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Greece, a firm favourite among UAE travellers, is back.
The country’s famous beaches, sunlit islands, renowned cuisine and rich culture have long attracted visitors from the region, who, pre-pandemic, would visit in their hundreds of thousands.
Covid-19 has been a tough experience for Greece’s tourism sector and those whose livelihoods depend upon it. But a new quarantine-free travel corridor with the UAE, plus direct flights to Athens with Emirates, Etihad and Wizz Air, offer the hope of a recovery this summer.
Although tourist numbers may be down this year, and some Covid documentation is still required, avoiding the hordes in Athens and the more popular islands can still be a challenge. So, for those looking for a Greek getaway without the nightclubs and tour groups, the understated island of Andros remains a shrewd choice.
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You never forget your first bomb. On April 12, 1989, the solid whump of a 680-kilogram car bomb set off by the Irish Republican Army was enough to stop me and my classmates at St Peter’s Boys’ School dead in our tracks.
Our heads snapped right, watching the growing cloud of smoke rising from Charlotte Street, the site of our little town’s fortified police barracks. That blast – which I remember more as a feeling than a sound – killed Joanne Reilly, 20, who had been working in Heately & Morgan’s hardware shop beside the station belonging to the RUC, the local police force. It also injured nine police and 31 civilians.
Cyprus has been effectively partitioned for almost half a century. The north is run by a Turkish Cypriot government while the remaining part of the island is run by the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot administration. Almost half a century after the truce line emerged, the Green Zone has become a tranquil wilderness. Still patrolled by UN peacekeepers, it has also served as a backdrop for many rounds of talks over the future of the divided Eastern Mediterranean island.
Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, is poised to launch a fresh round of talks within weeks. But the problem is that he will almost certainly stick to the tried and failed formulas of the past, which means the prospect of failure is high.