02/08/23

[Maik]

Kef fire risk 02/08/23: Medium

Today’s bank rates:
1 €UR = £0.8844 GBP
1 €UR = $1.1299 USD
£1 GBP = 1.1307 €UR
$1 USD = 0.8850 €UR

Based on Alpha Bank exchange rates, these are widely used by exchange agencies in Greece.
Other banks likely to offer a different rate which may be marginally higher or lower.
Banks and foreign exchange offices normally charge standard 2% commission.
You may get a better rate changing your holiday money in advance at e.g the Post Office.
NB: some f-ex agencies advertise "No Commission".
Invariably, they deduct commission before they (don't) advertise the rate.
Foreign exchange offices are businesses, not charities.

Ten day weather forecast for Kefalonia:
This is an overall forecast, due to the mountainous terrain the weather can be very localised.
Updated forecast @ weather.com

Day, Date   Hi°/Lo°   Wind sp   Wet   Forecast
Wed 02/08   30°/21°   13 km/h   01%   Mostly Sunny
Thu 03/08   31°/21°   12 km/h   10%   Sunny
Fri 04/08   31°/22°   13 km/h   12%   Sunny
Sat 05/08   31°/21°   16 km/h   78%   Thunderstorms probable
Sun 06/08   28°/21°   23 km/h   08%   Sunny
Mon 07/08   29°/21°   25 km/h   08%   Sunny
Tue 08/08   30°/22°   16 km/h   05%   Sunny
Wed 09/08   31°/22°   20 km/h   03%   Sunny
Thu 10/08   31°/22°   18 km/h   03%   Sunny
Fri 11/08   31°/21°   18 km/h   02%   Sunny



Edit: updated

[Maik]

Body of an 84 y-o Greek male recovered yesterday morning from the sea in the Delesio Marine Club area, Municipality of Tanagra

Body of a 79 y-o Greek male recovered yesterday morning from the sea off Agia Triada, Thermaikos, Thessaloniki

Body of a 74 y-o Greek female recovered midday yesterday from Markopoulos beach, Oropos

[Maik]

Fiskardo coast guard midday yesterday escorted a boat with four foreign passengers into port after it grounded north east of Fiskardo. No injuries sustained and no marine pollution observed, boat confined to port until re-certified as seaworthy.

[Maik]

Donald Trump indicted over attempts to overturn 2020 election result

Donald Trump has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges relating to his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The former US President has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the US, witness tampering, and conspiracy against the rights of citizens in an effort to overturn 2020 election result.

The indictment is the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024.

https://www.itv.com/news/2023-08-01/donald-trump-lashes-out-as-he-says-he-expects-to-be-indicted

[Maik]

DVLA launches new online account for motorists
DVLA are asking motorists to test a new service that allows them to view their driving licence and vehicle details in one place.

From today (2 August 2023), motorists can opt for digital vehicle tax reminders rather than having to wait for a paper reminder to drop through their letter box. The change comes as part of DVLA’s new Driver and vehicles account service, which launches on GOV.UK today.

The new service, which allows motorists to easily access their driver and vehicle information in one place, has been launched as a public beta and DVLA are asking motorists to provide feedback to help develop the service.

The Driver and vehicles account is easy-to-use, secure, and it only takes around 5 minutes to sign up. Once an account has been set up, motorists can simply sign in using their email and password, and will be able to:

    view their driving licence information, including endorsements and penalty points
    view vehicles that are registered to them including tax and MOT status
    change their contact preferences
    set up vehicle tax reminders by email and for the first time by SMS text
    choose to stop getting vehicle tax reminders by post

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dvla-launches-new-online-account-for-motorists


https://www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account

[Maik]

Greece offers free vacation on Rhodes to tourists affected by wildfires

Greece will offer a free week of vacation on the island of Rhodes in the eastern Aegean to those tourists who were forced to interrupt their stay due to the recent wildfires, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday.

https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1216919/greece-offers-free-vacation-on-rhodes-island-to-tourists-affected-by-wildfires/

[Maik]

Rats cut off town's internet by chewing through broadband cables
Residents in parts of Hertfordshire and Buckingham were offline for as long as three days

Nesting rats chewed through the ducting, outer casing and multiple cables, equipment so tough it would typically require a drill to penetrate, according to Openreach.

It is not yet known how many premises or areas were impacted, with the company estimating this to be “in the thousands”.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/02/rats-cut-internet-in-tring-hertfordshire-by-chewing-cables/

[Maik]

End of the Volvo Estate: Classic cars axed in the UK as firm goes SUV-only

Falling popularity prompts Swedish company to end sales of famous vehicle as SUVs become family car of choice

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/02/volvo-estate-classic-car-axed/

[Maik]

Singer/songwriter Twinkle, a.k.a. Lynn Annette Ripley, was at school with Camilla Rosemary Shand, a.k.a. Queen Camilla. Both attended Queen's Gate School, South Kensington, at the same time although Camilla may have been in the year above Twinkle.

Not a lot of people know that.

Edit: corrected