over his decision to miss out on the World Cup on social media. He revealed that this choice was predominantly influenced by the advice of his medical team, which had carefully considered his health and overall well-being.
Everyone knows my passion and love for my National Team has and never will change. Since the conclusion of my NBA season I have been pushing my body to the limits to be the player I need to be to help our team achieve the goals we set. But after months of work and multiple… pic.twitter.com/1uhTlfNZVE
He added that a demanding NBA season and his unwavering dedication prompted him to strive for peak physical form in preparation for the World Championship. However, according to Antetokounmpo, it has become evident that he has not fully recovered the required level necessary for competition at the World Cup.
The NBA star acknowledged that surpassing these limitations would pose a risk to his health.
Antetokounmpo concluded his message by looking toward the future. He emphasized that both on a personal level and for the national team, the collective goal is to secure a spot in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Another migrant tragedy happened in the waters off Greece’s Lesvos. Credit: AMNA
Four children were among five people who died in two separate migrant boat sinkings off the islands of Lesvos and Samos in Greece on Monday.
The coast guard said four people died and 18 were rescued after a boat carrying migrants apparently sank northeast of Lesvos, which is near the Turkish coast. Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said all four were children: an eight-year-old boy and three girls aged fourteen, eight, and eleven months.
Coast guard spokesperson Nikos Alexiou said the incident occurred within Turkish territorial waters, but the Turkish coast guard did not conduct a rescue operation, so a Greek patrol boat recovered the passengers. The survivors were taken to Lesvos’ main port of Mytilene, where two people were transferred to a local hospital.
Another migrant boat sinks off Samos
Earlier Monday at about 1 a.m., a coast guard patrol boat spotted a dinghy carrying 37 people off the eastern Aegean island of Samos, the coast guard said. It was announced that the passengers fell into the water upon seeing the patrol boat, triggering a rescue operation.
A woman and a young boy were pulled from the water unconscious and coast guard officers performed CPR, authorities reported. The woman died, but the boy survived and was transferred to a hospital on Samos along with nine other survivors, according to the coast guard.
“We express our deepest sadness” for the five deaths, Marinakis said at a regular briefing. He praised the coast guard for “superhuman efforts” to rescue lives at sea. “It is imperative that the dismal smuggling networks that exploit vulnerable people are struck at their roots,” he said.
Over the weekend, the coast guard said it picked up dozens of people from boats near eastern Aegean Sea islands, part of an increase in new arrivals over the past two months.
It said it recovered 20 people from a dinghy off the coast of Lesvos on Sunday, and 11 others from another dinghy that was sinking near the same island on Saturday.
Two other boats arrived on Samos on Saturday, the coast guard said, one carrying 35 people and one with 21 people.
For decades, Greece has been a preferred entry point into the European Union for people fleeing conflict or poverty in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia and hoping for a better life in Europe.
More than 14,000 people have reached Greece by land and sea so far this year, according to United Nations figures. That’s about a tenth of the total successful Mediterranean crossings, most of which—about 104,000—were to Italy. Arrivals in Greece for the whole of 2022 totaled 19,000.
In June, a battered fishing trawler heading from Libya to Italy with an estimated 500 to 750 people on board sank in international waters off southwestern Greece. Only 104 survivors were found, and Greek authorities were heavily criticized for failing to evacuate the vessel in time.
The government has attributed the rise in migrant crossings since then to better summer weather and smugglers taking advantage of an increase in Aegean small boat traffic during the tourist season.
