goinggreek.info
To Kafeneion => Grapevine / News Briefs => Topic started by: Maik on Wednesday, 06 February, 2019 @ 02:31:25
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Ithaki port police yesterday afternoon arrested a 48 y-o foreign national for riding a moped without the appropriate licence. Roll on no-deal Brexit.
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Pope admits clerical abuse of nuns including sexual slavery
Pope Francis has admitted that clerics have sexually abused nuns, and in one case they were kept as sex slaves.
He said in that case his predecessor, Pope Benedict, was forced to shut down an entire congregation of nuns who were being abused by priests.
It is thought to be the first time that Pope Francis has acknowledged the sexual abuse of nuns by the clergy.
He said the Church was attempting to address the problem but said it was "still going on".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47134033
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Driverless cars to be on Britain's roads by the end of the year, government reveals
Fully driverless cars are expected to be on Britain's roads by the end of the year, it has been revealed, as the government plans to scrap the requirement for a dedicated safety driver.
The change will allow the first advanced trials on any public road of self-driving vehicles without a steering wheel or human in control, in a move which the Department for Transport said will place Britain at the forefront of the technology.
Until now only limited trials of self-driving vehicles without a human driver have taken place in America, and none elsewhere in Europe.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/06/driverless-cars-britains-roads-end-year-government-reveals
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Bit of a garbled message but gather there's to be a meeting tomorrow at 12;00 in the Municipal Theatre regarding road works and cutting down palm trees on 21 May and Rizospaston.
Seems it was recommended by a competent specialist that thirty palm trees along Rizospaston and 21 May be removed, along with oleander and other vegetation on 21 May due to infestation by red palm weevil.
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Bit of a garbled message but gather there's to be a meeting tomorrow at 12;00 in the Municipal Theatre regarding road works and cutting down palm trees on 21 May and Rizospaston.
Seems it was recommended by a competent specialist that thirty palm trees along Rizospaston and 21 May be removed, along with oleander and other vegetation on 21 May due to infestation by red palm weevil.
Looks like from these photos in link below that the palms have already been taken down :dunno:
http://www.inkefalonia.gr/koinonia/68641-mas-epiase-i-psyxi-mas-me-tous-pesmenous-foinikes-stin-rizospaston-eikones
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Talking of photos, there's some fantastic photos of pelicans on Lake Kerkini in the north of Greece in the Daily Mail (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6673025/Angry-pelicans-struggle-grip-icy-lake-Greece.html).
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Voting day for municipal elections is 26 May, same as the European elections. Still no decision on how many municipalities on Kef / rest of Greece.
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Greek satellite Hellas Sat 4 successfully launched from French Guiana
The Greek satellite Hellas Sat 4 was successfully launched from French Guiana at 23:01, in order to take up the orbital position of Greece and Cyprus.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/331790/Greek-satellite-Hellas-Sat-4-successfully-launched-from-French-Guiana
Longish, looped, video:
https://youtu.be/9XtIsXoGh_8
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Donald Trump to visit UK in December for Nato summit
Mr Trump's controversial first official trip to the UK took place in July 2018, amid a backdrop of angry protests.
The US president met the Queen at Windsor Castle and held talks with the prime minister at Chequers, while thousands of people marched through central London in protest at his visit.
The police operation for the visit cost an estimated £18m, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47141385
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Hotel booking sites to end 'misleading' sales
Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Hotels.com, ebookers and trivago have been investigated over pressure selling and misleading discount claims, the competition watchdog says.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was concerned the sites were making rooms seem more popular than they were.
The sites will now say if commissions they receive affect the results.
They also agreed to be clearer with discount claims and hidden charges.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47141538
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Child abuser Rolf Harris investigated after he walked onto primary school grounds
Officials are investigating a report that disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris walked onto the grounds of a primary school and waved at pupils.
https://www.itv.com/news/2019-02-06/officials-investigate-reports-rolf-harris-walked-onto-primary-school-grounds/
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Seems to be a big disagreement going on between noted local earthquake expert, Akis Tselentis, and the Seismic Risk Assessment Committee. Seems back in late January Mr Tselentis sent an email warning that Greece would experience a powerful earthquake. From what I can make out, the SRAC are saying the warning isn't much use without an idea of when and where.
Latest I can make out, Tselentis predicts Western Greece within 2-3 months.
Western Greece gets big quakes fairly often, just depends how big is big.
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Crash driver 'swerved to avoid octopus'
A driver who swerved "to avoid an octopus" before crashing has been arrested on suspicion of drug-driving.
Officers, who tweeted about the incident, said they found no evidence of an octopus on the road.
Octopuses are not unheard of in the seas off the south coast of England, but this particular cephalopod would have had to crawl more than 5km over hills and fields to find itself in the path of a car on the A381.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-47144891
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Donald Tusk: Special place in hell for Brexiteers
European Council President Donald Tusk has said there is a "special place in hell" for "those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it safely",
He was speaking after talks with Irish premier Leo Varadkar in Brussels.
He said the EU would "insist" on the Irish backstop in any UK withdrawal deal to preserve peace.
But he and Mr Varadkar were preparing for the "possible fiasco" of a no-deal Brexit.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47143135
On the other hand... Brexiteers might claim hell is a place in the EU and they don't want it reserving for them.
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Google launches extension to find if someone has stolen your password
Google is trying to warn people that their passwords are being stolen and used across a wide variety of sites.
The company has released a new Password Checkup tool, which can be added to the Chrome browser and will alert people if their account details have been caught up in a cyber attack or a data breach.
If a login is stolen and made available on the internet, a pop-up will show up making clear the details are no longer safe and that they should change their password.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/google-password-safety-extension-chrome-security-privacy-search-a8765756.html
Or there's https://haveibeenpwned.com/
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Major tobacco companies pay almost no UK corporation tax despite massive profits, study finds
Imperial Brands, British American Tobacco, Philip Morris and Japan Tobacco shift profits overseas, leaving UK taxpayers to pick up the tab, according to new study
Big tobacco companies are paying a “pitiful” amount of corporation tax on billions of pounds of profits, leaving taxpayers to pick up the tab for the enormous cost smoking has on the NHS and the economy, according to new research.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/tobacco-companies-uk-corporation-tax-profits-university-bath-study-a8764841.html
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Sounds as though poison has been laid in Sami. According to owners of the Μαμούθ bookshop several local dogs and cats have been affected.
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BBC Film Portrays Ten Years of Financial Turmoil in Greece
The nail-biting weeks leading up to the first Greek bailout in 2010 are the subject of a new BBC documentary which aired on February 4.
The spellbinding film, titled Inside Europe — Ten Years of Turmoil” takes viewers inside the room at crucial summits where leaders and their finance ministers battled to avert a looming European financial catastrophe.
At the heart of the film is the clash between the cautious Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and the feisty French prime minister Nicolas Sarkozy over how to deal with the near-bankruptcy of Greece.
It is a gripping story which sees billions of Euros being pumped into the economy, riots in the streets against austerity measures, and the election of Europe’s first populist government.
The real-life “cast” of the documentary includes some of Europe’s most powerful figures, such as Germany’s finance minister Wolfgang Schauble and UK chancellor George Osborne. The radical Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, as well as top leaders Donald Tusk, Francois Hollande and Matteo Renzi also feature prominently in the story of the Greek crisis.
As the EU’s most ambitious project, the Euro itself, teeters on the brink of collapse, Greece narrowly escapes being forced out of the Union.
https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/02/06/saving-greece-bbc-film-portrays-ten-years-of-turmoil-in-greece-video/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl5vynTpYtg
https://youtu.be/Wl5vynTpYtg?t=1
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Google launches extension to find if someone has stolen your password
Google is trying to warn people that their passwords are being stolen and used across a wide variety of sites.
The company has released a new Password Checkup tool, which can be added to the Chrome browser and will alert people if their account details have been caught up in a cyber attack or a data breach.
If a login is stolen and made available on the internet, a pop-up will show up making clear the details are no longer safe and that they should change their password.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/google-password-safety-extension-chrome-security-privacy-search-a8765756.html
Or there's https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Here's a direct link to the Google Chrome Password Checkup Add-In (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/password-checkup/pncabnpcffmalkkjpajodfhijclecjno)
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Looks like from these photos in link below that the palms have already been taken down :dunno:
http://www.inkefalonia.gr/koinonia/68641-mas-epiase-i-psyxi-mas-me-tous-pesmenous-foinikes-stin-rizospaston-eikones
Don't know if someone's having me on but heard the palm trees will be replaced with (red weevil resistant) coconut trees!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-LvJHEn7CE
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Prosecutor calls for school cleaner to be exonerated
A Supreme Court prosecutor on Wednesday proposed the exoneration of a school cleaner who was given a 10-year prison sentence for falsifying her elementary school certificate.
Meanwhile, it emerged that the Supreme Court has already revoked a sentence against another cleaner from Chios who was given a six-month suspended prison sentence for a similar case of forgery that cost her her job.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/237427/article/ekathimerini/news/prosecutor-calls-for-school-cleaner-to-be-exonerated
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First Cannabis Vending Machine Installed in Athens
Athenians and tourists can now buy cannabis products from a vending machine which was installed earlier this week in the center of the Greek capital.
The machine, which is seen by some industry watchers as a potentially important part of the future of marijuana retail – is much like the machines which dispense soft drinks and food. The new vending machine, the first of its kind, is located along Panepistimou Avenue.
Cannabidiol is a cannabis compound which producers claim offers significant medical benefits, but which does not make its users feel “stoned.”
https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/02/06/first-cannabis-vending-machine-installed-in-athens/
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Son's 200-mile London-Devon journey beats ambulance
A man who travelled nearly 200 miles to reach his injured mother arrived before an ambulance reached her.
Mark Clements caught a bus, tube and two trains from London to Exmouth, Devon on Saturday after his 77-year-old mother fell and broke her hip.
The initial 999 call was made at 09:00 GMT but paramedics did not arrive until seven hours later.
Mr Clements said he and his family - some of whom were waiting with his mother - were "appalled" by what happened.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-47146518
:oki:
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Climate change: World heading for warmest decade, says Met Office
The world is in the middle of what is likely to be the warmest 10 years since records began in 1850, says the Met Office.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47144058
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One, two, bee: honeybees grasp maths and can do basic mental arithmetic exercises, study finds
Bees understand mathematics and can navigate a series of puzzles using basic mental arithmetic, experiments have shown.
In a study which has stunned the scientific world, 14 honeybees developed a conceptual grasp of addition and subtraction, then proved they could put it to practical use.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2019/02/06/one-two-bee-honeybees-grasp-maths-can-do-basic-mental-arithmetic/
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House of Commons adjourned after four hours at 3.27pm because MPs have nothing to do
With the country 51 days away from its biggest constitutional upheaval in a generation and a raft of replacement legislation yet to be agreed, MPs might be expected to have a rather full agenda...
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/house-of-commons-adjourned-four-hours-early-at-327pm-mps-a8766471.html
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29 March is set to be a big day - Dumbo, the re-make, is released:
Watch the brand new trailer for Disney's Dumbo now. Flying into UK cinemas, 29 March 2019. From Disney and visionary director Tim Burton, the all-new grand live-action adventure “Dumbo” expands on the beloved classic story where differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight. Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), who recruits the peculiar pachyderm for his newest, larger-than-life entertainment venture, Dreamland. Dumbo soars to new heights alongside a charming and spectacular aerial artist, Colette Marchant (Eva Green), until Holt learns that beneath its shiny veneer, Dreamland is full of dark secrets.
https://youtu.be/IBz7FUlZPXI?t=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBz7FUlZPXI
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Looks like from these photos in link below that the palms have already been taken down :dunno:
http://www.inkefalonia.gr/koinonia/68641-mas-epiase-i-psyxi-mas-me-tous-pesmenous-foinikes-stin-rizospaston-eikones
Don't know if someone's having me on but heard the palm trees will be replaced with (red weevil resistant) coconut trees!
Coconut has already been used to good effect during the last major works along the waterfront from the bridge towards the town centre and linking the Lithostroto to the Square.
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Don't know if someone's having me on but heard the palm trees will be replaced with (red weevil resistant) coconut trees!
Yes Maik, along the Southern Promenade and in the Square, date palms have been planted and should be resistant to these pests. I have a photo somewhere and will try to find it.
HiFi's post came up as I typed my reply. I thought they were date palms, but could be coconut. I am sure everyone will be issued with hard hats.
I took this photo in May 2017 when this area was under construction. The palms are looking very attractive now.
(http://goinggreek.info/gallery/11_07_02_19_8_48_39.jpeg)
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I think date palms are another name for the ones being felled infested with the weevil?
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Yes, I think you're right there, HiFi. And that replacement coconut trees are already in the ground (and in Roger's pic).
Apparently there's been a bit of a stink about the need to replace the (date) palm trees as it's possible to treat them against red weevil. However, I'm sure the coconut trees will look lovely. Be interesting to see if they produce coconuts, the banana trees don't produce anything like what Sainsbury's sell!