Free Republic

Greece will ban bottom trawling in all of its marine protected areas by 2030, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Tuesday making the the country the first in Europe to announce such a ban. Speaking at the Our Ocean Conference in Athens, he said the country would become the first to bring an end to the damaging fishing practice in these protected areas. It will be banned in Greece’s three national marine parks – one of which is the largest in the East Mediterranean Sea – by 2026 with the rest following before the end of the decade. Bottom...

Astronauts face significant perils while in space. Multiple studies indicate that humans who spend long enough in orbit may experience a range of health maladies that include weight loss, immune system weakening, loss in bone density, vision loss, and even mysterious headaches. However, new research is revealing how an ancient food product used for millennia may help alleviate some of the risks that astronauts face, and it tastes good too. In a joint project between the European Space Agency, the Italian Space Agency, and the Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics, a team of researchers and astronauts...

Ancient Egypt, renowned for its rich culture and enduring legacy, was a civilization of remarkable ingenuity and innovation. From monumental architecture to intricate writing systems, the ancient Egyptians left an indelible mark on human history with their numerous inventions and technological advancements. Here, we explore fifteen of the most significant inventions that exemplify the ingenuity and creativity of this ancient civilization. 1. Papyrus: Among the most enduring contributions of ancient Egypt is the invention of papyrus, a paper-like material made from the papyrus plant. This versatile writing medium revolutionized communication, allowing Egyptians to record their history, literature, and administrative documents...

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar warned on Friday that “one tiny mistake” could turn Cyprus into “a new Gaza”. Tatar, not recognized as a head of state by the international community, also suggested that Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan may soon recognize the north. Turkey is the only country that recognizes the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. in an interview with the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, said, “A mistake or a misunderstanding such as the shooting of a Turkish soldier on the Green Line… would provoke a bomb between the two populations.” “If you shoot one Turkish soldier, you...

Why The Ancient Greeks Couldn't See Blue | 6:39AsapSCIENCE | 10.6M subscribers | 7,637,162 views | November 24, 2020

Greece would “of course” be interested in purchasing Canada’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) if the resource could be made available to the Mediterranean country, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says. Mitsotakis sat down with CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in Montreal for an exclusive interview airing Sunday, during the prime minister’s visit to Canada over the weekend. Canada has eight LNG projects “in various stages of development,” according to Natural Resources Canada. The first export facility is slated to begin operations next year with shipments destined for some Asian countries. But whether Canada can and should plan to also...

Mathematics students have cause to celebrate. A University of New South Wales academic, Dr Norman Wildberger, has rewritten the arcane rules of trigonometry and eliminated sines, cosines and tangents from the trigonometric toolkit. What's more, his simple new framework means calculations can be done without trigonometric tables or calculators, yet often with greater accuracy. Established by the ancient Greeks and Romans, trigonometry is used in surveying, navigation, engineering, construction and the sciences to calculate the relationships between the sides and vertices of triangles. "Generations of students have struggled with classical trigonometry because the framework is wrong," says Wildberger, whose book...

During their numerous conquests across much of the known world, Alexander the Great and his horse Bucephalas led the elite Macedonian cavalry. According to one legend, they even discovered Himalayan salt, famous today for its pinkish tint and its essential trace elements required by the body. The horses had worked hard in battle and on the trail and during a moment of respite licked the salt-covered rocks in the hills overlooking the Hyaspes River. This alerted the soldiers to the salt deposits there. Whether the anecdote is true or not, it speaks to the bond between horse and rider and...

Italian Catholics reverting to ancient Roman gods, seers and sorcerersA startling number of lapsed Catholics in Italy are reverting to the deities of ancient Rome and turning to pagan seers, astrologers and psychics, attesting to a potentially catastrophic collapse of Catholicism in its traditional bastion. Over 160,000 sorcerers are doing brisk business in the occult and New Age practises, with over three million Italians consulting the so-called “maghi” every year for advice. This involves shelling out an astronomical €8 billion, according to data from the Osservatorio Antiplagio. Between 10 to 13 million Italians – almost all of them baptised Catholics...

A Russian missile strike appeared to target Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, landing near his motorcade in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, where the president was meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Zelensky and members of the Greek delegation were not harmed, despite the missile landing some 500 feet away, Greek officials told the Protothema news outlet. The Ukrainian presidential office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Zelensky and Mitsotakis were visiting the Odessa port around 10:40 a.m. when air-raid sirens could be heard. The explosion then occurred within minutes. “We witnessed the...

The story of two Greek immigrants in Colombia serves as a lesson of what the nation can achieve when united. Petros Gkrilis and George Sitaras come from Thessaloniki. They are fanatic supporters of the city’s eternal rivals PAOK and Aris respectively. They proudly wear their club’s jerseys in Colombia, speak with passion about their love for their idols back in Greece and they both claim their team is the jewel in Thessaloniki’s sports crown. Yet they have managed to show to the entire world that football rivalries are nothing compared to all the other things in life which unite people...

...The stone relief, which depicts a prancing horse, was located near the mouth of the Akragas River off the coast of San Leone—a town on the southern coast of Sicily.... One of Italy's 20 regions, the island is located just off the "toe" of the country's "boot."Sicily was first settled by ancient Greek colonists in the 8th century B.C., although the island was eventually conquered by the Romans in the 3rd century B.C...While more research needs to be conducted to uncover the true nature of the find, experts believe it may have been designed as decoration for the Temple of...

Greece on Thursday became the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex “marriage” and adoption of children. In a move signaling the widespread departure of the country from its Orthodox Christian roots, Greece’s Parliament approved the landmark legislation with 176 voting in favor and 76 against. Two legislators abstained from the vote, and 46 were not present in the house. The legislation was drafted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who pledged his support for legal same-sex “marriage” days into his second term. Mitsotakis, who belongs to the New Democracy party’s moderate faction, celebrated the law’s passage in a post on...

> Ancient Wisdom, Modern Marvel: The Greek-Mexican Collaboration Behind the Hermosillo Antikythera Mechanism On the evening of February 8th, the garden of the Physics Research Department at the University of Sonora in Hermosillo became the focal point of a remarkable cultural and scientific event. The Inauguration and Commissioning Ceremony of the Monumental Antikythera Mechanism for Hermosillo (MAMH) unfolded, marking a significant milestone in the collaboration between Greek and Mexican scientists and craftsmen. This event not only celebrated the culmination of years of meticulous research and craftsmanship but also the enduring spirit of international cooperation and the shared human quest for...

A deal cut between the government in Northern Belgium (Flanders) and farmers organizations. This follows protests... Tonight in the UK results of two Special Elections for House of Commons seats...Labor Party taking both seats... The drama in Washington over a "national security threat" now identified as a potential Russian weapon in space... The US Defense Department leaking...cyber-attack on an Iranian vessel more than a... Greece's parliament passing a law establishing civil same-sex marriage... Pushing back on criticism from President Donald Trump, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg... The Biden Administration Justice Department indicting a former FBI informant who alleged wrongdoing by...

The Greek parliament on Thursday passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage, in a landmark victory for human rights in Greece and making it the first majority Orthodox Christian country to establish marriage equality for all. The decision, supported by 176 out of 300 lawmakers in parliament and with 78 against, follows months of polarized political and public discourse, and has been welcomed as a long-awaited vindication by the country’s LGBTQ+ couples.

In Plato’s account of Atlantis, found in both Timaeus and Critias, the legendary island civilization supposedly fought a war against the Greeks. This is a vital part of the account, for it is the whole reason why Plato included it in these dialogues. However, is there any evidence that this legendary war between Atlantis and the Greeks really happened? Plato’s account of the war against Atlantis In Timaeus, written around 360 BCE, Socrates expresses his wish to hear an account about Athens in action. Critias responds that he knows of such an account. He then goes on to tell Socrates...

Yet another Netflix documentary on the ancient world has proven controversial, this time with the depiction of Alexander the Great as gay. In the opening episode of “Alexander: The Making of a God,” which started airing on Netflix on January 31, Alexander, played by Buck Braithwaite, kisses his friend Hephaestion on the mouth and body, as they engage in an intimate embrace. The portrayal of the ancient Macedonian king as a homosexual has generated angry responses from some viewers who feel that the documentary is distorting history. Meanwhile, The new Netflix series promises to reveal the “extraordinary life of Alexander...

The identities of the occupants of the unspoiled 4th-century BCE Royal Tombs at Vergina in northern Greece have been identified. The burials contain the remains of Alexander's father, stepmother, half-siblings, and son, along with armor and other items belonging to the man himself...The researchers examined the skeletal elements with the aid of macrophotography, radiographs, and anatomical dissection. The study authors combined osteological analyses, macro photography, X-rays, and anatomical dissections of the ancient remains with historical sources from the ancient past.A knee fusion was found in the male skeleton of Tomb I consistent with the historic evidence of the lameness of...

Everyone in life faces disadvantages of one form or another. Almost all children get called an unpleasant name or two in grade school. Some are oppressed by a drunk, abusive, or absent parent. Others may be trapped in horrific schools or extreme poverty. Still others are simply not gifted with high IQs or the ambition to work hard and succeed. The list of reasons why most people don’t go to Ivy League schools and then on to lucrative careers is long, and “oppression” comes in many forms. If you are the first black White House family, oppression takes the shape...