Measure time in the chapters of a book on idyllic Crete



We saw Agia Fotia before we reached it as our tiny car turned a corner on the high mountain road. The village is set in a small bay hundreds of metres below and accessible by one steep and narrow track with no barrier to prevent unfamiliar drivers from hurling over the cliff. This thrill is part of its charms - Agia Fotia has only two taverns, two small self-catering hotels, one beach bar, a white-washed church and a shop.

The south-eastern corner of Crete could not be a better advert for the perfect beach hideaway if it had been dreamed up by the Greek tourism board anxious to repair the country's image after months of street riots in Athens, which saw police firing tear gas at angry protesters. Athens feels very far away. Even Crete's capital Heraklion on the north end of the island is a lively metropolis compared to this small village.

Here, the pace of life is measured in how long it takes to finish reading a chapter of a book lying under an umbrella on the grey sands, mopping up a plate of grilled sardines then walking back to the beach to swim it off in the warm sea. Crete is in the south of the Aegean, Greece's largest island and its most popular. About one quarter of the 16 million tourists who visit the country every year come here.

Most elect to stay on the north coast, an eyesore of cheap resorts in Heraklion, Hania or Rethymno catering to pasty-skinned package holidaymakers arriving on chartered flights from north European climes. The canny give all of that a miss and head south. Agia Fotia is a two-hour journey, a nail-biting experience through mountain ranges which cut an east-west swathe across the island. The scenery alone is worth the drive: mountain roads framed by ripening pear trees and expanses of silvery grey olive orchards. Occasionally you flash past blinding white houses, balanced on cliffs with dizzying views of the coast, owned some very lucky and very rich folks.

There are 6,000 Greek islands but only 227 are inhabited, surrounded by the inviting waters of the Ionian and Aegean seas. Not surprisingly, tourism contributes 18 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product but this year sunseekers are staying away. After three people were killed in a public riot in Athens on May 5, there were 6,000 hotel cancellations on Crete and nearby Rhodes even though there have been no demonstrations on the island. That is a shame.

We stayed at Markos Studios, a small block of self-catering studio flats run by a friendly Dutch couple next to the beach. The rooms were clean and spacious. Each had a wide terrace with brilliant views of the sea and cliffs. For €46 (Dh212) per night, it was a bargain. We arrived at a perfect time, late June, just as the peak season should have been starting but it did not feel crowded at all. The only small cloud on the horizon was the need to get food supplies at Ierapetra, the nearest town and a 20-minute drive. But as someone who spends Saturday mornings guiding a trolley around a supermarket, it was a joy to wander around the open-air farmers' market which is open until lunchtime and browse through the fresh fruit and vegetables grown on the island.

Agia Fotia's beach is public and most days it was full of young Greek families and couples. There are sun loungers available for rent at €3 (Dh14) per day. The water is clean and clear and if you want to get away from the crowd you can escape to the small cove nearby. After a long morning of sunbathing and reading, we lazily made our way up the hill to the River Tavern, run by a Greek family. To get to the restaurant you must walk past their large vegetable plot. The daily specials were based on whatever had come out of the ground that morning: chicken and okra, spinach patties and courgette balls. The food was simple and good and most of the main courses cost no more than €8 (Dh37).

For the more energetic, many parts of Crete have footpaths for ramblers and you can spend hours walking along the coast exploring its bays and coves. Or wander through small villages fixed in time with sleepy squares and taverns. The dramatic and beautiful Samaria Gorge is a 16-kilometre-long national park on the south-west end of Crete which is popular for day hikes. The entrance fee is €5 (Dh23). The island has history too. You can experience ancient Greek culture at Knossos, five kilometres south of Heraklion and the palace of the mythical Minotaur owned by King Minos.

The British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans excavated the site in the early 20th century with £250,000 of his own money but some historians criticise his reconstructions as fantastical. The entrance fee is €10 (Dh46) and you need several hours - preferably early in the morning to avoid the midday heat - to do the site justice. When I returned to Dubai longing for some salty sea air I found a website selling private islands which sought to reassure me that buying a Greek island is not as expensive as one might imagine.

"Greek islands are the ultimate status symbol, evoking images of sunglass-sporting shipping magnates sipping champagne on the deck of enormous yachts," says privateislandsonline.com. "In reality, Greek islands are relatively affordable, costing as little as two million dollars - less than a ski chalet in Aspen or a walk up on the Upper East side." One 13-hectare island on the Ionian sea is listed for €1.1 million. Tempting, but still a bit out of my price range - so I'll have to content myself with a future visit to Agia Fotia.

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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?

If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.

Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.

Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.

Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).

Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal. 

Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.

By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.

As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.

Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.

He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.” 

This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”

Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

MATCH INFO

Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)

Match is on BeIN Sports

A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Company%20Profile
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What is a Ponzi scheme?

A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

AIDA%20RETURNS
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

The Transfiguration

Director: Michael O’Shea

Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine

Three stars

The biog

Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi

Favourite TV show: That 70s Show

Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving

Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can

Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home

Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big

'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'

Director: Jason Reitman

Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace

Rating: 2/5

MATCH INFO

France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')

Italy 1
Bonucci (36')

The 24-man squad:

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur).

Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/Dortmund), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).

Standby player: Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC).

A cryptocurrency primer for beginners

Cryptocurrency Investing  for Dummies – by Kiana Danial 

There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine. 

Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.

Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this  book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.

Begin your cryptocurrency journey here. 

Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104 

MATCH INFO

World Cup qualifier

Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')

UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SERIES INFO

Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series

All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Test series

1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March

Play starts at 9.30am

T20 series

1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March

TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube

THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

Price: From Dh59,700 

 

On sale: now  

 
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W.
Wael Kfoury
(Rotana)

RESULT

Valencia 3

Kevin Gameiro 21', 51'

Ferran Torres 67'

Atlanta 4

Josip Llicic 3' (P), 43' (P), 71', 82'

The specs: Volvo XC40

Price: base / as tested: Dh185,000

Engine: 2.0-litre, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder

Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km

Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cry Macho

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam

Rating:**

Score

New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs 

New Zealand win by 47 runs

New Zealand lead three-match ODI series 1-0

Next match: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Friday

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The bio:

Favourite holiday destination: I really enjoyed Sri Lanka and Vietnam but my dream destination is the Maldives.

Favourite food: My mum’s Chinese cooking.

Favourite film: Robocop, followed by The Terminator.

Hobbies: Off-roading, scuba diving, playing squash and going to the gym.

 

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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