Potential proposal would secure control of Diego Garcia base amid stalled UK plans to cede sovereignty of territory
Donald Trump is reportedly weighing a plan to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius amid stalled plans from the UK to cede sovereignty of the territory, the Telegraph first reported.
The White House did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment on the report about the potential plan.
Ancient Elamite ziggurat Choqa Zanbil in Iran. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, GFDL
In the Trojan War of Greek mythology, many nations were allied with Troy to fight against the Greeks. This included many of the nations of ancient Anatolia. Perhaps the most surprising participant in the Trojan War, however, was a prince from ancient Iran. He was Memnon, best known as the Ethiopian ruler who died at the hands of Achilles in the final year of the war.
Memnon, king of the eastern Ethiopians
Since Memnon is usually remembered as being a king of the Ethiopians, how can he have been from ancient Iran? The reason is that there was more than just one group of people known to the Greeks as Ethiopians.
For example, notice the words of Greek historian Herodotus of the fifth century BCE in his description of the large army of Xerxes the Great:
“Ethiopians above Egypt and the Arabians had Arsames for commander, and the Ethiopians of the east (for there were two kinds of them in the army) served with the Indians.”
This shows that the Greeks recognized the existence of Ethiopians outside of Africa. Specifically, these other Ethiopians lived in the east, evidently not too far from India. Since Memnon was the king of the Ethiopians, he could potentially have been the king of either the eastern Ethiopians or the African ones.
It is worth mentioning that in ancient Greek, the word Αἰθίοψ (Ethiops) was used not only to describe a specific group of people, but also more generally to refer to individuals with darker skin. The term is a compound of αἴθω (to burn) and ὤψ (face or appearance), literally meaning “burnt-face.” It appears frequently in early Greek literature, such as Homer’s epics, where Ethiopians are depicted as distant, noble figures living at the edges of the known world, rather than as members of a clearly defined nation.
The Ethiopians of Iran
Herodotus himself states that the city of Susa, the ancient capital of Elam (a prominent region in what is now Iran), was known as the city of Memnon. This suggests that Memnon was the king of the eastern Ethiopians, evidently a people in the region of Iran.
This is confirmed by Ctesias, just a few decades after Herodotus. According to this Greek historian, Memnon’s father, Tithonus, was the ruler of Persia. He was either subject to or allied with the king of the Assyrian Empire.
The territory of Persia in the time of the Assyrian Empire corresponded to a large part of what is now Iran. According to Ctesias, Memnon built a palace for himself at Susa. He goes on to claim that Memnon’s army, which he led to Troy, was composed of many Ethiopians and Susians, or inhabitants of Susa.
As for why the Greeks called the inhabitants of that region ‘Ethiopians’, we cannot be sure. However, it may be related to the use of the word ‘Cissians‘ (‘Kíssioi’ in Greek) for the inhabitants of the region of Elam. The Greeks might have confused this for ‘Kush’, the name for the kingdom of the Ethiopians south of Egypt.
How ancient Iran participated in the Trojan War
Ctesias provides the most detailed early account of this army from ancient Iran that fought in the Trojan War. According to Ctesias, King Priam of Troy was subordinate to the king of Assyria, named Teutamos. Due to the difficulties he was facing in the Trojan War, he sent word to Teutamos to ask for help.
As a result, Teutamos sent a large army of 10,000 Ethiopians and 10,000 Susians under the command of Memnon. This army from ancient Iran marched from the furthest corner of the Assyrian Empire over to Troy. Ctesias wrote:
“Memnon assisted the Trojans with 20,000 infantry and 200 chariots and… he was admired for his courage and for killing many Greeks in battle.”
Despite his prowess in battle, Ctesias goes on to explain that the Thessalians killed him. This refers to his death at the hands of Achilles, as per other sources. Achilles was from the kingdom of Phthia in ancient Thessaly.
Did an army from ancient Iran fight in the Trojan War?
Could Memnon have been a historical king or prince of Elam in ancient Iran? Some scholars have speculated that he might be identical to Humban-Numena I, the king of Elam in the Bronze Age. Furthermore, the latter half of his name is admittedly similar to ‘Memnon’.
However, he likely reigned in the first half of the 14th century BCE. Therefore, this king from ancient Iran lived too early to have fought in the Trojan War.
Two other possibilities are Humban-Numena II, possibly in the 11th century BCE, and Humban-Numena III, who lived at the end of the eighth century BCE. The latter’s name is often written in modern sources as “Humban-menanu.” The similarity to “Memnon,” while not exact, is there.
This latter candidate, although living much later than the traditional date of the Trojan War, is particularly noteworthy given Ctesias’ chronological information. He places Memnon’s activities at the height of the Assyrian Empire.
Another candidate from approximately the same time is a prominent Elamite known only as Menanu, referenced in a letter from Ashurbanipal, the king of Assyria. The letter makes it clear that Menanu is a supporter of Assyria. This fits what Ctesias tells us about Memnon.
However, this does not necessarily mean that an army marched from ancient Iran to fight in the Trojan War. In part, this depends on when the Trojan War occurred, a continued historical debate.
Nevertheless, the legend itself is clear. Memnon led an army from ancient Iran to Troy, where they fought in the Trojan War against the Greeks.
The 37-year old Palestinian was arrested in Agios Nikolaos, Crete. File photo. Credit: AMNA
Greek authorities arrested a 37-year-old Palestinian man in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, on Saturday, preventing an alleged plot to detonate explosives on a cruise ship carrying Israeli tourists. The suspect is accused of being an operative for Hamas. He was apprehended in a highly classified joint operation by Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP) and the Anti-Terrorist Unit.
Intelligence officials moved quickly to detain the man just days before the targeted cruise ship was scheduled to dock in Crete on Tuesday. While the suspect reportedly claimed during interrogation that he had planned an attack but ultimately backed out, Greek authorities remain unconvinced and are treating the threat as exceptionally serious.
The connection of the Hamas associate in Greece to Cyprus
The success of the Greek investigation originated from a coordinated intelligence effort with Cyprus. Approximately two weeks ago, Cypriot authorities arrested four individuals suspected of planning strikes against Israeli interests in the European Union, allegedly motivated by the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
During the investigation in Cyprus, intelligence officers analyzed mobile phones belonging to the suspects. A specific phone number surfaced as a critical link, leading Greek counter-terrorism units directly to the 37-year-old in Crete.
Security services in Greece noted that the suspects in both countries received specialized training at a camp outside the Gaza Strip. This training specifically focused on manufacturing improvised explosives using chemical substances. Officials in Nicosia consider the group found in Cyprus deeply concerning, noting that two of the arrested individuals had lived in Cyprus for years and had reportedly even managed to obtain Cypriot citizenship. One of the suspects in Cyprus has already admitted to planning attacks against Israeli targets.
The suspect in Crete
The man arrested in Crete arrived in Greece approximately one year ago and filed an active asylum application. He integrated quietly into the local workforce, taking a seasonal job at a hotel in Agios Nikolaos. Local reports indicate he had no family on the island and intentionally maintained a low profile to avoid arousing suspicion.
Following his arrest on Saturday afternoon, Greek counter-terrorism officers raided his current residence in Crete, alongside a property he previously occupied in the Patissia neighborhood of Athens. Investigators confiscated several items that could be used as evidence against his plot. Among them, Greece’s anti-terrorism unit found chemical substances and laboratory measuring equipment, a number of mobile phones, laptops, and USB data storage drives, as well as bank cards and financial documents.
Law enforcement did not find assembled explosive devices or firearms during the raids. Intelligence assessments indicate the suspect was in the final stages of preparation for the plot but was intercepted before he could formally order the final explosive components.
The 37-year-old remains in custody and is scheduled to appear before a public prosecutor. Greece’s EYP and the Anti-Terrorist Unit are actively tracing his movements, communications, and potential local contacts to verify whether he operated alone within Greece.
La scelta di Amadeus la conoscono tutti: lasciare la Rai per approdare a Warner Bros Discovery e misurarsi con una nuova sfida professionale. Un percorso che, almeno sul fronte degli ascolti, finora non ha prodotto i risultati sperati. Chissà com’era il clima tra i dirigenti Rai e Amadeus quando quest’ultimo ha deciso di andarsene. In ogni caso, le parole dell’ad Rai sembrano allontanare l’ipotesi di un ritorno a breve: “Abbiamo investito su Affari tuoie sul prossimo Sanremo puntando su Stefano De Martino, che giudico una grande risorsa artistica per il nostro futuro”.
Cambio di argomento, che ne pensa di TeleMeloni? “È il grande dibattito della tv italiana oggi ma in realtà non ha ragione d’essere, è solo marketing. La Rai non può essere ridotta alla polemica giornalistica, ma è un’industria complessa che fa informazione e cultura tenendo in piedi il cinema e la fiction. Senza la Rai saremmo invasi dalle produzioni dei grandi player globali“. E ancora: “Il ruolo del servizio pubblico è molto più complicato di una semplice battuta. Sono in Rai da vent’ anni e conosco la complessità di un’azienda, patrimonio nazionale, capace di investire un miliardo di euro nei diritti sportivi negli ultimi anni per consentire la trasmissione free. Fa fatica perché il mercato è crudele e andrebbe tutelata di più! Non si sta ritirando, si sta trasformando. Se abbiamo portato il bilancio in attivo, ci siamo riusciti non con i tagli, ma attraverso un processo di riorganizzazione della produzione e dei modelli lavorativi: incentivazione degli esodi e acquisizione di forza lavoro più giovane, dal costo più basso”.
Plutarch’s Ship of Theseus paradox questions if identity remains when all parts change, challenging what it means to be the same over time. Credit: Greek Reporter archive
Have you ever wondered if your favourite old jumper, battered by time and use, is still truly the same as the one you fell in love with at the shop many years ago? That seemingly silly question is one of philosophy’s oldest and most fascinating puzzles, known as the Ship of Theseus.
The Ship of Theseus is an ancient brain-teaser
Plutarch, the ancient Greek writer and historian, presented us with a real head-scratcher with his tale of Theseus’ trireme.
Picture this: the Athenians, immensely proud of the ship that carried their hero Theseus to victory over the Minotaur, kept it docked for centuries. But as we all know, wood doesn’t last forever, as it can start to rot very quickly. So, whenever a plank rotted away or timber decayed significantly, the smart Athenians would meticulously replace it with a new one. Bit by bit, year after year, every single original piece of that ship was swapped out and replaced with brand-new wood.
Now, here’s the one-million-drachma question: was this still the Ship of Theseus? Or had it, piece by piece, become an entirely different vessel that had nothing to do with Theseus’ heroic journey? This was a profound thought experiment that kept brilliant minds confounded for millennia. It makes us wonder about identity and what makes something… something. Is it about what an object or a human is made of? Does it have to do with their materials? Their shape, maybe? What about their personal story? Or could it be something else entirely? This simple story by Plutarch prompts us to delve into what we mean when we say something is “the same.”
The Ship of Theseus, an illustration representing the famous thought experiment on identity and change. Credit: Yosemite Belbury, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Ship of Theseus and the idea of change
The brilliance of the Ship of Theseus story lies in its elegant illustration of the uncomfortable truth that everyone and everything, eventually, changes. Consider yourself as an example. Most of the cells in your body are replaced every few years. Are you, reading this right now, the same person you were a decade ago, even though practically all the biological components that constitute the physical you are new?
This is why the Ship of Theseus is a perfect example of this constant flow of renewal. It shows the tension between how we perceive something as permanent and its ever-changing physical reality.
And right when you think you understood the whole story, here comes a twist, often credited to Thomas Hobbes, the English philosopher.
This twist is asking us what if, hypothetically, all those old, discarded planks from Theseus’ ship were gathered up and used to build a second ship? Which one, then, is the “true” Ship of Theseus? The one that has been continuously in the harbour, even with all new parts? Or the one made of all the original pieces, just reassembled to create a brand new ship? You can almost hear the ancient Athenians debating this topic, wondering which ship deserved the glory of their hero.
Does something remain the same if every part has changed? Credit: Markus Winkler, Pexels.
The modern implications
The deep implications of the Ship of Theseus go beyond the confines of ancient Greek mythology. They truly resonate in our modern world, where things are constantly being upgraded, recycled, and reinvented only to be presented as something brand new. Take your mobile phone, for example. With every software update, every component replaced, is it still the “same” phone you bought two years ago? What about a classic car that has been restored and fixed with love, often with hardly any original parts left? Is it still that iconic model, or a new creation in an old shell?
This paradox even touches on larger ideas, such as national identity. Countries evolve, populations shift, and cultures adapt. Are we, as a nation, the “same” as our ancestors from centuries past? Is the US truly a nation or just a creation of many smaller parts of people who came from distant lands to find a better future?
Is modern Greece truly the grandchild of ancient Greece? What about the Roman identity that became synonymous with the Greeks for more than a thousand years? The word ‘Romios,’ which is Greek for Roman, still defines the notion of Greekness. Thus, are Greeks a continuation of the ancient identity, or are they something new, composed of thousands of different ethnic and cultural components that migrated to their lands over time? We share history, language, and heritage, of course, but the actual people, the “material” of the nation, have changed countless times.
The Ship of Theseus tells us that identity–whether it’s ours, our nation’s, or even a beloved object’s is a fluid and ever-changing concept, rarely as straightforward as it seems.
In ancient Athens, there was a custom of sacrificing an ox in the Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus. Credit: Capillon, Public Domain
In ancient Greece, the killing of an ox was prohibited by law due to its vital role in daily life. However, a peculiar and ‘unlawful’ custom saw priests performing the sacrifice of an ox at the Sanctuary of Zeus, the king of the gods, located on the hill of the Acropolis, just a few meters from the Parthenon.
The Diipoleia, also known as Buphonia, was an ancient festival of the Athenians held towards the end of every June. It was also celebrated separately in other Greek cities during antiquity.
The Buphonia ritual and its origin
According to tradition, to justify the sacrifice, a group of oxen was led to the temple. There, the priest would place a type of bread offering made of wheat and barley on the altar. The first ox to eat from this area would be considered to have committed blasphemy, as it was believed to have consumed the offering meant for the god, and therefore had to be killed.
The priest chosen to perform the killing did so in isolation, without any witnesses present, and would then flee the city.
However, since ox sacrifices were forbidden at the time, an “investigation” was launched to identify the culprit. When the rest of the priests gathered to determine who had performed the sacrifice, the guilty priest was missing. In the end, the only evidence left would be the axe used for the killing, which would eventually be thrown into the sea.
How the ritual was performed
Ancient Greek geographer and traveler, Pausanias, provides further details in his account:
“There is a statue of Zeus—one by Leochares and another called Polieus. Concerning the established practices for the sacrifice and the reason said to justify them, I will not record them here.
For Zeus Polieus, they would place barley mixed with wheat on the altar without any kind of guard. The ox, which they have prepared for the sacrifice and kept under watch, approaches the altar and begins eating the grain. A member of the Thalonid family sacrifices the animal that eats from the sacred offerings with a double-headed axe.
They then summon a priest, called the ‘ox-slayer’ (buphonos), who kills the ox and, in accordance with the law, throws away the axe and flees. Since the identity of the person who committed the act remains unknown, they bring the axe to trial instead. Afterwards, they enter the temple that they call the Parthenon.”
The Buphonos and the trial of the axe
It was believed that the ancestor of the Thalonids, Thalon, was the first to strike the ox. Neoplatonic philosopher Porphyry, attributes the first buphonia to a foreigner named Sopater. He also provides a shorter version of the story, in which the priest of Zeus, Diomos, “murdered” the animal.The others then cut up the sacrificial victim and ate it.
Afterwards, they would hold a trial to determine the guilty party responsible for the killing. The buphonos (ox-slayer) did not appear, while those who participated in the sacrifice accused one another. They shifted responsibility for the killing from one man to the other.
The participants included the water carriers who brought water for the sacrificial tools, those who sharpened the knife and axe, as well as individuals responsible for carrying the tools.
Ultimately, they would accuse the knife, condemn it, and toss it into the sea. The ox’s hide was stuffed with straw and yoked to a plow. They did this to create the illusion that the animal was still alive.
The entire ritual permeated participants with intense feelings of guilt over the slaughter of the animal, and it was regarded as an act of murder.
The entire ritual permeated participants with intense feelings of guilt over the slaughter of the animal. Credit: Wikimedia commons, Public Domain
Rituals, beliefs, and symbolism
It is noteworthy that, according to Porphyry, after the buphonos Sopater fled to Crete and before the establishment of the festival in Athens, a plague struck the city. The plague only ceased after Sopater’s return and the institution of the festival.
Additionally, as part of the measures to address the plague, the Oracle of Delphi deemed the establishment of the ritual involving the stuffing of the animal’s hide as necessary.
To avoid the pollution (miasma) of the murder, they made efforts to eliminate the act of murder itself. When this was not sufficient, they attempted to justify the act, for example, by claiming that the defilement resulted from impiety.
Finally, they shifted human responsibility by attributing the miasma to an inanimate tool, which became the scapegoat of the entire ritual. This object absorbed the miasma and was then removed from the city.
The ox, which they have prepared for the sacrifice and kept under watch, approaches the altar and begins consuming the grain. A member of the Thalonid family sacrifices the animal that is fed from the sacred offerings with a double-headed axe. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
Spiritual significance and agricultural connections
According to ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus, the remains of the ox were buried. Presumably, this was so as to prevent its spirit from seeking revenge on the city. It is important to note that, in this ritual, the value attributed to the spirit of the animal is equivalent to that given to a human.
British classical scholar and linguist Jane Harrison, connects the use of offerings to attract the animal to the altar with the rites of Dionysus Zagreus and Isodaites. Furthermore, the yoking of the stuffed hide of the ox to the plow associates the festival with fertility rituals, which pertain to chthonic deities.
This ritual of purification and averting evil was initially connected to the need to ensure an abundance of game in a pre-agricultural society. Later on, an agricultural society adopted it, shifting the focus to the fertility of the land.
O Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) mobilizou, nos últimos dias, cerca de 10 mil pessoas, em 15 estados brasileiros, onde realizou uma série de atividades de defesa do meio ambiente, com críticas ao agronegócio.
Segundo a organização, os sem-terra plantaram mais de 5 mil mudas e semearam cerca de 30 toneladas de sementes em Alagoas, Bahia, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Paraná, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondônia, São Paulo e Sergipe.
A iniciativa faz parte da Jornada Nacional em Defesa da Natureza e seus Povos, que começou na última segunda-feira (1°) e termina neste domingo (7), marcando a Semana Mundial do Meio Ambiente.
Este ano, a jornada teve como lema o mote “combater o agronegócio é cuidar da natureza!” e serve como plataforma para o MST defender a reforma agrária “como solução para o avanço dos cuidados com o meio ambiente”.
Ao mesmo tempo, a organização denuncia o que classifica como “crimes ambientais do agro-hidro-minero-negócio” e os “que exploram os bens comuns da natureza em larga escala”, em um momento em que, na avaliação do movimento, “o agronegócio aprova leis que aumentam a destruição ambiental”.
Incinerador
Neste sábado (6), em São Paulo, o MST promoveu um ato contra a instalação de um incinerador no bairro de Perus, na zona noroeste da capital paulista. Além dos sem-terra, a manifestação reuniu moradores da região, ambientalistas e integrantes de outras organizações sociais.
O incinerador integra o chamado EcoParque Bandeirantes, que a prefeitura de São Paulo pretende instalar no antigo Aterro Sanitário Bandeirantes, em parceria com uma empresa privada.
O aterro funcionou por 28 anos e teve suas operações encerradas em 2007. Desde então, consta da lista de Áreas Contaminadas em Processo de Remediação (ACRe), da Companhia Ambiental do Estado de São Paulo (Cetesb).
Além do incinerador, o projeto do EcoParque prevê um biodigestor, uma unidade de compostagem, outra de biossecagem, e uma central mecanizada de triagem de resíduos. E, segundo a prefeitura, visa a “otimização da reciclagem dos resíduos sólidos urbanos, a agregação de valor aos diversos subprodutos gerados, a geração de energia com baixa emissão de GEE e a redução dos volumes destinados à disposição final em aterros.
No entanto, de acordo com o MST, o projeto contraria os interesses de diferentes segmentos sociais que coabitam o bairro de Perus e região, incluindo indígenas que vivem no Pico do Jaraguá, próximo ao antigo aterro sanitário.
“O projeto de instalação do Incinerador em Perus mostra qual é o projeto da burguesia e do agronegócio para o Brasil: para a periferia, para o povo pobre, para os camponeses, para a classe trabalhadora é sempre a poluição, os detritos. Para deixar bonita a área da burguesia, empurram para nós os detritos”, criticou, em nota, Luciano Carvalho, da direção estadual do movimento.
Collapse layer east of the Late Roman wall. Credit: Department of Antiquities, Cyprus
Archaeologists in Cyprus have uncovered a massive Late Roman wall at the ancient city of Amathous that may have formed part of a defensive system protecting the summit of the acropolis.
The structure, discovered on the site’s Western Terrace, offers new evidence of efforts to fortify one of the island’s most important ancient urban centers during the Late Roman period.
Details of the defensive wall
The wall reaches up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) in thickness and was built using large limestone ashlar blocks, smaller stones, and clay mortar. Excavation evidence shows that it underwent at least two construction phases, suggesting it remained an important feature of the acropolis over time.
Researchers also uncovered a floor surface associated with the wall, fallen architectural blocks, roof tiles, and mudbrick fragments from a collapsed structure. Together, the finds provide new insight into construction methods and defensive planning at Amathous during the final centuries of Roman rule.
The discoveries were made during the second excavation season of the French Archaeological Mission of Amathous, held from March 30 to April 24, 2026. The project is directed by Dr. Anna Cannavo and focuses on the Western Terrace of the Acropolis.
Expanded excavations reveal a substantial wall
The wall was first identified during excavations in 2025 following a geophysical survey conducted in 2024. During the 2026 season, archaeologists expanded Trench 1 and uncovered a much larger section of the structure.
The wall runs parallel to the natural edge of the terrace, with its southern section turning slightly toward the west. Its eastern face was constructed from large limestone ashlar blocks, while the interior was packed with smaller rough stones bonded with clay.
Researchers identified evidence for at least two building phases. The original wall measured about 135 centimeters (4.4 feet) in thickness. It was later strengthened by adding a second row of limestone blocks and filling the space between the two walls with stone rubble.
Foundations and associated floor date to the Late Roman period
A small trench excavated along the eastern side of the wall exposed its foundations and revealed a floor directly connected to the structure. Part of the floor was paved with reused roof tiles laid over a gravel bedding.
Excavation evidence indicates that both the wall and the floor date to the Late Roman period. East of the structure, archaeologists uncovered destruction deposits containing fallen ashlar blocks, roof tiles, and mudbrick fragments from the building’s upper portions.
Findings highlight the strategic importance of the Acropolis
Iron Age terracotta figurines and pottery. Credit: Department of Antiquities, Cyprus
A second excavation area, known as Trench 3, was opened at the northern end of the terrace. Although no architectural remains were found there, archaeologists recovered a rich collection of Iron Age artifacts, indicating earlier activity in the area.
Researchers believe the newly discovered wall formed part of a defensive system protecting the summit of the acropolis and the basilica that had replaced the sanctuary of Aphrodite, one of the most important religious centers in ancient Cyprus.
Future excavations will investigate the full extent of the fortification and determine whether the Late Roman remains were built over earlier structures, helping researchers better understand the long-term development of Amathous.
O goiano Guto Miguel, de 17 anos, venceu o americano Michael Antonius por 2 sets a 0 (6/3 e 6/4) na manhã deste sábado (6) e conquistou o título do juvenil em Roland Garros.
Esse é o primeiro título do Brasil na chave simples masculina da categoria. Edison Mandarino (1959), Thomaz Koch (1962 e 1963) e Luís Felipe Tavares (1967) tinham as melhores campanhas do país na competição, todos com vice-campeonatos. Gustavo Kuerten, o Guga, foi campeão em 1994, mas na chave de duplas.
Liderança do ranking mundial juvenil
A campanha histórica em Paris também rende a Guto a liderança do ranking mundial juvenil. Com a classificação para a final e a derrota do norte-americano Keaton Hance nas semifinais, o brasileiro garantiu matematicamente o posto de número 1 do mundo.
Com pelo menos 700 pontos somados em Roland Garros, Guto alcançará 2.927 pontos no ranking da ITF, superando seus principais concorrentes. O atual líder, o búlgaro Ivan Ivanov, não disputou o torneio e perderá pontos referentes à campanha do ano passado.
Guto passa a integrar uma lista extremamente restrita de brasileiros que chegaram ao topo do ranking juvenil mundial, ao lado de Tiago Fernandes (2010), Orlando Luz (2015) e João Fonseca (2023).
Como foi o jogo
Guto e Antonius fizeram um início de primeiro set muito forte, com ambos confirmando seus saques com facilidade. No entanto, no terceiro saque de Antonius, Miguel conseguiu dois slices sem resposta e conseguiu a quebra.
No nono game do primeiro set, Guto Miguel vencia por 5 a 3 e Antonius sacava para se manter vivo no jogo. O americano salvou quatro set points, mas na quinta chance que teve Guto não perdoou e venceu o primeiro set por 6 a 3.
O tenista brasileiro começou sacando no primeiro game do segundo set e teve que salvar um break point logo no início. Guto imprimiu seu ritmo e conseguiu uma nova quebra em Antonius e teve a possibilidade de sacar para confirmar a vitória, mas foi quebrado.
O set ficou 5 a 4 para o brasileiro, com Antonius no saque. O americano cometeu uma dupla falta, um erro não forçado e deixou Guto com a chance de título. Antonius evitou a primeira chance de título brasileiro, mas na segunda vantagem para Guto acabou jogando a bola na rede. 6 a 4 para o brasileiro.
A partida teve 1h15 de duração, e Guto teve muitos lances de destaque. O único erro foi ser quebrado quando teve a oportunidade de sacar para o título, mas a resposta foi muito rápida e ele conquistou o título inédito. (UOL/FOLHAPRESS)
Erasistratus discovers the cause of the illness of Antiochus. Painting by Jacques-Louis David. Public Domain
Ancient Greek scientist Erasistratus (300-250 B.C.) is credited with being among the first human lie detectors. He devised a specific technique to read a person’s physical response so as to spot when an individual was lying.
While in Alexandria, Egypt, he is said to have proven Prince Antiochus was desperately in love with his father’s new wife, Stratonice. He noted how his pulse increased significantly whenever the queen’s name was mentioned, despite his insistence that he did not have the hots for his stepmother.
Love-struck, he fell ill with passion and chose to pine away in silence. The physicians were unable to discover the cause and nature of his disease.
Erasistratus himself was at a loss at first, until, finding nothing amiss about his body, he began to suspect that it must be the man’s mind that was diseased and that he might perhaps be in love.
Erasistratus confirmed his conjecture when he observed that the skin of Antiochus grew hotter, his color deeper, and his pulse quicker whenever Stratonice came near him, while none of these symptoms occurred on any other occasion.
The Greek physician eventually told the father, King Seleucus, that his son’s disease was incurable, for he was in love with the monarch’s wife and that he chose to die rather than to disclose his secret.
According to the anecdote, Seleucus not only gave up Stratonice, but also resigned to his son several provinces of his empire.
Erasistratus founded school of anatomy in Alexandria
Erasistratus, along with fellow physician Herophilus, founded a school of anatomy in Alexandria where they carried out anatomical research.
He is credited for his description of the valves of the heart. He also concluded that the heart was not the center of sensations. Instead, he said, it functioned as a pump. He was among the first to distinguish between veins and arteries, believing that arteries were full of air and carried the “animal spirit” (pneuma).
Together with Herophilus, he is credited by historians as the potential founder of neuroscience due to his acknowledgment of nerves and their roles in motor control through the brain and skeletal muscles.
Furthermore, Erasistratus is seen as one of the first physicians/scientists to conduct recorded dissections and potential vivisections alongside Herophilus.
The two physicians were said by several Roman authors, notably, Augustine, Celsus, and Tertullian, to have performed controversial vivisections on criminals to study the anatomy and possible physiology of human organs while they were in Alexandria.
A digital representation of Ctesibius. Credit: Greek Reporter archive
Ever found yourself scratching your head, wondering if aside from legendary philosophers and epic poets there were also any “tech gurus” in ancient Greece? When the conversation turns to Greek scientific minds, one might think of figures like Archimedes and Euclid and rightly so. However, there’s a name that truly deserves a much brighter spotlight—that of Ctesibius.
Ctesibius was a true genius of Hellenistic Alexandria, who, quite literally, set the wheels (and yes, the water organ, or hydraulis!) in motion. Due to his brilliant mind, he laid down fundamental principles for technologies that, believe it or not, continue to shape our everyday world to this very day.
Ctesibius was one of ancient Greece’s greatest innovators
Born into the vibrant, intellectual epicenter of Alexandria during the Ptolemaic era, Ctesibius became a hands-on inventor, driven by an almost insatiable curiosity to truly understand and harness the raw power of the natural world.
Imagine at a time when entire civilizations relied on human muscle and simple machines, seeing someone create music from water or build a clock accurate for two thousand years. The sheer innovative audacity of Ctesibius was difficult to fathom.
Of course, at a time of wizards, this wasn’t a magic trick but the real, unadulterated brilliance of the mind of this Greek man. His groundbreaking contributions to pneumatics, the study of compressed air, and hydraulics, the science of liquids in motion, were utterly revolutionary for their time, making Ctesibius the “father of pneumatics.”
Just think about the fact that long before your car tires ever saw a pump or your pneumatic drill came to life, Ctesibius meticulously explored the very principles that made these tools possible. It’s a bit humbling, isn’t it, how many unsung heroes from antiquity have genuinely shaped the modern world we so often take for granted?
Reconstruction of the ancient hydraulis on display at the Kotsanas Museum in Athens. Credit: Aga39memnon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
From melodic water organs to clocks
Among Ctesibius’ most well-known creations was the hydraulis, a genuinely revolutionary water organ. This was, quite simply, the world’s very first keyboard instrument. What an astonishing feat of engineering from over two millennia ago! It ingeniously utilized water pressure to guarantee a completely constant supply of air to its pipes, producing a sound that was remarkably stable and resonant. Imagine the awe of ancient audiences in hearing such a complex, melodic instrument for the absolute first time. It must have felt like nothing short of a miracle.
Beyond the enchanting music, Ctesibius’ improvements to the clepsydra, or water clock, were equally impressive. Prior to this tech guru, water clocks were notoriously imprecise. He revolutionized them through innovative mechanisms for regulating water flow and added an indicator system that provided unprecedented accuracy.
For over 1,800 years, his water clocks were the absolute gold standard in timekeeping. In other words, the pinpoint accuracy of your smartphone’s clock owes an indirect yet profoundly deep debt to a man who lived centuries before the mere concept of electricity was even a thing.
Ctesibius’ water clock, the first alarm clock ever, as depicted by an architect in the 17th century. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Ctesibius’ impact on our world
While Ctesibius himself may not have managed to become one of ancient Greece’s top names, his principles and inventions survived the test of time. They influenced later Roman and Arab engineers and eventually powered the European Renaissance. The very force pump he designed, for instance, is a direct progenitor of modern pumping systems, absolutely essential for everything from our city water supplies to the fire engines we rely on to keep us safe on a daily basis.
His profound understanding of the properties of air-laid processes set the foundation for all future pneumatic applications which today power everything from colossal industrial machinery to delicate medical devices. Hence, next time you hear the satisfying whoosh of a bus door, the gentle hiss of an automated machine, or simply admire the quiet precision of a modern watch, take a moment to think back to Ctesibius, the ancient Greek tech genius.
There is something about Greece that sets it apart from many other holiday destinations across the globe; its mythological sites.
Many ancient societies had different beliefs and myths, but none are more prominent in modern-day life than that of the Greeks. Their creatures have become legends, their tales inspiration for great fiction and their gods immortalized through the continued retelling of their conquests and trials.
Delos: an ancient mythological site in Greece
Matched only by the Acropolis of Athens, Greek mythological site the ruins on the island of Delos are an unmissable location for anybody interested in ancient Greek culture. One of the best-preserved examples of an ancient Greek civilization, the island is completely unblemished by modern architecture and as such, allows its visitors to delve deep into history.
However, it is not just a site of great historical importance, but a mythological one too. It was on this island that both gods Artemis and Apollo are said to have been born. As a result, the island became a sacred place. Sanctuaries and temples sprung up across its hillsides as people from across Greece came to the island’s shores to worship the deities.
Throne room of the Minoan Palace in Knossos, Crete Credit: Annatsach – Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
The Labyrinth, a famous site in Greek mythology
One of the most famous and exciting stories of Greek mythology is the tale of Minos, Theseus and the Minotaur. Minos was a powerful king, ruler of Crete and the son of Zeus, but after he betrayed Poseidon, he was cursed to raise a son with the body of a man and the head of a bull. Using this curse to his advantage, however, Minos built the fabled Labyrinth and trapped the Minotaur within it. He would then send victims to their deaths until Theseus, prince of Athens, ventured into the Labyrinth and slayed the beast.
While there are no Minotaur bones for you to see, there are two possible Labyrinths to explore. First is the likely home of King Minos, and therefore the most plausible home for the labyrinth, Kommos. Located along the southern coast of the island, Kommos is a great place to visit, with spectacular ancient ruins and beautiful ocean views.
However, if you venture deep enough into the ruins of this ancient city, you will find many maze-like corridors and walkways that may have been the Minotaur’s home; or at least the inspiration for its tale. However, just down the road you will also find Gortyn, a site of great archaeological importance to Crete and another suspected home of the Labyrinth. Further away from Minos’ home, these ruins bear a much similar resemblance to the maze of mythology. Perhaps then, it is best to visit both Greek mythological sites and decide for yourself.
The Island of Ithaca: an ancient Greek site and holiday destination
An olive tree on Ithaca that is thought to be 1,500 years old. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Ithaca, a well-known Greek mythological site for a holiday destination, is a place with a very interesting mythological past. Most notably, it was home to the legendary trickster Odysseus, the island’s greatest king and the brains behind the trojan horse.
Odysseus was also the protagonist of Homer’s “Odyssey.” His decade-long struggle to return home after the war is the source of many of the most enduring Greek myths.
The famous Cave of Zeus on the Greek island of Crete
Cave of Zeus in Crete, Greece Credit: Tomisti / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Hidden away on the island of Crete is an extraordinary piece of Greek mythological history. Within a cave beneath Mount Ida, it is said that the King of Gods, Zeus, was born and raised.
The Cave of Zeus is a beautiful location, with one entrance leading into a network of caves filled with stunning rock formations and underground pools. It does indeed seem a fitting place for the beginnings of the greatest god Greek mythology has ever known. However, it was not by choice he was raised here but by necessity.
His father, the titan Cronus, was set on devouring all of his progeny to ensure that they could never contest his power. However, unbeknownst to Cronus, Zeus’ mother, Rhea, hid him within the cave so one day he could return to overthrow his tyrannical father; which, according to legend, he did.
Along the eastern coast of the Greek mainland, you will find one of the most well-known natural landmarks in the world; Mount Olympus. This legendary and iconic Greek mythological site is an awe-inspiring sight, however, there is more to it than meets the eye.
In Greek mythology, Olympus was created after the gods defeated the titans in the battle of Titanomachy; otherwise known as the War of the Titans. Atop its peak they then built the Pantheon, where Zeus sat upon his throne as King of Gods and the rest of the deities would convene to discuss matters of the world below and survey the world of men.
Seeing all these incredible mythological sites can be tricky, unless you charter a course aboard Deep Blue Yachting’s luxury sailing boat, the Glaros. It is a private vessel, you can set your own course and visit every site on this list, all in one trip.
Stoicism was one of ancient Greece’s philosophical movements founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BC. Credit: Public domain
Stoicism, was one of ancient Greece’s philosophical movements founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BC.
Stoicism is a philosophy of personal ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world. For the Stoic, virtue alone is sufficient for human happiness.
For Stoics, emotions like fear, envy, passionate love were merely false judgements and the sage, a person who had attained moral and intellectual perfection, would not be touched by them.
It is a philosophy of life where the individual maximizes positive emotions, reduces negative emotions, and helps him or herself hone their virtues of character.
The name derives from the porch (stoa poikile) in the Agora at Athens decorated with mural paintings, where the members of the school congregated, and their lectures were held.
Birth of Stoicism, one of ancient Greece’s philosophical movements
The philosophy of Stoicism was originally known as “Zenonism” after the founder, Zeno of Citium.
Zeno ended up in Athens after his ship wrecked near the city. He was not a philosopher, but he turned his misfortune into an opportunity by studying all the philosophical resources available in the city.
He sat in on lectures from the other schools of philosophy (e.g., Cynicism, Epicureanism) and eventually started his own.
However, the Stoics did not believe that the founders were perfectly wise. In order to avoid their philosophy becoming a cult of personality, they chose to name it Stoicism after the place they were meeting, the stoa poikile of the Agora.
Zeno’s ideas developed from those of the Cynics, whose founding father, Antisthenes, had been a disciple of Socrates. Zeno’s most influential follower was Chrysippus, who was responsible for molding what is now called Stoicism.
Other prominent Stoics included Cleanthes of Assos, Panaetius of Rhodes, Aristo of Chios, Posidonius of Apameia, Diodotus, and others.
Later, Seneca, Epictetus, and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius ushered Stoicism to the Roman world. The philosophy flourished until the 3rd century AD.
A bust of ancient Greece’s philosopher Zeno of Citium, the creator of stoicism. Credit: Rama/Wikimedia Commons/ Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon
Stoic Philosophy
According to Stoicism, the path to eudaimonia (happiness) is embracing and accepting the moment as it presents itself by not allowing oneself to be controlled by the desire for pleasure or by the fear of pain.
The Stoic must use his or her mind to understand the world and to do one’s part in nature’s plan by working together and treating others fairly and justly.
The Stoics are especially known for the teaching “virtue is the only good” and that people must lead a virtuous life to be accomplished and complete human beings.
External things—such as health, wealth, and pleasure—are not good or bad in and of themselves but have value as “material for virtue to act upon.”
The Stoics also held that certain destructive emotions, such as fear or jealousy, resulted from errors of judgment, and they believed people should aim to maintain a prohairesis (will) that is “in accordance with nature.”
To live a good life, a person had to understand the rules of the natural order, Stoics believed, since everything was rooted in nature.
For many Stoics, virtue is sufficient for happiness. Thus, a sage would be emotionally resilient to misfortune and would therefore be considered truly free.
According to Stoics, people don’t truly have control over many things and situations in life. Therefore, they believe that worrying about things outside of their control is unproductive, or even irrational for a person who wants to attain tranquility and happiness.
Stoics differentiate between what is and what is not under human control and do not waste energy and thoughts over uncontrollable adverse events.
Where many people worry endlessly about things out of their control, the Stoics believe they should expend their energy in thinking of creative solutions to problems, rather than the issues themselves.
Stoicism is not about having a set of beliefs or ethical claims. It is not a school of philosophy that is separate from everyday life.
The stoic must continuously practice and train (“askesis”). Stoic philosophical and spiritual practices include logic, Socratic dialogue and self-dialogue.
Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Credit: Eric Gaba/Wikipedia
The Greek term for word is logos. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus used logos (the word) to explain what he saw as the universal force of reason that governed everything.
In the 5th century BC, Heraclitus said that all things happen according to the Logos. The Stoics also believed in the Logos, along with the notions of conscience and virtue.
A few centuries later, Greek-speaking Jews came to view the Logos as a force sent by God. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is referred to as the Word — “and the Word of God was made flesh and dwelt among men.”
The apostle Paul is known to have met with Stoics during his stay in Athens. In his letters, Paul reflected on his knowledge of Stoic philosophy, using Stoic terms and metaphors to assist new converts in their understanding of Christianity.
Both Stoicism and Christianity teach a person the importance of training their mind and body to be disciplined.
Both encourage the elimination of passions and inferior emotions, such as lust and envy, from one’s life, so that the higher possibilities of one’s humanity can be awakened and developed.
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven,” Jesus preached.
Similarly, as Seneca wrote, “We must give up many things to which we are addicted, considering them to be good.”
The Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Church accept the Stoic ideal of dispassion to this day, as do ascetics all over the world.
Stoicism today
Daily Stoic, How to be a Stoic, The Modern Times Stoic, Modern Stoicism, Traditional Stoicism: these are only a handful of the websites that hail the importance of—even the need for—Stoicism in the 21st century.
Is it possible, though, for today’s man to embrace a philosophy that teaches indifference to material things and possessions in a ruthlessly material world?
An intellectual and popular movement called Modern Stoicism began at the end of the 20th century which is aimed at reviving the practice of Stoicism.
However, before that, Stoic philosophy served as the original philosophical inspiration for modern cognitive psychotherapy, particularly as mediated by Dr. Albert Ellis’ Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), the major precursor of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
In the original cognitive therapy treatment manual for depression by Aaron T. Beck et al., it is stated, “The philosophical origins of cognitive therapy can be traced back to the Stoic philosophers.”
A well-known quotation from the “Enchiridion” of Epictetus was taught to most clients during the initial session by Ellis and his followers: “It’s not the events that upset us, but our judgments about the events.”
This subsequently became a common element in the socialization phase of many other approaches to CBT.
Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle is the Way; Stoicism—A Stoic Approach to Modern Life, by Tom Miles; Modern Stoicism, by Steve Brooks; and Modern Stoicism—How to Be a Stoic in the 21st Century, by Stephen Ryan are some of the books on Stoicism that have been published recently.
Famous Stoic quotes
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
“You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
“Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly.”
“To live a good life; we all have the potential for it, if we learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference.”
“Death smiles at us all, but all a man can do is smile back.”
“Accept whatever comes to you woven in the pattern of your destiny, for what could more aptly fit your needs?”
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”
“The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.”
“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”
“Loss is nothing else but change, and change is nature’s delight.”
“It is not because things are difficult that we don’t dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.”
“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.”
“The bravest sight in the world is to see a man struggling against adversity.”
“Throw me to the wolves and I will return leading the pack.”
“Life is never incomplete if it is an honorable one. At whatever point you leave life, if you leave it in the right way, it is whole.”
“Man is affected not by events, but by the view he takes of them.”
“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”
“If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person.”
“He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary.”
“It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.”
“If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”
“If you want to improve, be content to be foolish and stupid.”
“The world turns aside to let any man pass who knows where he is going.”
“Seek not the good in eternal things, seek it in yourselves.”
“It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them.”
“No man is free who is not a master of himself.”
“It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows.”
“Never depend on the admiration of others. There is no strength in it. Personal merit cannot be derived from an external source.”
This story originally appeared in Prism on June 04, 2026.
When members of The New School’s Student Senate were faced with a report detailing how Hillel International was providing material and logistical support to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, they voted on May 1 to cut all ties with their campus chapter of the national Jewish college network and to strip its funding. The student leaders hoped the school’s administration would go on to investigate Hillel’s presence on its New York City campus.
Instead, after an intense pressure campaign by pro-Israel groups, advocates, and elected representatives, the university’s administration is now investigating the student senators who voted to cut ties with Hillel.
“We were hoping that the university would act on the the evidence provided by the Student Senate report about Hillel’s complicity in genocide. They are investigating us instead,” said Ryder Glickman, who is chair of The New School Student Senate and helped produce the report.
The Student Senate acted upon the recommendations of the Registered Student Organizations (RSO) Compliance Committee, which presented a comprehensive report about the ways in which Hillel had assisted the Israeli military during its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The report found that students from The New School and a host of other New York City-based schools volunteered at the Israeli military’s Hatzerim Air Force Base in January 2024, as part of the Hillel on Base program. “Our students are packaging a days worth of rations to our soldiers,” stated an Instagram story by Hillel at Baruch College, the umbrella organization of Hillel at The New School, alongside a photo from the airbase, according to the report.
The Hatzerim airbase reportedly has been used by the Israeli Air Force for hundreds of airstrikes in Gaza, with F-15s from the base dropping bombs in civilian areas.
In the days following the publication of the report and the Student Senate vote to terminate funding to The New School’s Hillel, the university’s administration acted swiftly to discredit the findings.
“To avoid any misunderstanding, the University Student Senate does not have the authority to determine official status, funding eligibility, or the recognition of RSOs. Our Hillel chapter remains, as it always has been, in good standing, eligible for funding, and supporting Jewish life at The New School,” said an schoolwide email sent to from the university signed by President Joel Towers, Provost Richard Kessler, and Vice Provost Robert Mack.
“By distorting a qualified student organization and characterizing it as something it is not,” the statement continued, “the [University Student Senate] is using its platform to target fellow students in a misguided attempt to hold those students responsible for the acts of governments.”
On May 3, two days after the vote, Ilya Bratman, the executive director of Hillel at Baruch College, wrote in an email to Towers and other members of The New School’s leadership that the Student Senate’s actions were “a direct attack on Jewish students.” Bratman bcc’d the Student Senate email address, and members shared the email with Prism.
“We hope to meet with you in the coming days so that you can hear directly from the students affected by this action, and so that we can better understand the university’s plan of action moving forward. The [University Student Senate] has shown no indication that it intends to step back from these egregious and deeply troubling actions,” Bratman wrote.
The New School administration and Hillel at Baruch College did not respond to Prism’s inquiry about whether university leadership and Hillel officials had the meeting.
Days later, on May 8, Glickman received an email, viewed by Prism, from The New School’s office of Student Equity, Accessibility & Title IX. The email said that the school was investigating him for an allegation that the Student Senate’s decision to cut ties with Hillel was in “potential violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” The administration later clarified to Glickman that the university is investigating all student senators involved in the vote.
External pushback
The university launched its investigation into student senators following a string of social media activity by pro-Israel groups, advocates, media, and elected representatives attacking the report.
Glickman was called a “virulent anti-Israel activist” in an X post by Canary Mission, the secretive group notorious for doxing and targeting pro-Palestinian activists.
A string of articles by pro-Israel publications, including The New York Post and The Times of Israel, reported on The New School administration rejecting the Student Senate vote while omitting the details and evidence found by the RSO about Hillel’s ties with the Israeli military.
Two New York members of Congress took to social media to denounce the report. Rep. Dan Goldman—who recently marched in New York’s Israel Day parade featuring Israeli cabinet ministers who are wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes or have made genocidal statements about Palestinians—said the students were engaged in “hateful and vile antisemitism.” Rep. Ritchie Torres also condemned the vote, calling it “shameful” and “discrimination against Jewish individuals and institutions.” Goldman and Torres are heavily backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
“The fact that there was such open repression and universal condemnation of the report shows that the administration’s response was coordinated with Zionist organizations accusing us of antisemitism,” Glickman told Prism. “This is extremely worrying when we made a very basic case about international law.”
Students volunteering with the Israeli military
Hillel at Baruch, which organized trips to Israel, acts as an umbrella organization for chapters in multiple New York schools in addition to The New School, including Fordham University, John Jay College, and City College.
“Volunteer on an IDF (Israeli Defense Force) base in Southern Israel, wear IDF uniform, give back to the community on base, and explore Israel!” reads a description about the program on Hillel at Baruch’s website.
The 38-page report by the RSO compliance committee found that Hillel at Baruch organized several trips between May 2022 and January 2025 for students to volunteer at multiple Israeli army and air force bases. Hillel International also operates the Onward Israel program which organizes internship trips for American students to Israel and facilitates volunteering opportunities within the Israeli military.
The report further found that in July 2024, another post from Hillel at Baruch and New School Hillel’s Instagram account said, “Tonight, some of our onward students had the incredible opportunity to volunteer at the Tze’elim army base, where they helped prepare a barbecue for over 700 soldiers from the Oketz, Kfir, Golani and Handasa units in the IDF.”
Soldiers of the Golani Brigade’s 631st Reconnaissance Battalion were behind the March 24, 2025, killing of 15 Palestinian emergency responders that included Red Crescent ambulance workers in Rafah, according to an investigation by Haaretz.
In May 2024, a BBC analysis found that 11 soldiers of the Kfir brigade were responsible for posting photos and videos of Palestinian prisoners being abused.
By registering for the Hillel on Base program, participants also automatically register for the Volunteers for Israel (VFI) program, the report found.
“VFI is the ONLY organization that creates opportunities for American students to volunteer in Israel on IDF bases,” says a description of the program, which includes activities such as packing medical supplies and repairing machinery and equipment for military units.
The VFI program is run by Sar-El, an Israeli volunteer nonprofit organization under the direction of the Israeli Logistics Corps, a support branch of the Israeli military, establishing direct collaboration between Hillel and the Israeli government, according to the report.
“I am nauseated by the fact that I have classmates who have provided direct material and logistical support to genocide,” Glickman said.
A week after The New School vote, the student leadership of the Hillel chapter of Middlebury College, Vermont, voted to change its name to the Jewish Association at Middlebury, after growing demand from its members to disaffiliate from Hillel International and its activities, according to reporting by the school’s newspaper.
Editorial Team: Sahar Fatima, Lead Editor Lara Witt, Top Editor Rashmee Kumar, Copy Editor
È stato svelato oggi, a Parma, il calendario della Serie A 2026/27, con la prima giornata prevista per il weekend del 22-23agosto 2026. Una stagione – quella scorsa – che ha visto il trionfo dell’Inter di circa un mese fa, Milan e Juventus fuori dalla Champions (dove invece ci sarà il Como per la prima volta), le retrocessioni di Pisa, Verona e Cremonese, le promozioni dalla Serie B di Venezia, Frosinone e Monza. Tante le novità per il prossimo anno. Intanto, la più sostanziale riguarda l’accorpamento delle finestre Fifa di settembre e ottobre in un’unica sosta con 4 date per le nazionali. Il campionato infatti si interromperà consecutivamente domenica 27 settembre e domenica 4 ottobre 2026.
In 2018, when the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) experienced a severe Ebola outbreak, more than 30 experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), close to 20 disaster-response specialists from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and 120 additional USAID staff were on the ground attempting to manage the outbreak, according to estimates from Friends of USAID, an advocacy organization mainly made up of ex-USAID staffers. With that level of staffing in 2018, by and large, they succeeded in limiting the extent to which the disease spread.
This year, as a particularly virulent strain of the Ebola virus — the Bundibugyo strain, against which there is no approved vaccine and for which there are no medicinal cures — runs rampant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Friends of USAID estimate there is only one CDC staffer on the ground there, along with five additional State Department personnel. There are of course no USAID workers present, since the Trump administration dismantled USAID during the purges led by the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) in 2025, summarily firing local health care contractors around the world, including in countries with extreme poverty rates such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The consequences have already been devastating. In past Ebola outbreaks, even before mass testing of disease victims got underway, the CDC and USAID were able to tell when an epidemic was picking up steam based on on-the-ground medical observations and data about excess mortality figures. And, in response, they were able to position medical resources effectively.
In the current outbreak, the decimated remnants of the CDC were caught unawares, only finding out about the outbreak once hundreds, and possibly thousands, of people had already been infected — thus making it far more likely that this outbreak will prove particularly difficult to corral.
Because so many experts have been fired over the past 16 months, and because political overseers have been limiting what the remaining scientists can say and write, “the CDC is not really functional anymore,” Angela Rasmussen, professor of virology at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, told Truthout. Rasmussen, who also serves as science chair for the Save America Movement, a nonpartisan organization that works to stop ongoing assaults on public health, added that the administration was no longer bothering to consult remaining CDC experts when making policy to respond to the outbreak. “It used to be an evidence-driven process and now it’s a political-driven process,” Rasmussen said.
“I equate it to having the mayor’s office taking on a fire without having a fire department or a fire hose,” Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told Truthout. Daskalakis, who resigned last August because he was so concerned about the direction that the Department of Health and Human Services was taking under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership, says that when faced with grave public health challenges, the administration is simply resorting to “a lot of posturing, with, I think, bad consequences.”
I equate it to having the mayor’s office taking on a fire without having a fire department or a fire hose.
Faced with the twin public health emergencies of the Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, alongside the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship from which people disembarked to the four corners of the Earth, the Trump administration’s response has been, at best, ad hoc. Instead of implementing expert-driven protocols, it has leaned on its nativist instincts to simply attempt to lock the virus out. That attempt proved a colossal failure during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, according to Rasmussen and Daskalakis, the signs are not auspicious for it being a successful strategy against the global health crises of 2026.
For U.S. residents exposed to hantavirus, the Trump administration has ordered mandatory 42-day quarantines in a secure facility in Omaha, Nebraska — despite the fact that experts say the virus doesn’t spread easily and that home quarantine would be just as effective. For U.S. residents exposed to the Ebola virus in Africa, the response has been to refuse them entry back into the United States and to instead have them isolated and, if need be, treated in Kenya — a situation that Rasmussen and other experts say makes little sense given the huge investments made over the past decade in secure biocontainment units in the U.S. “They’re throwing evidence-based risk assessment out the window, and are trampling people’s 14th Amendment rights,” Rasmussen told Truthout. “If we’re going to take Americans’ freedom away, there should be a real basis for that — and there’s not.”
It took so long for the CDC to say anything about hantavirus or to hear from the DRC about Ebola. Relationships that took decades to build have simply disappeared.
Telling people in the U.S. that if they get exposed to the Ebola virus, they won’t be allowed back into their home country for months is, experts believe, a surefire way to discourage U.S. doctors and public health professionals from heading to Africa to try to contain the outbreak. In other words, it is a strategy all but guaranteed to make a bad situation worse.
At the same time, African victims of the disease, who could certainly benefit from access to the treatment center being established in Kenya, are being deliberately excluded from it. “There’s an equity issue,” Daskalakis says of this policy. This, too, will end up hurting public health, as the Ebola patients denied access to the Kenyan facility will, in all likelihood, end up spreading the disease further in their communities or in poorly resourced medical facilities to which some eventually may turn.
Aryn Backus, a CDC employee who has been on administrative leave for more than a year since her job was targeted by DOGE, and who is now deputy executive director of the National Public Health Coalition, told Truthout that the ham-handed U.S. response to the outbreak overseas makes it more likely that the disease will ultimately find its way to the United States. “Diseases don’t understand borders,” she said. And, without detailed international coordination, the likelihood of their spreading far and wide grows.
“We are seemingly not at the table anymore,” Daskalakis added, as he detailed the myriad ways that the U.S.’s role as global public health leader has been corroded. “It took so long for the CDC to say anything about hantavirus or to hear from the DRC about Ebola. Relationships that took decades to build have simply disappeared.”
As Ruínas Romanas de Milreu, monumento afeto ao Património Cultural, promovem, no dia 12 de junho, às 10h00, uma visita aos trabalhos arqueológicos que estão em curso no monumento, no âmbito das Jornadas Europeias de Arqueologia.
Este ano, o tema das jornadas é “Arqueologia a Acontecer”.
«Seguindo a temática proposta pelo Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (Inrap), a atividade será dedicada à arqueologia preventiva e ao seu papel na proteção, salvaguarda e valorização do Património Arqueológico», explica o instituto Património Cultural.
As Ruínas Romanas de Milreu estão temporariamente encerradas ao público devido à execução da empreitada de “Requalificação do Centro Interpretativo e Outros Trabalhos”, desenvolvida no âmbito do Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência (PRR).
Esta visita constituirá, por isso, uma oportunidade para conhecer de perto os trabalhos em curso.
Os participantes têm de acompanhar o grupo durante toda a visita, não sendo permitido circular livremente pela área da obra.
Devem usar calçado raso, fechado e confortável e respeitar todas as orientações de segurança no espaço da obra, incluindo o uso obrigatória do equipamento de proteção individual fornecido (capacete e colete).
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) and AUKUS have yet again unveiled a flawed strategy for influence in the Pacific. Both security alliances are ambitious and are planning to invest more in aggressive capabilities. These days, the West is meticulously taking calculated strategic initiatives, especially in the Asia Pacific region, to build alliances, groups, and security […]
T-Mobile US unveiled an AI-enhanced network optimisation capability aimed at keeping customers connected during high-density events including at packed stadiums, festival grounds and in post-concert taxi queues.
The mobile operator’s Dynamic CX is built on its self-organising network (SON) platform, which is also used to allocate network resources during natural disasters.
Operators have been using centralised self-organising network (C-SON) tools since 2010. In 2015, machine learning algorithms were introduced and blended with SON algorithms, which led to the first iteration of AI-for-RAN.
It is another feature built on the operator’s nationwide 5G-Advanced network which sits on its standalone 5G architecture.
Dynamic CX’s AI-driven automation adapts to network conditions in near real time, marking a meaningful step beyond traditional SON optimisation, which has historically been more reactive in nature.
The AI-enabled network optimisation capability continuously monitors and tunes network performance.
Dynamic CX scans publicly available event information, schedules and online activity to identify upcoming mass gatherings before they happen, allowing the network to begin preparing capacity adjustments in advance rather than scrambling to react once congestion hits.
Once an event is underway, Dynamic CX shifts into continuous monitoring mode, tracking how demand evolves as crowds move, stream and share throughout venues and surrounding areas.
T-Mobile is positioning the launch ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which starts this month and uses 11 US host cities. It is expected to draw millions of international visitors over several weeks.
CTO John Saw framed Dynamic CX as part of a longer arc of event-readiness investment to improve customer experience.
T-Mobile pointed to broader World Cup operational preparations including coordination with public safety agencies, staged deployable network assets and heightened cybersecurity posture across event-related infrastructure.
Ancient Greek astronomers likely observed Uranus as a star, but limited tools and geocentric views kept them from recognizing it as a planet. Credit: NASA/JPL / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
While Uranus was officially discovered as a planet by the astronomer William Herschel in 1781 using a telescope, some ancient Greek astronomers, such as Hipparchus, may have observed Uranus—but only as a fixed star rather than as a planet.
Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, is unique in that it is barely visible to the naked eye, appearing as a faint, star-like point in the night sky.
Hipparchus and the catalog of stars
Hipparchus (2nd century BC), among the greatest ancient Greek astronomers, compiled one of the earliest known star catalogs. He meticulously recorded the positions of about 850 stars, significantly advancing observational astronomy. The fact that Uranus was likely observed and recorded by Hipparchus, even if only as a faint star, is a major contribution to the history of astronomy. It is proof of the remarkable precision and thoroughness of ancient astronomers in mapping the night sky.
Because Uranus moves especially slowly across the celestial sphere, its motion was imperceptible to naked-eye observers over short periods. Thus, Hipparchus correctly classified it as a fixed star rather than a planet. From the perspective of ancient Greek astronomy—which was strictly geocentric and based on Earth-centered celestial spheres—this classification was logically consistent. Uranus does not revolve around the Earth in a way that is observable to the naked eye. Therefore, ancient astronomers had no reason to consider it a “wanderer” or planet.
The classical planets of Greek astronomy
Many ancient Greek astronomers were influenced by philosophers such as Aristotle and astronomers like Hipparchus and, later on, Ptolemy. They identified five planets visible to the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Along with the Sun and Moon, these made up the seven classical celestial bodies known as “planets” (meaning “wanderers”).
Uranus, being dim and slow-moving, did not appear among these and was therefore excluded from the traditional geocentric cosmology, which placed Earth at the center, surrounded by the concentric spheres of the other celestial bodies.
Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century AD), the eminent Greco-Roman astronomer and mathematician, authored the Almagest, a comprehensive treatise on astronomy that shaped scientific thought for over a millennium. Ptolemy’s planetary system included the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
Although Ptolemy compiled an extensive star catalog and developed sophisticated mathematical models for planetary motions, there is no mention of Uranus as a planet or wanderer. It likely appeared in his star catalog simply as an unremarkable star without recognition of its planetary nature.
The Milky Way. Credit: ESA/ Hubble & NASA, D. Jones, A. Riess et al / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Mythology and astral symbolism
In Greek mythology, Uranus was the primordial sky god, father of the Titans. While the planet got its name from this mythological figure, ancient Greeks did not associate the myth with any observable celestial body beyond the known planets of the time.
The naming of the planet Uranus centuries later reflected a mythological heritage, but ancient astronomy itself made no link between the myth and an actual astral element. The likelihood that Hipparchus observed Uranus as a star highlights the exceptional skill of ancient astronomers in mapping the heavens.
Yet their classification of Uranus as a fixed star rather than a planet was entirely consistent with the contemporary geocentric framework that dominated ancient Greek astronomy. Since Uranus does not visibly orbit Earth, it did not meet the criteria of a “wandering star” or planet from their perspective.
Ptolemy’s Almagest and the classical planetary model included only the five planets visible to the naked eye, omitting Uranus altogether. Ancient Greek astronomers made impressively advanced discoveries for their time. However, the observational technology and conceptual frameworks available to them ultimately limited their progress.
The eventual recognition of Uranus as a planet in the 18th century dramatically expanded the known solar system and challenged the classical view inherited from antiquity.
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