goinggreek.info
To Kafeneion => Grapevine / News Briefs => Topic started by: Maik on Wednesday, 07 February, 2024 @ 01:00:06
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Today’s bank rates:
1 €UR = £ 0.8823 GBP £1 GBP = 1.1334 €UR
1 €UR = $ 1.1097 USD $1 USD = 0.9011 €UR
1 €UR = $ 1.7039 AUD $1 AUD = 0.5868 €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 (https://www.postoffice.co.uk/travel-money).
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 (https://weather.com/en-IE/weather/tenday/l/GRXX0035:1:GR)
Day, Date Hi°/Lo° Wind sp Wet Forecast
Wed 07/02 17°/11° 10 km/h 07% Sun & cloud
Thu 08/02 17°/09° 12 km/h 45% Showers possible
Fri 09/02 18°/12° 12 km/h 06% Sunny
Sat 10/02 19°/15° 28 km/h 06% Cloudy
Sun 11/02 19°/11° 39 km/h 76% Thunderstorms & very strong winds probable
Mon 12/02 15°/10° 23 km/h 81% Light rain probable
Tue 13/02 16°/10° 22 km/h 56% Showers probable
Wed 14/02 16°/09° 22 km/h 32% Showers possible
Thu 15/02 16°/08° 18 km/h 37% Showers possible
Fri 16/02 15°/09° 19 km/h 32% Showers possible
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Greeks in court to claim famous Zakynthos shipwreck
Three Greeks, who claim to be owners, inheritors of the famous Zakynthos shipwreck “Panagiotis”, have launched legal proceedings to repossess it, saying they want to undertake its repair and liaise with companies and public authorities in order to exploit it commercially in the tourism sector.
According to the news report, the legal dispute between the owners, the municipality of Zakynthos and the TEI of the Ionian Islands began in July 2016 when Alexandros Soulanis, one of the owners of the ship – the other two were Panagiotis Lysikatos and Efstratios Stavrakis, all sailors – filed an application for injunctive relief at the Magistrate’s Court of Zakynthos.
In 2017, the Magistrate’s Court rejected the injunctions and the owners appealed to the Court of First Instance, which also rejected the injunctions. In 2021, the heirs of the three owners filed a petition to appeal the decision of the single-member Court of First Instance of Zakynthos to the Supreme Court.
https://greekcitytimes.com/2024/02/07/greeks-in-court-to-claim-famous-zakynthos-shipwreck/
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A Man in Greece Has Been Arrested over Pay-To-View Abuse of Mentally Handicapped People
Greek police have arrested a man accused of systematically abusing mentally handicapped people on videos live-streamed for paying customers on social media.
A police statement said the 35-year-old suspect arrested in Athens on Tuesday faces charges of human trafficking and causing bodily harm to vulnerable people.
It said the abuse included “constant swearing, bodily harm and sexual acts, which spectators watching the live-streaming requested, and had paid for.”
Police said two people found in the suspect’s home, who had been allegedly subjected to live-streamed abuse early Tuesday, were placed in care.
A similar case was uncovered in western Athens in November.
https://www.thenationalherald.com/a-man-in-greece-has-been-arrested-over-pay-to-view-abuse-of-mentally-handicapped-people/
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Post Office still pursued sisters after case thrown out
The Post Office continued to threaten two sisters over a £34,000 shortfall even after a criminal trial was ruled out over faulty computer evidence, BBC Scotland has learned.
A Glasgow prosecutor rejected the case in 2014 because of "issues" with the Horizon computer system.
However, the Post Office did not tell Jacquie El Kasaby and Rose Stewart the reason for the failed prosecution.
Instead they threatened to involve debt collectors if they did not pay.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68204594
:oki:
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MEPs voice alarm over rule-of-law decline in Greece, demand closer oversight of EU funds
Members of the European Parliament approved on Wednesday a critical resolution about the "worrying" decline of the rule of law in Greece, pointing the finger at Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The non-binding text details a string of concerns about the current state of Greek democracy, including harassment of journalists, privacy violations, wiretapping of political opponents, excessive use of police force, conflicts of interests, alleged corruption, smear campaigns against civil society and the "systematic" pushbacks of migrants.
Notably, MEPs ask the European Commission to assess whether the breaches of fundamental rights are grave enough to merit the review – and possible suspension – of the billions of euros in EU funds allocated to Greece.
Some of the accusations, like what MEPs describe as the "instrumentalisation" of national security reasons to justify the use of spyware, directly involve Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the right-wing politician who has served as Greece's prime minister since 2019.
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/02/07/meps-voice-alarm-over-rule-of-law-decline-in-greece-demand-closer-oversight-of-eu-funds
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Six Greeks Make Forbes Billionaires List, None On World’s Wealthiest
The Forbes Billionaires List, a kind of Who’s Who of the 0.1% of the world’s richest people, includes six Greeks for 2024, but the wealthiest – at $4 billion – is only at number 905: Aristotelis Mistakidis.
https://www.thenationalherald.com/six-greeks-make-forbes-billionaires-list-none-on-worlds-wealthiest/
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Leak reveals Michelle Mone told government she would not benefit financially from PPE firm
The Conservative peer Michelle Mone assured the government that she was not entitled to “any financial benefit whatsoever” from a PPE company, five months before £29m of its profits were transferred into a trust for her benefit.
Leaked emails between Mone and the Cabinet Office reveal that a civil servant asked her to make a declaration that she had no conflict of interest in relation to the company, PPE Medpro, which she had recommended to ministers in May 2020.
Mone stated that she had “no conflicts whatsoever” and that she was not “entitled to any financial remuneration or financial benefit whatsoever”.
The civil servant then asked for clarification about the involvement of Mone’s husband, the Isle of Man-based financial services businessman Doug Barrowman. She replied that “Doug is a very philanthropic individual” who “wanted to help the NHS” and was negotiating to lower the prices the government was paying for PPE.
Mone and Barrowman have continued to claim that the company supplied PPE at competitive prices and saved the government money. However, documents seen by the Guardian indicate that the surgical gowns, for which the government paid £122m under one of the contracts, were bought from the Chinese manufacturer for only £46m.
Guardian analysis of that deal and the second contract, for the supply of face masks, suggests that PPE Medpro and the three other companies in its supply chain shared total profits of approximately £100m on the £203m contracts.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/07/leak-reveals-michelle-mone-told-government-she-would-not-benefit-financially-from-ppe-firm-medpro
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Deaf dog with four teeth given CPR after fire rescue
A 14-year-old dog has survived a housefire in Lincoln after being given CPR by fire officers.
Lottie, a deaf, white, long-haired Jack Russell, was trapped inside when a fire broke out at the house on Arthur Street.
Fire crews were said to have been "buzzing ever since" the rescue.
Lottie, who has only four teeth, was treated in an oxygen tent by vets and is said to be making a full recovery.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3g0rdr2e72o
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National History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition photos
Amazing photos, but not all pleasant:
The People's Choice Award (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/peoples-choice)
Wildlife Photographer of the Year images (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.wldlfphtgrphrprtflwrd)
Animals in their environment (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.nmlsnthrnvrnmnt)
Animal portraits (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.nmlprtrts)
Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.mphbnsrptlsndfsh)
Behaviour: Birds (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.brds)
Behvaviour: Invertebrates (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.nvrtbrts)
Behaviour: Mammals (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.mmmls)
Plants and Fungi (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.plntsndfng)
Underwater (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.ndrwtr)
Urban Wildlife (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.rbnwldlf)
Wildlife Photojournalism (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.wldlfphtjrnlsm)
Photojournalist Story Award (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.wldlfphtjrnlststrywrd)
Rising Star Award (18-26) (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.rsngstrprtflwrd)
Portfolio Award (27+) (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery?tags=cat.wldlfphtgrphrprtflwrd)
Explore the gallery (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery)
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The General Director of Spatial Planning, Environmental and Rural Policy of the Decentralized Administration of Peloponnese, Western Greece and Ionian Islands has approved the environmental conditions for the 37km Poros - Argostoli road improvements. The 55,000,000€ contract should now be able to go out to tender in the near future.
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Cocaine worth €2.8 mln hidden in banana containers seized at Piraeus port
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1231101/cocaine-worth-e2-8-mln-hidden-in-banana-containers-seized-at-piraeus-port/
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Businessman assassinated, burned in Mandra
The charred body of a man believed to be Christos Gialias, a well-known businessman with ties to soccer was found in a vehicle in the West Attica suburb of Mandra on Wednesday afternoon, police have said.
The businessman, according to official reports, had a criminal history and was involved with narcotics and weapons trafficking.
Kathimerini understands that the businessman’s wife had also been shot dead in her Mandra house in 2018 and that authorities are investigating potential connections with organized crime.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1231108/businessman-assassinated-burned-in-mandra/