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‘A very British thing’: UK gets creative to try to keep Christmas card tradition aliveAs prices rise, more people are buying only for close relatives and friends, or getting out the glitter glue and making their own
Green Forests and Dark Skies in CephaloniaOn Cephalonia, an island west of mainland Greece, efforts to conserve trees and prevent fire have had an unintended outcome: the preservation of dark skies.Cephalonia (Kefalonia) spans 773 square kilometers (298 square miles), making it the largest of Greece’s seven main Ionian islands. The island, along with nearby Ithaca, are visible in this image, acquired on October 9, 2023, with the OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on Landsat 9. The island’s karstic landscape is rich with caves, sinkholes, and underground streams. Viewed from above, however, the forests stand out.Aínos National Park was established in 1962 primarily to protect its fir forests. The image below shows a detailed view of the southern segment of the national park around Mount Aínos. This massif, along with that of Mount Rudi to the north, comprise the national park. Most of the green in the park’s core area is Cephalonian fir (Abies cephalonica)—classified as a new species, endemic to Greece, in 1838. Black pines (Pinus nigra) are also mixed in, along with various types of shrubs.Fire is the main threat to the park’s fir. The flammable trees grow in a windy, dry microclimate with plenty of grasses for fuel. To protect against fire, nighttime access to the park is restricted. The restriction has also inadvertently preserved the park’s exceptionally dark night skies, benefiting the region’s ecology and stargazing opportunities. (Without a history of nighttime visitors, the park never installed artificial exterior lighting).Still, some patches of artificial light come from the lights on a telecommunication tower outside park property on Mount Aínos, and from the lighted infrastructure of nearby towns such as Argostoli, Cephalonia’s capital. Park officials and dark sky experts spent several years conducting light pollution measurements, installing lighting retrofits, and hosting outreach programs. In June 2023, Aínos National Park became Greece’s first international dark sky park.
Greece Reports 33% Decrease in Undocumented Migrant Arrivals in November 2023The Greek government has reported a significant drop in the flow of undocumented migrants last month, recording a 33 per cent decrease compared to October, despite ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
The wild true stories behind the 21 funniest animal photos of all time: ‘It only lasted half a second, but I was ready’
Asteroid will pass in front of bright star Betelgeuse to produce a rare eclipse visible to millionsOne of the biggest and brightest stars in the night sky will momentarily vanish as an asteroid passes in front of it to produce a one-of-a-kind eclipse.The rare and fleeting spectacle, late Monday into early Tuesday, should be visible to millions of people along a narrow path stretching from central Asia’s Tajikistan and Armenia, across Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain, to Miami and the Florida Keys and finally, to parts of Mexico.The star is Betelgeuse, a red supergiant in the constellation Orion. The asteroid is Leona, a slowly rotating, oblong space rock in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. An estimated 700 light-years away, Betelgeuse is visible with the naked eye. Binoculars and small telescopes will enhance the view. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles.
Meter readings to be taken every month by DEDDIEEnvironment and Energy Minister Theodoros Skylakakis announced the reading of meters for electricity consumption every month for all categories of meters by the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator (DEDDIE) in an interview with Antenna TV on Thursday.He explained that this practice will apply from early 2024. DEDDIE “has the staff to read the consumption of electricity every month and there is a reason we are doing it. In this way we will reduce electricity theft,” Skylakakis said.
Explanations from taxpayersThe tax administration will invite more than 20,000 taxpayers to explain how they are able to spend more than they earn in early 2024, as the extensive cross-checking of over 3.8 million taxpayers with declared incomes below 10,000 euros has led to the detection of discrepancies between incomes and expenses.
What's that bug going round? Covid variants, whooping cough and seasonal illnesses strike UKIf you're feeling a bit under the weather at the moment and feel surrounded by people in the same situation, you're not the only one.An uptick in seasonal viruses like flu, norovirus, RSV and whooping cough has been combined with a new Covid variant to create a wave of illness across the country.All of this has led to renewed pressure on the NHS with frontline doctors warning earlier this week that winter viruses are "creeping up" on emergency departments.People being admitted to hospital with flu is up 50% in a week and norovirus levels in late November were three times higher than last year.
Greece Passes New Tourism Tax, Short-term Rental RulesGreek lawmakers voted in favor of an updated tax bill which includes the introduction of a tourism charge and new short-term rentals regulations in parliament this week.The new law foresees the following changes affecting tourist accommodation and Airbnb-style rentals:– the current stayover tax charged on hotel guests will be replaced with the new “climate crisis resilience charge”,– a stayover tax of 0.5 percent on income is extended to short-term rental operations.Additionally, the new law requires that all real estate purchases and sales be made exclusively using bank payments. Contracts stating partial or total payment of the price in cash are void.
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Topic: 09/12/23 (Read 1040 times)
