Activists put the finishing touches to a sand drawing of the G7 leaders, calling on them to 'share the vaccine' on Watergate Bay beach near Newquay, Cornwall ahead of the three-day G7 summit. AFP
Activists put the finishing touches to a sand drawing of the G7 leaders, calling on them to 'share the vaccine' on Watergate Bay beach near Newquay, Cornwall ahead of the three-day G7 summit. AFP
Activists put the finishing touches to a sand drawing of the G7 leaders, calling on them to 'share the vaccine' on Watergate Bay beach near Newquay, Cornwall ahead of the three-day G7 summit. AFP
Activists put the finishing touches to a sand drawing of the G7 leaders, calling on them to 'share the vaccine' on Watergate Bay beach near Newquay, Cornwall ahead of the three-day G7 summit. AFP

UK to donate 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine


Paul Carey
  • English
  • Arabic

The UK will donate 100 million surplus Covid-19 vaccine doses to the world.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the pledge ahead of the G7 summit in Cornwall, which begins on Friday.

The doses will be given out within the next year.

Last week, Mr Johnson urged the world's largest economies to pledge to vaccinate the global population against Covid-19 by the end of 2022.

He said it would be "the single greatest feat in medical history” if the goal was achieved next year.

At the summit, the first meeting of G7 leaders since the start of the pandemic, he will ask for “concrete commitments” to inoculate the world by the end of 2022.

G7 leaders are poised to pledge one billion vaccines to the world in an effort to overcome the coronavirus pandemic by the end of 2022.

The World Health Organisation estimates that 11 billion doses will be needed to fully inoculate the global population.

UK Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi agreed that even with the G7 donation pledges "fundamentally, there's a shortage" to vaccinate everyone. He urged pharmaceutical companies to scale up manufacturing.

He said the UK's vaccination programme will not be affected by the donation of 100 million doses.

Zoe Abrams, executive director at the British Red Cross, said the promise on vaccines was heartening but that she still had concerns.

"While every commitment must be welcomed, more needs to be done, and fast," she said.

Lis Wallace, head of UK advocacy at anti-poverty campaigners One, said the global distribution was "not happening anywhere near fast enough".

G7 leaders are due to set out a plan for sharing doses, and financing and expanding vaccine manufacturing to achieve that goal.

World leaders are under pressure to redress an imbalance in global vaccine supplies condemned by human rights groups and the WHO.

On Wednesday it was reported that Washington was ordering 500 million of Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccines to share with other countries.

The move is a major step towards President Joe Biden's plans for a bigger US role in the fight against the pandemic, in which more than 3.7 million people have died worldwide.

The UK will donate five million doses by the end of September, beginning in the coming weeks, primarily for use in the world’s poorest countries.

Mr Johnson committed to donating another 95 million doses within the next year, including 25 million more by the end of 2021. About 800,000 doses will go to Covax and the remainder will be shared with countries in need.

Downing Street said it would meet an immediate demand for vaccines for the countries worst affected by coronavirus without delaying completion of the UK’s initial domestic vaccination programme.

Vaccinating more people around the world would help reduce the risk to people in the UK, it said.

Covax has so far provided 81 million doses to 129 of the world’s poorest countries, the vast majority being the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

“As a result of the success of the UK’s vaccine programme we are now in a position to share some of our surplus doses with those who need them. In doing so we will take a massive step towards beating this pandemic for good," Mr Johnson said.

“At the G7 summit, I hope my fellow leaders will make similar pledges so that together we can vaccinate the world by the end of next year and build back better from coronavirus.”

RAF personnel load a batch of the Covid-19 vaccine on to a Voyager aircraft bound for the Falkland Islands. Getty Images
RAF personnel load a batch of the Covid-19 vaccine on to a Voyager aircraft bound for the Falkland Islands. Getty Images

G7 leaders will also discuss how to expand the supply of vaccines internationally, with Mr Johnson asking the group to encourage pharmaceutical companies to adopt the Oxford-AstraZeneca model of providing vaccines at cost for the duration of the pandemic.

Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have already pledged to share 1.3 billion doses on a non-profit basis with developing countries.

Leaders are expected to discuss additional ways to support countries experiencing acute coronavirus emergencies and put in place mechanisms to prevent future pandemics. This follows commitments made at an online meeting of G7 leaders earlier this year.

What is Folia?

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.

Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."

Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.

In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love". 

There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.

While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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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
UAE - India ties

The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China

Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion

The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India

Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015

His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016

Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017

Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km

Price: from Dh94,900

On sale: now

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

Cinco in numbers

Dh3.7 million

The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown

46

The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.

1,000

The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]

50

How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday

3,000

The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

1.1 million

The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.