For those who do not know of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the chances are that after Sunday they will.
The US-educated former finance analyst and investment consultant wants to be the man to lead Greece out of a lost decade of economic chaos and political upheaval.
The son of former Greek prime minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis, the leader of the centre-right New Democracy party is riding high in the polls before Sunday’s snap general election.
New Democracy pulled ahead of leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s Syriza party in recent European elections, forcing the Greek leader to move October’s poll into the country’s crucial tourism season.
Local elections on June 2 dealt another blow to Mr Tsipras as New Democracy won control of 12 out of 13 Greek regions and took Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city.
Mr Mitsotakis, 51, a father of three and a fluent English speaker, could find his in-tray full after Sunday’s vote.
A failure to win an overall majority in Greece’s 300-seat parliament could require horse-trading with smaller parties to come up with a coalition capable of governing.
Greece has not had a one-party government since 2011 and a second round of voting in mid-August is not impossible, especially if there is a low turnout on Sunday.
Given that New Democracy is unlikely to do deals with the far-right Golden Dawn party or Greece’s communists, that could mean cobbling together a majority with centrists, nationalists, independents and other right-wingers.
This is just the first hurdle Mr Mitsotakis could face.
Greece still has troubled relations with neighbouring Turkey. Turkish drillships operating in the Eastern Mediterranean have recently exacerbated a war of words between Athens, Ankara and Nicosia.
The country hosts more than 60,000 refugees, UN figures for May show. More than 14,000 of these live in overcrowded camps on the Greek islands and a long-term solution to the issue is unclear.
Economically, Greece is still feeling the effects of years of austerity policies. EU figures put Greek unemployment at 18.5 per cent in April – the highest in the bloc. That figure rises to almost 40 per cent for people aged between 15 and 24.
It is among this group of young people that new voices will be heard. Sunday will be the first Greek election in which the voting age is reduced to 17.
Among these first-time voters is high school pupil Giota Lourida, 17, from western Greece. She remains unpersuaded by the polices of Mr Tsipras and Mr Mitsotakis.
"I believe most first-time voters and especially people my age haven't decided yet," she told The National.
“We are young and fed up with the government for so many reasons but at the same time we don't have a party that completely reflects our opinions and ideas.
“From what I've heard, most of my classmates will either vote what their parents advised them to or they don't know what exactly to vote for and will probably abstain.”
Ms Lourida is also angry about another issue that has racked Greek politics for decades – the wrangle over what is now called North Macedonia.
Mr Tsipras struck the compromise Prespa Agreement in June last year with the leader of then Macedonia, Zoran Zaev.
But many Greeks, particularly in the north, were incensed by what they regard as a betrayal.
“Not only me but loads of people are so disappointed with the way this issue was handled by the present government,” Ms Lourida says.
“People were furious – still are – and there were protests not long ago. Even the schools were closed by students.
“As far as I'm concerned, this was one of the biggest mistakes this government made that offended us as a nation and won't be forgiven.”
Mr Mitsotakis says he will respect the Prespa deal but in April he insisted Greece should “retain the right to block” North Macedonia’s path to EU membership if Athens’ “national interests are not met”.
But Nick Malkoutzis, editor of the Greek economic and political analysis website Macropolis, thinks the Macedonia issue has lost its punch.
“The Macedonia name deal met with a wave of fury that seems to have run its course and the vehement opposition to the agreement is now mostly limited to a narrow group of voters,” Malkoutzis says.
He says that of greater concern for the next Greek leader is moving the country out of the austerity era.
“The overarching issue is trying to come up with an idea of where Greece goes after a decade of crisis," Malkoutzis says. "It's about developing a narrative for Greece away from the bailouts, recession and political tumult of the last few years.
"It's the first time in a while that Greek politicians have been challenged to think years ahead rather than just a few months at a time, while implementing policies agreed to with the country's lenders.”
Mr Mitsotakis has promised to lower Greek business tax from 28 to 20 per cent within 24 months and reduce property tax by almost a third in two years.
Income taxes will be lowered and VAT will be divided into two categories of 11 and 22 per cent.
Mr Mitsotakis has insisted to EU creditors that these tax cuts will pay for themselves, fuel economic growth and still enable Greece to meet its debt repayments.
Greece’s civil service can also expect some changes. Mr Mitsotakis has committed his party to hiring just one public servant for every five who leave, and has promised to bring in non-politicians and technocrats to overhaul the entire sector.
“Coming out of the crisis, the Greek economy is desperate for foreign investment,” Malkoutzis says. “Without it, growth and job creation will be limited and the social wounds created during the past decade will heal too slowly.
“The next government will be judged, to a large extent, on whether it creates the proper conditions for sizeable foreign investment in Greece.
"This will require an attractive and stable tax system, simplification of legislation and zoning laws, and a more efficient public administration, including judiciary.”
A Mitsotakis government would have its work cut out, and the New Democracy leader has his sceptics, even within his party.
Leonardos Kaloudas, a law student in Athens and a member of the party’s youth wing, backs the “open-minded and knowledgeable” party leader, but admits that even some New Democracy voters “don’t agree with his open and innovative decisions”.
Mr Kaloudas still supports Mr Mitsotakis’s reform programme and pro-business policies.
“Co-operation with investors from abroad could affect the national economy positively, create new jobs and widen economic opportunities in general,” he says.
Sunday’s vote is not a foregone conclusion, and Mr Tsipras is a wily political operator. New Democracy is aware of this and is warning its supporters against apathy.
The party is desperate to avoid another election in August, which would be held under a simple proportional representation system – pushing the conservatives towards an unlikely co-operation arrangement with Mr Tsipras’s party.
Speaking in Halkidiki in northern Greece on Sunday, Mr Mitsotakis told voters: “There is no justification for abstaining or discounting the election result.”
It could be a long, hot summer for Greece’s electorate.
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
Match info
Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')
Southampton 0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
Results
4pm: Maiden (Dirt) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Moshaher, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Handicap (D) Dh165,000 2,200m
Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Maiden (Turf) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Rua Augusta, Harry Bentley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
5.45pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,200m
Winner: Private’s Cove, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
6.20pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 1,600m
Winner: Azmaam, Jim Crowley, Musabah Al Muhairi.
6.55pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,400m
Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.30pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 2,000m
Winner: Rio Tigre, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars
- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes
- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts
Napoleon
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Makerah, Adrie de Vries, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Hazeme, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap | Dh85,000 | 2,200m
Winner: AF Yatroq, Brett Doyle, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Shadwell Farm for Private Owners Handicap | Dh70,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Nawwaf KB, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Treasured Times, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
