Almost Half of Honey Imported into the EU is Adulterated with Sugars

Almost half of the honey imported into the EU is suspicious of being adulterated with sugars, the EU Commission announced on Thursday.

Honey naturally contains sugars and, according to EU legislation, must remain pure – meaning that it cannot have ingredients added to it. Adulteration occurs when ingredients such as water or inexpensive sugar syrups are artificially added to increase the volume of honey.

The EU Commission says that 46 percent of the 320 samples of honey tested show evidence of adulteration.

The highest absolute number of suspicious consignments originated from China (74 percent), although honey originating from Turkey had the highest relative proportion of suspicious samples (93 percent).

Honey imported from the United Kingdom had an even higher suspicion rate (100 percent), likely the result of honey produced in other countries and further blended in the UK before its re-export to the EU.

Greek Islands Promised Internet Speeds of Up to 1 Gbps

At least ten Greek islands will get very high internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps by this summer, mobile operator Vodafone Greece announced this week.

Greece has the slowest fixed internet in Europe, according to the annual report on the digital quality of life, compiled recently by cyber security company Surfshark.

The report also showed that an internet user in Greece needs to work every month for about twelve minutes to buy 1 GB of data for his mobile phone, six times more than what is needed in Bulgaria and 149 times more than what is needed in Israel, the country with the lowest fees.

World’s Most Expensive Gold Coin, Minted by Brutus to Honor Caesar’s Murder, Returned to Greece

The Eid Mar Coin, the most expensive ancient coin in the world after it was sold in 2021 for $4.2 million at auction, was repatriated to Greece this week after an investigation by Homeland Security agents found that the coin had been sold using fake provenance. 28 other ancient artifacts looted from Greece returned as well in a handover ceremony organized by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

The Eid Mar coins were minted by Brutus to commemorate the murder of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 B.C.E, now known as the Ides of March. Editions were minted in silver to be used as currency and gold as a memento for high ranking officials; of the gold editions, only three are known to remain. Investigators have not revealed the details of how the coin was smuggled out of Greece, or the circumstances of its sale.

Greek Teenagers Are The Most Obese In Europe

Greece ranks third among European countries with overweight and obese children under the age of 5 (a ratio of 1 in 8 children), according to the World Health Organization's European Regional Obesity Report 2022.

At the same time, Greece ranks second in obesity for the ages 5-9 and first among European countries for obese 10-19 year-olds. Overall, approximately 1 in 3 Greek children is overweight or obese (37.5% and 35%, respectively).

According to WHO's European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI), 42% of Greek children aged 7-9 years are either overweight or obese, placing Greece second among 33 countries participating in the study published in 2022.

Commercial development of gene-edited food now legal in England

Gene-edited food can now be developed commercially in England following a change in the law.

Supporters of the technology say it will speed up the development of hardier crops that will be needed because of climate change.

Critics say that the change could bring ''disaster'' to our food production and the environment.

Gene editing involves making precise changes to an organism's DNA to enhance certain characteristics.

The new law also opens the door to the development of gene-edited farm animals, but a further vote by MPs will be required before it is allowed, again only in England.

The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments have not permitted the commercial use of gene editing.