Author Topic: 28/12/22  (Read 1185 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
28/12/22
« on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 05:44:41 »
Today’s bank rates:
1 €UR = £0.9098 GBP
1 €UR = $1.0943 USD
£1 GBP = 1.0991 €UR
$1 USD = 0.9138 €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 28/12   17°/12°   09 km/h   10%   Mostly sunny
Thu 29/12   16°/11°   06 km/h   24%   Sun & cloud
Fri 30/12   17°/11°   07 km/h   15%   Sun & cloud
Sat 31/12   18°/11°   04 km/h   10%   Mostly sunny
Sun 01/01   17°/11°   06 km/h   10%   Sunny
Mon 02/01   17°/12°   07 km/h   08%   Sunny
Tue 03/01   17°/13°   12 km/h   08%   Sun & cloud
Wed 04/01   18°/12°   11 km/h   08%   Sun & cloud
Thu 05/01   18°/11°   10 km/h   05%   Sun & cloud
Fri 06/01   17°/11°   12 km/h   13%   Sun & cloud

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 06:03:05 »
Quote
Heating oil to be more expensive from January 1

Τhe state subsidy for heating oil will be valid in its entirety for just four more days, as from the New Year it will reduced by 10 cents per liter.

It is quite possible that the selling price of heating oil will increase further if the subsidy from the refineries and marketing companies does not continue.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1201088/heating-oil-to-be-more-expensive-from-january-1/

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 06:17:06 »
Quote
Flavour of the month: the Spanish hamlet (population: 16) that created a hit nude calendar

Even oldest resident, aged 100, strips off in venture aimed at revitalising village in Murcia
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/27/flavour-of-the-month-spanish-hamlet-with-population-of-16-creates-nude-calendar

 :blink:

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 06:30:18 »
Quote
‘He’s been on German TV!’ Barred from the pub, Patrick the pony is making the most of his fame
The Shetland pony and (unofficial) mayor of Cockington was cruelly banned from his Devon local – but has now taken his show on the road

No political story this year hit quite as hard as the news that Patrick, the Shetland pony mayor of Cockington in Devon, had been barred from his local pub. The outrage over this injustice ripped through the media; first local, then national, then international. Four months later, it is finally time to ask: has Patrick recovered?

“Patrick is doing really well, and he’s enjoying still being the mayor of Cockington,” says his owner, Hannah Petrakis, who looks after Patrick with her husband, Kirk, noting with pride that “he’s gone pretty much worldwide in the media. He’s been on German TV several times now.”

If you missed it, the story might need some explaining. Until this summer, Patrick – whose role as mayor is unofficial, non-legislative and, according to Petrakis, largely limited to “opening shops by biting through a ribbon with his teeth” – had been a regular presence at Cockington’s Drum Inn, where he acted as a therapy animal in his own special “interaction pen”. His owners originally began taking Patrick to the pub to get him used to being around people. He likes a Guinness, apparently.

But a week after Patrick was elected mayor, the local council received a strongly worded complaint regarding planning permission for the pen, and the pub turfed him out for good.

But out of this tragedy came glorious redemption.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/27/patrick-the-pony-mayor-cockington-pub-ban-fame

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 06:32:08 »
Quote
Weapons checks in Greek town turn up grenades, machine guns

A series of pre-Christmas weapons inspections in a small town in northern Greece has turned up hand grenades, assault rifles and decades-old unexploded ordnance, police said Tuesday.

The inspections occurred over 20 days through Dec. 22 in Florina, a town of fewer than 18,000 inhabitants, and the surrounding area, leading to 14 arrests, mostly on charges of illegal weapons possession.

Police said dozens of unlicensed shotguns and handguns were seized along with 14 assault rifles, eight grenades and eight bayonets, a stun gun, and thousands of rounds of ammunition during searches of private homes and storage areas. Ordnance “of various types,” 8.8 kilograms (19.5 pounds) of gunpowder and two submachine guns were also discovered.

Rural areas in Greece have a high prevalence of licensed gun ownership, primarily for hunting, but there are also illicit gun collections, often preserved as trophies and with little practical use.
https://apnews.com/article/albania-greece-law-enforcement-europe-84db68ed4d0e0b646e9beed4eeb93392

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 06:33:12 »
Quote
Tensions erupt as Turkey's Erdogan threatens Greece with missile strike
Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at Greece as tensions spill over amid a longstanding dispute over claims to islands in the Aegean.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1714367/Turkey-Recep-Tayyip-Erdogan-missile-warning-Greece-Aegean-islands-NATO

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 14:12:22 »
Quote
Tourists are happiest in Greece

Qualitative figures remain particularly encouraging for Greek tourism, as reflected in the comparative satisfaction indicators of foreign visitors to Greece and other Mediterranean countries.

Greece still holds first place in the overall ranking of the so-called general satisfaction index. However, it has not increased its relative score, so the other countries have narrowed the gap this year. 

The general satisfaction index of Greece in the first 11 months of 2019 was at 87.1%, with Croatia second with a rate of 85.5%.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1201089/tourists-are-happiest-in-greece/

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 14:47:57 »
Unconfirmed: Paspalis Hotel in Skala and Emelisse Hotel in Fiskardo among several on Kef to have received approval for improvement grants.

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 14:55:36 »
Quote
Air Balloon: Landmark pub to close forever on New Year's Eve

A historic landmark pub will serve its final customers on New Year's Eve.

The Air Balloon on the A417 at Birdlip, Gloucestershire, is being demolished to make way for a major road upgrade.

It has been called the Air Balloon for at least 220 years.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-64074950

Pic in link, looks like a traditional village pub.

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #9 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 14:57:17 »
Quote
Two arrests after Cody Fisher, 23, stabbed in Birmingham nightclub

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of footballer Cody Fisher, who was stabbed to death at a nightclub in Birmingham on Boxing Day.

A 22-year-old was arrested in Birmingham city centre just after midnight, and a second man, aged 21, was arrested in London.

Cody Fisher was stabbed on the dance floor of the Crane nightclub on Adderley Street in Digbeth just before midnight on Boxing Day, and died at the scene.
https://www.itv.com/news/central/2022-12-28/two-murder-arrests-after-cody-fisher-23-stabbed-in-birmingham-nightclub

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #10 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 14:59:44 »
Quote
Former Pope Benedict 'very sick' and has got worse 'in last few hours'

Pope Francis has asked people to make a "special prayer" for the 95-year-old
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/12/28/former-pope-benedict-sick/

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #11 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 15:09:36 »
Quote
Terrawatch: the rise and bigger rise of Mediterranean sea levels
Study shows sea level rise on Amalfi coast over last 20 years is twice that on Costa del Sol

Over the last 20 years, there has been twice as much sea level rise on Italy’s Amalfi coast as on Spain’s Costa del Sol, a study shows.

Researchers combined data from tide gauges and satellites with ice melt measurements to model sea level change across the Mediterranean basin since 1960. To their surprise, they found that sea level fell by about 9mm between 1960 and 1989, owing to increased atmospheric pressure over the basin.

But since 1989, ocean warming and land ice melting have driven rapid sea level rise, reaching an average rate of 3.6mm a year in the Mediterranean basin over the last two decades. The rise has not been spread evenly, however.

Their findings, which are published in JGR Oceans, show that the Adriatic, Aegean and Levantine seas have risen by 8cm over two decades, while the Cretan passage in the eastern Mediterranean has risen by half this amount.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/dec/28/terrawatch-the-rise-and-bigger-rise-of-mediterranean-sea-levels

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #12 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 15:13:28 »
Quote
Government refuses to publish economic benefits estimate of latest Brexit trade deal
Department for International Trade says releasing an estimate isn’t appropriate

The government has refused to publish an estimate of the economic benefits of its latest planned Brexit trade deal.

Ministers had faced mockery over the small benefits to the economy expected from previous free trade agreements – with most giving tiny boosts to GDP.

But the Department for International Trade (DIT) has now decided not to publish a figure for an enhanced agreement with Israel, arguing that it “isn’t appropriate”.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-trade-deal-benefits-israel-b2245807.html

Offline Maik

  • Administrator
  • Forum Deity
  • *****
  • Posts: 35167
Re: 28/12/22
« Reply #13 on: Wednesday, 28 December, 2022 @ 23:32:31 »
Quote
BBC guilty of ‘rewriting British history’ to promote woke agenda in ‘biased’ documentaries
Broadcaster failing in its duty of impartiality by allowing 'politically motivated campaigners' to present shows, say leading academics
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/12/28/bbc-guilty-rewriting-british-history-promote-woke-agenda-biased/

Quite a long read, but interesting... if you're interested in that sort of thing.