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Book your Greek holiday early to avoid disappointmentThe first indications on the course of this year’s tourism season in Greece from the international tourism exhibition ITB Berlin 2023 are particularly encouraging.The major tour operators are reporting booking levels at Greek destinations for this summer that in some cases have even reached 50% of their available packages.
‘Router freedom’ has arrived in Greece — here’s what it means Greece has become the seventh EU country to introduce a principle called “router freedom.” This means consumers of any Internet Service Provider (ISP) can now use a modem or router of their choice, instead of equipment provided by the ISP.The freedom of choice for routers and modems is regulated in the EU by two primary sets of rules. Marking a pivotal moment for Greece, the new rules give end-users the right to use the terminal device of their choice and separate the routers from the ISPs’ optical network equipment (ONT).They exempt, however, fiber (FTTH) connections, which are still under the domain of ISPs. The latter has triggered concerns over consumer, security, and data protection, as well as the digital sustainability of the telecoms sector.
BMW to make hydrogen-fuelled cars as it admits EVs won’t work for everyoneConstraints on electricity supply and and EVs' shorter ranges boost the appeal of hydrogenBMW has thrown its weight behind hydrogen-powered vehicles as it said that electric cars will not work in some parts of the world.The German car giant said it was “pushing ahead” with the development of hydrogen-powered vehicles, following a short-run production of a hydrogen version of its luxury X5 SUV late last year.BMW is ramping up manufacturing to reflect that not all countries have enough charging points and the infrastructure to enable “all customers to switch to pure electromobility”.While many countries are banking on electric cars as a green alternative for personal travel, hydrogen has potential in areas with unreliable electricity supplies or where large distances must be covered.Hydrogen is an attractive energy source for a car since refuelling can be done in a few minutes and 6kg of fuel will take a car about 300 miles.The fuel is also seen as a better bet for trucks and commercial vehicles, which need to cover long distances with as few stops as possible.Hydrogen refuelling stations are thin on the ground in Britain, with just seven for cars and a handful more for buses.
Prosecutor orders probe into stability of Servia bridgeA prosecutor in northern Greece ordered a preliminary investigation onto the stability and safety of the Servia High Bridge (also known as Lake Polyphytos Bridge) in western Macedonia, amid concerns over serious structural problems. The order came after technicians carrying out restoration work on the bridge on September 2022 found structural issues between the fifth and sixth piers on one side of the bridge and several cracks.
89-year-old woman arrested for daughter’s deathAn 89-year-old woman from Corinth was arrested on Wednesday for beating her 57-year-old daughter who then died in hospital from her injuries.
Archaeologist attacked in Mykonos accuses developers of ordering ‘professional’ hit Property developers on the Greek island of Mykonos have been accused of ordering a “professional” hit on an archaeologist who found they had broken strict laws protecting historic sites.Manolis Psarros required hospital treatment after he was attacked by a group of assailants as he left his house in Athens on March 7, leaving him with broken ribs, a fractured nose and severe bruising to his face.For the last decade, Mr Psarros has worked for the Archaeological Service of the Cyclades Islands, making sure new homes and businesses comply with laws intended to protect the remains of antiquity scattered across Greece.Mr Psarros and the Association of Greek Archaeologists (SEA) believe that the assault was related to two businesses in the tourist hotspot of Mykonos which he found had encroached on archaeological sites. The archaeologist took the two cases to the authorities and they are currently under investigation.
Woman jailed for manslaughter after filming three-year-old stepson’s deathA woman who filmed her three-year-old stepson as he lay dying from a brain injury has been jailed for manslaughter.Leila Borrington, 23, killed Harvey Borrington by slapping him “multiple times” around the head, following two earlier attacks in the four months before, which left him with a broken arm and marks on his face.
Children at risk in schools where concrete could collapse 'with no warning'Tens of thousands of children are being taught in schools built using concrete "liable to collapse" with "no warning", an ITV News investigation has found.ITV News has found 68 schools have Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) – a potentially dangerous, lightweight, building material that was predominantly used in roofs between the 1960s and the 1980s.The true number is likely to be higher, as our freedom of information request to 5,882 schools in England has revealed 1,466 schools built between the 1960s and the 1980s do not know whether they have RAAC, because they haven’t been checked.That’s despite a national safety warning being issued in 2018 after the roof of a primary school in Kent made of RAAC collapsed with no warning. Fortunately, it occurred at a weekend when the building was empty and it has since been fixed. We have also discovered, via a separate freedom of information request to local authorities, that following the collapse of Singlewell Primary in 2018, 3,717 schools were identified as needing a physical inspection for RAAC, but over half (2,044) still haven't been done.With so many schools not knowing whether or not they have it, the situation has been described as a "ticking time bomb". RAAC is a light bubbly form of precast concrete, frequently used in public sector buildings in the UK from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s. It is less durable than traditional concrete and has a shelf-life estimated to be around 30 years, according to the Standing Committee on Structural Safety.The Department for Education (DfE) does not have an accurate record of which schools have RAAC.RAAC has also been identified in dozens of NHS hospitals, and the government has pledged to remove it entirely from the NHS estate by 2035, allocating £635m to mitigate the risks.However, no target- and crucially no central funding- has been made available to tackle RAAC in school buildings.
Pictured: Calf named Happy spared abattoirThe black and white Holstein calf can now look forward to a future as 'a lawnmower', its owners say
World’s first octopus farm criticised over ‘cruel’ plan to freeze them to deathThe world’s first octopus farm being built in Spain’s Canary Islands has been criticised as “cruel” over its plans to freeze the animals to death.The farm would produce around one million octopuses for food every year, despite concerns over animal welfare, according to plans revealed by the groups Compassion in World Farming (CiWF) and Eurogroup for Animals.The plans, from Spanish seafood company Nueva Pescanova, show that the octopuses would be kept in tanks shared with other octopuses and under constant light, when in nature the animals are solitary and prefer dark conditions.The octopuses would be killed by being placed in water at a temperature of minus 3C, a method already used commercially to slaughter fish and which studies have shown results in a slow, stressful death.
Google holiday hack finds you cheap flights from £11 to France, Italy and GreeceThere’s a clever flights hack that could help you plan holidays for a bargain price.If you’re willing to be flexible with when you travel then you can get flights to various European cities from just £11.First things first, head to Google Flights and select your home city or preferred airport.Search for flights to Europe and click “flexible dates” – the options for the next six months should show up.
Bird flu: Two dolphins die from avian influenza in UK waters for the first timeTwo dolphins have died from bird flu in UK waters for the first time, the government has announced.The sea mammals were found in separate locations, on beaches in Devon and in Pembrokeshire, last month.Both dolphins were confirmed to have been infected with the highly infectious H5N1 variant of avian influenza which has spread around the globe during the past 18 months.Millions of birds have died from bird flu in the latest outbreak, either from the virus itself or from culling, but scientists are concerned that it is spreading to mammals.The virus has now been confirmed in 23 mammals in the UK. Bird flu has been discovered in dolphins in other parts of the world but these are the first cases in the UK. It has previously been found in foxes, otters and grey seals around the British Isles.
Study finds sweetener in fizzy drinks 'could treat immune disorders'A study has suggested that an artificial sweetener commonly used in drinks could be used to treat people with autoimmune disorders like type 1 diabetes.