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CNN —Greece has announced that it will limit the number of daily visitors to the Acropolis in order to guarantee the safety and longevity of the ancient monument. From September, the UNESCO World Heritage site in Athens will admit no more than 20,000 visitors a day, according to the country’s culture minister, Lina Mendoni. “That creates unpleasant conditions for the site, the visitors and the staff who are trying to accommodate this high volume of people,” she added. Mendoni said that the measure will allow the government to protect the monument and enhance the overall experience for visitors. From April 1, the new system will also apply to other archaeological sites that operate with electronic tickets, accounting for 90-95% of visitors to Greek sites.

Persons: Lina Mendoni, Mendoni, ” Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, government’s Hellenic Organization of Cultural Resources, “, ERT Locations: Greece, Athens

☆ China's sprawling spy agencies are designed to root out the 'five poisons' at home and abroad, British intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Yin Gang/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Xinhua via Getty ImagesIn a recent report to parliament, the British intelligence services detailed the operations and goals of the Chinese intelligence services. The Chinese intelligence services are also collecting information on the Chinese democracy movement at home and abroad — including in the US — in an attempt to subvert it. According to the British intelligence report, Xi has sought to make Chinese intelligence activity more professional through reform and investment. "In more ways than one, the broad remit of the Chinese Intelligence Services poses a significant challenge to Western attempts to counter their activity," the report said, citing assessments by British intelligence officers. "To compound the problem, it is not just the Chinese Intelligence Services: the Chinese Communist Party co-opts every state institution, company and citizen.

Persons: Yin, Ma Ying, Xi Jinping, Chuang, Gong, Dalai Lama, Murad Sezer, Xi, Xie Huanchi, hoover, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, intel, Beijing, Service, Ministry of Public Security, Yin Gang, Getty, Xinhua, of State Security, of Public Security, Force, NSA, REUTERS, CCP, of, People, US National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Chinese Intelligence Services, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Beijing, Xinhua, Taipei, Singapore, Xinjiang, Taiwan, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Istanbul, Johns

☆ Rights groups seek 'credible' probe into Greece migrant shipwreck that killed hundreds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A undated handout photo provided by the Hellenic Coast Guard shows migrants onboard a boat during a rescue operation, before their boat capsized on the open sea, off Greece, June 14, 2023. Hellenic Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERSATHENS, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch on Thursday called for a "credible" probe into a migrant shipwreck off Greece in June in which hundreds died, saying that contrasting accounts by the Greek coastguard and survivors "were extremely concerning". Survivors have recounted a doomed attempt by the Greek coast guard to tow the trawler that caused the vessel to capsize, according to interviews and evidence seen by Reuters. The Greek coastguard and government have said no attempt was made to tow the boat and that it overturned when the coastguard was about 70 metres away. The acts of the coast guard are also under investigation.

Persons: Adriana, Judith Sunderland, Karolina Tagaris, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Amnesty, Human Rights, Greek coastguard, Reuters, coastguard, HRW, UN, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Europe, Central Asia, EU, Thomson Locations: Greece, REUTERS ATHENS, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, Italy, Libya

☆ Wildfires rage across the Mediterranean destroying land and claiming lives
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau Hamdi Alkhshali Martin Goillandeau Isa Soares Sugam Pokharel Elinda Labropoulou Chris Liakos Hande Atay Alam Laura Paddison | Barbie Latza Nadeau | Hamdi Alkhshali | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

More than 8,000 firefighters have been deployed to control the blazes as residents living near forested areas were evacuated, according to EPTV. Nasri Elyas/APThe Algerian Ministry of the Interior announced at least 34 deaths in multiple forest fires across the country. A 98-year-old man died as flames reached his home in the coastal city of Reggio Calabria in southern Italy, according to ANSA. Flames burn a tree in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty ImagesIn Turkey, forest wildfires ignited Monday night in the southern Mediterranean province of Antalya, according to Antalya Municipality’s statement.

Persons: Nasri Elyas, Billel, Nello Musumeci, ”, Alberto Lo Bianco, Fabrizio Villa, Maria Feggou, ” Feggou, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Petros Giannakouris, Angelos Tzortzinis, Muhittin Bocek, “, ” Bocek Organizations: CNN, EPTV, Reuters, Algerian Ministry of, Interior, ANSA, Civil, Twitter, Residents, Hellenic Red Cross, Greek Air Force, Getty, Anadolu Locations: Italy, Greece, Algeria, North, Bourbatache, Sicily, Calabria, Abruzzo, Puglia, Reggio Calabria, Palermo, Capaci, Catania, Rhodes, Corfu, Evia, Crete, Vati, AFP, Turkey, Antalya, Antalya’s Kemer, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Croatian

☆ Russia's complex defenses are a brutal test for Ukrainian troops' close-quarters-combat skills
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A recent video shows Ukrainian troops using close-quarters-battle skills inside a Russian trench. While Ukrainian troops are making progress, they are not moving as quickly as Kyiv and its Western partners had hoped. The proximity of the fighting and Russia's complex defenses has put Ukrainian troops' close-quarters combat skills to a brutal test. Ukrainian frogmen clearing Russian trenchesA Ukrainian soldier in a Russian trench in a image from a video widely shared on social media in June. As the Ukrainian forces continue to push forward with the counteroffensive, close-quarters combat will be more frequent.

Persons: frogmen, John Spencer, Ritzau Scanpix, Marinka, Jacob Holmes, isn't, Anthony Jones, Eli Fieldboy, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Russian, Ukrainian, Special Operations Forces of, Twitter, 73rd Naval Center of Special, Navy, West, Institute, Ukrainian National Guard, Getty, 73rd Naval Center, NATO, Green Berets, US, Special Forces Group, New York Times, US Army, Army's Delta Force, Navy's, Training, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Russia, Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Odesa, AFP, Dnipro, Kherson, Bakhmut, Israeli, Johns

☆ Air forces are ditching runways to prepare their jets to keep operating when enemies aim for their bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It is meant to be a test of the British air force's ability to operate away from its main bases. Some air forces moved away from that capability after the Cold War and now have to train for it again. US Air Force/Senior Airman Jonathan Valdes MontijoThe US military has also been planning distributed air operations from unconventional airfields and runways. When done correctly, ACE "complicates the enemy's targeting process, creates political and operational dilemmas for the enemy, and creates flexibility for friendly forces," according to the Air Force's ACE doctrine. Gen. James Hecker, the head of US Air Forces in Europe, said last year that his command was sending airmen to study the Swedish approach.

Persons: Jon Hobley, Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, Smyth, Janis Laizans, Sweden's JAS, Jonathan Valdes Montijo, Phil Speck, James Hecker, " Hecker, Janes, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Royal Air Force Eurofighter, FGR4, Coningsby, Getty, NATO, Britain's Royal Air Force, Air, Aviation, RAF, REUTERS, US Air Force, Marine Corps, Agile, US Air National Guard, Air Force, Aircraft, US Air Forces, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, London, Finland, Finnish, Russia, Sweden, Guam, Estonia, Wyoming, Europe, Swedish, Johns

☆ Greek migrant boat tragedy: Pakistani boy's fateful journey exposes impossible choice faced by millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Anna Coren Azaz Syed Sophia Saifi Jadyn Sham Helen Regan Rhea Mogul | Anna Coren | Azaz Syed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

“It will all be OK,” Muhammad Abuzar told him. The boat was carrying up to 750 Pakistani, Syrian, Egyptian and Palestinian refugees and migrants. His uncle had decided to try and make it to Europe and Abuzar saw his chance. More than 600 people drowned on June 14 in what would become one of the deadliest migrant boat tragedies. Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty ImagesSpeaking to CNN in Pakistan, Mohammad Tahir said his brother Mubasher Sahzad, 29, was also on the boat.

Persons: Pakistan CNN — Pervez Akhtar, “, Muhammad Abuzar, ” Akhtar, gaunt, Abuzar, CNN Akhtar, –, we’ll, he’ll, Akhtar, – Abuzar, ’, “ Papa, Adriana, ” Akhthar, Rana Sanaullah, ”, Angelos Tzortzinis, Mohammad Tahir, Mubasher Sahzad, ” Tahir, Roberto Forin, ” Forin, Mia Sato, ” Sato, Forin, Qayyum Bibi’s, He’s Organizations: Pakistan CNN, CNN, UNICEF, Hellenic Coast Guard, Pakistani Interior Ministry, Medical, Getty, Migration, International Organization, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency Locations: Gujrat, Pakistan, Pakistan’s, Europe, Italy, Karachi, Dubai, Egypt, Libya, Tripoli, Tobruk, North Africa, Greece's, Greece, Kalamata, AFP, East, Asia, Africa, Islamabad, Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, European Union, Bandali, Kashmir, ”

☆ Greece briefly shuts Acropolis site to protect tourists from heatwave
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ATHENS, July 14 (Reuters) - Greece will shut the ancient Acropolis for a few hours on Friday to protect visitors to one of the world's most famous archaeological sites from a heatwave enveloping Athens and other countries in southern Europe. The Acropolis Hill, home to the Parthenon temple that is visited by millions of tourists every year, will be closed from noon to 5 p.m. (0900 GMT-1400 GMT) on Friday, authorities said. Greece’s meteorological service forecast temperatures peaking at 41 Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) in Athens by midday, but the mercury on the Acropolis Hill that overlooks the Greek capital is usually higher due to its altitude and lack of shade. Hellenic Red Cross workers handed out bottles of water to tourists forming long queues, and fanning themselves under the shade of olive trees before the Acropolis entrance, before the famed monument was temporarily closed. Reporting by Deborah Kyvrikosaios and Angeliki KoutantouOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: Red Cross, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Acropolis, Athens, Europe, Southern Europe

☆ A US Green Beret drill with fake guerrilla fighters shows how Sweden has been preparing for an 'unconventional' clash with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In May and June, US Army Green Berets conducted unconventional warfare training in Sweden. In the US military, unconventional warfare is the bread and butter of the Green Berets of US Army Special Forces. Winning wars unconventionallyUS Army Green Berets demonstrate detainment procedures during training in Kalix, Sweden on May 29. Unconventional warfare can still play an important role in that kind of war, but it would be a supporting role. Cadets talk to role-players during West Point Irregular Warfare Group's Unconventional Warfare Exercise in April 2019.

Persons: Anthony Bryant, Patrik Orcutt, Anthony Bryant Sweden, refocusing, Erwin Rommel, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: US Army Green Berets, Service, NATO, US Green Berets, Swedish Home Guard, US Army, Staff, Green Berets, US Army Special Forces, US Army Special Operations Command, Green, US Special Forces, 10th Special Forces Group, Sweden's, Guard, Home Guard, Operations Command, Green Beret, US Army Green, EU, Army Green Berets, Pentagon, Al, Delta Force, US Military, British Special Air Service, Commonwealth, Group, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Sweden, Soviet Union, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Kalix, Europe, Soviet, Swedish, Stockholm, Al Qaeda, China, North Africa, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Johns

Some also said the tragic end, when it came, was precipitated by the actions of the Greek coastguard. after a Greek coastguard vessel attached a rope to the bow of the trawler and began to pull it while picking up speed. The shipping ministry, which oversees the coastguard, told Reuters it couldn't comment on issues that were the subject of a confidential and ongoing investigation by prosecutors. Nikos Spanos, a retired admiral in the Greek coastguard, told Reuters it was unlikely that a coastguard vessel would have attempted such a dangerous manoeuvre as towing the stricken trawler. Three survivors told authorities they paid anywhere from 50 to 200 euros ($55-220) extra for places on the outer deck, considered safer.

Persons: Stelios Misinas, Adriana, haven't, Mohamed, Nikos Spanos, Renee Maltezou, Jonathan Saul, Riham, Rachel Armstrong, Pravin Organizations: Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Greek coastguard, coastguard, Reuters, GO, Thomson Locations: Greece, Kalamata, KALAMATA, North Africa, Italy, Greek, GO ITALY, Pylos, Syria, Egypt, Pakistan, Tobruk, Europe, Tunisia, Libya, Athens, London, Berlin

☆ Ancient Greek altar unearthed at archaeological site in Sicily
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] An ancient Greek altar for family worship dating back at least 2,000 years is pictured after it was found in the Sicilian archaeological site of Segesta, Italy, June 29, 2023. Flavio Leone Sisilab CoopCulture Sicilia/Handout via REUTERSROME, June 30 (Reuters) - An ancient Greek altar for family worship dating back more than 2,000 years has been found in the archaeological site of Segesta on the Italian island of Sicily, local authorities said on Friday. It had been buried for centuries by a few centimetres of earth and vegetation in the area of the Southern Acropolis at the Segesta site, which is in the western part of the island. "The Segesta site never ceases to amaze us," said Sicily's regional culture minister Francesco Paolo Scarpinato. Segesta, renowned for its 5th-century-BC temple, was an ancient Greek city nestled between mountains.

Persons: Flavio Leone Sisilab CoopCulture, Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, Segesta, Federica Urso, Gavin Jones, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Southern Acropolis, Thomson Locations: Segesta, Italy, Flavio Leone Sisilab CoopCulture Sicilia, Handout, REUTERS ROME, Sicily, , Southern

☆ How a record-setting 'Ugly Baby' mission allowed US special operators to outmaneuver Iraqi forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US special-operations forces wanted to infiltrate northern Iraq to tied down Iraqi forces there. Operation Ugly BabyA map of the Ugly Baby mission route along Iraq's western border on March 22, 2003. US Green Berets in an MC-130H heading to Iraq during Operation Ugly Baby on March 22, 2003. A US special-operations aircraft that was forced land by enemy fire during Operation Ugly Baby in March 2003. In all, Task Force Viking numbered about 400 special operators, including elite Delta Force commandos, Green Berets from the 10th Special Forces Group, and frogmen from the UK's Special Boat Service.

Persons: —, Saddam Hussein, Elwell, JOSEPH BARRAK, Baby, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Operation, US, Allies, US Army, Operation Iraqi, NATO, Turkish, Special Forces, Green Berets, Air, Special Operations Squadron, Detachment Alpha, Air Force, Task Force, US Army 173rd Airborne Brigade, Getty, Delta Force, 10th Special Forces Group, CIA, Republication Guard, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Iraq, Operation Iraqi, Baghdad, reorienting, Turkey, Kurdish, Turkish, Romania, Jordan, Syria, Erbil, AFP, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Johns

☆ US Green Berets are looking to troops from NATO's newest member as 'mentors' for harsh winter combat
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In March, US Green Berets trained in the Arctic with "mentors" from Finland's Utti Jaeger Regiment. The Utti Jaeger RegimentUtti Jaeger Regiment soldiers during training in May 2019. The Utti Jaeger Regiment takes part in about 40 "executive assistance tasks," which likely includes training and real-world missions, each year. But Finnish forces live in those conditions, and the Special Forces soldiers looked up to them because of it. US Green Berets and Utti Jaeger Regiment troops at a helicopter landing zone in Lapland on March 12.

Persons: Finland's Utti, —, Utti Jaeger, Utti, Lance Cpl, Scott Jenkins, Anthony Bryant, Izabella Workman, I'm, Jaeger, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Green Berets, Finland's Utti Jaeger, Service, NATO, Utti, Utti Jaeger, US Marine Corps, Utti Jaeger Regiment, US Army, Staff, US Army Special Forces, Green, Special Forces, Special Forces Group, US, Warfare, Finns, 10th Special Forces Group, US Air Force, Utti Jaeger Regiment Helicopter Battalion, Tech, Special Jaeger Battalion, Army, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Finland, Ukraine, Russia, Lapland, Finland's, Fort Carson, Colorado, Alaska, Europe, Swedish, Johns

☆ How a dysfunctional mission in the Caribbean became 'the pivotal point' for the creation of US Special Operations Command
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Those problems helped spur the creation of US Special Operations Command several years later. According to Maj. Gen. Richard Scholtes, the first commander of Joint Special Operations Command, US military officers involved in the planning soon butted heads. A task force of Delta Force operators, Rangers, and helicopters from the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment also attacked Fort Rupert and Richmond Hill Prison. Bettmann/Getty Images"The Pentagon was waging a frontal and rear assault in opposition to the creation of a special operations command," William Cohen said in the mid-2000s, according to Kukielski's article. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.

Persons: —, Peter Carrette, Eagle, JSOC, Reagan, Richard Scholtes, butted, jean, Louis Atlan, Scholtes, Philip Kukielski, frogmen, Fort, Paul Scoon, Bettmann, Formally, William Cohen, Cohen, Nunn, Eric BOUVET, SOCOM, Chance, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Operations Command, Service, Fury, Pentagon, Delta Force, Soviet Union, Getty, US Atlantic Command, Atlantic Command, US Marine Corps, CIA, State Department, Team, Air Commando, US Defense, Rangers, 2nd Ranger, Porto Salines, Marines, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Radio Free, US, Dover Air Force Base, Special Warfare, Craft, 160th, American, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Grenada, Caribbean, Tehran, Cuba, Soviet, Richmond, Porto, Fort Rupert, Rupert, Radio Free Grenada, Grenada's, Point Salinas, Scholtes, Beirut, Grenada —, Persian, Johns

☆ Greek migrant boat tragedy: CNN investigation raises questions about coast guard's account of shipwreck
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Florence Davey-Attlee Elinda Labropoulou Jomana Karadsheh Gianluca Mezzofiore Katie Polglase | Florence Davey-Attlee | Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

They also call into question the Greek coast guard’s version of events, suggesting more lives could have been saved, and may even point to fault on the part of Greek authorities. The Hellenic Coast Guard has declined to answer CNN’s specific requests for response to the survivor testimonies. The Greek coast guard has maintained that people onboard the trawler had refused rescue and insisted they wanted to continue their journey to Italy. The haunting final words sent from the migrant boat came just minutes before it capsized. Most of all, Mostafa says, he wishes the Greek coast guard had never approached their boat: “If they had left us be, we wouldn’t have drowned.”

Persons: “, Rami, ”, Mostafa, Nikos Alexiou, Byron Smith, ” Rami, Lucky, –, ” Mostafa, Nawal Soufi, …, superyacht, Stringer, Eurokinissi, Vincent Cochetel, Stelios Misinas, Reuters Cochetel, ” Omer Shatz, Mohammad, Fadi, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis Organizations: CNN, Hellenic Coast Guard, Reuters CNN, Cross, UNHCR, European Union, “, Getty, ” Workers, Reuters, Center for Constitutional, Human Locations: Greece, Syria, Greek, Coast, Athens, Tobruk, Libya, Italy, Kalamata, AFP, Berlin, Netherlands, Sunday’s, Europe

☆ US special operators are tinkering with a low-tech kind of aircraft to overcome high-tech threats in future wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For US special operators, who may have to operate far from friendly forces in those wars, one new effort is the use of a low-tech kind of aircraft to overcome high-tech threats. A special-operations gliderUS Army special operations soldiers load a GD-2000 glider into a C-27J airplane at Yuma Proving Grounds in February. Thoman JohnsonIn February, a US Army Special Forces team tested a prototype aircraft that could ease the logistical challenges faced by special-operations units in contested areas. That long glide distance is equal to what special operators can cover during a High Altitude, High Opening free-fall jump. David Bathgate/Corbis via Getty ImagesDuring the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, the US military's resupply operations have been largely uncontested.

Persons: —, Thoman Johnson, Yates Electrospace, David Bathgate, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Special Forces, Service, US Army, US Army Special Forces, Troops, Green Beret, Getty, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Ukraine, Russian, Yuma, Arizona, Afghanistan, Corbis, Iraq, Syria, Russia, Johns

☆ The destruction of a major dam near Kherson could be a game-changer for Ukraine's special operators
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But the flooding altered nearby shorelines and waterways, which may end up aiding Ukrainian forces. "While Russia may now see the terrain south of Kherson as safe, Ukrainian special operators should see opportunity. Alex Babenko/Getty ImagesNew and larger waterways will make it easier for Ukrainian special operators to move men and equipment around by boat. Ukraine's commandos and amphibious operationsThe collapsed Antonovskiy Bridge over Dnieper River in Kherson City, seen after Russian troops withdrew in November. They could also be used to distract Russian forces by launching diversionary raids elsewhere on the battlefield.

Persons: —, Maxym, Timothy Heck, Zachary Griffiths, Alex Babenko, Heck, Griffiths, GENYA SAVILOV, Narciso Contreras, Boyd Belcher, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Getty, Ukraine, Modern, Institute, Ukraine's 73rd Naval Center of Special, Navy, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, NATO, White, US Defense Department, Tech, Bradley, Leopard, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, Russian, Kherson, Ukrainian, Kherson oblast, West, Crimea, AFP, Donbas, Kherson City, Germany's, Johns

☆ Greece boat tragedy: At least 209 Pakistanis were on board, data suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A undated handout photo provided by the Hellenic Coast Guard shows migrants onboard a boat during a rescue operation, before their boat capsized on the open sea, off Greece, June 14, 2023. The FIA has been tasked by the Pakistan government with handling investigations into the tragedy. Pakistan is yet to officially confirm how many of its citizens were on the boat, but kick-started a DNA sampling effort to help Greece identify those who died. The data shared by the FIA showed that 181 people were from Pakistan and 28 from Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The FIA said 29 suspected human smugglers had been arrested in Pakistan so far over the case.

Persons: Rana Abdul Jabbar, Gibran Naiyyar, Sudipto Ganguly, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Reuters, Federal Investigation Agency, FIA, FIA Islamabad, Officials, Thomson Locations: Greece, KARACHI, Pakistan, Pakistani, Libya, Kashmir, Pylos

☆ The US Air Force is finally retiring the aging A-10. Now it plans to get rid of some the specially trained airmen who guide the Warthog to its targets.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US Air Force has begun retiring the A-10, an aircraft famed for its role in close air support. Indeed, the US Air Force is finally retiring the aging A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft, which a top official has said "doesn't scare" China. According to Pentagon's budget request for 2024, the Air Force is looking to cut its TACP force by more than 40% over the next three years. If the plan goes ahead, the Air Force TACP community will have a little over 2,100 positions for officers, enlisted troops, and civilian personnel in 2025, down from the 3,700 slots it has currently, a spokesman told Air Force Times. "I think the military is getting ready for a war where we won't have air dominance," a former Air Force Combat Controller told Insider.

Persons: —, Tyler, Mercedee Wilds, Ryan Conroy, Michael Holzworth, Col, Nathan Colunga, Colunga, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: US Air Force, Tactical Air Control Party, Service, China, US Air National Guard, Staff, Tyler Woodward Tactical Air Control Party, US Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Air Force Times, Air, National Guard, Air Combat Command, Air Force Combat, Combat, Air Commando, 321st Special Tactics Squadron, Navy, Army Green Berets, Marine Raiders, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Force Special, Squadron, Tech, Warfare, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Estonian, Kansas, Fort Irwin, California, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Estonia, Nevada, Johns

☆ Greece hunts for survivors of migrant shipwreck
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KALAMATA, Greece, June 15 (Reuters) - Rescuers were scouring the seas off Greece on Thursday in a massive search operation as hopes dwindled for survivors of a shipwreck that killed at least 79 people, in one of Europe's deadliest such disasters in recent years. As dawn broke on Thursday, a coast guard vessel sailed into the nearby port city of Kalamata, transferring victims of the year's deadliest shipwreck off Greece. [1/3] Men transfer body bags carrying migrants who died after their boat capsized in the open sea off Greece, onboard a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel at the port of Kalamata, Greece, June 15, 2023. Aerial pictures released by the Greek coast guard showed dozens of people on the boat's upper and lower decks looking up, some with arms outstretched, hours before it sank. Greece is one of the main routes into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Persons: Nikos Alexiou, Stelios Misinas, Stamos Prousalis, Michele Kambas, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Authorities, Organization for Migration, Skai, Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, European Union, NATO, United Nations, Thomson Locations: KALAMATA, Greece, Pylos, Kalamata, Tobruk, Italy, East, Asia, Africa, Libya, Europe

Kalamata, Greece CNN —A boat that sank killing dozens of people was caused by a “sudden” shift in weight, Greek authorities said Thursday, in one of the largest-scale migrant vessel disasters in southern Europe this year. “A sudden shift in weight is likely to be the cause of what led the boat to capsize and then sink,” Hellenic Coast Guard spokesman Nikos Alexiou told CNN on Thursday. A migrant vessel pictured by the Greek coast guard on June 13 sank in the Mediterranean on Wednesday. From their accounts there seem to have been women and children on board,” he told CNN while helping survivors on the ground. “These people had not eaten for many days, had not drunk water for many days, were burnt by the sun,” the Greek Rescue Team member told CNN affiliate CNN Greece.

Persons: Greece CNN —, Nikos Alexiou, Thanasis Vasilopoulos, ”, “, –, ” Flavio Di Giacomo, Dimitris Chaliotis, Maria Triantou, Triantou, Frido Herinckx, ” Herinckx, Francesco Rocca, ” Rocca Organizations: Greece CNN, Hellenic Coast Guard, CNN, Rescuers, International Organization for Migration, UNHCR, ERT, NGO, Hellenic, Cross, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, Greek Rescue, CNN Greece, ” CNN Locations: Kalamata, Greece, Europe, “, East, Asia, Africa, Tobruk, Libya, Italy, ‘ State, Hypocrates, Athens

At least 78 people died when the fishing vessel flipped and capsized in international waters south-west of Greece early on Wednesday. A migrant charity says a person they were in contact with on the boat said it was in distress, but Greek authorities say it repeatedly refused offers of help. Passengers paid $4,500 for passage to Italy, the two Greek sources said. Aerial photos of the vessel taken by the Greek coastguard hours before the tragedy unfolded showed a vessel crammed with people on its exposed decks. When the boat reported engine failure and stalled, a coastguard vessel shadowing them came closer.

Persons: Stelios Misinas, Nikos Alexiou, Adriana Tidona, Tidona, Karolina Tagaris, Michele Kambas, Alex Richardson Organizations: Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Greek coastguard, . Authorities, Greece's coastguard, EU, Amnesty International, coastguard, Thomson Locations: Greece, Kalamata, Stelios Misinas KALAMATA, LIBYA, Tobruk, Libya, Italy

☆ Greece scours shipwreck site; hundreds feared drowned in boat's hold
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Stamos Prousalis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"When you are faced with such a situation... you need to be very careful in your actions," coast guard spokesperson Nikos Alexiou told state broadcaster ERT. Citing initial testimonies from survivors, Save the Children charity said around 100 children were believed to be in the vessel's hold. Of the 104 survivors so far transferred by the coast guard to the Greek port city of Kalamata, most were men, authorities said. The search operation will continue for as long as needed, the coast guard said. Aerial pictures released by the Greek coast guard showed dozens of people on the boat's upper and lower decks looking up, some with arms outstretched, hours before it sank.

Persons: Nikos Alexiou, Daniel Gorevan, Stelios Misinas, Nawal Soufi, Lefteris Papadimas, Renee Maltezou, Karolina Tagaris, Angelo Amante, Michele Kambas, John Stonestreet, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Rescuers, ERT, Organization for Migration, EU, Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Independent, European Union, NATO, United Nations, Thomson Locations: KALAMATA, Greece, Pylos, Italy, Europe, Kalamata, Athens, Tobruk, East, Asia, Africa, Libya, Lefteris, Rome

☆ Two cargo vessels collide off Greek island, near Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A Hellenic Coast Guard helicopter flies over Vanuatu-flagged ship ANT during a rescue operation after two cargo vessels collided off the Greek island of Chios, Greece, June 2, 2023. Hellenic Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERSATHENS, June 2 (Reuters) - Two cargo vessels collided off the Greek island of Chios near the Turkish cost on Friday, authorities said, adding that there were no injuriesThe Singapore-flagged cargo vessel Potentia with 19 crew members and the Vanuatu-flagged ship ANT with 13 crew collided in the eastern Aegean Sea nine miles north of Chios. "There are no injuries, there is no risk of pollution", a coast guard official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, adding that the ships were not loaded with cargo. Greek authorities have deployed seven vessels and a search and rescue helicopter to the site. Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lefteris Papadimas, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Vanuatu, Chios, Greece, REUTERS ATHENS, Turkish, Singapore

☆ Ukrainian special operators are learning to fight Russia without the 'tethers' other militaries have gotten used to
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special operators in particular have been learning to fight without those "tethers." When Russia launched its attack early on February 24, 2022, Ukraine's government was caught off guard — but the Ukrainian military wasn't. Fortunately for Ukrainian special operators, their supply lines are short — they are fighting on their home turf, after all. Insider understands that the Ukrainian special operators often resort to unconventional methods to overcome logistics challenges on the ground. As the war drags on and the Ukrainian forces advance, Ukrainian special operators will continue to face logistical difficulties.

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