After roaming the high seas for four days as Greece and Turkey haggled over its fate, a cargo ship packed with hundreds of Afghan refugees has been allowed to dock at an Aegean island, with passengers disembarking to apply for asylum.

In what Greece’s migration ministry called “an unusual and special case,” the Turkish-flagged vessel was towed into the port of Kos on Sunday.

About 375 passengers, the biggest single influx of asylum seekers in years, were taken to a reception centre on the island. Six others were detained for questioning and one woman was admitted to hospital on the island of Karpathos.

Greek coastguard officials said those onboard were mostly young Afghan males. Many were reported to be hungry and dehydrated after an ordeal that began on Thursday when the freighter, initially bound for Italy, developed engine trouble and sent out a distress signal off the island of Crete, shortly after setting sail from Turkey.

Days of negotiations between Athens and Ankara followed after the Greek government appealed via the European Commission for Turkey to take the vessel back in line with a 2016 accord reached with the EU intended to staunch migrants flows.

When the Turkish authorities made clear they would not be accepting the ship, Greek coastguard officials launched what they called one of the largest search and rescue operations in the eastern Mediterranean.

The refugees are now being housed in the reception centre until their asylum applications have been examined by officials and they complete their quarantine. However, the ministry stressed this solution is temporary and a result of extenuating circumstances.

“Greece has once again proven that it protects human lives at sea and offers safety, where others are indifferent to their obligations,” Greek Migration Minister, Notis Mitarakis, said.

The minister also stated on social media that he has informed the European Union that Turkey refused to accept the cargo ship and called on the EU to ensure that the migration agreement with Turkey is upheld.

Source: The Guardian.

Angela Merkel has completed her final trip as German chancellor to Greece, a country where she was not overly welcome in the past because of the strict austerity measures she backed to keep Greece’s economy afloat.

Sticks, stones, gas bombs and heated demonstrations gripped Greece on Merkel’s first visit to Athens in 2012.

But now, a decade later, the outgoing chancellor got an almost indifferent public reception, walking freely along streets bare of any public protest or threat.

During her visit, Merkel met with Greece’s President, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. She also visited the Goethe Institute of Athens.

Merkel admits being tough on Greeks:

In Merkel’s meeting with Mitsotakis, she referred to Greece’s 10-year financial crisis, saying she is aware of the burden that was borne by Greek citizens and that she “demanded a lot.”

“I was always in favour of Greece remaining in the eurozone and I said that the efficiency of our economic system must be comparable otherwise we would not be able to keep the common currency alive,” she said.

“I know that I demanded a lot from the Greeks but, on the other hand, there were various governments in Greece that considered many reforms possible.”

For his part, Mitsotakis, who is the eighth Greek Prime Minister to work with Merkel, said: “Merkel was the voice of reason and stability. Sometimes unfair, but decisive, as she was in 2015, when she rejected the expulsion of Greece from Europe.”

Turning to Greece’s relations with Turkey, Mitsotakis told Merkel: “I know your firm position in favour of dialogue and the easing of tensions.”

Merkel pointed out that Greece, due to its geopolitical position and proximity to Turkey, faced huge challenges at its external borders.

“One can learn and be taught many things by Greece and from one another and many discussions led to very good solutions,” she said.

“I cannot but agree that most of the problems between Greece and Turkey are EU-Turkey problems, and within the framework of the EU there is unity.”

Source: Ekathimerini.

Spyros Panopoulos (SP) Automative is set to unveil its limited two-seat Chaos ‘ultra car’ early next month. 

Panopoulos, 43, decided to create “something more than a hypercard” from scratch in 2019. 

“Chaos is not a racing car, it is a city car, a car for every day, only with more sophisticated performance,” he told Greek Reporter. 

“We want it to be suitable for the everyday commute,” he said. 

His formula was a lightweight car with intense power. 

“For every two horsepower there is one kilogram of mass,” the SP website says. 

“The vehicle moving from A to B will need half the time needed by a hypercar or megacar.” 

Only 15 to 20 models of the car will be built each year and sold at a starting price of US$6.3 million – US$14.3 million.

Its four-liter V10 will produce 2,000 horsepower in the milder version, and 3,000 in the hotter iteration that revs to 12,000 rpm. 

Zero to 62 miles per hour is said to take 1.8 seconds, with top speed said to be 310 miles per hour. 

It will have an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, fully independent suspension, and all-wheel drive. 

Panopoulos became involved in racing and founded his company in 1997. He was creating his own performance parts by 2005.

Source: Barrons