0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Greek Development ministry to launch 'Christmas Basket' on December 13A "Christmas Basket" in supermarkets designed to give consumers access to more affordable seasonal goods for the holidays is scheduled to be launched on December 13 based on the development ministry's current plans, General Secretary for Commerce and Consumer Protection Sotiris Anagnostopoulos unveiled on Sunday, ANA reports.Talking to the public broadcaster ERT, he said that official announcements will be made within the coming week and that the basket will include categories such as chocolates, tsoureki buns, turkey, pork, and veal, while there is a discussion underway on whether it will also include traditional Christmas sweets, lamb and goat meat.
Researchers create AI tool with a nose for fraudulent wineFraudsters who pass off ropey plonk as a high-end tipple may soon have artificial intelligence on their case; scientists have trained an algorithm to trace wines to their origins based on routine chemical analyses.Researchers used machine learning to distinguish wines based on subtle differences in the concentrations of scores of compounds, allowing them to track the wines back not only to a particular vine-growing region, but to the estate where the wine was made.“There’s a lot of wine fraud around with people making up some crap in their garage, printing off labels, and selling it for thousands of dollars,” said Prof Alexandre Pouget at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. “We show for the first time that we have enough sensitivity with our chemical techniques to tell the difference.”
Mother bear with 2 cubs shot dead near KonitsaA mother bear and her two cubs have been shot dead near Konitsa in Greece’s Epirus region. The incident was reported to Arcturos, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the brown bear, on Sunday after the lifeless bodies were discovered alongside the road connecting the cities of Ioannina and Kozani.“They shot the mother bear first, and then the two cubs, who were born earlier this year and were still nursing, as evidenced by the mother bear’s nipples,” explained Nikos Arctouros, a member of Arcturos, to the state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA).Authorities are investigating the incident.
Delay expected for same-sex civil marriage bill in GreecePushback within the ruling conservatives will delay a bill on same-sex civil marriage.Adoption by same-sex couples could also be delayed.
Economic Comeback Not Helping Greeks, They Can’t Save Any MoneyWhile Greece’s economy is coming back by leaps and bounds, now rated investment grade status which entices foreign businesses, it hasn’t trickled down to Greeks who have a minus savings rate, the lowest in the European Union.Many Greek households are already trying to scrape by to afford supermarket prices even with the cooling of inflation and the financial picture is so dire for many they can’t save a euro.
Reindeer missing after escaping Elveden Christmas grottoTwo reindeer are still missing after dashing off from a Christmas attraction at a country estate.The Elveden Estate in Suffolk said the animals "got spooked and jumped the fence" on Sunday afternoon.
Ryanair: Passengers accuse airline of 'scandalous' new feeRyanair passengers say the airline has come up with a "scandalous" new extra fee after they were charged to get their boarding passes online.Unhappy travellers have taken to social media to express their frustration, saying they were required to pay up to £21 for a seat booking, in order to access an e-boarding pass.The alternative was to queue for a paper pass at the airport.Ryanair has not yet responded to the BBC's requests for comment.
Police in Greece allege that rap singer blew up and robbed cash machines to pay for music videoPolice in Greece have arrested a rap artist accused of using explosives to rob cash machines and finance his music videos, authorities said Monday.The 28-year-old Greek singer, who was not named, was arrested over the weekend with two other suspects aged 26 and 27 after police raided a property near Athens and searched several vehicles.Police seized 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of explosives, an M16 assault rifle, four handguns and just over 200,000 euros ($217,200) in cash.Police spokeswoman Constantia Dimoglidou alleged the gang was linked to 10 ATM attacks in several parts of Greece, mostly in isolated locations, stealing an estimated 710,000 euros ($770,000) in total.
Brutal dog abuse leads to Supreme Court interventionSupreme Court deputy prosecutor Anastasia Masoura intervened on Monday in an animal torture case, in which a pet dog died after abuse in the mountain town of Arachova, Boeotia. Masoura instructed an urgent preliminary investigation to identify the perpetrator. The veterinary examination showed that the dog was abused with a sharp object. The dog had broken ribs, a tied mouth, head injuries, and signs of sexual abuse. According to the information, it is unknown how the perpetrator got a hold of the dog, an 8-year-old husky, which was in its owner’s yard. After the abuse, the dog returned to its home where it died.
Greek Ex-Minister Advises Germany: Sell Islands to Fix Budget WoesPanagiotis Lafazanis, a minister for a SYRIZA Radical Left government that ruled from 2015-19 hasn’t forgotten the humiliation Germany heaped on Greece when it was seeking bailouts depending on Germany’s banks and government.There was a particularly demeaning headline in the German tabloid Bild in 2010 when Greece was under a PASOK Socialist government that said: “Sell your islands, you bankrupt Greeks! And sell the Acropolis, too!”With Germany’s economy having budget problems and Greece’s roaring back and outstripping Germany’s, he offered a suggestion to Greece’s creditor, turnabout being fair play: sell a couple of your islands.
‘New Left’: the 11 MPs who left SYRIZA announce their partyThe new parliamentary group formed by the 11 MPs who recently left the main opposition party SYRIZA announced their name as the “New Left” on Monday at an event open to the public in Athens.
Professionals who declare €129 per monthSmall catering businesses declare a profit of just 129 euros per month. Hair salons declare €162 on average and bars €188.30 monthly. In bakeries the average monthly profit is €280 and in clothing retail stores €294, while taxi drivers declare €307.7 per month and florists €380.The average plumber does not declare any more than €500 and the electrician €574 per month.The largest declared monthly income among the self-employed is shown by pharmacists (with €1,726 per month) and doctors (with €1,661).
Annual fuel theft at 120 million euros, as checks lagLawlessness is widespread in the fuel market, according to a survey by the National Technical University of Athens, whose main findings were presented by Kathimerini on Sunday.The number of fuel stations with tampered pumps has doubled compared to 2019, with theft at the pump ranging between 4% and 24% and consumers paying 120 million euros a year for fuel that never went into their vehicle’s tanks.The state is losing an estimated €250-300 million a year from smuggling, but this is not mobilizing the authorities.