Author Topic: 23/12/22  (Read 1047 times)

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Offline Maik

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23/12/22
« on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 02:44:37 »
Today’s bank rates:
1 €UR = £0.9089 GBP
1 €UR = $1.0952 USD
£1 GBP = 1.1002 €UR
$1 USD = 0.9131 €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
Fri 23/12   16°/12°   14 km/h   14%   Partly cloudy
Sat 24/12   18°/13°   12 km/h   10%   Partly cloudy
Sun 25/12   17°/12°   10 km/h   10%   Partly cloudy
Mon 26/12   18°/12°   07 km/h   12%   Mostly sunny
Tue 27/12   18°/12°   10 km/h   10%   Partly cloudy
Wed 28/12   18°/12°   07 km/h   10%   Partly cloudy
Thu 29/12   17°/13°   09 km/h   24%   Partly cloudy
Fri 30/12   18°/13°   13 km/h   57%   Showers probable
Sat 31/12   18°/12°   12 km/h   20%   Partly cloudy
Thu 01/12   18°/13°   13 km/h   31%   Showers possible

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #1 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 02:54:32 »
Quote
Greece's smart Christmas market with driverless buses and Santa letters delivered by robots

Across Europe, Christmas markets are in full swing, tables piled high with traditional food and drink. But in one small Greek town, the Yuletide experience is less about high cuisine and more about hi-tech.

From above, it looks like any other Christmas market – lights, decorations and elves – but on the ground, things are a bit smarter.

"Here in the city of Trikala we have fully autonomous vehicles traveling around the city center," says software engineer Loukas Vavitsa. "We did this before in 2015, but back then the vehicles used dedicated bus lanes' now they're part of normal traffic."

And it's all controlled from inside the market.

But it's not only the driverless minibuses that make this Christmas market in northwest Greece special. While many still write letters to Santa, here they're being delivered by robots – Santa's new little helpers.
https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2022-12-23/Greece-s-smart-Christmas-market-with-driverless-buses-and-robots-1fXcp4WZkHe/index.html

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #2 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 03:16:27 »
Quote
Christmas 2022 supermarket opening times for Tesco, Asda, Aldi, M&S and more

Even with our intense research, our supermarket opening times roundup is just a guide and it is always worth checking your local stores opening times using the supermarket’s online store finder tool.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/christmas-2022-supermarket-opening-times-28789039

If you haven't done your Christmas shopping yet there's still time to convert to paganism get your shopping - our local Tesco is open 24 hours today, closing 18:00 Christmas Eve. Went last night around 21:30 and it was fairly relaxed shopping - loads of staff filling shelves and enough Brussels to give Nigel Farage a heart attack. They had sold out of eggs though. Only downside was I came out to find my car had a flat tyre. A passing customer (with a definite Eastern European accent) did the hard work for me and wouldn't take owt for doing so. Ain't Christmas wonderful !?!

 :x-smile:

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #3 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 03:31:05 »
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Britain faces spike in divorces and unhappiness next year as wages fall below those of France

Divorce rates will climb at the fastest pace since 1971 and unhappiness will reach the highest levels since record began next year, as British workers get poorer than the French.

Real wages in France are set to overtake British counterparts even though most employees across the Channel work fewer hours, PwC predicts, as real wages in Britain will fall back to levels last seen in 2006 next year.

A squeeze on living standards will see unhappiness among Brits climb to the highest levels since records began a decade ago and the Big Four consultancy firm also predicts a surge in marriage breakdowns next year after the Government made it easier for married couples to formally separate.

Rounding out a set of bleak forecasts for 2023, PwC forecasts the second biggest fall in house prices in 70 years.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/12/22/britain-faces-spike-divorces-unhappiness-next-year-wages-fall/

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #4 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 03:33:26 »
Quote
Study suggests 'silly walks' from Monty Python qualify as 'vigorous exercise'

A new study has suggested that a walk, made famous by the TV show Monty Python, could qualify as "vigorous exercise" and improve a person's health and aerobic fitness.
https://www.itv.com/news/2022-12-22/study-suggests-silly-walks-from-monty-python-qualifies-as-vigorous-exercise

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #5 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 03:38:47 »
Quote
Crufts judge fined £78,000 for 'large-scale' illegal puppy farm
Gareth Lawler made £153,000 in an illicit operation that produced 27 litters in four years

Gareth Lawler, 57, made £153,000 from the litters while acting as a Kennel Club judge assessing breeds including English Springer Spaniels.

Lawler was also a judge at Crufts in March this year while being investigated by officials.

Inspectors had found his own dogs were living "in poor conditions" and suspected he was running an illegal puppy breeding operation.

Officials then obtained a warrant to search his home in Hendy, Carmarthenshire, and discovered he bred the 27 litters in just four years. The dogs can sell for anywhere between £500 and £2,000.

Lawler - who has been going to Crufts for more than 30 years - was found to have made £153,000 from his illegal breeding business, Swansea Crown Court heard.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/12/22/crufts-judge-gareth-lawler-made-153000-illegal-puppy-farm-carmarthenshire/

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #6 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 03:55:04 »
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Emperor penguin at risk of extinction, along with two-thirds of native Antarctic species, research shows

International study projects up to 80% of emperor penguin colonies will be ‘quasi-extinct’ by 2100
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/23/two-thirds-of-antarcticas-native-species-under-threat-of-extinction-from-global-heating-research-shows

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #7 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 03:57:26 »
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Target date for cleaning up waterways in England is moved back by 36 years
Environment Agency under fire for extending schedule for tackling pollution in rivers, lakes and coastal waters to 2063

Targets to clean up the majority of England’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters suffering from a cocktail of agricultural and sewage pollution have been pushed back from 2027 to 2063.

Not one English waterway, including rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters is in good ecological and chemical health at present, with pollution from water treatment plants and agriculture the key sources of the damage.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/22/target-date-for-cleaning-up-waterways-in-england-is-moved-back-by-36-years

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #8 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 04:02:11 »
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Greek MEP Eva Kaili to stay in custody after corruption charges, says court
Kaili is one of four charged with corruption and money laundering in relation to Qatar and will go on trial in Belgium

Eva Kaili, the Greek member of the European parliament at the centre of a cash for influence scandal implicating Qatar, will remain in jail pending trial, a Belgian court has decided.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/22/greek-mep-eva-kaili-to-stay-in-custody-after-corruption-charges-says-court

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #9 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 04:06:44 »
Quote
Covid: Britons told to stay at home if unwell in final Christmas warning as cases rise again
Flu patients also on the rise as NHS staff in high pressure period

Health officials have urged the public to stay at home if they feel unwell rather than mixing with others over the Christmas period as Covid-19 and flu cases rise.

The number of people in hospital in England with Covid-19 has jumped to its highest level in almost two months, with admissions once again running above those for people with the flu.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-cases-uk-strep-flu-christmas-b2250333.html

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #10 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 04:15:05 »
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DuckDuckGo now blocks Google sign-in pop-ups on all sites

DuckDuckGo apps and extensions are now blocking Google Sign-in pop-ups on all its apps and browser extensions, removing what it perceives as an annoyance and a privacy risk for its users.

DuckDuckGo offers a privacy-focused search engine, an email service, mobile apps, and data-protecting browser extensions.

Google offers this single sign-on option on websites to enable users to quickly sign in to new platforms using their Google account for convenience and unified control.

The downside of this practice for users is that the websites and apps users sign into can be tracked by Google.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-now-blocks-google-sign-in-pop-ups-on-all-sites/

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #11 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 12:14:59 »
Quote
Six minors arrested for rape of teen boy

Six minors were arrested on Dec. 21 for the repeated rape of a 15-year-old boy, Greek police said on Friday.

According to the evidence so far, the gang of minors raped the boy over a period of two months and filmed their act. The gang is believed to have been active from last November until the beginning of December, police said.

The suspects are facing charges of repeated rape, child pornography, and violating laws on drugs and weapons. Authorities have also identified two more underage boys believed to be involved with the gang.

In raids in the suspects’ houses, officers found and seized a nylon package with 5.12 grams of cannabis, a metal grater with cannabis residue, mobile phones, precision scales, and other items related to the case.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1200956/six-minors-arrested-for-rape-of-teen-boy/

Edit: more on this story on greekcitytimes.com
« Last Edit: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 12:31:51 by Maik »

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #12 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 12:43:35 »
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Greece to double subsidy on energy bills to 840 mln euros in January

Greece will increase subsidies on energy bills to 840 million euros in January to continue supporting households and businesses against soaring energy prices, Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas said on Friday.

The support - double the subsidies allocated in December - will be funded by a windfall tax on power producers and carbon emission rights, Skrekas said.
https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/greece-double-subsidy-energy-bills-840-mln-euros-january-2022-12-23/

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #13 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 13:29:24 »
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George Cohen: England World Cup winner and Fulham right-back dies, aged 83

The right-back played in the side that won the World Cup at Wembley in 1966 and was vice-captain in the 4-2 victory over West Germany in the final.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52184395

Offline Maik

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Re: 23/12/22
« Reply #14 on: Friday, 23 December, 2022 @ 17:14:24 »
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Man who pushed girlfriend off Folegandros cliff found guilty of murder

A 30-year-old man accused of killing his 26-year-old girlfriend by pushing her off a cliff on 17 July 2021 on the Aegean island of Folegandros was found guilty on Friday by Mixed Jury Court in Syros, a local news website reported.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1200970/man-who-pushed-girlfriend-off-folegandros-cliff-found-guilty-of-murder/