Δείτε σε απ΄ ευθείας μετάδοση απόψε στις 20:00 τον αγώνα ποδοσφαίρου από το Χιούστον ανάμεσα στην Πορτογαλία και το Ουζμπεκιστάν για τον 11ο όμιλο του Παγκοσμίου Κυπέλλου 2026. Ο αγώνας μεταδίδεται διαδικτυακά από την ΕΡΤ2 ΣΠΟΡ μέσα από το ERTFLIX. www.ertnews.gr

Η διαπραγμάτευση και η διατήρηση μιας εκεχειρίας στον Λίβανο θα παραμείνει ξεχωριστή υπόθεση από οποιαδήποτε συμφωνία με το Ιράν, δήλωσε την Τρίτη (23/06) ο υπουργός Εξωτερικών των ΗΠΑ, Μάρκο Ρούμπιο σε δημοσιογράφους, που τον περίμεναν στο αεροδρόμιο του Άμπου Ντάμπι. «Αυτή η διαδικασία είναι ξεχωριστή. Είναι ξεχωριστή επειδή ο Λίβανος είναι μια κυρίαρχη χώρα. Έχει κυβέρνηση και όσον αφορά τον Λίβανο και τι συμβαίνει στο εσωτερικό του, θα διαπραγματευτούμε και θα ασχοληθούμε απευθείας με την κυβέρνηση της χώρας», είπε. «Υπάρχει ένα ζήτημα όσον αφορά το Ιράν και τον Λίβανο και αυτό είναι η υποστήριξη και η χορηγία τους στη Χεζμπολάχ. Και αυτός ο παράγοντας θα συζητηθεί ως μέρος των συνομιλιών μας με τους Ιρανούς. Αλλά όσον αφορά το μέλλον του Λιβάνου, αυτό ανήκει στον λιβανέζικο λαό μέσω της κυρίαρχης, εκλεγμένης κυβέρνησής του. Και με αυτούς θα συνεργαστούμε». Ο Μάρκο Ρούμπιο, δήλωσε επίσης ότι το Ιράν δεν θα μπορεί να εισπράττει διόδια στα Στενά του Ορμούζ ως μέρος οποιασδήποτε τελικής συμφωνίας με τις ΗΠΑ, αναφέροντας ότι μια τέτοια ρύθμιση θα ήταν αντίθετη προς το διεθνές δίκαιο. «Τα Στενά πρέπει να ανοίξουν για ασφαλή και ελεύθερη διέλευση», τόνισε. Ο Ρούμπιο έφτασε την Τρίτη (23/06) στο Αμπού Ντάμπι, τον πρώτο σταθμό της περιοδείας του στις χώρες του Κόλπου. Απόψε αναμένεται να συναντηθεί με αξιωματούχους των Ηνωμένων Αραβικών Εμιράτων, πριν μεταβεί στο Κουβέιτ και στη συνέχεια στο Μπαχρέιν, όπου αύριο θα συμμετάσχει σε συνάντηση του Συμβουλίου Συνεργασίας του Κόλπου (GCC). Πηγή: Al Jazeera, Γαλλικό Πρακτορείο Ειδήσεων www.ertnews.gr

A big forest fire in Akreifnio, Viotia, forced the closure of a part of Athens-Lamia highway and traffic diversions  on Monday, June 22, 2026. Strong forces of the Fire Department are operating in the area, assisted by water-dropping areal means. An Alert message by calling residents for readiness. @lamiareport.gr Οι φλόγες «γλείφουν» την εθνική οδό […] The post Athens-Lamia Highway closed to traffic due to forest fire (videos) appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.

Belgian Justice authorities have issued a European arrest warrant for Dimitris Avramopoulos over the EU QatarGate corruption scandal. The former EU Commissioner, former Mayor of Athens is currently MP of Greece’s ruling conservative party New Democracy. The Belgian authorities request the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of Dimitris Avramopoulos in the context of investigation for […] The post QatarGate: Arrest warrant for ND MP, ex EU Commissioner appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.

Aerial view photograph of the Great Cistern (“Big Tank”). Credit: José-Antonio Calvillo-Ardila / CC BY 4.0 A massive Roman cistern in southern Spain could hold up to 2.18 million liters (576,000 gallons) of water, according to a new study. Researchers built a detailed three-dimensional model of the structure and used it to measure its size, capacity, and the sediment piling up inside. The Great Cistern sits at the Roman site of Sierra Aznar, in Arcos de la Frontera, in the Cádiz province. The study, led by José-Antonio Calvillo-Ardila of the University of Cádiz, appears in the journal “Heritage.” The cistern dates from the first century A.D. It rests at an altitude of 355 meters (1,165 feet) and has an almost square floor plan, roughly 20 meters by 19 meters (66 feet by 62 feet). The structure runs about 5 meters (16 feet) deep and has rounded corners. One wall leans against the rock face, shaped to fit the slope of the land. Two scanning methods mapped the ancient structure To document it, researchers combined two methods. They used image-based photogrammetry with a Nikon camera and terrestrial laser scanning with a Leica device. A total station fixed the measurements in place. The team took 513 photographs and set up the scanner at 11 positions. The whole field survey, including topographic control, took about four hours. 3D point cloud of the Great Cistern using photogrammetry. Credit: José-Antonio Calvillo-Ardila / CC BY 4.0 Both methods produced reliable results. However, the study found that photogrammetry was slightly more accurate overall, with errors staying within a few centimeters. The model also revealed how much sediment has built up over the centuries. Researchers estimated the deposits at about 819.9 cubic meters (28,950 cubic feet). That fills roughly 37.5% of the original volume. Sediment now fills one-third of the massive Roman cistern In short, nearly one-third of the massive Roman cistern is now choked with sediment. The buildup reaches about 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) deep at its lowest point and about 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) at its highest. The study also looked at how the cistern fits into the wider water system at the site. Nearby stand two sedimentation basins and a fountain. The cistern sits at the highest point, followed by the basins and then the fountain at the bottom. Across the whole system, the land drops about 30 meters (98 feet). A gravity-fed system built into the slope This stepped layout would have let water flow downhill by gravity, the researchers said. The cistern stored water on a large scale. The basins likely cleaned or settled it. The fountain probably released or held water at the end of the line. No pipes or channels survive to confirm the connection. Still, the team argued that the spacing, elevation, and sizes point to a single, planned system. The authors said future digs and water-flow modeling could sharpen that picture.

Scroll of the Book of Esther, possibly 13th century. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY 3.0 Deror avi The Bible contains a story of how a young Jewish woman named Esther became the Queen of Persia and saved the Jews from an intended massacre. This is the background to the Festival of Purim, which the Jews still observe today. However, are these events just fictitious, or did they really happen? Did Esther herself even really exist? Reasons why some believe Esther did not exist The story of Esther is set in the fifth century BCE in Persia. Scholars accept numerous Biblical accounts from at least the eighth century BCE onwards as historical. It is ironic, then, that the story of Queen Esther is one of the most recent stories in the Hebrew Scriptures, and yet is often viewed as fictional. What is the basis for this? The reason is that there is good evidence that Esther’s husband, King Ahasuerus, was identical to Xerxes the Great. We have ancient Greek records about Xerxes’ queen, a certain Amestris. The records present her as married to Xerxes throughout the period in which Esther was supposed to have been married to him. Yet, the Greek records do not mention Xerxes having more than one wife. Likewise, the Bible’s Book of Esther presents Esther as being the sole wife of Ahasuerus once they were married. Based on this evidence, it does not appear that Esther really existed. Furthermore, these records about the reign of Xerxes allegedly provide no support to the narrative found in the Book of Esther. The solution to the problem of Esther and Amestris The obvious solution to this problem of Esther and Amestris is to conclude that they were actually the same person. Is this a reasonable conclusion? Furthermore, is there any evidence actively supporting it? When we look closely, we can see that the two figures bear very similar names. The name ‘Amestris’ comes to us through Greek sources; there are no surviving Persian records mentioning her. Ancient Greek naming conventions required this ‘s’ termination to the name. Therefore, a more authentic form would leave off the ‘s’ on the end. The similarity between ‘Amestri’ and ‘Esther’ is quite clear. The only major difference is the presence of the ‘Am’ at the beginning of the former. This could easily be a suffix added to the name by the Persian sources from whom the Greeks learned about this woman. For example, they may have added the suffix ‘ama’, meaning ‘strong’, to her name. Alternatively, it could be that the Bible writer recorded a slight abbreviation of her original Persian name, which would not be unusual. For instance, the Bible records the name ‘Ashurbanipal’ as ‘Asenappar’, removing the second syllable. The famous name ‘Jesus’ is a rendering of the Hebrew ‘Yeshua’, which is actually a shortening of ‘Yehoshua’. Therefore, in terms of their names, there is no issue with Esther and Amestris being identical. How Herodotus corroborates the story of Queen Esther Esther Denouncing Haman, Ernest Normand, 1888. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, public domain However, just because Esther might be identifiable as Amestris, that does not necessarily mean that the Bible’s account about her life is historical. Is there any evidence from the Greek records that actively supports the historicity of Esther and her actions? The Bible claims that Esther arranged a banquet with her husband, Ahasuerus (Xerxes), and a powerful court official named Haman. During this banquet, she requested the king’s favor for her people, the Jews, and exposed Haman for his attempt to kill them. This infuriated the king, and he had Haman executed. The Jews went on to kill the sons of Haman as well, in addition to Haman’s supporters across the empire who tried to kill the Jews. A very similar story is found in the writings of the 5th-century BCE Greek historian Herodotus. Herodotus claims that Amestris waited for the day of a special banquet to make an unusual request of her husband, King Xerxes. This request was profoundly unfavourable towards Masistes, one of Xerxes’ most prominent court officials. At Masistes’ reaction, Xerxes became incensed at him. Masistes fled, but the king’s men caught up with him and killed him, his sons, and his entire army of supporters. How does this indicate that Esther existed? The details of the story recounted by Herodotus differ significantly from those in the Book of Esther. Nevertheless, the basic structure of Herodotus’ account aligns well with the Book of Esther. Both stories involve Xerxes’ queen waiting to speak with him at a banquet. In both narratives, the queen requests something of the king, which horrifies the high court official present, and then results in the king getting inflamed with anger at him. In both cases, the high court official is killed, and so are his sons, along with all those who supported him. Herodotus refers to the ‘army’ of Masistes being killed, showing that this was not a minor case of a few executions. This was essentially a war, albeit a very brief one. This matches the Book of Esther’s account of Haman’s supporters being killed by the Jews across the provinces of the Persian Empire. Furthermore, the name ‘Masistes’ may well have been a title. It comes from a Persian word meaning ‘greatest’. Scholars believe that this may have originally been a title referring to the most powerful ruler after the king. That fits Haman in the Book of Esther perfectly. The two accounts differ considerably. Yet, at the same time, their similarities are very conspicuous. Can we really believe that the Jews and Herodotus independently invented such similar accounts involving Xerxes’ wife? This seems very unlikely. Based on this evidence from Herodotus, many scholars believe that the Book of Esther records historical events. Queen Esther is believed to have existed and may be identified with Queen Amestris from Greek records.

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A new legislative intervention aims to reduce monthly payments and shorten repayment periods for thousands of borrowers with active debt arrangements under Greece’s Katseli Law, while recognizing past overpayments

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Prime minister said to have left Downing Street for secret meeting with his probable successorBurnham adviser calls for billions of pounds in borrowing for infrastructurePeter Walker is a senior Guardian political correspondent.The Liberal Democrats are marking the tenth anniversary of Brexit by enjoying their favourite pursuit – being rude about Nigel Farage.Nigel Farage pocketed a £5m “reward” for the damage he’s caused, while the rest of us are paying for it dearly. When he promised we would be better off, he clearly only meant himself. We are taking over billboards across the UK today to say enough is enough.Key to a serious Jones run seems to what he makes of Burnham’s economic policies in the coming days - including public control of utilities. And whether Ed Miliband ends up as chancellor. Continue reading...

On 23 June 2016, Britons voted to leave the EU. A decade later, the Guardian's economics editor, Heather Stewart, looks back at the Brexit campaign promises. From immigration, a bus promising £350m a week for the NHS, to bendy bananas, the 'most consequential decision in modern history' had some mixed resultsFrom bendy bananas to £350m for the NHS – how many Brexit promises actually came true?Europe’s media look on in bemusement at post-Brexit ‘revolving door’ of UK prime ministers Continue reading...