The American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest and most technologically advanced vessel of its kind in the world, docked at Souda Bay at midday on Clean Monday.

The new model of military service in the Armed Forces comes into effect today with the enlistment of the first c 2026, with conscripts reporting to units between 24 and 27 February.

“The new system of service is one of the main pillars of the reform ‘Agenda 2030’,” has repeatedly stressed the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias.

As Mr Dendias has underlined, the changes are considered necessary due to the need to adapt to modern realities, geopolitical shifts, technological developments, and the new approach to military operations seen in recent conflicts.

A two-day meeting of particularly high political and business intensity begins today, Tuesday, February 24, in Washington, which is expected to determine the developments surrounding the Vertical Natural Gas Corridor.

Col. Matthew Bogdanos, the Greek-American prosecutor who leads the Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History, a major honor recognizing careers that shape the study, protection, and return of cultural heritage. The prize carries a $100,000 cash award, but Bogdanos declined the money, asking the Vilcek Foundation to donate the funds to nonprofit organizations of his choosing, according to the Orthodox Observer